Harvey Pollack Gas Protest

It seems like I've been hearing about this story for days.

There were the reports leading up to the event and now today -- the big protest.

Whoop-de-doo.

MEQUON, Wis. -- Motorists pulled in to Harvey Pollack's gas station Thursday, honked and gave him a thumbs-up — because he wasn't selling any fuel.

The owner of Towne Market Mobil in this suburb north of Milwaukee shut down his pumps for 24 hours, hoping to start a movement aimed at convincing oil companies to lower their prices.

"Somebody out there is making money at these prices, but not me," said Pollack, 57. "So I just thought: What can I do to help the consumer?"

How does not selling gas help the consumer?

If you're on "E" and you need to buy gas, it would be a pain, not a pleasure.

Yellow caution tape surrounded Pollack's six idle pumps for his protest, which drew dozens of drivers. One in a green minivan rolled down her window and shouted "Thank you!"

Maria McClory, 38, drove 10 miles out of her way to buy a diet soda from Pollack's station after seeing local television coverage of the protest.

"I just wanted to support them and thank them for making a statement," said McClory, who drives about 100 miles a day for work in her sport utility vehicle.

Huh?

Gas is so expensive that consumers are barely getting by, yet McClory drove 10 MILES out of her way to get a diet soda from Pollack's station.

What a waste! What would Al Gore say?

It doesn't seem like McClory is strapped when it comes to the price of gas. She doesn't feel a need to conserve.

It sounds to me like she was hoping to get on TV or be interviewed. She succeeded.

...Pollack and station general manager John Schwartz agreed to experiment with a pump shutdown after an Internet-based push for a one-day gas boycott went largely unheeded last week.

"Somebody's got to be the first to try this," Schwartz said.

I think Pollack did this as a publicity stunt because IT DOESN'T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING, other than get his mug on TV.

A one station shutdown certainly doesn't impact the oil companies at all.

Maybe Gov. Jim Doyle was upset about losing the taxes from Pollack's gas sales, but I'm sure he was calmed by aides that very slowly explained to him that drivers would just go to another station down the road to purchase gas.

A one-day gas boycott by one station is pointless.

If they didn't already take their business elsewhere, People that didn't buy gas at Pollack's station today will do it tomorrow. No impact.

If the population en masse got rid of cars and stopped purchasing gas altogether, that would be a different story. If purchasing habits really changed, that would make a difference.

Pollack's protest is a joke.

Actually, the joke is on the media eagerly lapping up the story.

I wonder how much gas was wasted with members of the media driving to Mequon to interview Pollack and snap photos of the yellow tape and signs.

I don't like high gas prices, but this is lame.