Inflation is killing the national mood
We are in an inflationary spiral. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s the speed of the price increases that gets to me. That’s why I call it a spiral. And that’s what gets people so nervous.
There is a deeply pessimistic mood in the country today, and the inflation spiral is at the heart of it. People are scared and angry.
In a non-partisan poll, quoted in the Wall Street Journal, 38% said they are getting worse off.
Remember Reagan’s question to Carter: ‘Are you better off than you were four years ago?’
If over a third are getting worse off after just 18 months of Biden, the Democrats are not looking good.
Inflation is eating away at the American dream. Half the voters polled said they do not have a good chance of improving their standard of living. To say morale is low is an understatement.
The pace of inflation is not slowing. Gas up four or five cents a gallon every day: regular is up 25 cents in a week.
And the administration just throws up its hands: Biden said last week there’s nothing to be done about it.
Well, by the end of this week, $5 gas will have spread to half the country. Rolling blackouts are coming. And who knows what you’ll pay for a loaf of bread.
The national mood has not been lifted by spring or the end of covid restrictions. It’s been soured by an inflationary spiral that is far from over.
Sherrill Smith
Voorheesville
Gas prices go up even as taxes drop
Surprise, surprise, New York suspended the gas tax on June 1, gas at Stewart’s went down 16 cents from $4.89 to $4.73. Guess what? A week later it’s $4.95.
Somebody is still ranking in the cash and now there is less tax revenue. Shocker. Anyone else see anything wrong with this?
Robert Palmateer
Amsterdam
When can we get a complete leader?
It seems, at least in my lifetime, we have had two types of presidents. Either they are men who are of strong moral, respectable character, but weak leaders; or they are morally reprehensible, but strong leaders internationally and domestically.
In the first category I would place both Bushes, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Obama. In the second category would be Clinton, Trump, and more or less Nixon (sans Watergate) and LBJ (sans Viet Nam). Ronald Reagan would be the only one I would give good grades to in both categories. The jury is still out on Biden, but I’m not too optimistic with Afghanistan, Russia, the economy, etc.
But, what’s worse, if nothing changes, it is looking like 2024 will be a repeat of 2020. If I were to say I could never vote for that old white guy who says crazy things and has a history of questionable behavior around women, you could not be sure who I was talking about, Trump or Biden.
Is this really the best America has to offer, two men who would be older on Election Day than Ronald Reagan was when he left office? Obama is the closest thing we’ve had to a president born after the Baby Boomer generation. (He was almost on the cusp.) To paraphrase JFK, it is time that the torch is passed to a new generation. But where are our leaders of tomorrow?
Bruce J. Levy
Fredericksburg, Va.
(formerly of Schenectady)
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We should all commend the Jan 6th Committee for the work they did in starting to bring to light the scope of the planned Coup. The level of barbarism and savagery demonstrated by the “peaceful protestors ” should open the eyes of all Americans .
Unfortunately, Fox didn’t carry the hearing so the ones that needed to be enlightened missed out. The ongoing problem is that the coup may lead to conspiracy convictions, but the GOP is gearing up to control elections so that they cannot lose. So, democracy will continue to be under attack for years to come.
I remain optimistic that there’s a significant, sane subset of “Republicans” who hate seeing where their party’s headed and will work to advance likewise sane candidates. Or find it in their souls to vote Democrat.
A gunless Coup!
Christopher I hope when the committee is finished we find rRUMP Iin jail for a long time. The committee has shown and will show the length of viciousness tRUMP went through to make 8t happen.. tRUMP should be tried with treason.
Honestly, after seeing the now enhanced footage of the attack and desecration, knowing what we know know about Donald Trump’s complicity in not only that but the “7 steps” plot, the 84 fraudulent Republican electors who attempted to subvert the electoral count…knowing all that it seems the only ones still invested in the Republican Party should be anyone wishing to exorcise its demons, or is fine with criminality on an historic scale.
Some people are too young or never read that high inflation now is normally compared to what happened under President Reagan in the 1980’s. Back then, inflation was double digit and stayed high for TWO YEARS. As I’ve said and written before, the president cannot control inflation which is a worldwide issue. In the 80’s, it took raising interest rates way above what they are now and generated a recession. That’s not the issue now, though it could happen given all the problems in the world these days. Like in the 80’s, it too will pass.
Regarding gas prices, people seemed confused why they keep going up. They attribute it to closing the Keystone Pipeline that wasn’t even going to supply us with a minimal amount of oil, it was destined for Asia. Simply put, the oil companies are reaping enormous profits, but no one is holding them accountable for price gouging. They blame Biden who has no control over these private, international companies.
Regarding inflation and gas prices, the GOP has no recommendations either, but they want your vote as if they can make life better. Didn’t happen in the 80’s and it won’t happen now.
Thanks for trying to clarify today it seems easier to complain than to try to understand an issue. Spot on!
Although I agree with you 100% , these facts just continue to get ignored by the right. It’s as if they live in their own separate prism. FOX told me that Biden is senile and evil , inflation is caused by liberals , the high gas prices is because of Keystone , guns don’t kill people , on and on. Sadly people vote amost always based on money issues. Add in the fact that most right wingers are less educated and highly vulnerable to this simplistic point of view and we have a real problem on our hands.
Since the government is commited to phasing out fossil fuels Oil companies are doing their best to profit before the end
He is spot on about the gas tax. Who is kidding who? The politicians quickly react to what they “think” will keep the votes coming to them. Eliminate the gas tax sure. Then next year tell the people that there is not enough money to repair bridges and plug potholes. Do they research “why” the price of gasoline is rising? If they did, they would discover that the cost of oil is only about 50% of the cost of gasoline. The refineries and the gasoline distributors are the main ones who are price gouging. They do not have enough capacity to supply the current demand because they closed many refineries during COVID (like when the sawmills closed) thinking that there would not be the need. That proved to be wrong. Plus, the cost of getting the gasoline to the pumps is rising and that contributes to the end cost at the pump. Now, the refiners are reluctant to reopen refineries because they know that in the not too distant future, the need for vehicle fuel will go away with the electrification of transportation. And why are the big oil companies turning back the leases they have from the Federal government? For the same reason. They know that the need for fuel oil will soon be less and less. Just remember what the tobacco companies what they went through. Are we better off without secondhand smoke everywhere? Will we be better off without carbon spewing into the atmosphere? People need to decide. Just stop bitching about the cost of gasoline. It’s well below where it should be compared to the cost of a loaf of bread 20 yrs. ago ($1.50) to what it is today ($4.00+).