Tuesday, June 7, 2022

Jumpin' Gas Prices are a Fash, Fash, Fash

Christian Walker's Escalade gets 15 miles to the gallon.     
Givenchy gets $1300 per Christian Walker's hoodie.   
Now, I hope everyone opposed to the Rightwing accelerating fascist agenda realizes snarky biting satire and witty quips directed at Conservatives have zero effect.  

Sure...  Laughing at Christian Givenchy Walker (the son of Herschel, the erstwhile replacement for Senator Warnock in Georgia) and his contrived antics may feel good and this gas pump one forced the H.Walker campaign to shush him for a few months, but understand Givenchy Walker feels no shame, literally laughed off being called a hypocrite, and had no trouble coming back after this with more inane disingenuous dramatic diatribes.  

But, instead of wryly chuckling, 'Welcome Comrade!' that the GOP wants to nationalize gas and oil companies and Ha ha ha ha ha that's communism!, understand that conservatives will say anything, contradict previously held statements and beliefs, and endorse anyone which gives them a "win" for the day.

If the rightwing rhetoric has to change tomorrow and change back the day after that, or if they have to adopt a wildly contradictory positions later so be it... as long as the Corporate Media uncritically repeats their agitprop and as long as they can keep their rightwing drones enthralled in the Republican web of let's #OwntheLibs O'Brandon!

Now, the gas prices are surging to unseen levels.  If you thought, Republicans wouldn't for a moment use this to Blame Biden, then you don't understand the GOP playbook; Take All Credit; Pass All Blame. Repeat.

Biden's "War on American Energy" is going to be the centerpiece of the Republican effort to steal the 2022 elections.  It even drew the spirochete afflicted mumblings dof brain added Donald John Traitor Trump.  It's

Sure, sure, Republicans are going to have to pay lip service to how they are *actually* protecting Women's Health by striking down Roe and by enforcing invasive uterus inspection laws whilst ignoring Gun Control.  And the GOP is going to have to keep their plans to eliminate Lawerence v. Texas and Loving v. Virginia and outlawing contraception under wraps until 2024.

But, understand the GOP no longer needs to offer up anything, they don't have to have policy proposals or concrete agenda items.  The Modern Republican Party doesn't have any plans and doesn't have anything to offer the American people except pain.  When asked earlier this year what Republicans stand for Mitch McConnell responded, "That is a very good question.  And I'll let you know when we take it back."

All that's needed is a promise of revenge. 

As to gas prices, the issue goes back 50 years;  American car makers did not learn anything from the 1973 OPEC Oil Crisis.  American cars have always been land yachts, rolling whales.  The quintessential question is, is this because of the American consumer tastes and preferences or because the American auto industry makes what it makes?

Contrary to popular belief, the large gas-guzzling monstrosities of the 1970's did not disappear they were just rebranded and rebadged as Sport Utility Vehicles and Trucks.  Fucking trucks.  And not just any truck but, progressively bigger and bigger and less efficient models dominated for the last 25 years.  The Ford Ranger from 1982 and the throwaway 1990's Nissan Frontier was the only small truck option readily available in America.  Every other option simply grew in dimensions until the mid-size Trucks of the 2000's were larger than full-sized of the past.

Finally... finally in the past few years smaller truck options became available highlighted by the return of the "Ute"; with the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.  And their sales are making Toyota consider a smaller truck than the bloated Tacoma.

Clearly, the desire for small, fuel efficient vehicles represents a large segment of the market.  The sales of Tesla, an inferior electric vehicle, show the market exists for non-gas hogs but, look how long it took for the Big Automakers to pivot to making any electric vehicles and flagships for Chevrolet and Ford are... trucks...

Sigh...  So, here we are again.  Instead of investing in electric and moving towards fuel-efficient cars Americans who bristled at the $4 - $5 gas prices in 2007-2008 simply returned to bloated SUVs and trucks for daily commuting in the 2010's and now do they blame themselves for their choices?  

No.  The post World War 2, American mindset has always been there's no reason to scrimp, there's no reason to delay any gratification, everything from steak to gas is cheap and plentiful.  

I'm not the first to recognize the disposable America but, what white America is primed for is a Fascist Strongman who promises to make America like it was again... Again... And that's precisely what the Republican Party is offering and proposing, Pure Fascism in America.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jimmy Carter laid it all out for us, so we fired him.

Anonymous said...

I'm always amazed at how selective people are when getting mad over prices.

The same people who have monthly $150 cell phone and $200 cable TV bills, with better than 90% of the content and features unused and unwatched, get their panties in a bunch when gas goes up $2. An acquaintance has all of the available sports channels and it comes to nearly $200 by itself. The connection runs another $50. Irony is he, at best, watches a couple games a month. I suspect having the channels is more about bragging rights and self-image as his ageing, couch potato, over-50 self still imagines he is still 20 and an athlete.

Or how about the people sucking down $5 Starbucks coffee. Go the the convenience store and get a bigger and better cup of Joe faster for less than $2.

There is also the weirdness that many of these people complaining hold iron-clad beliefs that free markets are absolutely and automatically self cleaning and self regulating. But, somehow, for gasoline and baby food, and pretty much anything else they find inconvenient, it is different. Annoying for me that I have to hear this nonsense. I didn't make you buy an Escalade or keep your main squeeze breastfeeding.

Sit down and chill folks. Sip some bottled water that is more expensive than gasoline. Pull out your $1000 phone and watch a cat video or look at your $400 sneakers. You have it good. Get over yourself.