The past week or so has been tough for all you car commuters out there, huh? For each of the past 10 days, the average price of gas in the U.S. has reached yet another record high. The price for a gallon of regular is currently at $3.21 and rising, which exceeds the 1981 record of $1.35, or $3.15 in current dollars. Experts don’t expect prices to go down any time soon, if ever.

The price of a gallon of gas has rocketed up 34 cents in the last month, putting the average price of regular at $3.22 in the District, and $3.13 in the suburbs. In fact, as of today, the only state in the country still enjoying gas priced under $3.00 per gallon is New Jersey, despite its strangely wonderful ban on self-service pumps.

As a local man told the Examiner, “Something has to be done. People need to drive, but pretty soon gas will become unaffordable.” Here in D.C., Democrats and Republicans on the Hill have been falling all over themselves pandering to the sentiment that “something must be done”. Yet, their constituents across the country are starting to realize that “something has to be done” might really mean “I have to do something.” Ignoring the empty partisan politics, instead, they seem to be keeping busy by figuring out how to deal with the increased costs in their own ways.

Photo by a nameless yeast