Maybe we don't have it so bad...

In the United States, gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places. The average car takes about 20 to 30 dollars to fill up. Some people are beginning to take a chance with off-brand gas, which has been cheaper, but unfortunately, you get what you pay for most of the time. But no matter how bad the gas prices get, we're not so bad off when compared to other places in the world. For example, gas in Paris, France, is $5.54 per gallon in US dollars, and gas in Milan, Italy, is $5.96 per gallon. But even they aren't the worst off. If you go to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, gas is $6.48 per gallon, in US dollars. The article I read from CNNmoney.com stated that "in a few Latin America and Middle-East nations, such as Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, oil is produced by a government-owned company and local gasoline prices are kept low as a benefit to the nation's citizens." Gas in Venezuela is $0.12 per gallon (in US dollars). Gasoline is generally heavily taxed in a majority of European nations- these taxes actually make up and three-fourths of the actual per gallon price. So maybe we get off a little easier than some, especially with the imposed taxes.