I'm assuming we're all joining the "Buy-Cott" with Citgo - I know I am!!

[LynneSin]

I've never used Citgo before, but there are at least a half dozen stations near me. I plan on using Citgo every chance I get!


Published on Monday, May 16, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
Buy Your Gas at Citgo: Join the BUY-cott!
by Jeff Cohen

Looking for an easy way to protest Bush foreign policy week after week? And an easy way to help alleviate global poverty? Buy your gasoline at Citgo stations.
And tell your friends.

Of the top oil producing countries in the world, only one is a democracy with a president who was elected on a platform of using his nation's oil revenue to benefit the poor. The country is Venezuela. The President is Hugo Chavez.

Citgo is a U.S. refining and marketing firm that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Venezuela's state-owned oil company. Money you pay to Citgo goes primarily to Venezuela -- not Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. There are 14,000 Citgo gas stations in the US. (Click here http://www.citgo.com/CITGOLocator/StoreLocator.jsp to find one near you.) By buying your gasoline at Citgo, you are contributing to the billions of dollars that Venezuela's democratic government is using to provide health care, literacy and education, and subsidized food for the majority of Venezuelans.

Instead of using government to help the rich and the corporate, as Bush does, Chavez is using the resources and oil revenue of his government to help the poor in Venezuela. A country with so much oil wealth shouldn't have 60 percent of its people living in poverty, earning less than $2 per day. With a mass movement behind him, Chavez is confronting poverty in Venezuela. That's why large majorities have consistently backed him in democratic elections. And why the Bush administration supported an attempted military coup in 2002 that sought to overthrow Chavez.

So this is the opposite of a boycott. Call it a BUYcott. Spread the word.

Of course, if you can take mass transit or bike or walk to your job, you should do so. And we should all work for political changes that move our country toward a cleaner environment based on renewable energy. The BUYcott is for those of us who don't have a practical alternative to filling up our cars.

So get your gas at Citgo. And help fuel a democratic revolution in Venezuela.

Jeff Cohen is an author and media critic (www.jeffcohen.org)

[Beware the Beast Man]

1. It's just a bummer that the closest Citgo to me is 5 miles away.

I go there when I can...and their prices are reasonable too.

[LynneSin]

2. It's the same thing for me but

It's not like I'm driving below "E" and need a station 2 blocks from me (which mine is Sunoco).

It's worth the drive to support Venezuela

[Shoeempress]

3. I'm on board.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

4. Behold CITGO sponsored Venezuelan driver Milka Duno at the Daytona 24 hrs:

[redqueen]

26. Sweet!

Thanks for posting the pics...

[ClassWarrior]

5. I always buy Citgo, unless a dire emergency.

Thanks for posting this Lynne. :hi:

NGU.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

6. On edit... SUPER!!

On edit... some of those links support this theory!!
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/cli.html

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/saudigas.asp

[LynneSin]

7. Yes, but this came from Common Dreams

I hardly think they'd start something like this if they didn't do their research first what they were starting

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0516-25.htm

:D

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

8. Yup... I started clicking and stand corrected!

You can even get a spreadsheet with company level distributions. Looks good for Citgo!!

I edited above... good news!:toast:

(now can I get a good car wash at the Citgo?)

[LynneSin]

9. No one is perfect

and that spreadsheet from the DOE shows that basically our gas is coming from everyone. But if we can steer ourselves towards companies using less Saudi and more non-Middle East gas maybe we can make a difference

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/data/import.xls

[LynneSin]

10. I live for some excel pivot tables here's some crunching from March

First and foremost - mind you that when you put gas in your car it's not all 100% of one country but a blend from over the world. So here's some breakdown for March 2005 (Crude Oil Only)

Venezuela: Top 5 importers
HOVENSA LLC 10608
CITGO PETRO CORP 8951
LYONDELL CITGO REFG LP 6666
PHILLIPS PETRO CO 5164
VALERO MKTG & SUPPLY CO 3370


Saudi: Top 5 importers:
PREMCOR REFG GROUP INC THE 18453
CHEVRON CORP 7616
VALERO MKTG & SUPPLY CO 7207
MARATHON ASHLAND PETRO LLC 4912
EXXONMOBIL OIL CORP 2288
(note: I combined Motiva and Premcor since Premcor took over Motiva)

Iraq: Top 5 importers:
EXXONMOBIL OIL CORP 6610
TOTAL PETROCHEM USA INC 1996
MARATHON ASHLAND PETRO LLC 1892
CHEVRON CORP 1310
BP WEST COAST PRODTS LLC 1222

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

12. Heh... are you a data cruncher, too?

A woman after my own heart!

If my head wasn't spinning from analyzing line item retail data all day, I prolly woulda, too. But, being the data geek I am, I did bookmark it for later analysis. :toast:

[supernova]

11. Yay! The mounted and stuffed animal store!

My local Citgo is owned by a family my family has known for decades and I have always stopped there on occasion just on general principles.

Bug, Geez! The guy loves HIS HUNTIN' This store is more the old fashioned general store type place. Look up above the beer case at the 5-point buck head. Or behind you over the fishing tackle at the mounted silver fox.

Then there's the crow sitting over the candy row.

No, I'm not kidding.

The place has always creeped me out.

[Parche]

13. CITGO

ITS A GAS!!!!

[ClassWarrior]

14. Ummm...

Isn't that Jumpin' Jack Flash?

NGU.

[MrSandman]

15. Demand for Exxon goes down...

Their wholesale prices drop; Citgo buys their gasoline.

Only by dropping total demand will this be successful.

[LynneSin]

16. Only by all of us participating

I was reading more from the DOE website and these boycott/buycotts don't work unless we can get massive amounts of folks involved.

So for now, if we all think locally ie 'today I'll buy from my gas from a decent gas station even if I have to drive 3-4 extra miles to get there' then maybe we can make a difference globally!

[MrSandman]

17. Their weakness is though...

That the wholesale markets are so fluid that these boycott/buycotts won't affect total demand.

If Citgo gets million more customers, their price goes up relative to other oil companies or they wholesale from other companies.

Either way, the other companies begin to sell, either wholesale or, due to reduced pump prices, retail once more balancing the supply of from other countries.

[ClassWarrior]

20. So if it's no harm, no foul, why are you arguing about it?

NGU.

[MrSandman]

21. Pointing out that it is mostly illusory...

Like the increased security now that we have Homeland Security.(HS instead of BS).

[ClassWarrior]

22. Mostly?

NGU.

[ClassWarrior]

24. Aside from oil pricing, the impact on the retail operations alone...

...would be considerable. Both in terms of commerce in non-oil products, and in terms of PR. You can't tell me lines at Citgos and empty Exxons wouldn't send a powerful message.

NGU.

[WMliberal]

18. been doing it for four years.

and if I owned a company that needed steel, I'd buy it from the Orinoco.

[Selatius]

19. Thanks for informing me of this. Citgo means go!

I'll switch over.

[LynneSin]

23. Bump for the morning crowd

:bounce:

[redqueen]

25. Hell yeah I always try to fill up at Citgo stations.

They have the best prices down here, so it's always nice to watch all the people driving the giant SUVs fill up their huge tanks with Citgo gas. :D

[ClassWarrior]

27. .