The worst argument ever...

So I've read quite a few articles lately that all seem to have the same theme: "$4.00 per gallon isn't that bad...Europe has been doing it for years".

I think this is the worst argument I have ever heard. Let us take a look at the majority of Europe, shall we? A large number of European countries have an intricate public transportation system, some of which connect to other countries (note there are trains traveling from Spain to France)! There are only a handful of US states/cities that can lay claim to a real public transportation system (NY, Chicago, DC, Baltimore, Detroit to name a few). There is no REAL public transportation system in this country that can supply the masses of people.

Now let us look as some numbers;
England is 50,350 sq miles
Ireland is 27,133 sq miles
France is 210,026 sq miles
Spain is 195,364 sq miles
Germany is 137,827 sq miles
Texas is a whopping 268,581 sq miles
Europe as a Whole is 3,997,900 sq miles
USA as a whole is only slightly smaller, at 3,794,083 sq miles

If you'll notice, England, Ireland and Germany could all fit INSIDE the State of Texas with room to spare! So tell me this; how can we compare European gas prices to ours and say it is fair, when the majority of metropolitan areas in Europe have the option of mass transit, and most Europeans work closer to home than the average American? The average distance travelled by UK workers is 8.5 miles, and 1 in 10 workers WALK to work! The average distance travelled by US workers is 16 miles ONE WAY!

Ok, forget mass transportation, and forget size for a minute. Let's focus on supply and demand.

303,824,650, that is the US estimated Population as of 2008
729,578,980 is the European estimated population as of 2008
With that many people in Europe, they should have a higher demand for fuel, right? The United State's population is less than half that of Europe's, so our demand should be lower, right? Wrong! That nasty little mass transit bug comes back to bite us in the arse again.

As Americans, we like our freedom, we like our independence, and we like our cars. Until we are willing to let some of that freedom and independence go, we're stuck with high gas prices and no mass transit.

I'll step down from my soap box now.