why do americans always moan about the price of fuel?

Question

It's still cheaper than most other countries! im paying the equivelent of US$6 fo a LITRE!

Answer 1

i moan too and im from the uk! its good to moan about prices, it shows we care and that our governments still have people to please to gain their votes

Answer 2

I do take a personal stand, I email my MP I email GB, I sign relevent petitions. I have become a member of a political party that I feel would be best for this country (UKIP). I agree though that as a country we need to do something en masse, what form this would take, apart from mass demonstrations, I have no idea. What I do know is that the vast majority of the electorate are sick and tired of the way this country is being governed. For those who support the fuel rises as a means of saving the planet I have this to say, When this futile government and it's cohorts in Europe put as much s**t on the real "guzzlers" in the world, instead of taxing the car driver to the hilt, then I just might believe they cared. Also, we are a tiny island our contribution to saving the planet is equal to less than a drop in a very large ocean. I personally feel that those who believe in global warming are being deluded, think about this, every initiative taken in it's support costs the individual more, either financially or in freedom of choice. By all means reduce waste, do not waste natural resources, do not use your car when you can walk, turn off lights, "standby" facilities, re-use your carrier bags. I have done all these things and more, all my life, they are common sense. I do not need the government to spend millions of our taxes treating me like an idiot and telling me which lightbulbs I can use in my home. This is nothing less than social control, a much bigger threat in my opinion than so called global warming. Cmon Britain, time to make that stand. .

Answer 3

Hello,

In my opinion Americans probably moan about the cost of fuel becuase they are spoilt. Why? because their govenment doesnt screw 86% tax on every litre they buy unlike here in the UK were we are taxed to death. Atleast here in the UK the moaning is probably a little more justified if I wanted an excuse.

**Americans dont have anything else to compare with price wise and so dont know just how lucky they are. They have been used to limitless cheap fuels for many years.

IR

Answer 4

Because we choose not to tax our fuels to death for other social programs unrelated to driving, nor insist on using more expensive domestically produced oil before cheaper Middle eastern oil to refine out fuels.
And unlike most of Europe or South America, we do not have a mass transit system, nor are our lives or cities designed with pedestrian or mass transit use in mind.


Example I drive one hour to work every day and one hour home, that is just from one side of town to the other but only about 35 miles each way. To go buy groceries it is a 10 -15 mile drive. To go rent a movie it is 5 miles. To go to the park is 3 miles. IF you don't have a car it is very hard to survice in the US, as nothing is within walking distance of residential areas, unless you live downtown in a non desirable neighborhood.. I think UK drivers may drive similar miles per annum (I drive about 12k per annum without vacations or long trips) but I don;t beelive they drive as frequently or as often, nor spend as much time simply idling away at a light (or idling away at the same light 3-4 cycles befoere reaching it) thanks to the roundabouts.

My family consists of only 4 people. In order to fit the required car seats for the two kids, and have some room for us parents to not sit chest against the airbag, I had to sell my small car (not really small by EU standards (eclipse) and buy an older 5 series BMW. All of the now midsized "compact" cars were much too small. If you have 3 kids like most americans, forget it, the SUV or a MINIvan are your only choices as you need 3 rows of seating not two. At least until the kids are about 60 lbs and don't require 3 individual car seats anymore.

Larger cars than those in Europe are not a choice here, nor is driving instead of mass transit. They are a necessity because of the larger commutes and longer trips required, lack of mass transit and lack of sufficient density to make those mass taransist systems profitable. Would you walk a mile or two, then wait an hour in the UK to take just ONE of 2-4 busses that you would need to reach a store 20 minutes away by car, especially when the other busses only ran about once or twice an hour? I doun


So when the price of oil futures goes up, and our prices go up, it make a big difference in our wallets, and we have to take it. There is literally nothing else we can do.

But I do miss paying $0.85 per gallon just a few short years ago...
At least it isn't $4 or $5 a gallon. Not that that really bothers me either.

Answer 5

I don't care if it is cheaper than other countries. The price is still too high, and over-inflated to fatten rich people's bank accounts

Answer 6

It is a bit hard to consider how cheap it is across the border when you are paying for it.
People are bound to complain about a commodity which has a price that has only one direction: up.
Cheers.

Answer 7

i just moan about fuel, as in a few years it will not be an issue and the fuel is gonna run out and we will be f*cked. oh well bring on the fuel wars

Answer 8

Because other countries aren't paying a lot for fuel because their leader is a complete f*cking moron.

Answer 9

They usually say that they drive many more miles than UK car owners, but stats don't support this.

Answer 10

who knows