How much is your local "Trump at the Pump Tax?"

Entertained? This is the craziest story you will ever hear. Fighter pilot ejected from his jet over the ocean at 700 mph, rescue beacon and survival suit trashed from the force, wingman low on fuel, broken neck, all 4 limbs compound fractures, bleeding out, drowning because the chute wouldn't unhook, hypothermic, barely survived and recovered. And he's a really good story teller.

#326 Kegan Gill - F-18 Pilot Survives Two Hours in the Atlantic With a Broken Neck - The Shawn Ryan Show | Podcast on Spotify

 

Regular than Ritzy

 

regular is good

 

Shredded wheat is popular for staying good. I’m afraid it’s no longer made by Nabisco.
Topher's Breakfast Cereal Character Guide - Shredded Wheat History and Chronology

 

$3.35 again.
Lower than the pre-emancipation pricing, but still high enough for people who suck at history to want to experiment with "new" ideas....

Meanwhile.....wsj.com
America Is in the Middle of a Stealth Manufacturing Boom - WSJ

 

we don't all live in the country of Louisiana

 

$3.22 at Costco in New Orleans, Louisiana
$5.34 at Costco where I live.

I have a feeling people make more money where I live. Gas money “is in the noise” I’ve heard someone tell me.

 

Neither do oui.

I was a foreign exchange student in Loosana a few times with my company though and....yes, I've stayed in a Holiday Inn Express.......

It's not a different country unto itself per-se, but rather a bunch of parishes flying along in a loose formation.
One of their US Senators is a National Treasure!

• “If I were to ever disappear, I’d want it to be during a Texas filibuster. No one would find me for days!”
• “I’m a big believer in common sense — it’s just not very common these days.”
• “The only thing we’re going to accomplish by doing nothing is to give voters free time to watch bad TV.”
• “The left thinks all the people with bad ideas are on the right, while the right thinks all the people with bad ideas are on the left. Turns out, they’re both right!”
• “I once went to a funeral for a guy who owed me money. The only thing I could think was, ‘I hope he’s not resting easy.’”
• “If you want to predict the weather, just wait five minutes — politics changes faster than clouds.” –
• “I don’t make enemies; I make opportunities for debate and awkward dinner conversations.”
• “My favorite budget item is the part labeled ‘common sense’—unfortunately, it’s always underfunded.”
• “When someone promises bipartisanship, I assume they mean ‘bring your own party.’"
• “I would tell you to follow your heart, but it’s a bad GPS!”

 

but we make a big deal out of it. it matters to the poor, and the rich don't give it a thought. it only matters to the pols if they think it affects voting.

 

Finally logged some gas receipts, and the past month at Costco has been a steady climb from @$3.50 to over $4 for a gallon.

 

NW montana Costco diesel at $4.99 today. We are heading up towing the 5th wheel into a campground in Fernie BC Canada. Thankfully the better ½ nagged me into refilling the jerry cans at "only" $4.69 LOL.
Costco regular is @ $4.14
Best price for no corn alcohol gas is $4.66
.

 

Last time I checked about a week ago diesel was $6.99 and gas was around $4.2x with a fair amount of variation.

 

Ouch! Lot of better uses for corn alcohol we can think of


.

 

The car shouldn’t have been invented anyway.

 

Welcome to my world

 

Just filled up yesterday (been putting more miles on per tank, as only 8d since last fillup -- welp, worth it for the workout). $5.60 per for midgrade, so $5.30 for bathwater.

Significantly less pricey at Costco ($4.79), but still $0.60 more than pre-Epstein-files

---

Oh -- has anyone mentioned Pennzoil Platinum and other GTL-based engine oil products are soon-to-be no longer any part GTL? Recently Shell (owner of Pennzoil) stated their Pearl cracking plant in the Middle East has scaled back availability of GTL base oils due to the war, so bases in Platinum and Ultra Platinum products will be made with other bases, resulting in about 16% more sub-4-micron particulate. Not horrible but not insignificant either.

I used Ultra Plat 5W20 in the turbo Honda and found it pretty damned good, esp for the price in those years. They've been tapering off the amt of GTL in the non-Ultra Plat since '23 apparently... but Shell completely removed it and its mention on the label in both, sooner than expected due to the conflict. Shame, good stuff. Apparently will resume GTL in both Plats by late-summer '27? We'll see

Good news: Mobil 1 and their derivatives (like Toyota OEM full-synth) will not be nearly as affected as GTL-based oils in composition. So no need to rush out to hoard Mobil 1... yet

 

Regular 87 octane gas is or was in the $3.30- $3.50/ gallon in the north Houston area.

This year I've only spent $21 on gas and I still have 1/2 a tank still. 2025 RAV4 plug in and I don't drive much, charge in 2.5 hours at home on level 2. My electric company is giving $100 reward for June - September to charge off peak. Off peak is like $0.036/ kwh

 

"Off peak is like $0.036/ kwh" Some readers may envy that @gramps!

==
No one has asked for the following information but here it is:

In China, residential electron-pushing costs USD$0.079/kWh.
China electricity prices, December 2025 | GlobalPetrolPrices.com.
I have not looked for current price in Kunming, but I would be surprised if these much differ. No day/night price differential is available.

China petrol price from
China Gasoline & Diesel Prices (August 2026) — CNY/Liter | DailyFuels.

Is USD$4.81/gallon. I have not looked for current price in Kunming, but I would be surprised if these much differ.

==
No one has asked for the following information either.

In earlier years, global oil prices went high. Oil refiners in China intended to pass costs along to petrol/gasoline consumers, but the Central Government said no. Oil refiners (all, AFAIK) said their refineries needed maintenance and reduced outputs. Then fuel shortages, then long buying lines, and then Central Government allowed price increases. Only mentioning this to say that companies under Central Government control here are not exactly always so.

 

In mid-Colorado, regular has been bouncing between $3.59 to $3.89.

I, also, filled up my gas can with non-corn gas for my lawn mower and it was at $4.34. Diesel was at $4.94

Saturday, checked my 401k balance and almost spit out my coffee....every fund I own is at a record high....MAGA!!!!!