Americans continue to feel Russia's war each time they fill up their tanks
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine pushed gasoline prices higher than they have been in decades. The American people are pro-economic sanctions against Russia, but they are struggling to come to terms with the by-product. The most effective course of action for the current conflict in Ukraine is banning Russia’s oil supply entirely, but this elicits a chain of reactions that directly impact the wallets of millions of Americans. The scarcer oil becomes, the more expensive American fuel will be. President Biden is now facing a double-edged sword with the opposing battle of prohibiting Russia from waging war, while attempting to keep gas prices within a reasonable range. Although the impact of surging gas prices is felt by millions of Americans, it is important to take a broader view of the Russia-Ukraine war. This can be difficult to implement at the gas pump while U.S. drivers spend nearly double the price they once did, but we are living in unprecedented times.
The American people’s outcry over the current gasoline prices have been heard far and near on news channels, social media, and amidst dinner party small talk. Whether it be a viral meme on Instagram or a Joe Biden sticker reading “I did that” at the gas station, people make their feelings extremely clear on this topic. With each new conversation surrounding the gas prices in the U.S., it appears as though many Americans have disassociated the issue with its cause. They have apparently forgotten that the primary reason for the price surge is a dictator at war across the world. At times, it feels necessary to remind people of this fact to apply the broader view of the situation that I previously mentioned. I often find myself restraining from asking whether these U.S. citizens would prefer living in a war-torn country, like Ukraine, than pay a few extra dollars on the gallon for their fuel. While this may seem to be an obvious answer, some Americans reactions to the rise in gas prices may make you think differently.
The world may be on the brink of World War III, and global events such as these do not arise frequently. Therefore, Americans must do their part in applying perspective to current situations such as paying more for gasoline. Although it is easier for them to paste a childish sticker of President Biden at the gas pump, it would do them a great service to educate themselves on why they are personally bearing the repercussions of a Russian dictator. In his statement regarding the Russian oil ban, [President Biden] has pinned the blame for rising energy prices on Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Republicans point to Biden as being responsible” (Cho). There are a multitude of reasons for the fluctuation of fuel prices in the U.S., but the impetus for the current upward trajectory is obvious. It is time that Americans become self-aware enough to realize that not everything is done at their expense, and often, the whole picture includes a much broader outcome.
Sources:
Way too many people seem to think that the president singlehandedly controls the economy, consumer price index, and inflation. We still see this in people blaming Obama for the entire 2008 recession, despite the fact that he was not the one giving out subprime loans. The sanctions are quite literally the least we could do, and what with Russia actively at war regardless, the gas prices would have gone up anyway.
With so much misinformation in the media today its impossible to get truly accurate information anywhere. One news source says one thing, another says something completely contradictory. Honestly, this inflation of gas prices is absolutely ludicrous - we've never seen prices this high before and it is inhibiting people from doing their jobs. Corruption is behind this, its the only thing that makes sense.
I personally don't know what to believe anymore with all that's going on. I've started to do more and more research on the United States Government and I'm beginning to think we are all being fooled. While Biden sends thousands of dollars in aid to Ukraine, we are left in the U.S. with high gas prices and food shortages (fertilizer, wheat crop decrease in imports) which are potentially going to effects all crops that use the fertilizer... It's madness. As inflation continues in almost every industry. Something fishy is going on, and by that I mean something very corrupt.
There are many factors that contribute to this spike in oil prices. I think the War in Russia, however, is the main contributing factor because of the oil that we get from overseas. The U.S. was forced to release a certain amount of our own oil reserves which curbed the increase in gas prices to an extent, but it certainly did not solve the issue. Inflation is a natural thing, so it is not a surprise that prices are rising, but the pace at which they are increasing is very concerning and needs to be handled ASAP.
I think that because so much is going on at the moment politically, economically, and socially, there isn't one single thing that is solely responsible for the inflated gas prices. I do agree with you that we are pretty privileged that we aren't at war and only have to pay more for gas but, because people have fill up their cars pretty often, it affects the average commuter quite substantially financially. I feel like the Biden administration thinks they can throw money at issues and they will go away, but I think it's just making everything worse. Spending several trillion dollars when inflation is already so high seems like a recipe for disaster.