Rising Gas Prices Have Drivers Asking, ‘Is This for Real?’ | Hacker News Reader

Rising Gas Prices Have Drivers Asking, ‘Is This for Real?’

nytimes.com

7 pointsfortran7710 comments

It's always fun where the ones complaining about gas prices in the US tend to be the ones who drive 20mpg multi-ton vehicles for fun, as if there wasn't a ready available way to drop your fuel consumption in half.

Meanwhile they angrily claim how the US should "drill baby drill", but most US oil production is only profitable at $4 a gallon or higher.

> It's always fun where the ones complaining about gas prices in the US tend to be the ones who drive 20mpg multi-ton vehicles for fun, as if there wasn't a ready available way to drop your fuel consumption in half.

The number of people who drive the 20mpg multi-ton vehicles "for fun" are eclipsed by the people who are driving the same vehicle they've had for the better part of two decades years because it's all they can afford.

"Just buy a hybrid or electric car" is not a solution to someone who has to decide between filling up their tank to get to work or buying vegetables that week.

I know it's fun to pat yourself on the back and make fun of the people driving gas guzzlers but when you ignore the reality that many in this country face it just seems out of touch.

As a European, the most expensive example is still pretty cheap...

You have shorter commutes due to saner housing and city planning policies.

Do you think the tax Europeans pay on gasoline might also play a role in their shorter commutes?

Edit: A handy visual aid: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_tax#/media/File:Fuel_tax_...

It's the government telling the people they can't burn an endless amount of fossil energy.

Commuting.

Sure. That’s part of it. But the US has some truely insane housing policies. Where I work, many employees are forced to drive 40+ miles one way to work on super clogged 5 lane highways. You’d think there would be buildings everywhere right? Nope on either side of the highway are endless mostly empty fields with an occasional cow. The cows commute is like 2 min and I’m sure those farms aren’t paying their fair share of property taxes. Voters couldn’t care less.

The point is voters couldn't care less thanks to cheap gasoline. The tax incentive and policies go hand-in-hand.

Also, no one is forced to drive anywhere. That's very much a choice people make. Which leads us back to where we started.

Diesel is 10 USD/gallon in Sweden last I checked. I know you really can't "translate" prices with exchange rates but you know but whatever, for reference.

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