The world is aflame with existential concern over the nominal increase in gasoline prices. While I am not indifferent to inflation and the rising costs of all items and services around the globe, some expenses are necessary. This temporary pinch at the pump is one such necessity.

For those struggling to comprehend this increase in their budgets, I suggest a reframing to help them accept and embrace this temporary disruption. Consider viewing the rise in gasoline prices as a “humanity tax.”

Gasoline prices incorporate a combination of federal, state, and sometimes local taxes, averaging over 50 cents per gallon in the United States. These figures are often higher in Canada and various European countries. The taxes that contribute to this include an 18.4 cents-per-gallon federal excise tax, state excise taxes, environmental fees, and carbon taxes in certain states. These taxes fund infrastructure and environmental programs, along with the essential day-to-day operations supported by public funding. We have come to expect these fees at the filling station.

The current increase in gasoline prices results from Iran holding hostage more than 20% of the world’s oil by closing the Straits of Hormuz to all Western-aligned countries. This action is a response to the coordinated and precise attacks by Israel and the United States aimed at weakening the oppressive Iranian regime and its proxy terror networks. Additionally, the U.S. and Israel hope to foster an environment that allows for organic governmental change, advancing leaders who better represent the will and desires of the Iranian people.

This current tyrannical regime considers women legally subordinate in matters of marriage, divorce, and personal freedom, with compulsory veiling enforced through violence by morality police. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) publicly hangs individuals who are gay or suspected of sympathizing with the LGBTQ community. Minorities, particularly Baha’is, Christians, and Sunni Muslims, face systemic discrimination, including denied access to education and employment, as well as property confiscation.

There is no freedom of speech or press, and this wicked administration has reportedly murdered more than 30,000 protesters in the past two months alone. The IRGC, alongside the Ayatollahs and Mullahs, have used trillions of dollars and violated numerous international laws and treaties in pursuit of weapons-grade enriched uranium. This pursuit not only violates countless agreements and international protocols but also creates a nuclear power within OPEC. A nuclear Iran poses an existential threat to all Sunni nations in the vicinity and non-Muslims worldwide.

The coordinated attack on Iran by the US and Israel has been singularly focused on removing these evil doers who create this moral imbalance and removing their dreadful threats. It is aimed to neutralize their ballistic weapon stockpiles and nuclear ambitions while creating a fertile environment for the people of Iran to bring about the change and new leadership their country deserves.

I am sensitive to rising costs. I am equally sensitive to repression, murder, and despotism in the name of religious zealotry and aspirations for world dominion. The few extra pennies at the pump may strain our wallets in the short term. However, the result of this assault on Iran will yield long-term security and stability in the region, bringing hope and possibility to the marginalized and oppressed 90 million Iranians who dream of a better world.

We should all fuel up for this battle and do our part to create a world worthy of our children’s inheritance. It is a small price to pay for a better tomorrow.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)