This morning, I paid more than $52 to buy 3/4 of a tank of gas. Lucky for me that I live in Mississippi instead of San Francisco, where the cost of regular topped $4 per gallon this week. But the end isn't in sight, and despite the general outcry over the astronomical profits of the corporate oil giants, gas prices continue to climb. People are paying more than $100 to fill up their SUVs.
U.S. consumers are spoiled by the previous cost of cheap fuel. When I was in Austria two years ago, the price of gas was around $2.00 per liter, if I remember correctly, or around $7.50 a gallon. The difference in the size and number of vehicles, and the number of walkers and bikers was striking, along with the body mass and endurance of the citizens. The largest private vehicle I saw anywhere was a small minivan, and there were NO (that's zero, nada) SUVs anywhere. Most of the private vehicles were about the size of a BMW mini-cooper (which was reportedly made larger for the American market) or even smaller ... I jokingly called them half-cars. Even company vans and pickups were pint-sized.
Rising fuel costs are driving up prices on just about everything. Are you feeling the effects in your life, yet? What's your plan for coping?
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