Is Gas Stupid?

With gas prices reaching four dollars a gallon, there are several things that may have made sense at the time, but are completely silly right now.

First, is there really any reason to have three levels of gas? Does anyone ever get the midgrade? You either get cheap or premium, and right now, the difference between the two is between 2 and 3 dollars on a full tank that costs you between 40 and 60 dollars.

The other bit of silliness is fractional cents. Remember when the gas stations would fool you? You weren't paying 98 cents a gallon (when did that last happen?). You paid 98 and nine-tenths cents, which was effectively 99 cents. 1 cent in 4 dollars? That's a quarter of a percent. And yet, gas stations still seem bent on this idea that they want to fool is in that last fraction of a cent.

There should be one gas price, one gas grade, probably premium, and no fractions of cents.

Why these things don't change, I'll never understand.