What's the big Gripe about $4??!!?

Question

In Europe they're payin' closer to $8 a gallon. Yesterday morning I paid 1.559 (EUROS!) per liter (do the math!) Now THAT'S high! Believe it or NOT you guys still have it comparatively GOOD! Thank God my motor's 1.1 liter

OUCH! I did the math, It's $ 9.047 per gallon, HA!

Answer 1

I don't know about where you live but for a lot of people here they simply don't have any means of cutting back any further to pay for gas.  It can mean not having enough for food or medical care.  In the US often only major cities have adequate public transit and if people have health insurance they worry about loosing coverage.  I've been to Europe many times and used public transit everywhere I've traveled.  It is amazing!  I would gladly pay more in taxes for public transit and rail service, as well as things like subsidized health care.  Maybe the $4 a gallon would hurt so much.  But I don't sit around and complaint.  I recently voted to raise taxes in support of increased and expanded bus service where I live and I now bike to work.

Answer 2

well we have most of the refineries here...yes we have the right to complain, our money is worth a lot less than yours.. and we here have no reason to be paying so much..if we are supposed to be one of the leading economic powers we should be able to have cheap gas.

do the math! in euros your paying as much as we are paying in dollars...it costs us more visiting over there using our money! stop whining

Answer 3

the big gripe is that we are spoiled and the fairly rapid increase in gas prices makes it feel worse. We don't want to drive 1.1 litre engined vehicles. we want Hummers and 50 cent per gallon gas, is that so wrong:) One thing about America is we have always known that we don't have a huge number/volume of oil deposits, we should not have let ourselves get so dependent on such a finite resource.We do have lots of space and we can grow craploads of corn, and there is more than one auto racing series which uses ethanol as fuel. we can find an alternate but it will take time, effort, and money, something few of us are willing to expend.... we are entitled (and well armed)

    I am always amazed when I see charity infomercials for sub-saharan Africa famines/starvation. Why are they having so many kids when there isn't enough food for them?they end up getting painted into a dependent corner. I'm not saying we should ignore their plight but feeding them should go hand in hand with truly eliminating the problem root

Answer 4

It's not the price so much as the rapid increase.  Regular people in the US are having a very hard time meeting their budgets as it is, and then all of a sudden the price of gas shoots up dramatically and quickly.  It's completely changed everyone's expectations of what they'd be able to afford, and for the worse.  Plus, if I can speculate for a second, I think people are seeing that the American government hasn't shown too much interest in finding cheaper sources of energy, and now we're (literally) paying for it.  So that's why people are bitter.

By the way, don't forget that the US is much more spread out than European countries.  Imagine planning a long drive to visit your family and the price just went up by hundreds of dollars.  Not pleasant.

Answer 5

While I can understand the people's grief, I remember the 70's.  We carpooled, walked, biked, took the bus and didn't make unnecessary trips in the car.   I see people waving and yelling about meeting each other at a certain place but they are not willing to double up.  

Hey, I walk and take the bus.  I've got a car (a "gas hog") but I'm doing the alternative thing.  Planning to by a bike soon.  I don't relish the idea of climbing back on a bike at 55; however, I can use the exercise.

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