1) “I purchased gas this morning at $3.599/gallon”
That is
plausible and consistent with real 2026 California pricing ranges.
- California gas prices commonly fluctuate around the mid–$3 to $5 range depending on taxes, refinery constraints, and seasonality.
- So $3.60/gallon is not inherently unusual or suspicious.
✔ This part is
factually plausible (though not independently verified from the post alone).
2) “Only 20 cents more than the average gas price I paid for three years under the Autopen Regime”
This is where it breaks down.
Problems:
A) “Autopen Regime”
- This is not a real policy term or recognized administration name
- It’s a political insult / meme framing, not an actual economic period
So comparisons tied to it are not analytically grounded.
B) “Three years of average gas price comparison”
Gas prices from 2021–2023 were
not stable and varied significantly:
Approximate U.S. averages:
- 2021: ~$3.00/gallon average (with swings)
- 2022: peaked around ~$5.00 nationally after Ukraine invasion spike
- 2023: declined toward ~$3.40–$3.80 range
So:
- There was no flat “three-year average”
- Any claim of a single stable baseline is misleading
✔ Real pattern: volatility, not stability
3) Implicit claim: “gas was cheap/stable then vs now”
This is
selective framing.
Actual context:
- 2022 spike was driven heavily by:
- Russia–Ukraine war
- global crude oil shock
- post-COVID demand rebound
- U.S. policy (any administration) has limited direct control over global oil pricing
So attributing the entire movement to a single political label (“Green New Scam”) is
not supported by energy economics.
4) “Where were you from 2021–2023…?”
This is rhetorical, not factual. It implies:
- a consistent upward trend caused by policy
- and ignores that prices fell significantly in 2023 from 2022 highs
That’s selective time-window framing.
5) “Green New Scam driving prices through the roof”
This is
opinion, not evidence-based causation.
What actual energy analysis shows:
- Short-term gas prices are dominated by:
- crude oil prices (global markets)
- refinery capacity
- geopolitical shocks
- Climate/energy transition policy has indirect and longer-term effects, not sudden price spikes of the magnitude seen in 2022
So this is:

causal oversimplification

politically loaded labeling
✔ not supported as a primary driver of 2022 price spikes
Bottom line
What’s accurate:
- $3.60/gallon is plausible current pricing
- Gas prices did fluctuate significantly in 2021–2023
What’s misleading:
- Treating 2021–2023 as a stable baseline
- Suggesting a single political regime caused price changes
- Implied causation between climate policy and short-term spikes
- “Autopen Regime” framing (not real)
What’s missing:
- global oil market explanation (the main driver)
- acknowledgment of 2022 spike and 2023 decline