Unfortunately not. It hurts me to put $60 in my SUV like it does every other middle class American. It just seems that I am more of a realist than you. Look at the prices of gas in other countries with substantially lower GDP figures. The reason it seems like gas prices are rediculous to us today is that they stayed in the $1 range for so long while other consumer products increased in price with inflation. From the 1980 to 2000, gas prices stayed in a relatively small range compared to years prior. We got spoiled with those prices and now that they are closer to what the rest of the oil consuming world is paying, we get to scream bloody murder to our administration.
"Gasoline prices in the United States, which have recently hit record highs, are actually much lower than in many countries. Drivers in some European cities, like Amsterdam and Oslo, are paying nearly 3 times more than those in the U.S.
The main factor in price disparities between countries is government policy, according to AirInc, a company that tracks the cost of living in various places around the world. Many European nations tax gasoline heavily, with taxes making up as much as 75 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline, said a spokesperson for AirInc."