Are the ultra high gas prices hurting you?

Nukuhiva

I didn't read all 7 pages of this, so excuse the odd redundancy......

I'm fairly convinced that the old supply/demand explanation for the current mega-spike in oil prices is only a small part of the total picture and that greed and speculation have a LOT more to do with it than they're letting on.
I think this may be part of a 'plan' to get the general public to a point where they start to think of US $ 3.00/gal. as 'cheap'..........
(Adjust price for other locations worldwide, still works the same)

Comparing prices between countries is tricky, because the infrastructures are so different.
In Europe, cars are for the most part luxury toy status symbols and not essential to daily life, at least not for the majority.
Distances tend to be manageably short, cities tend to be designed for people (not cars) and public transport systems tend to be extremly dense and well developed.
In North America, distances are vast and everything is designed around the automobile, from the way roads and whole cities are laid out to the size of packaging of whatever. Cars are a daily necessity for many people.
In many parts of Africa or Asia, only the richest 5% or so of people can even afford a car, which gives the whole issue a totally different face altogether.

Personally, I bike, skate or walk most places, use my car only when I have no other reasonable choice and, oh by the way, cold weather riding is just a question of having the right equipment.........