This is supposed to make us feel better about high gas prices...

I get the point that CNN is trying to make though I'm not sure what difference it makes for those who are already struggling, who are making less in spendable dollars than last year:

Out of 155 countries surveyed, U.S. gas prices were the 45th cheapest, according to a recent study from AIRINC, a research firm that tracks cost of living data.

The difference is staggering. As of late March, U.S. gas prices averaged $3.45 a gallon. That compares to over $8 a gallon across much of Europe, $12.03 in Aruba and $18.42 in Sierra Leone.

The U.S. has always fought to keep gas prices low, and the current debate among presidential candidates on how to keep them that way has been fierce.

What's strange is supposedly the gas prices in Sierra Leone are quote as $18.42 per gallon, yet when you look at a place to place comparison of New York City and Freetown, the transportation costs in Freetown are lower than in New York City....Then of course there's this:

The United Nations estimates unemployment to be about 65 percent in Sierra Leone. Human rights groups have warned about the potential for unemployed youths in Sierra Leone, as well as in neighbouring Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire and Guinea, to be drawn into conflict. All of those nations have experienced civil war or social upheaval in the past decade.

So, the moral of the story is we should be happy we don't live in Sierra Leone, where most likely we'd be too poor to even own a car so we wouldn't worry about the fact that gas is stated to cost over 18 dollars a gallon.

Thanks CNN, I feel better now.

:-)