petrol prices etc

[LHemphillix]

About the relatively cheap petrol in the U.S., it's there because the U.S. government provides subsidies to the oil companies to keep it that way. That price may or may not be after the taxes applied by state and local governments, probably before, but even after it still is quite cheap. It's one reason why public transportation is awful in most parts of the U.S. except for a few cities like New York. About the price of fuel generally, it's permanent, it's not coming down until we stop burning the stuff.