Iraq Oil, High Gas?.....

Even @ US$0.476 per litre (the equivalent of US$1.80 per gallon), that's relatively cheap compared with some western developed countries.

Around antipodean parts I have frequented of late, prices are well over $1.00 in local currency per Litre...

At worst, for a 98 Octane level, try (my calculations based on US$ = NZ$1.75, which is today's very low value for the USD obviously):

US$0.7138 per Litre, = $US2.70 per Gallon.

There you go. If the US dollar was better off, the comparison would be far worse - up to US$3.50 per Gallon in the past year.

Questions:

What octane level is American 'Super' these days?

Is the current US gas price really all that expensive?

If private consumers and businesses had to pay $3.50 per Gallon, would there be a fairly prompt move to alternative fuels?

I doubt it, masked, Ammericans would get pissy and in an uproar. Too slow to catch on that fossil fuels are killing us, and enslaving them. They want cheap gas. Hardly any of them care what. Maybe the more eductated elements of society would use it as leverage to get us into something better. But as has been shown, Americans are slaves to the TV. Hell, they might even demand we invade another country to get the gas down.

Of course, the really poorer elemnts of society might be driven over the edge if gas went up that high, that would be the straw that could break them into worse destitution, maybe even homelessness.

If gas went up that high, I know I would be stranded. Couldnt even afford the bus.