So gas is expensive. Yesterday I saw a gas station (in Houston) with prices ranging from $2.99 to $3.19 a gallon. Of course, one block over, the prices were $0.40 cheaper…but still, that’s a lot for a gallon of gas.
I was reading an article on MSNBC this afternoon — “What if you had to pay $6.02 a gallon for gas [Link]. Interesting idea, right? I thought so…
The article describes what gas prices are like in Europe:

Between approximately 65 and 75 percent of the price of gasoline in the U.K. is taken as taxes. U.S. drivers are paying a seemingly paltry 27 percent of their gas bill to the government.

Paltry? 27%? Ridiculous. I think the better way to describe the situation is outrageous for Europeans–not paltry for us.
The author continues, “Although the actual price increase is the same, the rise is not as apparent in Britain where gas is sold by the liter.” The fact that it is sold by the litre means nothing…it just means the percentage increase is not as drastic…but the actual monetary expenditures are almost identical.
The article concludes with this:

London resident Robert Marshall, 40, has always relied on public transportation, but now uses it more than ever. “If petrol were cheaper, I would drive more,” he said. “Driving is a luxury, like cigarettes — the prices can go higher, but we are addicted.”

Driving is a luxury…but it’s a necessity here. It’s not like cigarettes–it has genuine benefits (like getting to work, for example) that cigarrettes do not possess. And try telling me how I could take public transportation to work…
I think the article is a bit skewed. Check out a Google Search of Rachel Elbaum, the author. It’s also interesting…