Trump or Harris for Lower Prices?

Recently, I have seen lawn signs go up saying, “Trump - low prices, Harris - high prices.”  Is that a reasonable prediction for the next 4 years?

Many people think that Trump will handle the economy better and have lower prices because prices were lower during his term as President than they are now.  Whereas prices have risen dramatically during the Biden administration and so they think electing Harris will result in higher prices.  This is what Trump has told them.

This thinking is faulty.  Trump was president in the years before COVID.  That was a different world, economically as well as in other ways.  Prices were lower, but it had nothing to do with Trump and his policies.  As a matter of fact, his tariff war with China created a price spike for many products that came from China.

The Biden Administration, on the other hand, was impacted by the effects of COVID, which included dramatically increased prices for a number of reasons all stemming from the effects of COVID on the economy.  It had nothing to do with action taken by Biden and there was no way for Biden to control prices since we do not live in a Communist country where the government controls prices and wages.

So you can’t base your prediction on the economy and prices for the next 4 years based on the experiences of these two persons in office because they were dealing with different contexts.  Admittedly, there is no question that BIden’s infrastructure plan probably added some pressure on prices, but it also had a major impact on creating jobs which decreased unemployment.  So on balance, it was a good thing.

The question each voter must ask is what are the candidates’ economic program for the future.  Trump has no plan, only slogans, which sound good, but if there is no plan, they are only words.  Like when he wanted to repeal and replace Obamacare, but he and the Republicans never came up with a plan to replace Obamacare.  Harris, by comparison, has offered a somewhat detailed plan on what she plans to do to bring prices down for housing and food, among other things.

Beware political slogans.  Look for plans, facts. 

Misinformation is Hurting Biden

Misinformation is always a problem in elections.  Specifically, misinformation generated by Republicans about themselves and Democrats.  And as I’ve written previously, both in my book, We Still Hold These Truth, and in blog posts, Democrats have been amazingly ineffective at setting the matter straight for the voters.

Why do Republicans always do this?  The answer is that they know that if the voters knew the truth about them, they would lose national elections because their policies do not in fact support the middle and lower classes, whether white, hispanic, or black.  They are hypocrites posing as the party of the people, and they are expert at this deception.  Unfortunately, they have been very successful in this deception, never more so than under the leadership of Trump.

Democrats must find a way of getting most Republican-leaning voters to understand (forget Trump’s core base - they are lost) that Republicans are not the party of the people.  That they promote policies that support corporations and the upper classes.  A new stump speech must be developed; and a scorecard should be developed showing key measures that support the middle class and poor and Republicans’ position against those measures.

In the current presidential election, there are two major matters of misinformation that have to be countered by Biden and Democrats.  Admittedly, these are not matters that the Republicans can be blamed for.

First, many voters blame Biden for current interest rates and high prices.  This is not unusual - the sitting president is typically blamed or gets credit for current economic conditions, regardless of the actual facts.

When Democrats argue the economy, they tend to focus on jobs and unemployment.  But Democrats must recognize something – it doesn’t matter that the economy by most measures is strong, the job market good, unemployment down, we have not gone into the expected recession. Why do these facts not matter?  Because the middle class and poor are suffering from high prices, and high interest rates make it impossible for them to get the loans that they need..  That is what concerns them most and will impact their voting.  That the economy is strong is irrelevant to them

So while it’s fine to tout Biden’s credit for jobs, their focus must be on saying to voters, “We feel your pain; we know how you are suffering from high prices and interest rates.  Unfortunately these are matters beyond the control of any president.”  They must make clear that while Biden policy initiatives can take some credit for the strong job market and lower unemployment, not only is he not responsible for inflation and high interest rates, but there is virtually nothing he can do about either.  It is instead a function of corporate greed.

Corporations in most areas of commerce found during the pandemic that the old laws of supply and demand no longer apply; that they can raise their prices and have almost no impact on sales - people will pay the increased prices.  And so greed has led them to increase prices far beyond what is justified by their costs and so increase their profits.  Which is good for increasing share prices and thus investor wealth.

So what can the President do to set the matter straight?  He can point the finger of blame where it is appropriate - at corporations.  And which party is the main supporter of corporations and their desire to be free of any regulation?  Republicans.

Regarding high interest rates, that is within the sole control of the Federal Reserve and there is no way for Biden to influence their decisions.  They are historically and legally independent in their mission and authority.  That is a fact and Biden must make that clear.  And here too, the reason why the Fed's high interest rates have not had much of an impact on inflation is because corporate greed is not impacted by interest rates; regardless how high the interest rate, corporations will raise prices out of greed.

Second, a just-out poll reveals a truly shocking finding:  17% of voters nationally blame President BIden for the reversal of Roe v Wade.  This is shocking because Republicans, quite accurately, have taken credit for this reversal; it is something they have fought for for years and Trump as president appointed justices to the Supreme Court who would reverse Roe.

So how can such a large percentage of voters be so confused of something so clear?  The only thing I can think of is that, as with the economy, Biden is the sitting president and so uninformed people are blaming him for the Supreme Court’s reversal.

What can the Democrats do?  They must do even more - they are already focused on this - to pin the blame for Roe’s reversal squarely on Trump by focusing on his nominations to the Supreme Court.  The speeches and ads they have developed are obviously not effective enough or are not reaching this uninformed audience.

There is no question in my mind that if voters knew the truth, Biden would win the election handily.  That must be Biden’s and the Democrats’ task.

Wasting Your Hard-Earned Money at McDonalds

It’s lunch time and either your children are clamoring for McDonalds or you want a dependable fast meal.  It used to be that McDonalds was a place to feed yourself and your family cheaply, getting some reasonable nutritional value although accompanied by too much sugar and carbs.

Today I was on the Massachusetts Turnpike and went to a McDonalds in a service area.  I hadn’t been to a McDonalds for several years and when I looked up at the menu board, I couldn’t believe what I saw.  A fish filet meal cost almost $10, and the various burger and chicken options were close to $11.  This is what you would pay for a high quality sandwich at many cafes or a burger, albeit usually without fries.

In 2002, the cost of a Filet-o-Fish sandwich was $1.89.  Today it was over $5.  A Big Mac was $2.39. today it was around $6.  So in the last 15 years, there was an increase of almost 200% for the fish fillet sandwich, and more than 150% for the Big Mac.  

How did that happen?  Given that the cost of ground beef and fish filets in the grocery store have barely increased during that same time, and that the cost of living has increased only 37% during that period, what can account for this huge increase?  

I’d say it was corporate greed, knowing they could get away with it because their consumer would pay what was charged without giving it any thought.  More recently, there have been increased labor costs in certain markets because of an increase in the minimum wage.  These have, of course, been passed on to the consumer.  One certainly couldn’t expect the corporation to eat the increased expense and have profits reduced!  It’s still ultimately corporate greed.

The time has come for the American public to stand up and say, “NO!”  If we’re going to spend this kind of money … a family of 4 could easily spend $40+ for lunch … we’re going to get real, more nutritious, food in a more comfortable environment.  If you're an adult who is eating on the fly, slow down.  Taking some time to breathe while eating is important for your health.

For those of us traveling on the interstates, we really don’t have much choice.  We’re a captive audience because finding a decent place off the road is not easy; most options near interchanges are going to be other fast food options.  So we have to grin and bear it.  But if you’re not traveling the interstates, there is no excuse to spend that much money for the product received.