If you've been to the gas pump in the last week or so, I don't have to tell you that it's painful.  In fact, we might be looking at an all-time record by this week or next as far as national averages go according to USA Today.

As oil prices continue to soar, you and I are paying more every time we fill up.  There are those out there saying "we've seen this before, it ebbs and flows".  That might be true, but for a whole lot of Montanans, that isn't going to help when it comes to their bank accounts.

So is there any relief in sight?

It doesn't appear so, at least not in the short term.  Taking a look at gas prices early this morning in Bozeman on GasBuddy.com, the price was 3.79 per gallon at most places, which is up a few cents from yesterday.  Experts said we can expect 4 dollars a gallon a couple of weeks back, and we're already there with the national average.  Oh, and to make matters worse, Russia decided to start World War 3. So what about now? Well, for many of us, it might be time to start cutting back in other areas. I mean, most folks have to have a vehicle right?  So what do you do?

Carpool? Work from home? Ride a bike?

Cyclist riding a fat bike on a nordic ski trail
methowtime
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Are there any solutions to the problem?  There are, but as we know all too well in this country, too often it all comes down to politics. One side wants to "drill, baby drill" and the other would like to "look to the future of clean energy". I mean, I get it.  That sounds wonderful...on paper, but people are struggling now.  People need help now. People are suffering now.

So what can we do now?

I think Elon Musk said it best last Friday when he tweeted “Hate to say it, but we need to increase oil and gas output immediately. Extraordinary times demand extraordinary measures,” So, the dude that has the biggest electric car company in the world thinks we should drill more? Well, isn't that interesting. Although, I agree with Mr. Musk 100 percent. It's time to drill more.

gas pipe line
Sergiy Serdyuk
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Oh, and can we look at getting that big ole pipeline we were building back up and running?

The answer to this issue isn't difficult, it just comes down to doing what is right for the country and not what is right for your "side". Now is not the time for politics. Now is not the time for agendas. Now is the time for those that are in charge, those that we've elected and work for us, to actually go to work for us. We as a Nation have the ability to become energy independent...again.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

LOOK: Oldest Disneyland Rides From 1955 to Today

Stacker, set out to compile a definitive list of every Disneyland attraction you can enjoy today and ranked them by their age. Using real-time data from Touring Plans, Disney archives, and historical news releases and reviews, our list starts with exciting recent park additions and stretches back to the oldest opening-day classics. This list focuses on the original Disneyland Park, so you will not see any rides from its neighboring California Adventure located just across the promenade. Read on to discover the oldest Disneyland rides you can still ride today.

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