“Just eat cake, deplorables.”
That seems to be the attitude of the Biden administration regarding the millions of Americans suffering from the highest gas prices in seven years and a 30% spike in home heating costs this winter.
When confronted about rising energy costs this weekend, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stressed families who simply bought electric vehicles (EV) would “never have to worry about gas prices again.”
“The people who stand to benefit the most from owning an EV are often rural residents in areas who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower-income,” Mr. Buttigieg said on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart.”
Mr. Buttigieg was touting Mr. Biden’s “Build Back Better” social welfare bill, which, among much else, includes a $12,500 government subsidy for those who purchase an EV.
Never mind that the average cost for an electric car is $51,532, according to Kelley Blue Book, more than $11,000 higher than a full-sized gas-powered car and nearly $30,000 more than the average compact car.
Many EVs currently on the market are expensive luxury vehicles, with some models going for more than $100,000. Many new Teslas, which account for more than 55% of all U.S. EV sales, go for $70,000 or more.
Let’s face it: Mr. Biden’s EV rebate is a tax break for the rich. Only 3% of car sales in the U.S. are EVs, and about 40% of the entire country’s EV registrations are in California. The coastal elites love EVs, partly because they can afford the charging stations in their homes.
Eligibility for the Build Back Better rebate would extend to couples making up to $800,000 (and individuals making up to $400,000) – hardly the “middle class” car shoppers who are now being stung by higher gas prices.
Charging stations are also a problem. Although the Biden administration promises to build more, they simply don’t exist in the heartland of America and won’t for some time.
But don’t worry, middle-class families will eventually pick up the tab for Mr. Biden’s EV charging-station expansion and the EV tax rebate for the rich — through higher taxes.
Mr. Buttigieg isn’t the only top official in the Biden administration who seems out of touch with the lifestyles of hardworking, everyday Americans.
When asked about the supply chain crisis – and the many Americans worried about their gifts arriving in time for Christmas — White House press secretary Jen Psaki cracked a joke.
“The tragedy of the treadmill that’s delayed,” she sighed during her daily press briefing on Oct. 19. The comment came just days after White House chief of staff Ron Klain agreed with a tweet identifying inflation as a “high-class problem.”
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm seems equally unconcerned (and uneducated) on the impact of spiking energy costs.
Mr. Biden, under duress from low poll numbers and criticism that his administration wasn’t taking high gas prices seriously, last week ordered the release of 50 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
When asked how many barrels of oil the U.S. consumes daily, Ms. Granholm was stumped.
“I don’t have that number in front of me,” she said last week when asked by reporters.
The answer? Americans consume more than 18 million barrels a day, so Mr. Biden’s solution to rising gas prices would provide relief for less than three days’ oil supply. A nothing-burger.
Earlier this month, Ms. Granholm was asked by a Bloomberg reporter what her plan was to increase domestic oil production to help Americans struggling to pay for increased gas prices and heating oil bills as winter approaches.
“Would that I had the magic wand on this,” Ms. Granholm replied, laughing. “Oh my, that is hilarious.”
She then went on to blame the “OPEC cartel” for higher prices, ignoring the fact that it was the Biden administration that shut down the Keystone XL pipeline, restricted new permitting to drill oil and gas on federal lands, and has plans to charge those who are already drilling more in new fees.
The bottom line is the Biden administration doesn’t care about the average American or the hardships they may have to incur to transition to the left’s socialist, Green New Deal agenda.
“Our view is that the rise in gas prices over the long term makes an even stronger case for doubling down our investment and our focus on clean energy options,” Ms. Psaki said Nov. 12.
Sorry, peasants. Enjoy your cake!
Read more at Washington Times
Are you worried about gasoline prices today? You should be really worried about the not so hidden agenda of the Democrat freaks like Granholm, Buttigieg and the squad. Anarchy has no place in the USA . E Pluribis Unum.
This article is valid but it misses perhaps the most important point. At least half of the families can not afford to buy to buy a brand new gasoline car. Many can only afford used cars. So a difference between buying an EV and what the family typically buys is even greater. Both my father and I were aerospace engineers and our families never owned a brand new car. If a family can afford an electric car it is unlikely that gas prices are having much of an impact on their budget.
Even if you gave me $100,000 to buy any EV, I wouldn’t do it. That money could be used for so many other very useful things.