A bit odd to compare gdp to market cap. A more useful comparison would be total wealth vs market cap or gdp vs earnings. Apple's earnings were a touch under $100b over the last 12 months. That equates to the bottom 41-45 countries based on OP's data.

Winning politics in America now seems to be more about getting your base to vote rather than trying to win over the middle.

Winning politics in America now seems to be more about getting your base to vote rather than trying to win over the middle.

1. I don't own an EV nor any other car. I catch (electric) public transport
2. Why is this turning into some ill-informed conversation about the merits of paid/free university? It has little to do with gas taxes. But since you insist on digging that hole... Socialised education and health services kinda conclusively are effective at reducing poverty and income inequality. Go look up the Gini index. Germany and Europe in general is way in front of the US in this regard.
3. Do you have any economics background? Go look up the concepts of supply and demand, and externalities. Increasing the price of 'dirty' energy makes people less likely to use it and use clean energy sources instead. Clean energy producers are incentivised to invest more as the competitive advantage of dirty energy producers (not paying the cost of their externalities) is reduced/negated. Further, tax revenues can be used to subsidise clean energy R&D.

Lastly, I don't even think taxing gas is the right solution. Introducing a proper cap and trade emission trading scheme is what the US/ world really needs.

OK let me address your strawmen arguments one by one...

1. truly poor people aren't driving anyway. To the extent it affects the working poor, there are other policy options to make up for it. Pricing in the externalities of your energy use doesn't have to happen in a vacuum. Public transport can be subsidised, EVs can be subsidised, tax transfers can be used.

2. Europe taxes the poor to send their rich kids to college? Yes, many countries in Europe have high gas taxes. They also have lower levels of inequalities than the US... And guess what, the people on lower incomes can afford college too! Despite the "land of opportunities slogan" the US has less social mobility than many of its European peers.

3. Do you think global warming is great for the poor? The US is a huge carbon emitter because it does not price in its energy use externalities. Yes it will affect the poor but fuck guess what, the extras taxes can be redirected for their benefit. Win-win.

Y'alls need to tax your gas more!

It's like your politicians don't understand the concept of externalities.