Gas in town just jumped past three dollars a gallon. Folks grumble at the pump, shake their heads, and mutter about Biden. It’s the same script every time: if it goes up, blame the president. If it goes down, thank nobody.
I’ve worked enough warehouse jobs and trucking shifts to know fuel prices don’t move on speeches. They move on markets, OPEC calls, refinery outages, and storms that shut ports. But politics makes a simpler villain, and people like simple.
What gets lost is how fragile the whole setup is. One storm, one supply chain hiccup, one tanker delayed in the canal, and suddenly groceries cost more, lights flicker, and people swear the country is falling apart.
I don’t blame folks for being angry. I blame leaders for feeding them stories that anger is enough. It isn’t. Anger won’t refine oil, won’t staff a rig, won’t keep ships moving.
When I see “Let’s Go Brandon” plastered at the gas station, it tells me less about the president and more about how easy it is to steer resentment. The pump becomes a pulpit, and grievance becomes gospel.