Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and may not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com
For over 47 years, the radical regime in Tehran has funneled its ideology into a singular,
chilling chant: "Death to America." Since the 1979 revolution, Iran has not merely been
a regional nuisance; it has held the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz hostage,
using its strategic position to bully the global economy. Today, as Washingtonians pull
up to the pump and stare in horror at prices exceeding $5.60 per gallon, it is time to stop
the partisan finger-pointing at the current administration’s efforts to fix the mess and
look at who actually funded this crisis.
The narrative often pushed in mainstream circles is to blame Trump for "Maximum
Pressure" for market volatility. However, the true seeds of this affordability crisis were
sown during the Obama and Biden years. By unfreezing billions of dollars in assets and
easing sanctions under the guise of diplomacy, the U.S. essentially bankrolled the very
IRGC aggression we see today. We gave a radical regime the capital it needed to build
a shadow fleet, fortify its drone program, and tighten its grip on the world’s most vital
energy artery. When you give a pyromaniac matches and gasoline, you cannot act
surprised when the house catches fire.
Now that the Trump administration has taken the necessary, albeit difficult, steps to
finally loosen that Iranian grip on the Gulf, the critics are out in force. They scream
about instability, conveniently forgetting that the stability we had under the previous
years was a hollow facade bought with American taxpayer-funded concessions.
Trump’s move to block Iranian exports and secure the Strait is a long-overdue
correction. It is a firm rejection of the failed policy of subsidizing our enemies while they
plot our destruction.
The fallout of these decades of mismanagement has hit home in a way that is no longer
Theoretical — it is hitting the dinner table. This is the true affordability crisis. When energy
costs spike, everything else follows: groceries, heating, and services. Yet, while the
average family in Southwest Washington and the Vancouver area struggles to choose between
a full tank and a full fridge, the government in Olympia is quietly profiting from the pain.
Washington state currently boasts some of the highest fuel taxes in the nation, with
state rates sitting at $0.554 per gallon. As the base price of gas rises due to global
instability, the state’s percentage-based revenue streams and secondary climate
auctions act as a hidden tax on every commuter. Instead of providing immediate relief
by suspending these taxes during a period of international conflict, the state government
continues to rake in record revenues. They are essentially "inflation-profiting" off a crisis
caused by federal foreign policy blunders.
We must stop accepting the lie that high gas prices are an unavoidable "act of God."
They are the direct result of choosing to fund a hostile regime for eight years and then
refusing to offset the cost at home. The path forward requires two things: standing firm
against the radicalism in Tehran without the crutch of appeasement, and demanding
that our state leaders stop treating the gas pump like a government ATM. It is time to
put Washingtonians families — and their wallets — first.
Jonathan Hines
Vancouver/Hazel Dell
