The truth of the matter is that Americans are by and large a bunch of exceptionalist imperialist cry-babys. Four dollar gas couldn't have happened to a nicer group of people, and I hope it goes to $6 a gallon. Maybe that'll learn 'em. Maybe once Americans get out of their big fat cars and bike, walk, or take public transportation, I'd have more sympathy.

The tragic thing is that Americans aren't bitching where they really are getting screwed--by the medical (mal)practice of private insurance monopoly. Every other developed nation and quite a few developing nations assume as a right what Americans take as a privilege: the right to basic medical care when sick. Cheap gas, like cheap credit, has led too many Americans to make unwise choices about where to live and work. One can only hope the Americans wise up before they go bankrupt.

Genedio: One can only hope the Americans wise up before they go bankrupt.

LeRoy: No, you are asking for too much. Expecting the American public to be 'wise' is about like expecting Paris Hilton to be celibate.

Well, it beats battering in the Void. Actually, I think Americans are fairly smart. Once say, 25% of 'em are bankrupt, as 25% were unemployed at the depths of the recession, the country DID turn around (slowly) Roosevelt did sort of save capitalism.

I think if Obama or whoever were to do what FDR did, we'd want some guarantees that it couldn't happen again. The banks and the corporations--not to speak of the ultra rich--would have to give up some of their political power, probably for good--in return for getting bailed out. Bernanke has been sort of like the girl next door--you know, who gives away for free what the others charge.

Spoken like a true city dweller. I live in a place that doesnt offer public transport. We don't even have a taxi. We are a rural community, agriculture related. We live in the country. Most of us in our town do, and many in surrounding towns are the same. Gas prices affect every part of our being.

I do not drive an SUV, or even a pickup. I drive a little car, always have. Most of us do. We do alot of walking here. We don't tend to mind. That being said, many of us simply can't afford what it is now costing to go to work.

Wages have not gone up to meet the rising costs of fuel and living. Very few people work at a place where they get annual raises. In many ways, we are all on a fixed income.

It is easy to sit on your high horse and talk about how Americans are stupid when it comes to fuel consumption when living in a place where there are alternatives. If all of us move to a place that offers alternatives, that will put a strain on your alternatives. That would also tax your housing availablity, job availability, and the world would be complaining about that.

Just do the research. Stop talking to people who have other options. The entire world does not operate like that. Get off your duff and start researching the gas issue in rural communities. These are the communities that often put food on your table, they deserve a chance to speak as well. Talk to your farmers and ranchers and support to that industry. Take a good hard long look at the people breaking thier backs to feed the nation, and find out what this is doing to them.

Neither am I a city dweller; I live about 5 miles out of a small city and bike to work most days. If I implied that Americans as a whole are stupid when it comes to fuel consumption and land use, this does not mean I am blaming each individual. Some individuals have little choice. But we still pay much less than most other countries.