Gas prices are rising

The civil strife that has been brewing in Egypt (and which seems to be getting very, very serious fast) is showing an impact here in southeastern Arizona: gas prices have practically gone up 20 cents in the past month. Today, driving home from work, I saw prices from $2.93 to $3.09 to $3.19 within a ten-mile stretch.

Nothing has worried me more than what is happening there in Egypt. Even Kevin and I talked about it. "That's why I'm stocking up on food" he commented. For the first time I don't mind the closets full of dried goods he has been accumulating in the past two years. He bought a generator last fall and today a gas-burning heater arrived via Amazon.

Kevin started stocking up on dried goods after Obama was elected president. The theory was among his conspiracy-loving friends that Obama would ban all weapons and ammunition and therefore mass riots would ensue. These rumors were most likely started by gunshop owners who wanted a plausible excuse to increase business.

I'm not saying the world will end tomorrow, but the events in Egypt will have repercussions around the world. A peaceful Middle East may not be much longer. Even that nutcase in Iran has quieted his nuclear threats.

The rising costs of crude oil will affect everything, from cheaply-made Chinese goods to the cost of a chemically-enhanced hamburger at McDonald's or fake-meat burrito at Taco Bell. I'm expecting prices higher than they were in 2008. If summer travel prices rise to $4/gallon, even I may reconsider any major roadtrips (except the one to California this July).

Higher prices for basic consumer goods will also mean that those Americans who barely survived the last economic downturn may not survive the next. A true economic disaster was averted these last two years because of the relatively low prices for crude oil. Those days seem to be gone now forever. Now even those who have been cutting back and living within their budget will be severely affected.

The talk today during break was the potential cut of even more teaachers. How many more can the district cut? Even some of my experienced peers are worried. If the district cuts more it may end up shooting itself in the foot because concerned parents would pull their kids out of the high school and send them to a charter school. Pay has been frozen this hear and hours for me have already been cut. If they cut any more it may no longer be feasible for me to work there, despite my overall job satisfaction as I enter my third year.

The cold snap from last week is behind us, yet people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas got whopped again two days ago with as much as 14 more inches. This is certainly one of the snowiest winters across the Midwest and NorthEast. I'm just glad I live here in AZ were winters are rather mild and hot summers are easily remedied with a shady home.

Compound the harsh winter in parts of the country, growing energy prices and the threat of a collapsed Middle East, I predict we are going to be in for one very horrific decade.

Kevin and I may live to see a nuclear war. Pakistan is extremely unstable, I don't trust Russia and now China may have the beginnings of a nuclear bomb. If a nuclear war happens in a few years, our lives may be shortened; if it happens 20 years from now we'll be dead from natural causes anyway.

One "good" thing is that violence seems to have tapered off a little bit in Mexico (excluding Juarez) these last few weeks. Maybe that's because the narcoshitheads are also worried. But if Mexico falls into revolt, holy burrito,the security of this country would be at stake.

But like all global disasters, it's the combination of many factors that could turn what looks like a centralized revolt in Egypt into a global crisis of epic proportions. This could affect all strata of society. The potential for this to get out of hand will make this "Tragedy in Tucson" (which the local media is still exploiting!) seem silly.