483 the price of gas



Since I wrote that lamenting post the other day, I've been a bit verklempt. Not only unsure what personal topic I want to dive into greater depth on next, but overwhelmed by current events.



Yesterday, I watched historian Heather Cox-Richardson's take on the current geopolitical situation. She said multiple times she's not an expert, her thoughts were based on other people's opinions. 


There were three ideas I came away with. First, oil is part of this. She didn't say it was the cause for this war, but she did spend about a third of her time talking about oil, which to me indicated she's trying to figure out just how oil is involved. (Or perhaps natural gas.)

 

Second, this is a big deal. If the Ukraine invasion had gone quickly, the world order would have carried on the way it was, but now that it's dragging on a while, there is a new power dynamic taking shape in the world.



Third, she seemed to think this is a bright moment for democracies. She says there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work taking place, to house refugees and resupply Ukraine. Where recently it has been popular for autocrats to say democracy's days are numbered,  she says this war is evidence that the systems of "liberal democracies" are more resilient, made of a finer moral fiber, than the forced order of a dictator.


What does that mean if you follow the "all politics is a stage play put on by Texas every four years" maxim, as I generally do?


Here's one thing I can see: the Ukrainian people, while possibly "winning" this anti-invasion, are losing. And US oil companies? Despite seemingly not being involved at all, they're winning.



On the other hand, with gas up a buck in a day, Deb is considering consolidating some of her trips. Instead of going to Orinda twice this week, she's going once. I think that's about 40 miles round trip, so two gallons of gas. Two trips at $4.50 a gallon would have been $18. Now one trip at $5.50 will be $11. 


It's interesting what actually motivates people. I've heard for a long time if we wanted Americans to drive less, making gas expensive is the way to go. Personally, I believe driving will only be replaced by something more convenient (unless society as we know it falls apart, which is a possibility). But it's wild to see exactly where people's breaking point is. My "you can garden with an ebike" argument is still not working, but it's being heard.

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