Gas is at 8.56 dollars/gallon this very moment!

here the Netherlands
8,84 us dollar a gallon
(1.72 euro a liter)

thats the price for regular unleaded

Diesel is is a bit cheaper (30 euro cents / liter)


only we don't earn that much as the swedisch
I know a lot of people living from only 1500,- euro / month (before tax)
and they still don't complain
as I think about...we are like sheeps....only follow and don't complain

the only thing we do about it is to travel by bicycle a lot more to our jobs

or we drive in very small cars like the smart
or toyota IQ, or hyundai getz to name a few

I don't think you Americans know such a small cars
but have a look at there site ecspecially the smart cabrio you gonna like
the drive 4/100, even 3.3/100 is possible

thats something different from America


ps I yest see that there is a smartusa.com so I take my words back

Here in the UK £6 a gallon or $9.60 in USD, its always been expensive in the UK for decades that's why we find it hard to care when the American's complain ...

it will be more expensive,peace world cause fast economy improving especailly in developing country,China has been the biggest car consuming country this year.

The United States is gigantic. We have 50 'states' the sizes of which are comparable to bordered countries. If you toured America, you would suddenly realize just how long the roads are, and how poorly rural areas are situated. Miles, and miles, and miles of roads where you're simply trying to get from one place to another. Hours of nothingness, sparsely populated with crap stores and chain-restaurants so people don't lapse into insanity during their journey. It's also impossible for the average American to "move closer" as one could say, into a city or closer to the infrastructure. Due to the quality of living differences rising and falling like a buoy on the tides. Regional economic differences 50-100 miles apart that operate like exclusive kingdoms and peasant outskirts.

If fuel prices in America matched those of "Europe", then most of America would cease to function. Due to the huge commutes that "average America" has to run on a daily basis.

Not to mention there is no transit system to speak of, and no infrastructure to support it. High-speed rail? What's that? Europeans should consider themselves lucky that they even have such an option.

As if this even about "Who has the right to complain" to begin with. Why should anyone have to sacrifice so much of their person just to temporarily exist in another place? Conspiracy against travel? I think so.

Here in Blighty petrol has reached an all time high of £6.00 a gallon. Thats about £1.32 a litre.
To put this into perspective last March we were paying £1.14. And come the budget in April George Osborne plans to put another 5p tax on top of whatever price hikes come from the trouble in the middle east...
Hearing Americans moan about the price of fuel over there makes me laugh. Try living in rip off Britain!

This is easy folks.
Walk or ride a bicycle. Take public transportation if your tired. Mix it up. Do em all but keep it random.
I do it 6 days a week and it's around a 13 mile round trip. 13.2 to be exact. I lose around 2hrs a day when I walk but it's my thought time... i meditate as i walk. 1/2 on the bike... great cardio! Biggest problem are all the cars on the road! Sheesh!
I'm 40 yrs old and I'm in the best shape of my life. Well, actually I'm on the thin side of athletic but I need to eat more protein... which can be costly theses days... anyway you get what I'm saying!
Maybe you should concern yourselves with rising food prices.
The cost of gas is not the problem... It's your reliance upon it.

Originally posted by Numb2itall

This is easy folks.
Walk or ride a bicycle. Take public transportation if your tired. Mix it up. Do em all but keep it random.
I do it 6 days a week and it's around a 13 mile round trip. 13.2 to be exact. I lose around 2hrs a day when I walk but it's my thought time... i meditate as i walk. 1/2 on the bike... great cardio! Biggest problem are all the cars on the road! Sheesh!
I'm 40 yrs old and I'm in the best shape of my life. Well, actually I'm on the thin side of athletic but I need to eat more protein... which can be costly theses days... anyway you get what I'm saying!
Maybe you should concern yourselves with rising food prices.
The cost of gas is not the problem... It's your reliance upon it.

Cyclists cause more trouble on the road than us car drivers. You dont stop at red lights, scaratch cars as you squeeze through tiny gaps, ride on the pavement when it suits you and have been known to knock pedestrians over yet you pay no insurance to use the public roads... I guess if people took your advice and gave up their cars and travelled by bike it would only be a matter of time before the government found a way of taxing you and emptying your wallets...
Bycycles are not the answer...

today march 10th, a large group of us on facebook are pledging no not purchase any fuel today in an attempt to protest these prices... star me if you agree and join us!!!!

it is the only bargaining power we have so lets do it.

I'll echo what others have said, in that your average American has to drive a lot further than people in European countries.

Most all of the jobs I've ever had were at least 20 miles away. That's 40 miles a day round trip, 5 days a week that's 200 miles just to get to work and back. Not to mention other travel. Some people talk about using the bus, which works for some, not all. If you live in a rural area, they don't run buses from the boonies 30 miles into town. Or even if you live in a city, like me, to take the bus to my jobs would have been about a 3 hour commute each way due to all the transfers, waiting around for the bus, etc. Now working a 9 hour day including lunch, add on 6 hours for commute, that 15 hours, even if you sleep only 6 hours, that leaves you with 3 hours a day to live your life? And if the bus is late, or you miss the bus, your late to work and get fired.

I think all but 2 jobs I've had stated specifically that all employees MUST have their own transportation.

One more factor, is that your average American's car uses much more fuel as well. This, is some cases isn't due to being stupid and buying a huge SUV. If you are poor, you can only afford to buy whatever cheap used car you can find. Cheap used cars tend to be of the gas guzzler type.

So, while Americans get pretty cheap gas compared to Europe, I think all of the other factors involved at least even things out, if not cause your average American to spend more on gas than your average person in Europe.

Originally posted by Tollon
Yes, it's true.
When I got gasoline for my car today I had to pay equivalent to 8.56 dollars per gallon for it.
I think gas prices are way too high and I often see in this forum that americans in particular complain about the high gas prices.
I also listen to Coast to coast am and they often talk about that gas prices in America soon will be 5 dollars/gallon and they all think it's terrible.

To give you some perspective on things I recalculated my gas price that I paid today into dollars and gallons ( in Sweden we use liters and swedish kronor).
The price we pay is 8.56 dollars/gallon.

This is the price in a modern european country.
If you americans think you have it bad now, get ready for things to come.
If gas providers get away with that pricing here at this very day - I think it's just a matter of time until you too will eventually reach these levels of gas pricing.
Despite what americans think about their gas price - fact is that you get it cheap compared to many others around the world. Even compared to most in other modern, western countries.

So swedes makes so much money that they can afford to pay those prices you think?
Think again.
I make about 3000 dollars/month after income taxes are paid and are supposed to get by with a gas price at 8.56 dollars/gallon.
I might be paid slighly below the average swede (I don't have a fancy job, but I'm honestly just glad to have a job at all these days) but I don't think the average swede makes more then maybe 3500-4000 dollars/month after tax.

I have no idea what the average american gets paid, but I suspect it is more then that.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that means you generally earn more and pay less for gas then I do.

I'm glad you get away with it, I just thought I'd put your gas price in perspective for you, and prepare you to what to maybe expect in the future.

Hello there!

I live in Venezuela Porlamar moved here fron europe 4 years ago and here gallon is 0,0625 $cents so i am happy
here........no offence


Peace,
Ekiusa

reply to post by Tollon

I'm very sorry for your gas pains. The way I see it, is that if the price becomes to high, demand drops off.
The result is a drop in revenue. The trick is to raise prices a little at a time so people will get used to it. Demand will stay relatively the same or a little less while prices and revenues increase. Eventually the U.S. will reach $8/gl. The Arabs have no particular love for Americans, it's just that we are such huge consumers of their product. Keep in mind our own politicians are well aware of our dependency but in various ways they get kickbacks.

Originally posted by CholmondleyWarner

Originally posted by Numb2itall

This is easy folks.
Walk or ride a bicycle. Take public transportation if your tired. Mix it up. Do em all but keep it random.
I do it 6 days a week and it's around a 13 mile round trip. 13.2 to be exact. I lose around 2hrs a day when I walk but it's my thought time... i meditate as i walk. 1/2 on the bike... great cardio! Biggest problem are all the cars on the road! Sheesh!
I'm 40 yrs old and I'm in the best shape of my life. Well, actually I'm on the thin side of athletic but I need to eat more protein... which can be costly theses days... anyway you get what I'm saying!
Maybe you should concern yourselves with rising food prices.
The cost of gas is not the problem... It's your reliance upon it.

Cyclists cause more trouble on the road than us car drivers. You dont stop at red lights, scaratch cars as you squeeze through tiny gaps, ride on the pavement when it suits you and have been known to knock pedestrians over yet you pay no insurance to use the public roads... I guess if people took your advice and gave up their cars and travelled by bike it would only be a matter of time before the government found a way of taxing you and emptying your wallets...
Bycycles are not the answer...

Then walk it if you want. I never said bicycles were the answer. You got 2 feet. Use em.
I always obey traffic laws when I ride and even use hand signals!
But gee what do you know... most drivers don't know what those signals mean so I've come close to death a few times but not because "I'm not aware". Most of the time it's people driving in a daze or on their cell phones whilst the mindless come careening in my direction.
I've also almost been hit right outside my house (8 times now) while having the right of way, walking in a crosswalk, with the sign clearly visible... and I see it coming every time.
Bicycles may not be your answer but Cars aren't your solution either because they run on GAS , which is costing your more and more $$$, which is what your buggin about in the first place.
It's simple supply and demand... and there's too much demand.
I was offering solutions. Public transportation is not so bad but it still costs $$$ and if you want to save $$$ which seems to be the issue, then... you make a sacrifice.
I personally hope it gets so high that majority can't afford it and people start walking everywhere.
Feels damn good to get the blood pumping.
So S&F to the OP cause he/she are right about one thing... you won't know what to do when you can't afford it.
I bet the first thing you'll think of is riding a bike.

I live in Texas where a lot of people commute over 100 miles just for work everyday so yes size does matter pardon my pun.. But 4k a month nice will you marry me OP I would love to live in Sweeden

reply to post by Tollon


Gasoline is the same price worldwide, but you have allowed your government to adds huge taxes to it. Fire your government by putting tax reduction representatives in place, just as we have started to to in the USA.

The last time Diesel went to $4.00+ thousands of commercial trucks were simply parked and repossessed or turned back in to the dealers because drivers got sick of making less than minimum wage after expenses. When diesel is so expensive to break the back of 80% of the transportation industry, the economy goes down the tubes. That's just fact.

The latest regulations for diesel fuel to be ultra low sulfur has raised the cost because it takes twice as much to produce. It is a good idea but the cost doesn't help with transportation of nearly everything we need to survive as a nation. Trains can't do it because the infrastructure isn't there anymore or has been so degraded it can't be used in the inner city.
Many of the jobs available are not just in one place. I have to travel to six different plants in just one state and never know from one day to the next exactly where I have to go. My average travel is 40 miles one way. I have to drive a pickup to haul my tools so I can't drive something that's fuel efficient. At 11 miles per Gal. that's $27 a day JUST to get to and from my work. That's in Conn. one of the smaller states. I used to live in Kansas and to go from one job to the next was a 100 mile average on way!
Should fuel prices exceed that which takes 30-40% of your net pay, it isn't feasible to stay employed in a decent paying job. You're relegated to flippin' burgers for peanuts!. Or you will be forced to live below poverty just to pay the taxes.

Zindo

Gas is 4.59 here. My family of 3 makes less than 35k a year. (Used to be much more but salary cuts in the housing industry have been really hard on us.) We get no assistance of any kind and are making it. We know how to do a lot for ourselves.

You can't get anywhere here without driving more than 15 miles. That's a big, big difference in US and Europe. I lived in Europe, everything if fairly close. Here, where I live, it's really spread out. There's no walking to any store, and no public transportation either. The closest 'bus' stop is in the nearest city.

I've been up and down this thread and nowhere have I found any mention of the speculators.
In 2000 the US congress deregulated energy trading. Let that sink in a moment,

When the troubles in the ME flared recently these energy traders saw a way to make a quick buck. In anticipation of increasing prices they began buying up and hoarding gas contracts to sell at a higher price later on. This practice removes this gas from the flow of producer to consumer creating a larger shortage of available gas to the consumer. As available product decreases, prices rise.

Now I'm not saying that there are not a whole bunch of other factors at play here, we just need to know that when left to it's own devices, and left unregulated, this free market system is anything but free.

reply to post by Tollon


I understand what you say about your gas prices are so very much higher, nearly triple us americans price. And yes you are right, I expect that by the years end we will be paying near $6.00 then by end of 2012 near $10.00. And as this happens we will complain to no end, but in the end we will accept it. We do have the right to complain because it is new for us. I realize people from other countries see us americans as spoiled, and we are. But, remember we are slowing down with or without our consent, our very lives are slowly changing, we will be forced into becomming more thrifty with "things"
Anyhow we get it we dont like it but we get it. ( im actually looking forward to greedy america being tamed )

Originally posted by Tollon
Yes, it's true.
When I got gasoline for my car today I had to pay equivalent to 8.56 dollars per gallon for it.
I think gas prices are way too high and I often see in this forum that americans in particular complain about the high gas prices.
I also listen to Coast to coast am and they often talk about that gas prices in America soon will be 5 dollars/gallon and they all think it's terrible.

To give you some perspective on things I recalculated my gas price that I paid today into dollars and gallons ( in Sweden we use liters and swedish kronor).
The price we pay is 8.56 dollars/gallon.

This is the price in a modern european country.
If you americans think you have it bad now, get ready for things to come.
If gas providers get away with that pricing here at this very day - I think it's just a matter of time until you too will eventually reach these levels of gas pricing.
Despite what americans think about their gas price - fact is that you get it cheap compared to many others around the world. Even compared to most in other modern, western countries.

So swedes makes so much money that they can afford to pay those prices you think?
Think again.
I make about 3000 dollars/month after income taxes are paid and are supposed to get by with a gas price at 8.56 dollars/gallon.
I might be paid slighly below the average swede (I don't have a fancy job, but I'm honestly just glad to have a job at all these days) but I don't think the average swede makes more then maybe 3500-4000 dollars/month after tax.

I have no idea what the average american gets paid, but I suspect it is more then that.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that means you generally earn more and pay less for gas then I do.

I'm glad you get away with it, I just thought I'd put your gas price in perspective for you, and prepare you to what to maybe expect in the future.

well see there ya go. the average american makes about 1200-1600 a month.

Did you calculate the price with our VAT in mind...?