Gas prices are soaring and it doesn’t look like they will stop. We don’t like it any less than others.

So doesn’t it look awkward when people holler at gas station clerks for the high prices? This was the scene in Albert Lea last week and we’re sure it is repeated in other places.

Look, there’s nothing the clerks can do. They probably make less money than the people who are in there complaining to them about the prices. The complainer probably drove a large SUV, and the clerk probably drove a Ford Tempo.

Prices are high, but don’t take it out on the help.

The reason prices are high is a result of the global demand for fuel and the greed of big oil.

The global demand is because China and India are undergoing an economic revolution, the result of success in manufacturing and cheap skilled labor. There is a great demand for gasoline there for emerging middle classes who are buying cars and for companies that need it for business. All of which increases prices in America.

So the next time you save money on a product that says &8220;Made in China&8221; think about how the money you saved resulted in the money you didn’t save at the pump.

And if you feel the urge to yell at someone, blame the oil companies. Americans aren’t addicted to oil. They are addicted to powerful automobiles. It’s just that Americans don’t get other choices besides gasoline when it comes to fuel for their automobiles.

Americans need to blame ourselves, too. Because gas was so cheap, we brushed aside forms of public transportation, such as passenger rail, which would have reduced demand on gasoline and the cost of building so many roads and repairing them. Value your rails now. If gas prices continue to climb, the day could return when we need more trains to help people get around.

Meanwhile, if we want to keep our forms of individual transportation, we can pin our hopes on other forms of fuel. One of the most promising is solar. The current state of solar transportation someday will be regarded like we now regard old dial telephones. Leaps in technology, scientists argue, will be made where solar power for cars will make sense. Gas stations will cease to exist, and they will be merely convenience stores without pumps.

Now, and in the future, be nice to the clerks.