Price at the Pump
I was on a two-day trip to southwest Iowa earlier this week, giving a series of presentations on Iowa broadcasting and history. I took our radio station truck…it’s nothing special, just a RAM 4×4, about ten years old.
Monday morning, I filled up the tank at a convenience store on Fletcher in Waterloo…a little more than 21 gallons, costing more than $76. That was a bit of sticker shock for me, since I drive a car that gets 25-to-26 miles per gallon and has a smaller tank.
On the way back Tuesday night, I again filled up the tank, this time on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines…again, a little more than 21 gallons, but this time it was $82.
I checked the receipts, and the difference in price was 30 cents a gallon. Was it the difference between Waterloo and Des Moines? The stores were part of the same change. Or was it the difference in price day-to-day in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant shortage of ready fuel?
Now those of you who are used to filling up your trucks or mini-vans are used to spending money like this of late…but not this much more than you paid a year ago. In some areas, it’s now double what it was when the current White House administration took over.
AAA reported Tuesday that the national average for a gallon of gas is now the highest in U.S. history, breaking a record that had stood for 14 years. The national average Tuesday was $4.17 a gallon, up from $4.06 on Monday…an increase of more than a dime a gallon in a single day.
Sure, Iowa’s cost is below the national average…but that takes into account major cities with high cost of living. We’re not that far away from the average, and I don’t have any desire to get closer.
If indeed pocketbook issues decide elections—and they generally do—the trend 8 months before the midterm election does not bode well for Democrats.
