Nobody likes taxes. Nobody likes high fuel prices. Combine the two and what do you get? Even higher fuel prices, which nobody likes. This might all seem rather obvious, but it is still relevant considering that there are movements to place higher taxes on gas for a variety of reasons. While many agree that drastic measures may need to be taken in order to wean the American people off of foreign oil, questions remain on just how to do that. Biofuels are an option, but there are significant drawbacks there; electric cars are a popular choice, but scanning the local paper reveals a dearth of current choices in the EV arena.

Consumers have shown that they are concerned about global warming, yet when polled (.pdf link) by the National Center for Public Policy Research, 48 percent of respondents said that there were unwilling to pay any extra at all in gas taxes. The numbers dropped even more when those same respondents were told that their efforts were largely in vain. Duh. We've posted a video after the break from Fox News about this poll, as well as the NCPPR press release.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: gas prices fluctuate. So if you're in Chicago, say, and are looking askew at the $2.69 price, relax. The image is a bit old, from a Wired magazine a few months ago (according to someone at reddit). The point here is that, for all the ranting and raving that Americans (and the media here) do when gas prices rise, we're actually sitting somewhere in the middle of the global price range. This is no secret, but now we've got this nifty graphic to show off.

So, does seeing the prices splayed out this way make you feel better, because you know that people in other areas have it worse? Does it make you feel worse, because at 33 cents a gallon in Tehran, all the gallons you save by driving a hybrid won't make much of an impact? Does this just illustrate the global nature of the oil issue, something you've already been thinking about?

[Source: WIRED (?) via Gadling]