The Patriot Post® · Rising Gas Prices Tax the Middle Class

We’re old enough to remember when President Donald Trump largely fulfilled the promise of several of his predecessors to make the U.S. energy independent, including becoming a net oil exporter. It took Joe Biden all of one day to begin undoing that achievement, and he has been all too successful.

Beginning with his executive order shuttering the Keystone XL Pipeline, and continuing with his moratorium on new drilling leases and other policies, Biden has made every effort to obstruct America’s energy supply — all while helping Vladimir Putin solidify his. Predictably, Biden’s efforts have increased energy prices for every American.

If you’re not a Leftmedia “fact-checker,” you might even call it a tax increase on the middle class.

Gas prices recently reached a seven-year high after rising an average of $1 per gallon since December. Also for the first time in nearly seven years, crude oil now exceeds $80 a barrel, or about double the price last November. Natural gas and coal are experiencing similar price hikes, all while renewables like wind and solar are insufficient replacements.

Regarding oil, Biden’s constriction of supply got so bad that he went hat in hand to OPEC to ask them to increase production. They told him to pound sand.

Amidst all of this chaos and malaise, has Joe Biden come to an epiphany? Has he realized the error of his ways? Not a chance — he’s been in Washington for half a century, which is far too long for any humble realization like that.

In fact, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm floated a ban on oil oil exports to go along with tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to reduce pressure on Biden’s flagging poll numbers, er, oil and gas prices. The Energy Department sort of walked that back for her, but the White House declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Biden’s “infrastructure” bill would create a national study to assess a new mileage tax to be assessed based on how many miles drivers are on the road. It’s not a tax … yet. But as miles-per-gallon averages increase along with miles driven, the old federal gas tax of 18 cents per mile is raising insufficient revenue for actual infrastructure. Also don’t forget that coming down the pike is Biden’s electric vehicle mandate.

In short, Biden is flying the green flag of “saving the planet,” but his policies are costing every American higher prices to fill up their gas tanks and heat their homes, as well as creating a myriad of other inflationary factors, all while weakening U.S. national security as we become more energy dependent again. Anyone still thinking the Bad Orange Man was all that bad?