We have it easier in the States and yet we still complain...

[fnkngrv]

The year was 1999 and I was driving my 96 Tercel Coupe. I pulled into the Gas Station on fumes at Fort Hood, Texas. I looked up at the pump and was wondering why I saw that gas had gone up a nickel to 94 cents per gallon. It cost me a few cents over 10 bucks to fill my tank that day....it was my lunch hour. I went back to my barracks room and saw that I had mail. I opened the letter and found out that in 97 days I would be stationed out of Camp Stanley, Korea. I was livid...I was 7 days from the cut off when they would not have been able to reassign me anywhere else since my tour was closing out and I had big plans for my life. Nothing else I could do, but head the call of my country and go where they needed me. Exit stage left to the trip home for PCS leave. Gas was still at 94 cents a gallon in Texas....by the time I had finished my drive home to northern Maine it was 1.37 per gallon....on I90 in New York I paid much closer to 2 per gallon. I was so aggravated about this...this was absurd...it was highway robbery I was saying. 28 days down the line I was on a plane to Seoul and landed 22 hours later. It didn't take me long there to realize how good we really had it when it came to fuel. 1832 Won per litre was what was posted on the sign of a service station there...I did the math...that was 6924 Won per Gallon....That was 5.77 per gallon US money! I was shocked and had to talk to some of the citizens and they had told me that gas was that price for a while now....this was 1999...not 2005, 6 or 7. I can only imagine the cost of fuel there now, but boy did it make me realize even further how good we have it here. Today I stop at the Mobil station and fill up at 2.99 per gallon...there is a "soccer mom" filling up her GMC Envoy to the tune of 73 bucks and all she was doing was huffing and puffing at the pump next to me. I could not resist...I had to look over at her as she was pitching her mild fit and said, "yeah...it definitely is not the old days anymore...it just cost me 28 to fill mine." Needless to say I received quite the dirty look. This event this morning brought back the memories of the past and I could not help but to think, especially when we pay a fraction of what is paid overseas....quit your bitching you spoiled ass brat, its not like you are doing anything to help the situation!





Ok...that was my rant for the day....thanks for anyone who listens.

[SailDesign]

Heh heh. Yeah....
In 1984, when I moved my whole family of wife and 3 kids to the US from England, gas in the UK was about the same price as it is in the US today. I last went to England a year ago, and gas there was about $7US per gallon.

[fainty_girl]

In Australia petrol costs anywhere between $1.15-$1.30 per litre.

1 US gallon = 3.7854118 litres

[staticorex]

Thank you. I'm so tired of people complaining about gas prices. Don't like it? Invest in big oil. My dividends each year far out-price what I spend at the pump all year. Gas is cheap as **** here.

[alhope34]

Gas prices are doing pretty good in Toronto right now, sitting around 94-99 cents a litre. I never complain about gas prices, we have it better in Toronto then the rest of Canada. The oil from Alberta and some from Texas is brought to southern Ontario to be refined into gasoline, then is shipped back throughout Canada and the northern states. Being the closest place the oil is shipped to, Toronto constantly gets lower gas prices than the rest of Canada. The bottom line for me is, vehicles are meant to run on gasoline. If you don't like the cost, ride a bicycle or take the bus.

[fnkngrv]

I understand people's frustration and all, but if you are contributing to using a lot of a resource then where do you get off with complaining about it...you know what I mean? That is like the people that smoke cigs...they raised the taxes on them in my state a year ago by over a dollar so all kinds of people i know have been whining....if you don't like it do something about it...quite....if you don't like the fact that you are shelling out 70 bucks to fill your tank then get something more efficient...geesh.

[redyaris]

I guess I am supposed to ride my bike daily everywhere i go?

I have to use gas. There is no economical, reliable alternative (The city bus uses gas too so they are still part of the problem, plus it doesn't go where i need to get to).

A full electric or alternative fueled vehicle is the only choice and I don't see them being mass produced at the moment.

The only thing I complain about is GW Bush looking out for oil company profits while simultaneously making speeches that "Americuh is addicted to oil'. You remember prior to being 'elected' in 2000 he ran an oil company into the ground just as he has done with the good old USA.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feat.../03/slick.html

[eTiMaGo]

I used to fill up my 100cc motorbike for less than $2 and it would last nearly forever... I remember when we first moved to Thailand in 1991 paying 300 Baht (just over $15 at the time) to fill up my parent's pickup truck... Now gas here costs roughly $3.50 per gallon, and I'm glad I drive a Yaris

[YamilR]

While I was stationed in Spain I decided to take a road trip to Portugal, I drove a Mazda Protege at the time with a 13 gal. tank. I filled up on base at $1.56 a gal, so close to 15 bucks to fill up. When I was time to fuel again I was in Portugal and paid 75 euros for almost 13 gal of fuel

[eTiMaGo]

Anyway I think people will stop complaining whe they can get a car the size of a Hummer, with the comfort of a Rolls Royce, power of a Ferrari, looks of a Yaris (of course ) and mileage of a Prius.

until then...

[kimona]

I agree that here in America we love to complain about fuel prices, but then many Americans don't do enough (or don't do anything) to reduce fuel consumption.

But, it would be extremely narrow-minded to simply compare fuel prices worldwide, and then tell Americans they have no right to complain; fuel prices can't be compared in isolation.

[sherryberry]

Americans complain about anything and everything, period.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by kimona

I agree that here in America we love to complain about fuel prices, but then many Americans don't do enough (or don't do anything) to reduce fuel consumption.

But, it would be extremely narrow-minded to simply compare fuel prices worldwide, and then tell Americans they have no right to complain; fuel prices can't be compared in isolation.

I don't feel that it is narrow minded at all. I have been to several countries all over the world so I feel that I have a good perspective on it.

[sherryberry]

just be like this guy in IL that I heard about on the radio and run 20 miles to work everyday hah.

[black2yaris]

Originally Posted by sherryberry

Americans complain about anything and everything, period.

It's the #1 National Sport..Complaining !! >>> that & cutting people off on the freeway !

[Bredayaris]

A colleague of mine told me today he's going on vacation in the US.

He told me the gas prizes and he laught about it, he is going to rent a car.

He told me that the gas prize was around 0.45 € / L

Here it's 1,50 € / L, very high taxes, very high prized cars, high insurance rates etc.

[RogueYaris]

Hell, back in 1933, I was paying a nickel a gallon!

[RogueYaris]

Originally Posted by Bredayaris

He told me that the gas prize was around 45 €cents / L

That's insanely cheap for europe. I lived there for a couple years not too long ago and gas prices were over 1.10 euro per liter. That's over $7 a gallon.