I'd be willing to pay $6/gallon [[or more) for gasoline if the price were the result of taxes that were used to construct means of transportation other than "drive your damned self".

In Europe, high gas prices go toward building high speed rail and maintaining the existing transportation networks. Our high gas prices go to the oil companies, and gas taxes only cover 46% of the costs of building and maintaining freeways. Americans rightly perceive themselves as getting screwed.