It kind of turns the tables on those Americans who think the Europeans are suckers for their high petrol costs. Who are the real fools? And then when you sit back and think about that number ($11/gal) and how they manage to conceal the real costs of oil, then you can't help but drift onto thoughts about how this idea of "economy" and "free market" are a complicated farce to ensure the corporate powers continue their game. I didn't see mention in that article about other than military expenses, such as subsidies to big oil and highway building etc. So perhaps it's even higher. It's the same old thing: socialize the costs and privatize the profits.