gas price anecdote

by Jay, San Diego, Thursday, April 30, 2026, 07:51 (26 days ago)

I've mentioned my family members who are doctors in Malawi. As if the USAID cuts weren't bad enough, here's a message from them this morning:

I recently heard a pundit say that if gasoline increased to over $5.00/gallon in the United States, people would riot in the streets. For context: since the war in Iran began, the price of gasoline in Malawi has increased to $15.00/gallon, with lines into gas stations stretching upwards to twelve hours. This in a country where the median Malawian lives on $2.00 per day, and one in four are food insecure. There has been a spike in families calling our pediatric cancer center saying they want to continue chemotherapy for their child, but they can't afford the transport, often over 12 hours, into the city. It's important to know how our politics ripple across the world into its most vulnerable communities.