Cut energy use and make a difference

Regarding the May 15 letter by James Thomas, "Time for Americans to act on oil prices," while I agree that the fluctuation of the prices at the pump is often baffling, and the profits of oil companies seem criminal, to compare the rise in gas prices to national tragedies is insulting – not only to those who remember and relate to those dramatic events, but to the rest of the world.

Americans pay very little for gasoline as compared to other countries. The real problem is that Americans have been accustomed to cheap fuel for far too long. It has led to our urban sprawl, our road congestion problems, our outrageously large houses and even our obesity crises. Continuing to demand artificially cheap oil only treats the symptoms while it inflames the disease.