Howdy y’all!
I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not, but gasoline prices are way way up, and people are not happy about it. Apparently, the prices are up because the Orange Doctor decided to give war criming a try. He was making mad bank off of his other grifts, corruption, criminal enterprises, so why not add war crimes to the portfolio? As a direct result, Gas prices have reached a four year high — and it ain’t the good kinda high neither — since Trump initiated his excursion into Iran. They’ve risen by about 50% to a national average of $4.50 per gallon. The only saving grace is that Christmas isn’t coming up, just the summer vacation travel season. So, we’re good, right?
Not only have I gotten real tired of seeing a higher price every time I pass our corner station, I’m real tired of listening to all the smug pontificating bastards pontificate about it and the lying Republicans lie about it on the TV. You know both groups are completely out of touch with what the average citizen is going through, though, especially the punditing pundits. All they can say is that gas prices are the one thing that no one can escape because they’re written in bright red letters six feet tall on every corner. And while that is true, that ain’t it.
The price of gas has such a huge political impact because we all gotta drive. While grocery prices are going up, we get to find cheaper alternatives. Maybe we switch from bottles to boxes of wine and lie to ourselves about how you can’t tell the difference, especially after the first glass, ha ha, nudge, nudge, wink, wink. But what are you gonna do for gas? Go from unleaded to leaded, oh wait, we don’t have leaded no more. From premium to regular? Drive less?
Gas is a product that economists call inelastic demand. You’re going to buy regardless of price because you don’t got no choice. We all gotta drive at least some of the time. The pundits do get that part right, but the nerdy part of me feels cheated when they don’t take a moment to explain that it is inelastic demand. If the Trump years haven’t taught us anything, it is that we all need to be a little more educated about how the world we live in works. We all need to think about this a little more critically.
We are being held captive by the price of gas. It is the root of all of our fury. We got no choices, and good mental health is made up of choices. Okay, it isn’t quite true, is it? We do have some options. We could all go out and get an EV or hybrid, and sales, especially for used EVs, have jumped. But, does everyone have the $50,000 to plunk down on an EV? Electric bikes are great, but they leave you a little exposed and aren’t exactly family vehicles.
We have public transportation, right? RIGHT? RIIIGHT? In most municipalities, it isn’t a viable option. Buses run too infrequently, you spend a lot of time waiting for transfers, trains, like Alaskan bridges — you betcha! — often lead to no where you want to go. And, have you ever tried to do your groceries on the bus? You aren’t doing a week’s worth, so now you’re going to the grocery store much more frequently to buy less or spend more, pick your poison. Our public transportation system seems designed to punish people for being poor rather than help them live better lives.
That’s what is so infuriating about gas prices. You can’t escape them because we all have to drive. There are no good options. It’s enough to make you believe in conspiracy theories. Wait, I saw Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Maybe it is a conspiracy.
I can believe that oil companies, tire companies, and politicians colluded to force car dependency on us, why are pundits not talking about that? Why when we discuss higher gas prices aren’t we talking about public transportation on equal footing with EVs? Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving the whole being drug kicking and screaming to alternative energy sources vibe Trump has foisted on America — He is the man with the feculent touch, after all. Unintended consequences and everything. But, why aren’t buses and trains being promoted along with EV ownership, recharging stations — boy, that Biden infrastructure bill sure is looking better, isn’t it? Whatever happened to that plan to build recharging stations across the country? Generate more electricity from wind and solar?
So, why aren’t we talking about public transportation more? What would it actually take to push America into joining the rest of the world in having useable reliable convenient public transportation? Could it be that this is actually the Stupid Jenius’ actual legacy?
I’d love to hear what you think in the comments!
Blog On, Siblings!
Jack
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It isn’t just gasoline. Diesel fuel is up about 54% which is hammering farmers around here as well as the trucking industry. Fertilizer? Some of the fertilizers we need have gone up as much as 70%. Farm bankruptcies have already gone up almost 50% since he took office thanks to his totally fecking up our export markets. This is going to decimate farmers across the country. And it is going to eventually filter down to the consumer in the form of even higher food prices and even other consumer goods.
As for the claim you made that oil, car companies etc. colluded drive public transportation out of business, that is is absolutely true. A coalition of companies led by GM were actually convicted in 1949 of committing criminal conspiracy to work together to eliminate the electric street car systems that most cities had back before WWII.
All of our public systems ARE designed to punish people for being poor.