On President Washington & the Price of Diesel
The extreme cost of foreign alliances and war are always borne by hard working citizens, never by politicians, bankers, and military industrialists.
In his Farewell Address of 1796, President George Washington vehemently exhorted the people of the new American Republic to “Avoid Political Alliance.” Key points of his address are as follows:
The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest.
The nation prompted by ill will and resentment sometimes impels to war the government contrary to the best calculations of policy.
So, likewise, a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation, facilitating the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, and infusing into one the enmities of the other, betrays the former into a participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.
I just thought of Washington’s exhortation when my brother sent me a text stating that he just paid $194 to fill his diesel truck, which he uses for his work as a general contractor. Diesel is up $2 per gallon since Trump’s “short term excursion in the Middle East” began three weeks ago. Incidentally, all the boys who work for my brother and all his subcontractors drive utility trucks for hauling supplies, tools, and construction materials.
Jet fuel costs are even more grim, surging 60% to 90% since January 2026. Prices rose from roughly $2.11 per gallon in early January to over $3.40–$4.56 today, depending on the airport. I have heard that none of the airlines have hedged their fuel costs, so unless the price comes down soon, air travelers can expect to pay a lot more for air tickets in the months ahead.
I wonder what President Washington would think about President Trump.
The more apropos question would be what would President Washington think of the Deep State? He would recognize it as unconstitutional. So would President Eisenhower, he'd be pissed that we did not listen to him. President Trump is doing the dirty work that President Kennedy wanted to get to.
I believe that focusing on the cost of fuel is extremely shortsighted. The Shiite Islamic government of Iran has been seeking the destruction of the US for years, and has focused their resources on developing the weapon systems to attack the US and its allies. I believe if one understands the belief system driving the Shiite jihadist government of Iran, perspectives would radically alter. A short to mid-term rise in the cost of fuel is well worth protecting our children from the horrors of war reaching our shores.