I can remember very vividly the little store that was across the street from our house while I was in grade school. It was like a corner store, but, it wasn’t quite on the corner. You could buy bread, two-for-a-penny cookies, and just about every little household item that came to mind. The thing that I remember the most (after the cookies, of course) was the Philadelphia Daily News. It sold for three (3) cents. After a while, it went up to a nickel. Before long people were starting to say “When it hits a quarter, I’m not buying it anymore”. I haven’t bought one in ages, but, that’s only because I switched to the Philadelphia Inquirer. I don’t know what the Inquirer sold for back then, but, both papers are now up to about seventy-five (75) cents – and the sales are still flourishing.
I got a little older, and I remember riding on our public transit system, Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC), which was twenty-five (25) cents to ride. That fare also included a pass, if you wanted one. You could get all around town for less than fifty (50) cents. When the price started to rise, everyone said that “when it reaches a dollar, that’s it – I’ll stop riding it”. PTC – it was such a small name. It turned into the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Its name was not the only thing that grew in size - it now costs two (2) dollars just to get on the bus, then, an additional sixty (60) cents for a transfer, purportedly the highest fare in the nation. It’s the only game in town, outrageously priced, and the ridership is as it was at a quarter a pop.
A few years passed by, and high school came along. That’s when I picked up that disgusting addiction to tobacco. Ah, KOOLS! Now, the neighborhood choice is Newports. Back then, if memory serves me correctly, a pack went for about $1.50. I’m sure that you can imagine what was said when the price started to rise: “When they reach $2.00 a pack, I’m quitting”. I’ve switched to a less rough smoke, now, but, the last time that I looked, Newports were up to about $4.65 a pack. People complain, but, they drop the cash on the counter and walk out with nicotine in hand.
I was proud to be the Valedictorian when I graduated high school, but, the summer following the 11th grade found me and my best friend forced to attend summer school to make up for our lousy math grade. It wasn’t that the grades were so bad (although I hated and stunk at math). We angered our math teacher, missed an all-important test, and he refused to budge. My friend had his driver’s license, so his dad allowed him to use the car for us to get back and forth to school for the summer. Now listen up, young’uns, because I wouldn’t lie – we pooled my fifty (50) cents and his fifty (50) cents to get gas. We went to school, drove around the neighborhood afterwards, and still had plenty gas to make it home! Everyone said, when the price started to rise, “When it reaches $1.50 a gallon, I’m going to have to find another way around”. Today, when I got gas, the price was a whopping $3.59 a gallon and, I had to wait in line at the pump!
This is where it stops. I’m not sure what the solution is, but, we need one and soon. If anyone has any suggestions, by all means, speak up. For now, I am starting a nationwide boycott – the Great Gas Out. Not to worry, as I don’t mean tomorrow. Here’s what I’d like to do. We had a Black Out last summer, a boycott in which no one (at least African-Americans) was to buy anything on that particular day. The point was to show that we had great economic buying power and that power needs to be recognized. I want to start one in the same spirit, one which is all-inclusive - the entire nation. I’m going to need your help to spread the word. I figure that Saturdays and Sundays are the days when most people can most afford not to gas up, considering the fact that just about everyone has to be to work during the week. I want to shoot for Saturday, June 14, 2008. That should give everyone enough time to spread the word. We will not stop at the pumps on that day and see what effect it has on the pockets of the greedy. If it works, and it should, we’ll do it again on Saturday, June 21, 2008.
Every time you send an e-mail, put a note/reminder at the bottom of it to let everyone know about the boycott. Blog about it – The Great Gas Out. Put a reminder at the bottom of your posts, reminding people of the Great Gas Out. Spread it by word of mouth. Tell your loud-mouthed neighbor. Send a text message to anyone you can. This may not be the best way to go about things, but, it’s a start. Besides, I said that when gas reaches . . .
This is blackstarr saying “Vive La Renaissance!”
copyright © 2008 blackstarr
Renaissance, New Millennium, Black Out, Great Gas Out, corporate greed, inflation, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, boycott, June 14 2008, June 21 2008
