Normally, I don't see outrageous numbers, but I did this time, driving down road, there in our fare city of Atlanta, $4.10 for a gallon of gas.

Is this not illegal? I knew I should have bought it at $2.70
all of about last week ago.

I definately going to consider a hybrid if I can afford to maintain it.

There's supposedly a supply problem in Atlanta:

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash2.htm

CBS evening news showed one Atlanta station at $6.37 for premium. The GA gov. has signed an executive order against price gouging.

Taxi driver this morning said, to paraphrase "the Europeans have been paying these prices a long time. Why should Americans be special?"

From the time I arrived at the work site this morning until I left 9 hours later, the price of gas at the corner station had risen 70 cents. I expect it to be even higher by morning.

sharkfish, yes but most of the money europeans pay goes to taxes and they get fantastic public transportation out of that deal. Can I take a 450mph bullet train from Washington DC to Chicago? Is it a two hour train ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco? No and no.

This is supply and demand pricing - no extra taxes, although taxing something to fund its replacement is a good idea.

"sharkfish, yes but most of the money europeans pay goes to taxes and they get fantastic public transportation out of that deal."

Now now. The ticket prices for public transportation do also depend on oil prices. In my city they are raising ticket prices appr. 20% due to increased operating costs (= gas prices). And in most European countries if you are not travelling single, going by a car will be cheaper than buying a train ticket.

(This of course is a generalization, not taken into account the "hidden" costs of owning and maintaining a car, and doesn't apply if you're entitled to discount tickets)...

At least here public transportation is on a steep decline, and driving around in cars is on a rise. Even though the gas prices are around 1.5 $ / litre...

I'm not saying public transportation is free, I'm saying that it EXISTS in Europe because of gas taxes. In the US, public transportation does not exist in most of the country unless you consider a two week long train ride cross country, same as when we had steam trains, to be effective public transportation.

$4.10? Yay! You now pay the same for gas as I do. And what I make is, by American standards, below the poverty line.

"most of the money europeans pay goes to taxes and they get fantastic public transportation out of that deal"

Well, "yes" and "not always".

"Yes", gas in Europe is moderate-to-heavily taxed.

"Not always" on the "fantastic public transportation". As a matter of "having" PT vs. "not having" PT, you're right. However, it's a bit of a stretch to go from "in Europe they have PT" to "in Europe they have a fantastic PT".

I was very pleased with PT in Vienna, in the week I've spent there. By comparison, PT in Lisbon sucks - sometimes you spend 1+ hr waiting for a bus. But it's better than nothing, though.

The main reason Americans are suffering is not because of the high gas price itself, but because of the sudden large increase.

Although gas prices are higher in Europe, they have been so for a long time, and the European infrastructure and way of life reflects this. There are far more places to live in Europe where a car is not necessary, and those that do drive tend to drive shorter distances. I doubt that Europeans spent much more on fuel per capita than Americans, even before the recent price increases.

Public transport is more common in Europe, not just because of investment, but because of simple economics. Pricier fuel means that there is more incentive for people to use PT, and hence it becomes economically feasible for, private bus operators to run more routes.

In fact, I would argue that there are quite few places to live in Europe where a car *is* necessary. More convenient, sure, but around here every suburban housing development has a regular shuttle bus line.

> Is this not illegal?

No, it's capitalism.

Welcome to the real world, America.

"Price gouging" ??? there is no such thing....its called supply and demand

There is definately a difference between supply and demand and taking advantage of seriously unfortunate situation.

> it becomes economically feasible for, private bus operators to run more routes

FWIW, I pay less than 50Eu/month for a 20km/day roundtrip commute plus any travel I like within that kind of range in my free time. That is incredibly cheap, and I've saved a huge amount purely from not owning a car as a result. In fact I don't know anyone on a personal level who does own one, though obviously such people exist as the streets are jammed.