If you have filled up lately, you have noticed that gas prices have been steadily inching higher. Enjoy these prices while they last because chaos is again on the horizon. Those of you cheering America’s never ending wars in the Middle East should take heed. If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gets his wish for a war between the US and Iran, we very well could be looking at fuel prices spiking north of $8.00 per gallon, which under even the best scenarios will collapse the US economy. The implications of this alone should cause any thinking man to reconsider how “necessary” a war with Iran is and how much it will actually cost America to “win.” I strongly urge anyone that will listen to take a step back and work hard to prevent the US from getting sucked into another conflict in the Middle East.
As I repeatedly warn, the US has been blundering into conflicts and wars with incredible hubris. Americans have either forgotten or become completely apathetic to the very real damage any serious conflict will cause the US. In fact, it seems as though these never ending wars have become nothing more than an economic slush fund that is occasionally used to stir up patriotic fervor when the heat on our political leaders gets too hot. In the most recent escalation, Israel, whose Prime Minister is facing bribery charges, is once again claiming to have “proof” Iran is just a razor’s edge from having a nuclear arsenal. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s clear implication is that the US should scrap what is known as the Iran Nuclear Deal and immediately join with Israel and Saudi Arabia to launch strikes on Tehran. Mind you that Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly made these alarmists claims against Iran for something close to two decades. It is also worth documenting that Netanyahu used the exact same alarmist rhetoric to goad the US into a war with Iraq. It was false then and it is false now. Not once has his information been accurate because it is heavily biased and designed as war propaganda. In fact, our own intelligence agencies have repeatedly found zero evidence of an Iranian nuclear program. Further, I would bet his latest display of Iranian nuclear documents came from a cult like terrorist organization called the MEK. Anyone familiar with this group knows the MEK (formerly known as the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran or PMOI) is at the extreme end of the whack job spectrum. The only people biased enough to take anything they say or provide seriously appears to be Israel’s Prime Minister and John Bolton, which I must say is still highly disturbing. Either way, I am urging you to use extreme caution before believing the claims. Before we launch into another disastrous war, we must publicly have a real debate to evaluate whether a war with Iran is in America’s best interests or even necessary. Israel is setting the stage to force President Trump’s hand into a major regional war in the Middle East against Iran. If there is a war, it will be the US doing the fighting, our soldiers dying, our economy suffering, and our people paying for what is truly a foreign conflict being forced upon America through the treachery and deceit of special interests.
This brings me back to gas prices. Currently, the average price of gasoline in the US is $2.846 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Although, far from the most painful prices we have seen at the pump, this is already having a cooling effect on the US economy. Any outbreak of war with Iran would cause an immediate spike in gas prices, which conservatively speaking would double the price at the pump overnight. This would then inflict immediate damage on the US economy and could be sufficient to burst the current stock market bubble. Losses resulting from this type of economic shock could unwind markets quickly and losses of over 30% would quickly ensue. The results would initiate a systemic collapse across global markets, which would boomerang back to the US and ripple through our economy. This would likely lead to massive economic and social dislocations in the US.
If you are still wondering how sleepwalking into a war with Iran affects you, let me be more direct. Iran left to its own devices probably would have zero effect on your life and never threaten anything. Let me say that again, Iran is not America’s problem. Iran will not take your freedom, attack the homeland, or even care to mess with us. Their issues are regional and laser focused in the Middle East. However, following the lead of lunatics such as John Bolton and the war lobby into a war with Iran would, at minimum, mean that small amount of money you have left over after paying bills would vanish. If you even have disposable income, it would be eaten up paying for gas and the higher prices of goods and services, which would undoubtedly soon be passed on to consumers by businesses also having to pay higher fuel costs. This means you may also lose your job because the economy will not get better. Further, tax revenues will plummet so the US will face either a default or austerity measures meaning your favorite social programs will be cut. If you are retired and on a pension you will also be screwed. As the stock market implodes the value of your 401ks and pension programs will plummet and become insolvent respectively. This means your fixed income will get a lot smaller or go away completely. The war will destroy your ability to maintain any reasonable middle class standard of living for decades. The impacts I have detailed are real and will occur if we jump into a war with Iran. As a final warning, I predict that if Israel doesn’t get the US to launch the war, Israel will unilaterally launch with Saudi Arabia. This will have a similar, if not worse, effect and will happen rapidly and without warning. I sincerely hope that Americans wake up and put a stop to this before it is too late, but it is doubtful so prepare appropriately.
By Guiles Hendrik
May 1, 2018
