On the bright side, it is good to know that the US-Israeli-Iran war is winding down; no, I mean winding up. In addition, try to take heart: The lately infamous Straits of Hormuz are open; no, I mean closed. But not to worry, JD Vance and his real-estate team are negotiating with the Iranians, except that they are not. But if they were, that might be good. President Trump has said the war is going “swimmingly,” and “should be ending pretty soon,” or when he felt it, “in his bones.” 

Also, you can ignore the 50,000 U.S. soldiers and the three aircraft carrier strike groups (the USS Abraham Lincoln, USS Gerald R. Ford, and USS George H.W. Bush) now amassed at various convenient locations outside the range of Iranian ballistic missiles, but still within the greater Middle East. Mostly, you can be sure their presence will not meaningfully prolong the conflict (war, little excursion, end of a civilization, etc.) 

I am not feeling very gassy

Then there is that gas price thing. In my little car (34 mpg), about 10 gallons of regular won’t break the bank at $3, $4 or even $5 for a gallon. But the SUV right before me rang up $113 on his fill-up and that wasn’t even that much compared to what the diesel guys were paying in the next lane. 

Up like an elevator; down like an escalator

Responding to crises, international oil (gas and diesel) prices rise quickly. But to avoid shortages, oil and gas companies must keep buying, keeping supply available. However, once companies purchase it, gas, like any commodity, must bring a profit (suggestion: Google capitalism). So, suddenly, if oil prices drop precipitously (maybe with the end of this war or excursion?), you can bet that the companies will take their sweet time lowering those gas prices at the pump because they will not sell gas for less than they paid for it. 

I guess the lesson for governments might be to avoid starting “endless foreign wars,” like those that Trump ran against. Besides ending or maiming far too many precious lives, destroying untold tracts of property, disrupting the world economy and engaging in war crimes, there is also the massive financial price that we (who are not billionaires with legions of unscrupulous lawyers) will likely pay. 

Finally, there is that lurking military draft notion, lately refloated. Who will offer their children to continue the current social helter-skelter madness? Like Barron Trump? Are you feeling lucky?

John Pace lives in Honesdale, PA.