Back when we had gas lines and inflation, Blondie (a.k.a. Deborah Ann Harry, who turned 78 last month) scored a big hit singing "the tide is high but I'm holding on." Well, let me tell you that millions of Americans are singing that tune today and saying the gas is high and not really holding on.  

I just paid $3.49 to buy gas yesterday. I drove by 24 hours later and it was $3.59. And everybody tells me that gas is cheaper in Texas.

So what's going on? Well, this is the AP version of the story:

Beyond the heat, Kloza pointed to crude supply cuts from major producing countries in the OPEC alliance. In July, for example, Saudi Arabia starting reducing how much oil it sends to the global economy by 1 million barrels each day. Russia is also exporting less, he said.

So there you have it, or at least one explanation. It's hot here and some countries are cutting back on production.

The heat is the heat and I've lived plenty of it in Texas. In fact, I remember when our second son was baptized back in 1988 that it was 108 around here. That holy water must have felt great on that baby’s head. I remember 1980 when we had a whole 30 days of 100-plus temperatures. What I don't remember was gasoline going up.

So what's the other reason? Countries cutting back production. Of course, why is that even an issue when Texas and Alaska could take care of our energy needs?   

Why are we suddenly depending on countries for one drop of oil? The answer is the Biden administration listening to the climate-change fanatics who want to attack the problem by having American families paying more for energy.   

It's funny but I don't remember worrying about production in Saudi Arabia when Trump implemented a more realistic energy policy that put consumers first and the climate-change fanatics in the closet.

So how much will I pay the next time?  I don't know, but the gas is high.

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Image: Daniel Christensen