Gas prices are a fascinating bit of politicized economics because the far Left really, really, really wants gas to become more expensive - Obama and his drones were actually honest about that - but they always panic in the face of public outrage over rising pump prices.
Cheap gas is hugely frustrating to the authoritarian Left and its central planners. It allows the Little People to move around FAR too easily. It gives them more economic power by lowering the price of most goods and services. It spawns industries that resist political control.
Also, cheap gas is harder for them to tax the hell out of. The taxes are too noticeable. That's why the Left prefers high inflation and high consumer prices. It's much easier to hide the cost of bloated, corrupt government when everything costs 10x as much.
Inflationary spirals and soaring consumer prices divorce MONEY from VALUE. In a world where bread costs $2 a loaf instead of 10 cents, and wages are artificially increased accordingly, it's harder for the public to measure the true value of anything.
The American people have been completely bamboozled with respect to most prices and values. They have NO IDEA how much their employers actually pay for an hour of their labor. They have NO IDEA how much health care really costs. That information has been taken from them.
But people are still really sensitive to gas price increases. It's an immediate and highly noticeable hit to their wallets, and it changes their lifestyles. People start talking about driving less, rearranging their schedules, abandoning some activities. The impact is visceral.
Gas is something we need, not something we enjoy shopping for. Paying more for something you need is painful. It's five, ten, twenty dollars you suddenly don't have to spend on stuff you really wanted. The pampered, bubbled, chauffeured Ruling Class doesn't understand this.
Americans have a long tradition of loving their cars and the freedom they provide. It stings to be deprived of that freedom when gas prices soar. It provokes an immediate emotional reaction, long before people start noticing that EVERYTHING gets more expensive when gas does.
You can't blame the socialists for thinking one day they'll figure out the exact right way to crank up gas prices without triggering a popular backlash. They've done it with almost everything else. They'll keep grabbing that hot valve and hissing in pain when it sears them. /end
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