JH:
So even those who don't have a car, you'll be paying for this anyways.
i'm not sure i agree (not yet anyway). i've heard this before and it makes sense, but over the last couple years there have been dramatic increases in the cost of oil. so far, things cost the same as before. no obvious price increase at the supermarket or dept stores. i could see a rise if gas suddenly shot up to $10 a gallon, but that seems unlikely. plus, producers of goods are going to increase price as a last resort to compensate for the lost revenue. they'll cut corners in other ways (like mass layoffs). but they are still competing for consumers and consumers are easily bought by low prices.
in a couple of years (like 10 maybe) i can see this increase you mentioned but that could be related to normal economic inflation rather than gas prices.