The Imperial Presidency, Part 2

[Labster]

... I don't think I've seen gasoline under USD $3/gal in twenty years, but I'm also in commute range of Boston, so... You further west maybe? I've heard prices drop hard between the Mississippi and the Rockies.

I just looked out the window and it’s $2.49 at the closest gas station. I’m not as far west as the Mississippi, but the surrounding areas usually have better deals than the local rip off places. They’re sticking their jam covered fingers into your pocketbook if they never let gasoline dip below $3. Grocery items are expensive now too, they want like $1.97 for a dozen eggs right now at the grocery, or $2.59 for a gallon of milk. It’s highway robbery.

Edit: I just realized this could be read wrong. I’m upset with the folks/logistics/Unknown factor around you not being able to cut you a good deal on gas, not at you.

As a note, in Oklahoma City (where I currently live) I have seen several gas stations with gas at $1.96, which is actually below $2 which Trump has been saying the gas prices were at since he took office.  I'm not sure this is necessarily a good thing, as usually prices that low for gas around here indicate a glut where they were expecting to be able to sell more gas than they did (and since this is immediately after the Thanksgiving Holidays which are usually good for travel that seems distinctly possible) and they are trying to clear it.

As a Californian, all of those prices sound amazingly, unbelievably cheap.  $2/doz. eggs is a great sale price, milk is in the $4 range -- most of this is because our laws require that animals not be kept in torturous conditions.  I haven't seen $2/gallon gas since, oh, 2004?  I'm pretty sure that line got crossed when I was in uni and never came back. You start noticing when trips home go from $30 to $50. It's currently hovering around $4/gallon. People say that it's because of taxes, but if you only pay $0.50/gallon, where does the other $1.50 go? (answer: salaries, enviro regulations for winter/summer blends, and greedy fucks).

Of course, as an environmentalist, I'd be happy if gas prices doubled again as an externality tax, with all of the revenue to deal with the consequences of pollution and climate change.  You know, some money to pay for asthma drugs, some money to build some seawalls, etc.  Because let's face it, the real cost of a gallon of gas is a lot more than what you pay at the pump.

But of course, this will never happen, because why would anyone care if the future is destroyed?