Damned British

[LadyFeline]

I've had to deal with some OMG STUPID PEOPLE before, but this one's one of the worst...

 

Hmmm, lot's of things, though the first thing that pops into my head is people who don't think gas prices are 'fair.' Yes 'fair.'

 

WTF? Where does it say in the constitution that you have the right to gas at a fair price?

 

...Oi, and then the article went on to say that the average American said that two dollars for gas was a fair price. Yeah right. The survey in the UK said the average person there says that five dollars equivalent is a fair price.

 

...Quit your whining America!

 

If you don't like gas prices than ride the bus, or move closer to where you need to go.

 

Right. Hey, buddy! Here's a nice little place called "Reality"! Come join the rest of us - it's really rather nice!

 

Primus-slagging snotty Brits...!

[Hero of Hyrule]

Compared, on this issue only the British are paying moree for the same. That isn't fair. Simple I think.

But, nobody said anyting would be fair. Most things aren't in anyway.

[LadyFeline]

It wasn't so much his bitching about "Americnas whining about gas" that pissed me off. It was his bitching about how, if we didn't like high gas prices, that we should just take the bus, or pack up and move.

 

Public transportation isn't an option for everybody, and moving is hardly an option for anyone on short notice. The guy needs to get his bloated head out of his ass and rejoin the rest of humanity in partaking of reality.

[Chad3232132]

I've had to deal with some OMG STUPID PEOPLE before, but this one's one of the worst...

 

Hmmm, lot's of things, though the first thing that pops into my head is people who don't think gas prices are 'fair.' Yes 'fair.'

 

WTF? Where does it say in the constitution that you have the right to gas at a fair price?

 

...Oi, and then the article went on to say that the average American said that two dollars for gas was a fair price. Yeah right. The survey in the UK said the average person there says that five dollars equivalent is a fair price.

 

...Quit your whining America!

 

If you don't like gas prices than ride the bus, or move closer to where you need to go.

 

Right. Hey, buddy! Here's a nice little place called "Reality"! Come join the rest of us - it's really rather nice!

 

Primus-slagging snotty Brits...!

 

It was my understanding that Britain's high gas prices were due to high taxes on gas that end up going towards things like the British healthcare system and other government services. And besides, I tend to agree that $2 a gallon does not reflect the impact on the environment.

[crazy-tiger]

It wasn't so much his bitching about "Americnas whining about gas" that pissed me off. It was his bitching about how, if we didn't like high gas prices, that we should just take the bus, or pack up and move.

 

Public transportation isn't an option for everybody, and moving is hardly an option for anyone on short notice. The guy needs to get his bloated head out of his ass and rejoin the rest of humanity in partaking of reality.

You got that right... mind you, Brits don't have to go as far to find jobs. (a lot smaller country, you see...)

 

It can be hard for people to understand just how different our countries are, physically, and that leads to this kind of problem.

 

It was my understanding that Britain's high gas prices were due to high taxes on gas that end up going towards things like the British healthcare system and other government services.

Oh yes... about 85% of the price is tax and it all goes into the Gov. pot... and they bump it up by 30p a gallon every year.

[Merlinfmct87]

Well... america could do a lot to stop the whole gas crisis... including using public transportation more... but it is hardly the best/most effective thing we could do.

 

I mean, really.

 

Merlin

[Chad3232132]

Well... america could do a lot to stop the whole gas crisis... including using public transportation more... but it is hardly the best/most effective thing we could do.

 

I mean, really.

 

Merlin

 

There is no gas crisis here in America. Well aside from a few oil companies having what amounts to a monopoly power and aren't allowing any new refinaries to be built.

 

However it is funny that in the span of 100 years basically all other things in a person's daily life have changed except automobiles that run on gas. Car companies and the oil industry have too much power to allow any real innovation in transportation so long as they make their fat profits unfortunately.

[Prolix]

Hm... those are some expensive fossilized plants.

[Godless Wonder]

I've got no sympathy for the OP. America has it super easy when it comes to gas, and has for a long time, and the other countries are pretty much justified in their bitiching.

 

America, the land of spoiled brats.

[LadyFeline]

We're not spoiled. We just did it right the first goddamned time.

 

If other countries don't have the balls to tell OPEC where to shove it, and thus wind up bent over the table, that's not our problem. Just because YOU have to pay more doesn't mean that WE should.

[Cerise]

[Chad3232132]

I've got no sympathy for the OP. America has it super easy when it comes to gas, and has for a long time, and the other countries are pretty much justified in their bitiching.

 

America, the land of spoiled brats.

 

I don't think spoiled brats is very accurate. As an American, I'd say it's a lifestyle choice. Europeans tend to want to tax gas at a high level to support government programs, while we in America don't. Are either Americans or Europeans wrong? No, not at all. Lawmakers for whatever reason choose to do things one way in Europe and another way here in the U.S. I don't think bashing one another over such petty things is really even worthwhile. I couldn't care less if Europe taxes gas at a high rate, so why do Europeans care so much that we in the U.S. tax gas at a low rate? Actually I personally think gas is one thing that should be taxed at a high rate as opposed to liquor and cigarettes, etc. which don't have as much of a negative effect on the environment as do gas guzzling "fuck-you mobiles" that many people drive. So there are arguments to make for and against high gas taxes just as there are for and against all taxes.

 

We're not spoiled. We just did it right the first goddamned time.

 

If other countries don't have the balls to tell OPEC where to shove it, and thus wind up bent over the table, that's not our problem. Just because YOU have to pay more doesn't mean that WE should.

 

That's not a very good argument considering we in the U.S. have domestic resources of oil, while I believe the British have none at all. We have leverage with OPEC, while most Europeans do not.

[LadyFeline]

Please. Our "domestic sources" of oil wouldn't last us three years if we used solely those. In any case, if our Middle East supply was suddenly cut off, we'd be screwed after a few months, when the refineries put out the last of their product. Then we'd be waiting another full year for our Domestic supplies to kick in.

[crazy-tiger]

We're not spoiled. We just did it right the first goddamned time.

 

If other countries don't have the balls to tell OPEC where to shove it, and thus wind up bent over the table, that's not our problem. Just because YOU have to pay more doesn't mean that WE should.

Pity it's a worldwide price that everyone pays...

 

32 years ago, no-one had the balls to tell OPEC where to shove it, because everyone knew that OPEC had us over a barrel... so even the US wound up bent over the table.

We pay more because of domestic policy, not because you Yanks got a better deal...

That's not a very good argument considering we in the U.S. have domestic resources of oil, while I believe the British have none at all. We have leverage with OPEC, while most Europeans do not.

We've got this little place called the North Sea... lovely area really, complete with oil and gas rigs. That's where I believe most of our oil and gas comes from... or at least a nice large amount of it.

 

Hmm... maybe we Brits haven't been bent over the table after all, what with our consumption being so much less than the US and with us being so much less dependant on OPEC.

 

 

 

Anyway, just so you know... Anytime someone from the US moans about how much they pay and how they can't afford to run their car, I start seeing red since they pay HALF what we pay.

 

Seriously, if anyone from the US want's to see high prices, get your butt over here...

[pandora]

The US doesn't have the quality of public transportation that most of Europe enjoys. Especially where I live-- Indianapolis is notorious for its near lack of public transportation.

 

I am glad we don't pay $5 a gallon... I am thankful even... but it is more complicated than Europeans imagine.

[crazy-tiger]

The US doesn't have the quality of public transportation that most of Europe enjoys. Especially where I live-- Indianapolis is notorious for its near lack of public transportation.

 

I am glad we don't pay $5 a gallon... I am thankful even... but it is more complicated than Europeans imagine.

Most Europeans... there are some who take the time to look into it before talking about it.

 

 

Oh, and some of the tax we pay on the fuel is to help pay for improved public transportation... which would explain why it's generally better over here.

[Chad3232132]

Please. Our "domestic sources" of oil wouldn't last us three years if we used solely those. In any case, if our Middle East supply was suddenly cut off, we'd be screwed after a few months, when the refineries put out the last of their product. Then we'd be waiting another full year for our Domestic supplies to kick in.

 

Then why did you claim that Europeans are more beholden to OPEC than us Americans are when it's a load of crap. As someone else mentioned, oil prices are worldwide prices and we get bumraped just like anyone else on oil. Actually we may be hurting even more than other countries on oil since the last I checked we were still shipping oil INTO Iraq because we still aren't getting enough oil pumping after 3 years of occupation.

 

The US doesn't have the quality of public transportation that most of Europe enjoys. Especially where I live-- Indianapolis is notorious for its near lack of public transportation.

 

I am glad we don't pay $5 a gallon... I am thankful even... but it is more complicated than Europeans imagine.

Most Europeans... there are some who take the time to look into it before talking about it.

 

 

Oh, and some of the tax we pay on the fuel is to help pay for improved public transportation... which would explain why it's generally better over here.

 

True... public transportation in my city amounts to paying a homeless person to push me in his shopping cart. American transportation systems suck unless you live in one of the larger cities in the country.

[crazy-tiger]

public transportation in my city amounts to paying a homeless person to push me in his shopping cart.

You know... that sounds like how it is here on a Sunday. Seriously, one bus every 2 hours... last one at 6pm.

[Ms. K]

Crazy-tiger, at least you HAVE some public transportation.

 

Where I grew up? There IS no public transportation. None.

 

Where I live now? It's very limited, and I have yet to see a bus run through my neighborhood, or even my little corner of unincorporated Riverside County.

 

If I thought that the higher price of gas was related to improving public transportation and public health programs, I wouldn't say a word. However, that's certainly not the case here.

 

Mind you, I'm not necessarily complaining about the cost of gas, because I drive a Toyota Echo, which gets awesome gas mileage, and we'd like to get a Prius, a hybrid car, and use even LESS gas. However, it's not cheap, even if it costs less here than it does in Europe.

[Eccles1:2]

Well, here comes another damned Brit - although since joining ExC I have to say that in fact, I'm not damned in any theological or actual sense. I've posted a few things about the absurd gas prices here in the UK. The truth is the government can get away with its 85% tax because although we moan and complain, in the end we just clench our buttocks and put up with stuff. Even the legendary fuel protests of 2000 fizzled out without achieving much.

 

As for you Yanks! Well, you're way ahead in technology and healthcare (yes, I know we have our precious National Health Service, but in fact, like a Latvian leaf-blower, it sucks). Unfortunately you're also way behind on fuel economy and the environment. The USA typically exhibits a "shove it up your ass" policy to any foreign or global initiatives not in the political interest of the current administration - which has worked fine for years. But those 5-mile-a-gallon guzzlers are hurting poor Mother Earth!

 

In the interest of harmony between the special United Superfriends, let's just lay the blame for everything at the door of the sinister faceless multinational oil companies, who are sitting on all the research for hydrogen cars and cold fusion reactors. I note with interest Esso has started replacing the word "fuel" with "energy" here on its gas pumps. Don't worry about the energy crisis or environmental concerns - Big Gasco will step in and save us with new technologies that could've been perfected years ago, just as soon as the petroleum cow is dead.

 

[Vigile]

The truth is the government can get away with its 85% tax because although we moan and complain, in the end we just clench our buttocks and put up with stuff. Even the legendary fuel protests of 2000 fizzled out without achieving much.

 

Yes, gas, like smokes is almost infinitly elastic and they can stick it to you on taxes and you will keep on paying.

 

Are you really paying 85% taxes on petrol? I'm trying to do the math here and something still doesn't add up. In the US gas spiked to a national average of $3/gallon, but I believe it has since retreated. Here in Russia it is roughly tracking the same prices as in the US. Last August we were in Italy, which I believe has roughly the same price as GB and we paid $7 per gallon.

 

Cost of production is less than $3/gallon but even adding 85% to $3 only rounds out to $5.50. Does anyone have a breakdown on why west Europe pays so much for gas? Is it all taxes or are there other economic factors involved such as no sweetheart deals, less access to sweet crude (which has cheaper refinery fees I think), etc.

[FirstInTheDance]

I know many Europeans see us as "spoiled" Americans whining when we pay less for gas than you do, but stop for a minute and consider our situations as individual people. I drive 80 miles a day total (40 miles each way to/from work)-which is a shorter commute than many here have. I live in a fairly rural area, and there is NO public transportation. There are no jobs that pay a liveable wage any closer to home. I can not afford to move. When gas was up over $3 a gallon, between us, my husband and I went from paying approximately $200 a month for gas to nearly $400 a month practically over night - and we were carpooling in our toyota corolla - not an SUV. Our wages, however, did not rise to compensate for that sudden extra $200 expense. Additionally the prices of other things rose, things like groceries, because of the shipping costs.

 

Many here are living paycheck to paycheck. My hubby was recently laid off and is looking for work now. Thank goodness the price of gas is dropping, because we are barely making the rent, and to add insult to injury our electric bills are supposed to be going to be up at least 25% this winter.

 

Just because the government fat cats run things, don't think we are all spoiled. Cheap gas prices here are a necessity here because much of America lacks public transportation and we have to get to work somehow. If we HAD public transportation, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. I live in southern New Jersey, and my car insurance is approx. $4000 a year. Currently, my toyota is costing me more than my apartment. So please don't call us all spoiled and tell us to take a bus and quit whining when that isn't an option available to many of us.

[Vigile]

Why do people think that there is a "fair" price to pay for gas? The price of gas, like all commodities is determined by supply, demand, government subsidization, taxes, and public perception. If prices in the US were equal to those in Europe then public transportation development would meet the rising demand. As it stands now public transportation in the US is low to non existant not due to the vast open land spaces the US enjoys compared to Europe, but because gas is even at these prices cheap. This is a fact.

 

Face it, no one rides the metro or the bus unless they have no better alternative or unless it's faster.

 

Want proof?

 

Russia is VASTLY larger than the US and it has a hell of a lot better public transportation infrastructure in place. One main reason is due to the fact that gas prices, though roughly similar to those in the US, are relatively much higher when wages are compared.

 

The US is spoiled with cheap gas prices, therefore US citizens drive big gas guzzlers long distances with rarely a thought. This is just an economic reality.

 

Keep in mind I'm not making any judgments here, just stating facts.

[FirstInTheDance]

Vigile, you may not be meaning to make judgements, but when you say "therefore U.S. citizens drive big gas guzzling..." it makes it sound like ALL of us do so. As I've mentioned, I drive a Toyota. My major objection is in being lumped in with "Spoiled Americans" as if all Americans were in the same financial situations and engaged in the same behaviorisms.

 

You say no one would take the bus if there was another option - that the cheap cost of gas in the U.S. was the reason our public transit is next to non-existant. Perhaps that is true...and yet, if I had another choice, I WOULD take the bus, simply because, gas aside, the car is too expensive. One of our cars is a lemon, and we've put a couple of thousand into repairs this year. I've already mentioned our car insurance. The car is a major drain on our budget, and I wish I had another alternative. Unfortunately, I am literally FORCED to own a car if I want to be able to get to work.

 

So where does that leave the average person? We won't get public transportation until we can't afford the gas to get to work? How long do you think it will take to set up an effective transit system for all of America? What do we do while they are setting up said transit system if we can't afford to drive in the meantime?

[Chad3232132]

 

As for you Yanks! Well, you're way ahead in technology and healthcare (yes, I know we have our precious National Health Service, but in fact, like a Latvian leaf-blower, it sucks).

 

Yes, we're way ahead of most if not all countries on technology and healthcare. However a large % of Americans have LITTLE TO NO healthcare coverage. Unless you are a college grad working for a good sized company our chances of getting healthcare coverage are minimal here in the U.S. All the wonderful advancements in health technology and cures for conditions mean very little when a person has no coverage.