Gas prices are all Iran’s fault, claims real estate Developer-in-Chief
At an event the other day, I overheard someone complaining that the price of blueberries had shot up to $7. A visit to Trader Joe’s confirmed that. It’s now common to walk down the cookie aisle of a supermarket and see packages that once sold for $3-$4 now priced a $5 or more. And breakfast cereal? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Gasoline is now over $4 per gallon according to GasBuddy. Donald Trump last night claimed the price hike is “entirely the result of the Iranian regime” that closed the Strait of Hormuz after Trump attacked them.
At home, Americans’ patience has worn thin. Department of Homeland Security employees are working without paychecks for another week as Congress cannot get its act together (The Atlantic):
Instead of considering the DHS bill, Speaker Mike Johnson denounced the bipartisan compromise and then sent the entire chamber home for a two-week Easter recess. The move all but guaranteed that the government’s third-largest department would remain unfunded indefinitely as the nation wages war against Iran. Meanwhile, as lawmakers enjoy time with their families—or jet off on vacations and taxpayer-financed junkets overseas—millions of Americans are struggling with a spike in gas prices caused by the war.
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Public anger is rising rapidly. The president’s approval ratings—which were already anemic—have sunk to new lows, and Republicans are facing the prospect of an electoral wipeout in this fall’s midterm elections. The GOP’s hold on the House majority has appeared precarious for months, but now its more comfortable advantage in the Senate may be in jeopardy too. Even TMZ is channeling the national discontent: The website known for trailing celebrities has begun hounding members of Congress, encouraging its readers to send in photos and video of lawmakers fleeing Washington, D.C., and living it up while the public servants responsible for protecting the homeland go unpaid.
TMZ has photos of the Scotland trip. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) of South Carolina took off for Disney World.
Gas and grocery prices will have many Americans planning staycations this summer.
One young Democrat who works as a health-care administrator said his girlfriend’s luxury car has been sitting at home for the past month because it needs premium gas, which is almost $6 a gallon. He blames Congress: “It’s ridiculous.” A middle-aged woman whose truck sported a Don’t tread on me sticker matter-of-factly summed up her feelings about the country’s lawmakers: “Everything is terrible.”
Sign Guy’s message for the week reads: ARE YOU WORKING TWO OR THREE ‘GOOD’ JOBS?
Lexus and Mercedes drivers don’t get it. Those who do shout, honk, and pump their fists. They feel seen.