How much is your local "Trump at the Pump Tax?"

Well he hadn’t decided to become the ‘arsonist in Chief’ and follow the British example.

In the past, Congress would authorize and the executive implement. Not a mad King run amuck.

Bob Wilson

 

I am getting less amused at the maga bias. he isn’t done with the WH, he is going to redo the other wing too. After that I expect him to state the main house is not safe, as the wrecking crews are tearing it down on his orders, in the background. That’s what he did to the East Wing, tore it down before anyone could raise a finger. When they did raise a finger, it was too late.

 

I somehow can't stop wondering whether "don't worry, I've bribesourced all the funding" is as comforting as it's made out to be.

 

I guess we should just keep using tents for large state dinners and leave the hole in the ground.
THAT sounds better.

 

Maybe my memory's not what it once was, but I could almost swear I remember a time when it wasn't a hole in the ground.

 

"war we just lost".....

 

Maga cult flying on auto for it on everything. They even wear hats saying he’s right about everything. Makes it easy not to think. Gas up $2/ gal, “I gladly pay.”

 

Those "funds" SHOULD be held in escrow; since the damage has already been done. Guess who'll be holding that steaming bag then - US; USA tax payers. You don't want those funds to evaporate. He'll claim those same monies will be used to build the arch or rebuild the east wing when he knocks that down. Congress needs to do their job and stop advocating power to him. His sycophants has already been promised presidential pardons to back his play. Why would anyone need that; if they are a law abiding citizen or congress-person? They KNOW they are doing illegal sh*t; that would get any of us thrown in jail for.

Since negotiations are going so GREAT; tired of WINNING - Why don't we ask for say; 25% of the revenue generated on the tolls to pass through the strait. If it wasn't for us (USA); that revenue source wouldn't be available to them.. This would at least pay for some of those bombs and interceptors that was used in that "security action"; since ONLY congress can declare war.

I should write jokes for Kimmel..... I'd love to collect a paycheck for jokes that write themselves.

 

still $3.70 at the station we pass on the way to church every Sunday

 

$0.50 less than we pay normally. It's currently ~$1.60 - $1.80 over normal here.

Ah, must be nice to live where you can get 1) gas barely affected by Trump pump rump-dump shens, 2) Prime 2-day delivery taken for granted, and 3) roadtrips whenever you have spare time

Still, wouldn't trade this for scraping ice off windscreen / Prius mpg in the H-40s / CA Zoomer transplants on ASRs sliding into me because 'no one told me I had to buy special tires tire for the snow'

 

Let Congress pass a bill for that property.

Bob Wilson

 

It’s easier to list the laws he hasn’t violated. Is there any doubt he does not protect federal property, just for one of these?

“The law prohibiting private funds for federal property primarily involves constitutional and statutory limits on the use of federal funds. Key points include:

• Spending Clause: Federal funds must be spent as appropriated by Congress, and private funding is constrained by clear congressional authorization.
  1
• Appropriations Clause: Federal money should not be accepted or used without statutory authority, as outlined in Supreme Court precedent.
  1
• Government Property Regulations: Employees have a duty to protect and conserve government property, and misuse can lead to criminal penalties.
  2
• Civil Penalties: Violations of federal property laws can result in civil penalties, emphasizing the importance of adhering to regulations.
  1
  
  These principles ensure that federal property is used responsibly and that private funding does not undermine the integrity of federal operations.
• 
  
  4 Sources”

 

Source: $30m an hour: big oil reaping huge war windfall from consumers, analysis finds | Oil | The Guardian

The conflict pushed the price of oil to an average of $100 (£74) a barrel in March, leading to estimated windfall war profits for the month of $23bn for the companies. Oil and gas supplies will take monthsto return to pre-war levels and the companies will make $234bn by the end of the year if the oil price continues to average $100. The analysis uses data from a leading intelligence provider, Rystad Energy, analysed by Global Witness.

The excess profits come from the pockets of ordinary people as they pay high prices to fill up their vehicles and power their homes, as well as from businesses incurring higher energy bills. Dozens of countries have cut fuel taxes to help struggling consumers, meaning those nations, including Australia, South Africa, Italy, Brazil and Zambia, are raising less money for public services.​

Bob Wilson

 

Can anyone in this thread that is moaning and groaning please show me anywhere else you were complaining or praising during these previous periods?

From Google:

The average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. during March 2020 was approximately $2.19 per gallon.

In March 2021, the U.S. national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was approximately $2.82–$2.88, marking a significant rise from pandemic lows earlier in the year.

The national average price of regular gasoline in the U.S. during March 2022 ranged from about $4.00 to $4.33 per gallon, reflecting a sharp increase due to global oil market disruptions.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in the U.S. during March 2023 was approximately $3.46 to $3.48.

The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in March 2024 was approximately $3.53.

The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline in March 2025 was approximately $3.10.

The national average price of gasoline in March 2026 was approximately $3.79 per gallon.

 

Which of those was triggered by the actions of the US president?

 

Good cult loyalty, but no logic.

 

No, it's actually quite the opposite. weirdly enough, I'm able to look at most things with open eyes. Do I hate some things that are happening and approve of others? Absolutely, no different than any other administration. Did this administration cost me over half a million dollars in investment losses last spring? Yup. Am I full of hatred about it? Nope. Sht happens and things fluctuate. I still do what I want, when I want. NO change to my life, regardless of what administration is in the WH. I have bigger and better things to spend my time on..
I merely picked the month of march since it as the last full month and googled back 6 years. Those are the statements google supplied. It looks to me like prices are what they are. How much complaining did you do when prices went up during other years? How much praising did you do when they went down? Do you really think $3.80ish a gallon is so far outside the normal swings that your absolute "cultish" hatred is reasonable? What if there wasn't a war, would you be slobbing his knob because gas was down to $2 a gallon? If not, then you have no standing to complain. If you're going to bitch about one thing, then you should be praising if the opposite happens, right? Nah, you'd just find something else to bitch about.

 

Gas prices dropped slightly recently so we are only paying a little less than $6.00 in California for regular and diesel is $7.50 (or thereabouts, I don't buy it so have not been paying much attention to its price). Here is a history of gas prices in Los Angeles:

Weekly Los Angeles Regular All Formulations Retail Gasoline Prices (Dollars per Gallon)

There have indeed been other spikes this high. Normally (discounting the pandemic and the events discussed below) the price of gas varies in the $3.00 to $4.00 range, at least since 2010. One would expect gas to cost more after the pandemic than before because of the baked in inflation, and it may be that this shifted the range upward by $0.30 or so.

There was a sustained price increase starting at the end of 2/2022 whose causes were the Ukraine/Russia war, supply disruptions from that, and continued increasing demand from the pandemic recovery.

There was a brief price increase in 10/2023 due to a bunch of refineries being off line for "planned and unplanned repairs". Suspicious as hell that, almost as if all the oil companies got together and decided to reduce capacity to jack up prices. "Let's all defer maintenance, it will all break at once, and we will make a fortune!"

There was another brief spike in 4/2024, once again triggered by many refineries mysteriously all going off line at the same time.

Finally, there is the current price increase, which is almost entirely due to the Iran war. Another factor though is that a refinery near Wilmington shut down in 10/2025. There is no price increase at that time, but it is probably a small factor now when supplies are tighter.

In terms of the federal government's role in this, they really had very little to do with the earlier price increases. The current one, on the other hand, is very much an "own goal". There is no question that if Trump hadn't started this war the price of gas would still be in its normal range. An analogy: "pet dogs die" is sadly a true statement, but it doesn't mean that "the neighbor shot my dog" is a normal event. The neighbor is clearly at fault for this pet's demise despite the occasional variations in canine mortality rates from other causes.