Another barrier has come down. One more milestone has been reached.

The gas (not glass) ceiling has been shattered on gasoline fuel for the average car.

Today we reached deeper than ever into our pockets to fill up our tanks. The reason is a combination of things, but you can’t exclude greed, politics and war.

No industry has ever been as greedy as the oil and petroleum industry. Name the first billionaires and see how many made their fortunes in oil. Look at the names on sports arenas, racetracks, music venues.

It seems the oil industry thrives when we are pushed to the brink of economic disaster.

People still buy gasoline for their cars whether it is for recreation or for employment. Workers are needing paid more to travel to work, but most employers have nowhere to pass on the higher costs.

Politicians deserve a full measure of blame as well. They spend so much time blaming the other side that very little ever gets done, and if they were to start working together, we might be able to control inflation and other associated issues.

The destruction and savagery being done to the people of Ukraine is certainly causing prices of many things to rise, including fuel, but world leaders are walking on eggshells in fear of making it worse, not better. There doesn’t seem to be a world leader with the nerve to take strong action against Russia, and so the cycle of poverty, hunger and homelessness is going to continue.

We don’t want to pay $5 for gas, but that is better than hiding in a steel mill from bombs or fleeing to another country to save the lives of our family.

We are getting a small taste of what could happen if we let these attacks continue. While we are busy fighting over abortion rights, automatic rifle laws, and trying to stack the Supreme Court, the world is crumbling over bigger issues.

We’d better get more aggressive in our role as leaders of the world, or gas prices won’t be a big issue much longer because we won’t be able to buy or produce any.

— RV