About those gas prices

It would be a good idea for everyone to drive less, walk or use public transportation more, carpool more and own cars that get better gas mileage. This has been true for decades and remains true today.

Gas prices have spiked a bit recently, although in real dollars, only to about twice what they were in 1950. And cars get much better mileage today, so the net effect on the median pocketbook is about the same as in 1950. That said, it would be better for the environment if everyone drove less and bought locally produced food that would reduce trucking fuel use.

While the tragedy unfolding in Ukraine makes moral people want to do something on behalf of Ukrainians, the idea that cutting back on gasoline use in the US will have any benefit for Ukraine is specious. Duncan Black is typically blunt and caustic about this, but he's not wrong:

". . . the trend of celebrities and others posting things like, "I WOULD GLADLY PAY HIGHER GAS PRICES FOR THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE" is pointless moral superiority preening.

Paying higher gas prices does not help the people of Ukraine. Higher gas prices are not, at least the moment, an inevitable consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine or our efforts to put an end to it. It's the level of "sacrifice" which means nothing to people with money, but a reasonable amount to those without. In other words, you're just claiming (incorrectly) that The War Effort (whatever it is) should be paid by the poorest of us and people should STOP COMPLAINING.

Stop it. The distribution of the costs - the price paid - of everything is a policy choice. You aren't going to make people happy by trying to shame them like this. The "economy" issue, whatever its merits, isn't going to be won pretending $4.50 gas is our little Victory Gardens or whatever." https://www.eschatonblog.com/2022/03/cringe.html