Just Plain Dumb

Manifesto

In an article discussing how Europeans aren't obsessing over the rise in gas prices, despite paying more than twice what Americans are paying, MSNBC's Rachel Elbaum writes perhaps the dumbest thing I have ever read.

One big difference in Britain is that gas prices don’t appear to have changed as drastically over the past year. The national average for July was now 88 pence a liter, or $6.02 a gallon, and prices have only gone up 10 pence a liter in the past 12 months. Although the actual price increase is the same, the rise is not as apparent in Britain where gas is sold by the liter.

This week, drivers were paying around 90-91 pence at London gas stations.

The sticker shock has been greater in the United States, where prices appear to have increased more as the numbers on the price boards are larger. Since last year the cost of a gallon has gone up 67 cents.

Yeah, I'm sure Britons are too stupid to realize that, although the increase is less on the big board, it is just the same when they fill up the tank. I'm sure that's why it hasn't been as big an issue: the damn confusing metric system. If only Britain had stayed with the English system of measurements. Damn French.