Don't you mean, "why California has the highest gas prices in the nation" in the first sentence?

Okay everyone, before we Californians start taking the whaaambulance to the crybabytown suburbs, let's calm down and have a look at this:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/09/business/20080609_GAS_GRAPHIC.html#

It's a much better indicator of what gas prices are actually doing to the country than the other graph which lists prices but no context is given. As you can see, as a percentage of our median income, we're doing "okay" relative to other parts of the country.

In fact, strange as it may sound, the poorer, Republican voting red states are getting screwed more than we are: high gas prices, while fare lowere there than here, eat up a far larger percentage of incomes.

Then again, that's what you get when you vote to turn your state into a fiefdom for Wal Mart.

In the other article from yesterday, some comments were made that annoy the living heck out of me so I might as well address them here.

1) RE: our environmental law and taxes - pollution laws are a good thing, and oil and gas should be taxed. Lowering taxes on gas and removign pollution controls won't do anything but make Oil execs and market parasties cream their pants.

2) Gas prices have always been higher in this state than in other states, but no one complained too much because they weren't insanely high. Now they are insnaely high, but they're insanely high everywhere. So you can't suddenly pretend that it's got something to do with the rather sensible measures that have been in place for decades.

3) rankly, no offense, but that whole building "more refineries" canard is nothing but pro oil cartel propaganda. A lack of refineries doesn't explain how we got from 25 bucks a barrel to 135 bucks a barrel in 7 years. But it does keep the sheep from noticing how America's decision to put the Bush posse in the white house twice has pretty much led to total disaster on every possible level. Imagine that.

Fact is, gas prices are higher because A) the really terrible policies pursued by the Bush admin, and B) we're hitting global peak.

That's not to say high gas prices aren't god awful. Every time I have to hit the pump, I want to find someone who voted for George Bush and punch them in the face.

But.. but..but..

The Iraq war was going to pay for it's self!

We were supposed to get to drive our SUVs cheaply for years!! (with the windows down and the ac cranking)

And monkeys were supposed to fly out of Donald Rumsfeld's ass!!

Well, I was gonna throw in the "The Iraqis were supposed to throw flowers and shit at us."

But they were half right on that one.