Claims of the Republican Party about gas prices, the economy is running on empty | Ray E. Landis

A recent trip to visit family took me through some of our neighboring states that either have or have recently held primary elections. Billboards of the Republican candidates were scattered along the roadway with the common theme being that our economy is in shambles and it’s all the fault of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

Similar outdoor messages can be found in Central Pennsylvania. Driving from York to Harrisburg, you’ll see an ad that says “Biden Economy – Six Dollars a Gallon Gas and Empty Shelves,” asking you to take the next exit and visit Maple Donuts, even though it doesn’t say how much the donuts or full trays cost. with pastries.

Pennsylvania hasn’t had $6-a-gallon gas, the choices at our retail stores seem gluttonous to many in the world, and unemployment remains at historic lows, but Republicans are determined to blame inflation and pandemic-induced supply shortages on the Biden administration’s policies of seeking The Republican Party will take power in the midterm elections this fall.

Republicans certainly give a lot of credit to Biden’s policies. They argue that in less than 18 months, the changes introduced by the new administration are fully responsible for the dramatic shifts in the US economy and society at large.

But those who try to pin the blame for the price hike on Joe Biden are ignoring a basic fact. It takes a lot longer to fix something than to break it from the beginning. And the Biden administration took office after four years of the president’s predecessor in the Oval Office smashing everything he touched.

Enough with the endless nonsense about high gas prices | Opinion

Much of the recent news about former President Donald Trump has focused on the January 6 House Committee hearing on his desperate attempt to stage a coup d’état against American democracy. While crucial to establishing Trump’s criminal culpability, these hearings do not discuss how his administration’s policies have left the United States in a mess that is very difficult to clean up.

Fox “News” viewers may have forgotten that by the end of 2020, a pandemic that would eventually kill more than 1 million Americans swept through the United States and still hasn’t fully subsided. The pandemic, which came close to taking Trump himself, was initially dismissed by Republicans, who then spent months undermining efforts to bring it under control.

As the economy finally began to recover from the effects of the pandemic, Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, sending world energy markets into turmoil. Why would Putin commit such a brutal act of aggression? It turns out that the war in Ukraine was Russia’s Plan B. Plan A ended up defeating Trump in the 2020 election, because the new president meant that the United States would no longer follow the path of sabotaging its allies in Western Europe and ultimately ending the alliance NATO.

The combination of the pandemic’s lingering impact and Putin’s war crimes has led to an economic downturn not only in the United States, but around the world. Trump and his apologists who orchestrated this double whammy say they have solutions.

But their “solutions” are nothing more than abusing the environment, making the rich even richer and appeasing a brutal dictator.

Meanwhile, Trump recently spoke of the United States “going to hell” and becoming “a very dangerous place.” Crime facts don’t support this, but Trump may be on to something with that claim.

Guerrilla politics did not raise gas prices, and a partisan sniper does not lower them Opinion

Aggression and hostility seem to be more prevalent in the United States than ever before. Road rage and the use of firearms to threaten and intimidate others are common occurrences. Government officials lie without batting an eye, and when confronted with evidence, they lie, double down, and lie some more. Any apology is increasingly perceived by many as a weakness of character.

When Trump talks about the country “going to hell,” there should be a big video screen of him staring back at him, because that’s the closest thing to him looking in the mirror at the cause of his complaints. His public persona promotes bad behavior, and his followers have taken his call not only on January 6, 2021, but also in their daily lives.

The United States must be a forward-looking country. But we must also learn from history. As we move forward and continue the recovery from 2017-21, we must remember the embarrassment and shame the nation has endured over those four years and pledge and vote to prevent it from happening again.