Gasoline Addiction - Paying the Price

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 "The problem with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt." - Bertrand Russell.


I hate it when I doubt what I know is true. But it will eat me up until I prove myself right (and sometimes wrong).


So here I am because a Trumper neighbor tried to gaslight me. (Pun intended, wait, is it a pun?)


Gas prices were not lower before the pandemic than during the pandemic.  Here is the data:


Source: https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/leafhandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_nus_dpg&f=m


The only way the American government lowers gasoline prices is to pressure the OPEC nations to increase production, like get their money for investments like the Orange Bastard's son-in-law did, or give oil companies more corporate welfare. And that is the way of the world. Gas prices are a bitch to contend with...but if you look at the data and apply inflation, gas in 2017 ($2.76) would be $3.53 in 2024. So, the price of gas is on par with inflation. But it doesn't really work like that for oil, does it? The OPEC nations have complete control over the production and manipulate the price. So it doesn't even follow the rules of laissez-faire capitalism, well, maybe it does. I am not an economist.  I really hate economics.  Maybe someone who knows more about this can add or correct me.


Anyway…


So let's say the Saudis love an ass-kisser that we have for President, they might pressure other OPEC members to increase the production of oil, driving the price of oil down, and increasing the production of gasoline, all while giving oil companies corporate welfare. If those conditions are met, then the price of oil goes down making gas cheaper. Then Americans in their fucked up consumption are all happy that prices are down, but then wonder why we have more hurricanes.  


It’s not to say that we don’t pay a heavy price for our fossil fuel addiction, not only at the pump, but with taxpayer subsidies (corporate welfare), wars in the Middle East, aid to OPEC nations unless you are Venezuela, pollution, and climate change.  


Yeah, the issues of the world are more complex than most will admit. I don’t even understand all of it. I could have forgotten some rules that I learned in my one microeconomics class at ISU. I kept falling asleep. But I know that I seem smarter than most of you on this. Just sayin'.


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