Americans, nowadays, appear to be very worried about many of their “rights.” Like the right not to be vaccinated, the right not to wear a mask, and such.
Now some folks are clamoring for a right to cheap gasoline, blaming the current administration for what is a worldwide disruption in oil supplies, and demanding we dip into the strategic reserve to lower the price of gasoline.
Just for perspective I called a relative in Austria to ask him the current fuel prices there. Those prices are as follows: Gasoline is 1.45 euros per liter, or $6.19 a gallon; diesel is 1.35 euros per liter or $5.81 a gallon.
That’s a far cry from what we see on our pumps. And these are not the suddenly higher prices but the normal prices one normally pays in Europe for fuel, as they have for many years. Which, also, is why they operate vehicles with far greater fuel economy than do we. No wonder one doesn’t see many monster trucks and giant SUVs on their autobahns. Let’s rejoice in our blessings and forget about our imaginary “right” to cheap fuel.
Frank Baumann
Snohomish
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