To Greedy Americans: Stop Complaining about Gas Prices
Americans are obsessed with gas prices. If the price rises a bit, an immediate firestorm is the result. At this moment, I am told in today’s open thread, “gas prices are now at an all-time high in the US: $3.18 per gallon.”
$3.28 per gallon = $1,1312 per liter
$1,1312 = euro 0.840094
Gas prices in the Netherlands: euro 1.523
euro 1.523 = $2.05055
We pay, per liter, 1,21 euros more. That’s $1.63. Per liter.
The average American drives 16,000 miles per year. That’s 25,600 KM per year.
The average Dutchman drives 16,000 KM per year.
You drive (25,600/16,000)x100= 160% more than we do. We pay, however, 181% more than you do per liter.
To Americans: stop complaining.
So your happy that you pay more? That’s all taxes too btw.
No I’m not happy, I’m jsut saying stop bitching about it
I’d say - complain to your greedy government.
No: I believe that the government needs the money as to be able to keep the welfare state, which I greatly and passionately support, in existence, etc. blahblah. yada yada.
lmao
you Left Winger
LOL- ah, so you really are a closet socialist!
Well, Michael, I can understand why you say we shouldn’t complain but then again, the fact that we drive more (and don’t have a choice about that in most cases) means that any increase in price does affect us more. It’s still not a huge part of my budget but there’s no doubt that you feel it when the price increases by 50% or more in a short period- and for some people, there isn’t enough expendable income to cover the increase.
In other words, the volume that we consume is the problem and that makes us more sensitive to price fluctuations. So then you probably think, “consume less”, but you really have to visit the US to see why that generally isn’t very possible. Most of us live in suburbs that are miles from our workplace simply because there isn’t affordable housing close in to the urban centers. And even shopping and schools aren’t constructed in a way that makes them accessible without cars in most cases. The infrastructure would have to change, drastically, before any of us could significantly cut back on fuel consumption.
And to add comments to CS’s very correct bit.
People could have gotten smaller cars. Been more responsible when they purchased them - but we, like everyone - live within our means and afford ourselves luxuries where we can. The sheer fact of gas prices is what drives European Citizens to have smaller cars to begin with. If your gas prices were more reasonable, you can bet you’d see more and more larger cars pop up. - well if the roads could handle the width that is.
Me personally, I’ve had cars that get 8 mpg, up to my current one that gets about 40mpg. The gas prices only less than marginally bother me.
Also: I hope you all do understand that the ‘greedy’ is just a joke, right?
I do
but it is a pretty goo byline anyway. It’s a good *target* for taxes.
Always has been - and will again.
Just out of curiosity, how much of your gas price is taxes?
C Stanley: ah, so you really are a closet socialist You really should be careful who you’re calling an “ah so.”
All kidding aside, this is a conversation that is long overdue in America. That is using fuel taxes as leverage to protect against wild swings in price (and profit). I have no problem with the European model of taxation in this regard, if the result is price stability and a contemporaneous and vigorous effort to develop alternate energy supplies and infrastructure.
I would just like to point out one nearly always ignored fact; those of us least able to afford a spike in fuel cost ALSO can’t afford “new & efficient” vehicles. I’ve never driven a car made before the mid 90’s and I consider myself middle class. If I could afford a hybrid you can bet your a** I’d buy one in a heartbeat, but I’m too busy paying for housing and fuel…
“I have no problem with the European model of taxation in this regard, if the result is price stability and a contemporaneous and vigorous effort to develop alternate energy supplies and infrastructure.”
Ditto. It’s not the price that’s bad… it’s the excessive daily climb in prices that’s been going on for the last couple years.
Price fluctuations: I do understand that indeed.
That wouldn’t happen here. The government is not necessarily our friend. The normal trend is to increase not decrease.
I think it’s rather an odd (and, to be frank, a left leaning perspective) to look to the government to tax a commodity highly enough so that we’ll control our consumption, or to want them to levy the tax now so we can adjust to higher prices rather than dealing with the market fluctuations when they happen.
Our govt has protected us from wild fluctuations due to shortage of crude, with the strategic reserves. They haven’t been able to fully modulate the prices though because of inadequate refining capacity, different state regulations on fuel type (which is a large part of the reason for the seasonal hike in price in states like California that require specific blends of gas), and increased seasonal demand (along with investor speculation on that).
You have pretty good public transportation over there, don’t you?
George: Yes we do.
Why in the wide, wide world of sports does the average Dutchman drive 16,000km/10,000mi a year? The country’s like 250 km across; it couldn’t possibly require driving more than 400 km to get from any one place to any other. And you have those great trains and other public transport, powered by, what, Norwegian hydro or French nukes?
I’m really quite flabbergasted that you’re all spending an hour or so each and every day sitting in your cars. In the several months that I’ve spent in the Netherlands over the years (worked on SpaceLab in Noordwijk), I doubt that I spent as much as a total of one hour in a car.
Forget your work keys and you gotta go allllll the way back.
Two things I would like to say….I live in Canada and we drive long distances like the Americans, and gas here is $1.09CDN ($1.11US) per litre, but my coworkers in England are paying twice that. They are the ones that should be complaining. Also, your math is completely wrong! $3.28 per gallon / 3.79 gallons per litre = $0.87 / L = 0.55 Euro / L you pay 0.97 euro more. invest in a calculator.