Silly me. I posted this already, then forgot to hit the submit button.
JAD MOUAWAD writes about the impact of high energy prices on Americans:
As a direct share of the gross domestic product, oil accounted for 8.5 percent of the economy in 1980. As energy conservation measures took hold, and as Americans grew wealthier, that fell to a low of 3.1 percent in the mid-1990’s. Last year, it was up to 4.2 percent. This year, oil is expected to account for 4.8 percent of the economy, according to Mr. Goldstein ( Larry Goldstein, the president of the Petroleum Industry Research Foundation).