Gas Prices Angering Americans

Not a day goes by right now in which you don't talk to at least someone who mentions the price of gas. The expense that Americans face just to get to work causes as much heartache as anything in this struggling economy. With people looking for such things as foreclosure help, it is difficult to see how many can even afford to go to work at the current cost of gasoline. Certainly no one that makes less than $30,000 a year can afford to drive more than a few miles everyday to get to their jobs as it just eats half their paycheck away paying for the gasoline.

Seeing comments like these certainly piss people off:

The $4 mark, compounded by a sagging economy, could be a tipping point that spurs people to make permanent lifestyle changes to reduce dependence on foreign oil and help the environment, says Steve Reich, a program director at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.

"This is a more significant shift in behavior than I've seen through other fluctuations in gasoline prices," he says. "People are starting to understand that this resource … is not something to be taken for granted or wasted."

I doubt anyone believes people drive less because they are concerned about supply. They are concerned about being able to afford it. USA today breaks down some numbers today and talks more about these crazy gas prices.