We live closer in time to the T. Rex than the T. Rex lived to the Stegosaurus.
Certain facts you see online make you immediately think, “Eh, that’s bullshit. Fake news. Stupid lying memes.” …And then sometimes you find out they’re true. Like that T. Rex fact.
You might have seen the meme going around that Iranians pay pennies per gallon for gasoline. It’s actually true (but not for the reason you might think). Meanwhile, the oil-company-with-an-army called the United States touts exorbitant gas prices that are making average Americans commute to work on an e-scooter or on the back of someone else on an e-scooter.
“As of September 18, AAA reports the [US] national average for regular gasoline at approximately $4.47 per gallon.”
Before the war on Iran started, the average price was $2.98. So that’s an increase of $1.50 per gallon thanks to Trump’s unhinged war criminality. This means Americans are paying on average an extra $25 per fill-up just to help fund the murder of children in Iran. (I think we would all feel better about it if it were cheaper.)
In some areas, it’s even worse than that.
“In California, …regular gasoline averages $6.11 statewide and diesel $8.39. …Some individual California stations have recently posted diesel at $9.99 per gallon, the maximum price some pumps can display.”
But that’s not the only way the war on Iran hurts your wallet. Forbes notes:
“Diesel may be the more consequential story, as it has reached $6.45 per gallon—the highest national average AAA has ever recorded as farmers enter harvest season.”
With diesel prices increasing, farming costs a lot more. Those expenses are then mostly passed on to the consumer. Next, cue grocery prices shooting up.
So where did the “pennies per gallon” fact come from?
“Iranians who consume more than 110 liters of gasoline per month pay 100,000 Iranian rials per liter—about four U.S. cents at the free-market exchange rate. Since one U.S. gallon equals approximately 3.785 liters, that works out to roughly 15 to 17 cents per gallon…”
But, believe it or not, it’s actually less than 15 cents for most Iranians.
“Iranian motorists receive their first 60 liters each month at 15,000 rials per liter…”
That works out to about 4 US pennies per gallon.
Humor me while I repeat that. IRANIANS PAY 4 CENTS A GALLON FOR GAS!! It costs more to get a Tootsie pop in the US than it costs to get a gallon of gas in Iran.
This crazy disparity doesn’t just come down to how each country feels about its people but also to aspects of capitalism. Forbes explains some of it:
“Iran subsidizes gasoline, absorbing much of its economic cost and keeping the consumer price artificially low. The policy helps households and businesses but also encourages consumption… America does almost the opposite.”
“Subsidizes” is another word for giving the benefits of Iranian oil back to the people of Iran. The oil of Iran belongs to all Iranians, and therefore the citizens barely pay anything for it. America treats oil (and pretty much all resources) completely differently. The oil of America belongs to the rich dicks who own everything, and they then sell it back to the people at the highest price possible in order to further enrich themselves.
Forbes — like virtually all mainstream media — will also never mention that we, the people, subsidize the fossil fuel industry in a massive way. A 2022 IMF study found that the fossil fuel industry is subsidized to the tune of $7 trillion a year — and 82% of that comes from undercharging for the environmental costs of burning those fuels.
Therefore, in the US and other Western countries, the model is: Help fund the oil industry so the rich can get richer, and don’t help fund the lower and middle classes so that they absorb all the costs.
Your retort might be, “But Lee, Iran has tons of oil, which allows the leaders to give gas away to their people. The US doesn’t have as much.” But then your retort would be stupid.
“…88% of the crude oil used in America comes from North America, and approximately 60% of the crude oil that runs through U.S. refineries is extracted in the United States.”
The US is also the third biggest oil exporter in the world.
You see, the US doesn’t lack for oil. It lacks for giving a shit about its people. If the fact that gas and groceries are crazy expensive causes you to avoid getting toys for your kids or avoid getting professional care for your elderly mother, the ruling elite don’t care at all. They are psychopaths.
That’s the end of the column. But I have bonus content below for paid subscribers. I have no sponsors of billionaire friends. My work only continues because people like you throw me the cost of a beer per month.
Lee Camp — Daily Dose of Sanity brings you the stories corporate media would rather you didn’t hear, with a healthy dose of satire, activism, and truth-telling along the way.
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