What price oil?

Young Ezra (I remember when he was blogging before he reached puberty; he makes us so proud) at WaPo with a look at the true costs of our oil dependence:

How much does a gallon of gasoline cost?

It seems like an easy question. You might ask whether I mean regular or premium, and where in the country I'm buying. Beyond that, though, the price is displayed in giant numbers on most main roads. It's such common knowledge that we ask politicians to rattle it off to show that they retain some minimal awareness of the world they claim to represent.

But as the sludge choking the Gulf of Mexico shows, nothing is easy when it comes to oil. Not even the price. In fact, especially not the price.

...

Indeed. We're paying a "mortgage" that won't be satisfied for generations, just because we still have to burn things to live our lives. We should have weaned ourselves off oil 40 years ago.

Thanks to Mr. No-Fun-On-The-Highway-For-You for the link.