Here's a note forwarded from Jon F., who lives in Central Illinois.

"Please read.   This is crazy!!!!!!!
 
Illinois State Legislatures just passed another gas tax that will become effective on Wednesday, June 28th.  Illinois has the SECOND HIGHEST gas  prices in the entire country (Hawaii comes in first).  Hawaii is understandable due to the geographic location, but Illinois is located in the Midwest and there is not any valid justification for the skyrocketing gas prices for the state of Illinois.  There is also no valid reason in which Illinois residents have to spend 1/3 of their paychecks each week for fuel.
   
By 6/28/00 the cheapest Unleaded gas will be $2.49. Congress is even outraged with Illinois gas prices and the taxes are often compared to gas prices in Europe (Europe gas prices are the highest in the world $5.63 for the cheapest unleaded).
   
There will be a state wide gas strike on 6/28/00.  Please do not buy any gas on that date.  Try to buy gas the day before and the day after.  The residents of Illinois must make their voices heard, or gas prices will continue to increase.  It is up to YOU to take this initiative into your own hands in order to make a difference.  

FORWARD THIS TO AS MANY ILLINOIS RESIDENTS AS YOU CAN!"

A question:  what is this tax earmarked for?  Anything worthwhile?

Personally I'm not sure how much good this kind of gas strike will do.  Basically the same amount of gas will be sold; it's just giving the gas station owners a slow day sandwiched in between two busy ones.  It will, of course, make a statement.  But to really show displeasure, a sacrifice is necessary.  If everyone stayed home that day, including teachers, civil servants, store clerks, etc., so that the state was in effect shut down, now that would constitute a strike!   It could be done.  Miami was effectively closed down for a day of protest after the Elian Gonzalez "liberation" incident.  It would create hardships, but as they say in the sports world:  "No pain, no gain!"

For many families, this increase will almost be the last straw.   Salaries don't increase specifically to cover gas price increases.  This means the money has to come from somewhere;  usually health care, the food budget or some other necessity.  The increased cost of gasoline has worsened the quality of life for huge amounts of Americans.   If there was adequate public transportation, this wouldn't be such a problem.  But in most places, there's not.  Most public transportation is unreliable, dangerous, excessively time consuming, inconvenient, annoying and dirty.   There's no practical alternative but to tighten the belt and pay more at the pump! 

Just reducing the gas prices won't get it anyway, long term. We need to work for laws similar to California's, that will require automobile manufacturers to produce non-polluting cars that don't use nearly as much gas.  This law has had an effect.  Honda has just introduced a sleek two-seater that gets 70 miles to the gallon.  It does it by using gas for high-speed driving,  electric for idling and both for acceleration.  The batteries are recharged automatically by the braking action.  Toyota is set to introduce a similar but larger car this fall.  At seventy miles per gallon, we could afford high gas prices!

We need to lobby our legislatures to provide funding for timely, adequate, non-polluting public transportation.  We need to car-pool more.  We need to work with zoning departments to allow clean, quiet businesses in residential areas, specifically in or attached to people's homes, to reduce driving time and costs.   We need to lobby local governments for safe bicycle, scooter or moped lanes.   Meanwhile, we need to be sure our present gas-guzzling automobiles are tuned up regularly to provide the highest mileage and lowest pollution levels.  When we accomplish all these things,  the air will clear, the birds and butterflies will come back,  respiratory illness will decline,  and the price of gasoline (and it will continue to rise!) will be less of a burden.