Stumped at the Pump

Demand for gas has fallen, yet prices keep rising

You can no longer call Americans irresponsible energy pigs. Yeah, we're still piggy in that we use a disproportionate amount of the world's energy. We still love our SUVs and pickups the way teenagers like to text.

But since 2008, when gasoline first reached $4 a gallon, our gas gluttony has changed. Ford's average fuel economy has improved by 20% since 2004, for instance, and sales of the up-to-40-m.p.g. Ford Focus are way up. We've even stopped getting in the car to go two blocks to pick up a quart of milk. (Well, maybe you have; I don't own a car.)...

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