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In Europe many people travel by train, tram, bike, or bus since everything is so much closer to each other. The cars are smaller, and have to be to fit in the parking spots and into the smaller one car garage. In The Netherlands the gas price is $ 11.- a gallon since there is 19% tax on gas and we have a 0.25 cent extra tax for every liter made by a former minister-president who started that in the seventies. They are in the middle of deciding to raise the sales tax to 20%!!!!
In this small country that fits 3 times into Florida, there are over 16 Million people and so many cars and traffic jams every single day.
Although this small country does a lot about green energy and seperate garbage (glass, paper, plastic, grass/leaves/food, all has to be seperated), extra taxes on buying computers, washer/dryers, camcorders, etc....just for the purpose of removing them after being used and broken, this country drills for oil!!!
The most important issue is that environment groups are holding companies from drilling and Counties are affraid of lawsuits in the USA. That is one of the reasons there isn't anymore drilling and the prices being so high. By the way the Dem. haven't done much to help solve this although they have taken over Congress, the one thing they have done is complaining and trashing Bush and not taken responsibilities where ever they can.
The thread is about gasoline cost in Europe Vs. US, not about drilling, Congress and Bush. But I will play. You said the Netherlands drill for oil. You also said they pay $11 a gallon. If drilling for oil is supposed to increase production and reduce prices (as claimed by oil cartels), then shouldn't gas cost less than $11 a gallon there? More drilling means more money for oil companies, not more saving to the consumers is the argument put forth by some member of Congress and Presidential candidate Obama. Looking at your example of the Netherlands, they might be onto something.
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and the tolls !!! I often spend more on tolls / day than fuel in most of Europe. It's not cheap to travel there, even rail is pretty spendy with a family.
But certainly US is too spread out. I suspect things will change as more folks migrate to 'fixed income'.
Again, people in Europe are not paying for gasoline in American Dollars so what it costs in UDS$ makes no difference. They are paying in Euros in most cases and as a result their costs have not risen all that much.
In percentage terms, the gas prices are not increasing as fast as American gas prices since oil is denominated in USD, but the fact is Europeans pay a lot more than Americans for gasoline period. FYI, they are also at record highs in Europe. So, you probably meant to say costs have not risen AS much as U.S. because from where I'm sitting, it has risen quite a bit.
There are all these misleading stories about how we should feel lucky that we are only paying $4.50 a gallon for gasoline because the people in many European Countries are paying $8.00 a gallon. Well that is not really true. Sure, adjusted to the American Dollar they are paying $8.00 a gallon but because their currency is worth 50% more than it was 8 years ago, in their money gasoline has not risen as much as ours on a percentage basis.
Also, the typical European spends less of his income on gasoline because they drive less and have cars that get 40 MPG. The percentage of their income spent on gasoline is far less in Europe for the typical middle class worker than in America.
The average European household from my understanding only has one car. They have mass transit, better city design and pedestrian friendly areas. European cities = Chicago, DC and Boston. America with the exception of the older cities = major sprawl. We have no choice but to drive as you pointed out. Many places that do have mass transit has a system so horribly put together it serves little purpose.
most Europeans live in big cities or small towns that have been inhabited for centuries, if not millenia. Everything is usually at hand, so no heavy use of cars is needed.
I discussed this matter when some friends from Sweden flew in a couple of weeks ago and I would add my own take to the thread " Butt cins I is one of them Unedumacated Rednek Elemance" I feel too inferior to engage in this discussion. Though anyone else may not understand my statement I feel sure total_genius will grasp it....he has one of them high school degree's
There are all these misleading stories about how we should feel lucky that we are only paying $4.50 a gallon for gasoline because the people in many European Countries are paying $8.00 a gallon. Well that is not really true. Sure, adjusted to the American Dollar they are paying $8.00 a gallon
You managed to get this far before destroying your post. Surely you can troll better than this?
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To dum ta say
Though anyone else may not understand my statement I feel sure total_genius will grasp it....he has one of them high school degree's
