There are three problems here:

1- we are already dealing with gas price problems, it not surprise that it would be unpopular to make that sort of suggestion right now.

2- This comes from MICHIGAN - where it is offensive not to drive everywhere - I mean everywhere - there is basically no public transportation system here, if you want us to pay so much for gas, we better have an alternative to driving before we do - people in MI are already struggling financially as it is.

3- Unlike Europe, AMERICA IS BIG - public transportation would not work as well here and our long commutes use up a lot more gas than they do - we can't afford 8 dollar gas when we need that much more gas.

I like the idea of finding a solution, but this isnt it.

I just don't think this would help. Gas is more than $4 a gallon at some stations near me and people still buy at them. The people who could afford it would suck up the pain, and the people who couldn't afford the extra would have to scramble for alternatives. Small businesses would be hurt, big ones would scream for exemptions and charge customers more. A tax is another negative action and I think we need to be more pro-active now: demand and encourage driving cars that get better mileage, mass transit systems could be improved and using them encouraged, communities should be designed so that walking or biking is safe and convenient.

this isn't the right way to go about this, especially when money is so tight anyway

Zeze thank you SO MUCH. I get SO SICK of people saying "Well look at Europe!" It drives me crazy! (no pun intended)

Stephley, I agree with you.

gas is already incredibly expensive and people aren't driving any less. Actually people are driving more since prices have gone up - there just aren't any good alternative solutions. Public transportation in this country only works if you live in a big city. Most people don't. And taking the train here is still more expensive than spending money on gas. From here to my parents by train is $20 both ways, with gas it's less than $10 and it takes half the time.

I think one of the best solutions: allowing anyone who can telecommute to do so. I like interacting with people at the office, but it would save money and time, even though I live so close.

Lissy, excellent point about telecommuting. I know when I lived in northern VA they actually had office centers in some communities, so instead of having to sit in that awful traffic every morning, you could drive to your office center and work from there instead of home. I thought it was an interesting concept.

Imlissy, I b*tch about my travel cost all the time. I love public transit, but they keep raising the prices it is not going to be worth it anymore.

I agree with zeze that a mass public transportation system needs to be established as an alternative. In order for people to give something up you have to give them something in return. An example of a great system falling victim to the oil and automobile industries is the light rail system that covered Los Angeles county pre grid lock and smog capital. If that system was left in place and built upon than Los Angeles would not have nearly the traffic and smog issues that they were plagued with for decades. Over the past ten years they've implemented a great start to a new mass transit system but the good effects of this is still years off.

Also Ca. has been trying to push high speed rail between San Francisco and Los Angeles and L.A. to Las Vegas. Who is the opposition? Oil companies and the Airline industry. Our representative see these as great alternatives. They're not stupid but as long as the lobbyists are pushing harder for their interests than we are for ours they're going to win every time.

As for raising gas prices I honestly don't think it will help conserve much because we'll adjust and just keep driving as much as we did. Now the contribution that will go to new renewable resources is a great idea. So I say yes raise it fifty scents because we'll adjust get over the sting drive as much as we did and we'll have money going towards new technology.

Cine, does your employer not reimburse you?

I think that auto industry in this country is def. partly to blame. European automakers have been making more efficient cars for a long time now and import cleaner diesel for years, but only this last year did this country start importing that same diesel. And even though many diesel models are more fuel efficient than some of the hybrids, they are still illegal in states like Cali and NY which base their emissions off the old diesel...

this is a really big sore spot with me as a car enthusiast!

Cakebaker- another "look at them" that makes me nuts is when it comes to healthcare and Canada - people don't seem to realize the differences at all - Canada has 30 million people - that's less than California! Not to mention the US's role technology and research (which much different than Canada). But't I don't want to get into that - I just had to mention I hate those comments as well!

I think raising gas prices would effect other areas of the economy as well: food prices, shipping costs, air travel...pretty much everything we buy is shipped in some form or another. It was skyrocket inflation, IMO.

exactly, I mean those that will spend the extra tax on gas are the ones that will need it, so it won't really do anything to reduce emissions b/c they will be forced to use just as much, but will be required to spend even more. I don't really see how a 50cent increase would do much to curb the effects of global warming. And people want to see a direct link of cause and effect, you do this, and here's a visual example of how it will harm or benefit. But just to say that raising this tax by a whole lot will prove some benefit, then sorry but you haven't won me over.

Yeah....in Chicago they are actually getting rid of some of the public transportation instead of increasing it. Also they've raised the price of riding the el so high that it's ALMOST just as cheap for me to drive.

Jillness you are so right! People don't take that into consideration at all!

Zeze thats a good one! That one irks me too!

jillness...exactly. I saw an interview with some truck drivers and some of them have had to refinance their homes to pay for gas. Crazy.

The only way I would support this is if they were cutting the price in gas by at least 50 cents to cover this tax. Otherwise, they know what to do with this idea.

As a sidenote, when I was scrolling down the page and saw this article, I thought it was a picture of end of the gun being pointed at the camera. The irony is that nowadays when you go to the gas station, you feel like someone is sticking you up at the gas station. LMAO!

OMG harmonyfrance!!! You've got to be kidding me. They have to refinance their homes to afford gas? That's craziness to the umpteenth degree!!!

" saw an interview with some truck drivers and some of them have had to refinance their homes to pay for gas."

WOW!

Can you imagine how much our goods would be limited if we didn't have truck drivers to transport them? Even if a plane or train does the majority of shipping, they still need a truck to deliver the goods to stores.

In relation to this issue I feel that since hybrid technology has already clearly proven its worth. Than pure gasoline engines should be banned from being sold in the U.S. I think every model should be hybrid with the very few exceptions which will mainly include specialized work vehicles.

I know I couldn't believe it. Everything is hanging in such a delicate balance right now. It's scary.

Jillness, I was going to make the same remark. I'm sure we've all noticed how much the prices of many things have gone up. A lot of staple grocery items have increased significantly, at least as a percentage. I'm generally a fairly careful shopper, but now I'm getting even more so.

Also, I'm more careful about planning my driving trips. I try harder to "batch" errands, for instance. Normally I would buy gas in the afternoons or evenings, when my schedule is a little more flexible and less hectic. Now, though, I usually do it in the mornings--they say the fuel is cooler and because of that you actually get fractionally more, because the pump measures volume.

Oh, and I also meant to say, this would just impact other market sectors. This is already causing a ripple effect throughout the economy. Coupled with the general not-recession "credit crunch," I think this is going to get worse before it gets better.

I've heard stories already of people cutting back on other expenses. Restaurants, for instance, are noticing a slowdown. People are--there's a specific term for it which I can't recall at the moment--downscaling. The Macy's shoppers are going to Penney's, the Target shoppers are going to KMart, etc.

I have an interesting perspective on this because I'm from VERY rural, very poor America, and I'm married to a British man.

The thing that they don't bother to note about Europeans paying more for their Gas is that the vast majority of Europeans, especially lower-income Europeans, DO NOT EVEN OWN A CAR.

ESPECIALLY in places like England & France.

The public transportation systems in Europe are not only WAY more popular than American, but are much more widely available. (And Europe, as a WHOLE, is BARELY the size of the USA. Actually, I think it's smaller).

My husband doesn't even have a license. He either walks to work or rides the bus, even as far as two or three hours away to visit his sister.

When he goes to the airport? He gets a taxi.

Now, where I live, we do not have this luxury. We have 0 public transportation, not even taxis.

Most people that are residents of the town I live in live anywhere between two and thirty miles out of the main town. It costs us a fortune in gas already, just to get to work and back every day. Also, because of the massive downfall of our economy, finding a job locally is very hard. There are people literally driving from two or three hours away to get to jobs.

Trying to compare Europe's advancements to ours is absolutely absurd, and pointing out that they pay huge taxes in gas as support for doing the same here is ridiculous. They do not use nearly the amount of gas that we do, they do not rely upon it nearly as heavily, and their economy is not crumbling at the moment. Not to mention the fact that regardless of where you are in Europe, rarely, if ever, are you out of range of public transportation of some variety. They even have politicians who ride the bus and their bikes to work.

Yes!

I think the US needs a groundbreaking new Public Transportation system for a durable future.

Wow, no license!!!! Can you imagine that in the US? In MI the only people that don't have a license are under 15 or have legal problems, there is no other reason it seems.

I mean contrast that idea of most Europeans don't have cars to the American idea of getting a car at 16, heck I my first car was a V8 durango!

I think it's a lot more than not having public transportation, b/c of the size and mostly b/c of the culture I doubt America could ever be less dependent on oil.

I voted other because despite the comments on this post and complaints about gas prices, Americans just don't seem to care. No,I am not talking about the environment. I'm talking about their own consumption and changing habits to reduce consumption.

Without lifting a finger, walking, reducing miles driven, or increasing drive time, it would be possible for the great majority of drivers to reduce gas cost by .30 cents (based on an average $3.00 cost per gallon). Where would this 10% reduction come from?

The answer is way too simple and common sense for most people to understand. The key point above it "reducing drive time". We drive to work, school, shopping, etc and usual comments are "I don't want to be late". The problem is, rushing to our destination or being in a "hurry" is missconstrued by many drivers to mean, "rush from one traffic signal to the next".

A typical suburban, light urban or commercial area will have roads with many traffic signals. It's entirely possible to see the next light while waiting for the one before it. It makes absolutely no sense to rush to a light only to brake hard and wait for it to turn green. Americans are in a hurry to get nowhere and wasting gas to do it.

Take this behavior onto the highway and the same drivers are rushing to catch up to the car ahead only to brake to avoid smashing into them. Whether it is a street with many red lights or a highway, the tool most Americans do not know how to use is there eyes. Simply looking ahead and adusting your speed accordingly will result in at least 10$ improvement in MPG which means a 10% reduction consumption.

I am what most people refer to as a "slow starter". That means I don't floor the gas when I start out. Impatient drivers are right on my rear bumper and pass me as soon as they get an opportunity. 99% of the time, I "catch up" to them in a few blocks or on the highway. Nowhere will you find me advocating "slow down". In fact, when I catch up, it may be due to exceeding the speed limit a little bit. Or it maybe due adjusting my speed and arriving at a signal after it has turned green and I don't have to stop. Quite often thos impatient people who passeed me earlyer are sitting at the light stopped when I drive past.

Unfortunately, the advice I offer isn't a miracle cure. Americans are looking for an easy cure or for the government to "fix" the problem for them. That is why so many fall prey to miracle whirly gigs and other devices to stick on their engines. PT Barnum was right, "there's a sucker born every minute" and those are the ones who won't make an effort on their own. So they look for a miracle and get scammed.

If every American took my advice to heart, think of what a 10% reduction in consumption across the country would mean! Ok what if only half of American heeded me? Drop that figure to 5%!. Think about gas stations raising or lowering prices. Do you know that market conditions dictate prices? Certainly if their supplier raises prices, they must too, but when sales fall a sustained 1/2% this forces them to reduce price. Think about what 5% would mean? Heck think about what 1% nationwide would mean?

i don't think it will do any good. there has to be a more effective, and cost effective, method