The price of gas in America

[CoconutCommander]

Actually, it works very well. Look at cigarettes or alchohol for proof of it... tax it more and people use it less. They complain, but they use it less... and getting us off oil is very important. People won't just do it of their own free will, so they have to be forced to... (and this goes for car companies too -- the key really is getting them to make cars that get much better milages. This isn't happening, and it would have a HUGE impact. The government refuses to, so hopefully gas prices will get to the point where car companies are forced to do something...)

There was a little more involved in weaning the public off of cigarettes and alcohol than just taxing the hell out of them. For instance the surge in anti tobacco media and the numerous laws preventing or restricting alcohol and tobacco from advertising.

Besides, it's pretty difficult/ignorant to compare cigarettes and alcohol (both addicting habits) to oil fuel (a neccessity for the majority of americans). You are not going to fix the fuel consumption problem with a quick fix that you came up with while you were sitting in your underwear trying to be clever on a Nintendo forum. It's gonna take time to come up with a well thought out multi-layered plan that slowly integrates new technology and oil alternatives into a reluctant populous.