I'm not happy about the frequent contentions that US gasline is a bargain compared with, say, the UK or Norway. European communities were not developed with the automobile as a commanding presence in the equation and do not have to deal with the comparatively enormous distances that have become a fact of life for the American commuter. Products that Americans have been able to ship cross-continent for a hundred years now are becoming prohibitively expensive because of staggering freight charges. Add up the mileage, count the costs, and stop telling us how cheap gas is. Oil companies from prairie to pump have NEVER made the money they make now. Who cares about the US economy or their struggling neighbors? Chevron? What a laugh. Oil Inc. could cut .50 off of present prices and still have trouble finding places to hide all the money.Shame, shame!

I agree that comparing US gasoline prices to those in Europe is bunk. While what you say has merit, you left out the high tax imposed on gasoline in European countries. Taxes make up about 80% of the cost of each liter of gasoline in most European countries. The only way to correctly determine exactly how our costs compare to those in Europe is to understand how we are taxed and Europeans are not. Despite having spent three years in Europe, I don't know how much, if any, income tax, sales tax, etc. are paid separately from the gas tax. Therefore, we need to stop this bogus claim about the high cost of gasoline in Europe relative to US costs. Bfast