I am so sick and tired of pundits telling us we should feel "lucky" that we "only" pay $4 a gallon for gas, compared to Europeans who pay so much more.

Please for once tell the whole truth. Yes, in England it costs about $8 a gallon for gas, and 66% of that cost is government TAX. (Look it up, if you don't believe me). How do you think they pay for a universal healthcare plan? Now, Mr. Bryce, with that in mind - are we actually "lucky" to "only" pay $4 a gallon? And let's make another comparison, shall we? In Saudi Arabia, consumers are paying .45 cents a gallon for gas.

And how idiotic to compare the cost of gas at a time when automobiles were new, when refineries were few, when the technology to refine gas was in its infancy and thus much more expensive, to the current timeframe. Guess what? My first VCR cost me $500, and it had a wired remote. They now go for $20 at Wal-Mart.

We are victims of speculators, plain and simple. When the price of gas and oil is allowed to rise based on "the fear" that something will happen, we've reached a point where it's time to reign in commodities speculation.

MikeL5599: We are victims of speculators, plain and simple. When the price of gas and oil is allowed to rise based on "the fear" that something will happen, we've reached a point where it's time to reign in commodities speculation.

LeRoy: The 'fear' that you speak of is the fear that we are rapidly running out of oil.

What if that fear happens to be well-grounded in reality?

There are times when fear is a perfectly rational response.

This happens to be one of those times.

If that is true then we are screwed, because the ordinary person does not have the means or ability to change his or her habits quickly enough to forgo a financial disaster.

Of course, unless that is the plan. A huge transfer of wealth from the low and middle class to the stockholder class.

If there were real alternatives that the average person could use, I would say big deal. But that is not true for most people.

How about huge tax credit for average people who use alternative energy, such as credits for buying and using solar panels for heating and electricity? The huge oil companies get credits and grants for exploring new sources of energy -- how about a piece for the rest of us?