Price Of Gas

Michael Recently, the news reported that an oil refinery in Oakland caught fire, and just a few days later, a second accident occurred in Richmond, also near San Francisco. After the OPEC countries messed around with the prices, gasoline prices in and around San Francisco skyrocketed to dizzying heights within a few days. Although only one gasoline brand was affected by the accident, the other companies, not stupid, jumped on the bandwagon and also significantly raised their prices. As a result, gasoline now costs $1.65 per gallon (79 cents per liter) instead of the usual $1.20 per gallon (58 cents per liter), which is insane!

I was quite surprised when I had to shell out twenty dollars for a full tank instead of the usual $15. By the way, the fact that gasoline in America is still relatively cheap compared to European countries is not because it is produced more cheaply, but because the government here imposes almost no taxes on gasoline--because Americans have absorbed driving with their mother's milk, and owning a car is the most natural thing in the world. An American without a car is like a cowboy without a horse. Or, as someone recently put it at the bus stop when the bus didn't come again and they were frustrated with public transportation: "They're assuming everybody's got a car! Don't have one? Fuck you!". I'll leave the translation at that.