Discern Report is the fastest growing America First news aggregator in the nation.
Where I grew up in northern Minnesota, it’s easy to see the impact that economic hard times leave on disadvantaged communities. With consumers now experiencing record-high gas prices, it is safe to say that Americans—not just back in my hometown—but across the country, are experiencing undue burden.
For many, rising prices bring times of sacrifice. When Americans are pinching pennies, it’s hardly a comfort to hear that high gas prices can be avoided by simply buying an electric vehicle, as transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg recently advised.
As administration officials stubbornly push for a government-driven energy transition, escalating fuel prices often leave families in a bind, where they must choose between meeting energy needs such as heating, cooling, and filling up their gas tank or purchasing essential goods such as clothing, school supplies, and food. This dilemma, commonly known as “heat or eat,” makes all the difference between keeping a home warm or providing nutrition for little ones. The stakes are especially high for low-income, elderly, and minority groups, who spend a more significant portion of their budgets meeting energy needs.
Unfortunately, high energy prices will eat away at their finances in more ways than one. Price hikes at the pump will likely translate into rising prices in supermarket aisles, retail stores, and more. To understand the relationship between fuel and the prices of other goods and services, consider the classic illustration by Leonard Read, “I, Pencil.”
An economic lesson in the form of a short essay, “I, Pencil,” explains how even a seemingly simple pencil is the end product of a vast and intricate network of supply chains. Read argues that while a pencil may seem unremarkable, no one on earth knows how to create one from start to finish. He demonstrates this by tracing the pencil’s complex “ancestry.”
Read relates, in the voice of the pencil itself:
“My family tree begins with what in fact is a tree, a cedar of straight grain that grows in Northern California and Oregon. Now contemplate all the saws and trucks and rope and the countless other gear used in harvesting and carting the cedar logs to the railroad siding.”
Much of the “gear” Read refers to (trucks, logging machinery, etc.) runs on fuel. Suppose for a moment that fuel supplies decrease in Read’s illustration. The lower supply of fuel leads to more competition for fuel among logging and trucking firms, which pushes up the price of fuel. To economize on fuel, loggers may need to slow production, making lumber less abundant and more expensive for businesses that rely on lumber, like pencil manufacturers. With a reduced supply of wood, pencil production will drop, making pencils less plentiful and more costly, too.
These economic principles extend far beyond just pencils. All consumer goods—from food to clothing to housing to electronics—have “family trees” of their own, and one “ancestor” they all have in common is energy. Machines must be powered, materials must be shipped, and many workers still need to commute. Energy shortfalls, then, make goods and services more expensive across the board, reducing living standards for everyone, especially families in need.
While a market-driven energy transition would be welcome, as economic and technological realities stand now, fossil fuels are an indispensable source for these energy needs. Fossil fuels are a key link in innumerable supply chains. By hampering fossil fuel production, the government is hampering the entire economy in its attempts to force and rush an energy transition. That is leading to painfully high prices, not only at the pump but everywhere, and that pain is sharpest for the poor.
The disproportionate harm that rising energy costs inflict upon our most vulnerable communities foreshadows the challenges many of the rest of us will face if we stick to disruptive policies such as these. Any truly just energy transition campaign will refrain from tipping the scales in favor of specific technologies, but instead allow consumers freedom of choice. Through market forces, we can achieve clean, abundant, and affordable energy.
Danielle Butcher
Danielle Butcher is the executive vice president at the American Conservation Coalition (ACC) and fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum (IWF).
This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.
Controlling Protein Is One of the Globalists’ Primary Goals
Between the globalists, corporate interests, and our own government, the food supply is being targeted from multiple angles. It isn’t just silly regulations and misguided subsidies driving natural foods away. Bird flu, sabotaged food processing plants, mysterious deaths of entire cattle herds, arson attacks, and an incessant push to make climate change the primary consideration for all things are combining for a perfect storm to exacerbate the ongoing food crisis.
The primary target is protein. Specifically, they’re going after beef as the environmental boogeyman. They want us eating vegetable-based proteins, lab-grown meat, or even bugs instead of anything that walked the pastures of America. This is why we launched a long-term storage prepper beef company that provides high-quality food that’s shelf-stable for up to 25-years.
At Prepper All-Naturals, we believe Americans should be eating real food today and into the future regardless of what the powers-that-be demand of us. We will never use lab-grown beef. We will never allow our cattle to be injected with mRNA vaccines. We will never bow to the draconian diktats of the climate change cult.
Visit Prepper All-Naturals and use promo code “veterans25” to get 25% off plus free shipping on Ribeye, NY Strip, Tenderloin, and other high-quality cuts of beef. It’s cooked sous vide, then freeze dried and packaged with no other ingredients, just beef. Stock up for the long haul today.