Backwardation

In the US, our sufferings at the hand of the state are inauspiciously evil. From the moment you begin your day to the time you go to bed, your life is changed for the worse by the state. The temperature of the hot water in your shower, the pressure at which it comes out, the quantity of the water flow, the efficiency of the flush in your toilet, the contents of your toothpaste, the country of origin of the clothing you put on, and the price of the gas in the car that you drive, are managed by bureaucrats in Washington. - Lew Rockwell

Well, on that last one, there is a workaround of sorts. First Fuel Banks has been allowing motorists to prepay for hundreds or thousands of gallons of gasoline to lock in prices, so there is still at least one guy in the country filling up for 99 cents a gallon. Granted, he's still paying 50 cents in taxes to the feds, but at least he's not suffering for all this Iran bullshit. The company stores some of their gas and buys futures on the NY mercantile exchange to make up for the rest.

This is nothing new really. The main reason the airlines are not all completely broke is that most have contracted for years' worth of jet fuel at, say, 2000's prices.

So how to deal with rising gas prices? Buy less gas, or hedge against it. Your call. Then, tell the state to leave your toilet alone.