If you look at the last 20 years, then the current $100/barrel seems to be the "new normal" ? (Up from ~$25/barrel for the 2nd half of the 20th century.)
Now, currently it's more the lack of refining capacity that seems to be pushing fuel prices up, the crack spread is up to $50/barrel !!
If this is the base, it'll just be a form of inflation and get lost pretty soon. Currently 1 hr of fast food labor buys you 2 gallons of gas. That's probably pretty close to what it was in 1996 also.
Gas was not below $1 a gallon in 1996. Especially not in California. Also, cars weren't getting the mpg they are now.
Cost per mile relative to minimum wage probably isn't that far off.. which you can probably see from data that basically everyone is driving as much as ever.. because other than mental sticker shock, it's still fine.
Literally $1.10 (and often less) at the station down the street from my home in San Jose. My car had roughly the same mileage as my 2011 car that a drunk person recently destroyed.
Right now, even if min wage is what, $15, a gallon is $6, so I don't understand what you are saying.
