Americans seems to complain about the price of fuel more than anyone else, why is that?

Question

The average price of fuel in the US is $4 a gallon right now, I worked out the conversion from gallons to litres 1:3.8 and US dollars to Australian dollars 0.96:1 and it comes out to AUD $1.10 / Litre, right now we pay $1.50 a Litre, I would love to have the prices they have in the US.

Answer 1

arrgh diesel at £1.33 a litre in the UK really sucks

Answer 2

ok , i understand that, but what is your total cost of living like? do  you still pay for medical, what is your average priced home? we could go on.

Answer 3

Because they all drive SUVs!

Answer 4

we complain because while gas prices are going up our wages are not. most areas do not have public transit, and the area that i live in was mainly a factory town and around two years ago all the factories closed and went over seas. we struggle to make ends meet and personally i had to give up a summer job because it did not pay enough to cover the gas to drive to it. so excuse us if we do not like being hungry and abandoned by our government; before you talk badly of someone try considering what they are going through as a whole!

Answer 5

The price of fuel here in the US is so high because OPEC decides the price.  OPEC are the Saudi's, Cheney, Canada, Russia and other huge oil companies.

A few years ago oil was steady at $30 a barrel.  The poor Saudi's nearly went bankrupt.  So all these oil barrons OPEC, got together and slowly but surely keep raising the price of oil.  Friday a barrel of oil closed at $135.00 a barrel!!!

The US is WAY to dependent on foreign oil.  Seems most of Europe has been using alternative fuel rather than fossil fuels, OIL!  Canada uses sand and oil.  The machines separate the oil from the sand and voila! OIL.  They have become one of the larger exporters of oil to the US.

The US keeps drilling everywhere they can but, no matter how much we have on reserve or drill and find, we continually depend on importing foreign oil.  THAT'S WHY BUSH SHOULD GO AWAY AND TAKE CHENEY WITH HIM.  THEY'RE MAKING $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ at the expense of Americans.  And yes, Americans must have their SUV's and emit as much greenhouse gas they can.

Americans are over indulgent on many things.  We create more garbage per person per day than anywhere else on this planet.  Another cause of global warming.

And yes, there are very poor Americans that are having their homes forclosed on them without notice.  They can't afford the mortgage, how are they going to afford fuel for their cars?

All prices in America are rising not just fuel.  Food is outrageously expensive all of a sudden.  China keeps sending us poisonous foods and toys and the FDA does NOTHING!  So much for NAFTA.  We are in debt nationally and globaly in the trillions!

I to am an American.  However, I use MASS TRANSIT, I do not own a car.  My apartment building uses water for heat and hot water.   AND DON'T FORGET THIS PLANET IS GOING TO RUN OUT OF WATER SOON!

Thank you for allowing me to sound off.  Seems I wrote a short book.  I will stop now.  I must stop now or my anger will explode.  But I thank you for your question and in some way I hope I answered it to your satisfaction.

Answer 6

we people in america get what we want and are very lazy.why doyou think we are the fatest country? we are too lazy to walk, so we all own cars.

Answer 7

Other countries have socialist governments that tax the h**l out of their fuel, so they're used to getting reamed in the kiester.

It's a new sensation for us Americans to have our fuel costs triple in a few years time, so this new 'Reach Around' Economy is hard to adjust to.

We'll soon develop alternatives to oil, so we can flip the bird to the OPEC nations that hate us anyway. Yippiee-ky-a Mutha ---!

Answer 8

maybe people there are alot less fortunate then use people and have low paying jobs???

Answer 9

For decades the US has seen below average fuel prices.  Until about 2 years ago, gas had not risen above $1.50/gal usd.  Our economy has taken such a downturn in that time, that we have seen prices almost triple since then, and at a time when there are so many people on the lowest end of income range.  Had the price risen gradually, instead of jumping so quickly, you would likely not be hearing so much complaining from us.

Answer 10

Because we can and because we can make it lower if we scream loud enough. We are not as fatalistic as the rest of the world.

Answer 11

We are spoiled.  We have been a very blessed country.  Generations past seemed to find a "better way," were hard workers, wanted more for their children then they had, had pride and perseverance and after World War II, when we helped a lot of other countries get back on their feet, we prospered and became spoiled with the availability of natural resources at low costs.  The world has changed, China and India are demanding a lot more natural resources, and I guess we just are reluctant to accept reality.  We actually have cut down on our use of fuel.  We are a very generous country, but food, electricity and everything else increasing in price, we might not have any extra money to contribute to the next tsunami or earthquake victims.

Answer 12

US fuel IS still cheap compared to Australia or Britain.

US towns are designed for cars though - there is no other option. No bus or walking option, just the car.

Answer 13

America has a broad country with virtually no public transportation outside of urban centers.

Plus, American consumers are not good at cutting down on expenses or using their resources for efficiency.

Answer 14

because were americans and we complain

Answer 15

That is a pretty complex question. I think a lot of things come into play when it comes to American fuel consumption.

A) Most people do not live in the city they work in. Some people have to put in 2 hours of driving back and forth each day.

B) The average car used by an American has much more gas consumption than smaller, economic cars used elsewhere in the world, although this is slowly changing, I'm noticing.

C) Distances between places are much further than say countries in Europe. People that live in rural areas have to drive long distances just to shop for groceries, clothes, etc. When you compare Germany, for example to the United States, that is the size of a large state, so things are obviously closer together and their need to travel farther is not as noticable. Most of these people are the ones who work in other towns as well. On top of that, most people who live in rural areas do not make top dollar, therefore, are hit the hardest with the gas prices.

Unfortunately, America is not in a preferred situation, with the depleting value of the US dollar, inflation at a catastrophic rate and wages without increase. Hopefully in the advent of a new president (hopefully Democrat, since they seem to be the only ones noticing the crises going on), Americans can be relieved of their current burdens and hopefully elsewhere in the world too, as humans are constantly searching for alternative energy and energy conservation techniques.