Inflation Primer
The Biden-Harris Administration are taking bows because inflation is down. But what is inflation and is it really down?
Inflation is the rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services rises over time, resulting in a decrease in the purchasing power of money. When inflation occurs, each dollarbuys fewer goods and services than it did before. The Federal Government measures Inflation by changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). With inflation, the same paycheck buys less.The cost of living goes up.
Inflation has increased significantly since 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, and economic stimulus measures all contributed to higher inflation rates. Here is a breakdown of inflation in the United States from 2020 to 2023:
1. 2020: Inflation was relatively low, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increasing by about 1.4% year-over-year. The pandemic caused a drop in demand, which helped keep prices down.2. 2021: Inflation began to rise sharply, with the CPI increasing by about 7% year-over-year by December 2021. This was driven by supply chain issues, labor shortages, and increased demand as the economy reopened.3. 2022: Inflation peaked in 2022, with the CPI rising by about 9.1% year-over-year in June, the highest rate in over 40 years. Energy prices, housing costs, and food prices were major contributors to this spike.4. 2023: Inflation started to moderate but remained elevated. By mid-2023, the year-over-year CPI increase was around 3-4%, depending on the month. While down from the 2022 peak, this was still higher than the pre-pandemic average.
Overall, inflation has increased by approximately 15-20% from 2020 to 2023, depending on the specific goods and services measured. This has had a significant impact on purchasing power and the cost of living.
Saying “inflation is going down” is very misleading. What is really happening is that the rate of increases in prices has slowed but PRICES ARE STILL GOING UP AT THE RATE OF AT LEAST 2.9% per year.
The above listed inflation causes are unduly kind to the Federal Government in general and to the Biden-Harris administration in particular. Consider the following:
1. The Biden-Harris Administration has handicapped the domestic energy industry which has not been able to keep up with growing demand. Less energy supply means higher prices and importing more oil compounds that.2. The Biden-Harris Administration has poured billions of your tax dollars into alternative energy programs that have not met the increasing demand for electricity.3. The Biden-Harris Administration is now paying for Obama Care and free medical care for a larger portion of our population.4. The Biden-Harris Administration has not addressed the rising cost of Social Security and Medicare.5. The Biden-Harris Administration has ushered over 3 million illegal immigrants across the southern border at an enormous increase in spending by Federal, State, and Local Governments. Increased Government spending is inflationary.
The Biden-Harris Administration has a plan to deal with this; increase taxes again. Our left-leaning, Democratic leadership has reached a new threshold of Socialist decline; 49% of our population pay no (ZERO) Federal Taxes. The rest of us are paying more to keep the dream alive.
Gerry Giesler
Greensboro, GA
Harris is wrong for America
Dear Editor
In their editorial in last week’s LAKE OCONEE NEWS , Johnson, Koppelman, et al claim “Harris has the right stuff.” For what, I ask, certainly not for President of the United States.
In her one opportunity to act “Presidential,” Harris totally bungled her assignment as “Border Czar” under Joe Biden. On her watch, over 3 million undocumented immigrants came across our southern border. Her “root cause” theory on how to stop the wave of immigrants was a total failure. Harris never went to the border and denied having any responsibility for it. She wants to abolish ICE because they deport illegals. She lied repeatedly telling us “the border is secure.” Her ineffective leadership on this has caused many cities and states to endure a crisis of humanity and the enormous financial burden to care for all these immigrants. She said, “an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal,” and “we now have 11 million people here who need a path to citizenship”.
Harris would be a disaster as President. She is soft on crime. Harris supported the 2020 rioters in Minneapolis and elsewhere, and even put up a fund to pay their bail to get them out of jail. Harris is anti-police and says, “they are often the problem.”
She jumped to the conclusion that Bret Kavanaugh was guilty of rape when he was being confirmed for the Supreme Court. I can still see her closed-minded grilling of him and, like Adam Schiff, telling lies about the evidence against him. She also rushed to judgment on the Jesse Smollet scandal. Can we live with a President who shoots first and asks questions later?
Harris is ranked as “the most liberal Senator.” She is further to the left than Bernie Sanders. In what ways is “liberal” bad for America? Harris thinks every undocumented immigrant should be eligible to vote, be eligible for free schooling and free healthcare. She wants to shut down private health insurance andprohibit gasoline powered vehicles. She is OK with killing unborn babies. Harris is anti-Israel. Harris supports Joe Biden’s plan to raise income taxes again.
Harris received approximately 2% of the vote in the primary that selected Joe Biden as the Democratic candidate for President and had not a single delegate at the Democratic Convention. Despite her lack of qualifications and the absence of voter support, she was selected for Vice President because Joe Biden wanted a female Vice President, preferably one who is black. This follows many other questionable steps in her career progress. Google “Harris and Willie Brown.”
Perhaps Harris’ worst qualification is her character. She was a key player in perpetuating the lies throughout 2024 that Joe Biden was competent. She and the Democratic Party carried out one of the greatest frauds in history to void the millions of votes Joe Biden got and usher her in without an open democratic process. She has a strange lack of loyalty to her President and to the voters. We cannot trust her to run this country so do notbelieve any promises she makes in her campaign.
The bottom line is this, Kamala Harris would accelerate the movement to Socialism started by Barack Obama and Joe Biden.Communism would come next. Harris is wrong for America!
Gerry Giesler
Democracy According to Democrats
The Democrats have been of one voice, “Donald Trump is a threat to our Democracy.” As I have watched their policies and actions, I am reminded of a childhood truism …”it takes one to know one.” It has never been more applicable than now. Consider…
The Democrats have maneuvered to remove a duly selected nominee for President and so doing they have disenfranchised the millions of voters who selected Joe Biden to be their President. The nominee will now be chosen by the elites in the Democratic Party.
Joe Biden violated his oath of office, and Immigration Law by allowing millions of unvetted immigrants to cross our Southern Border illegally. His Executive Orders intentionally dismantled the controls that had been installed by the previous administration. His Vice President and Cabinet Members have lied about it for years telling us “ the Border is Under Control”. His henchmen in Blue states have compounded the mistake by legitimizing the immigrants with drivers’ licenses, credit cards, housing, and food stamps. They will register these people to vote if at all possible.
The Democrats are consistently thumbing their collective noses at the Rule of Law. Their followers have harassed Supreme Court Justices in the media and with riots at their private homes. Crime is up in every blue state where Attorneys General and District Attorneys systematically favor criminals over victims and literally let them out of jail free.
Our Constitutional Right to Freedom of Speech is threatenedconstantly. A “Ministry of Truth” established by the Biden Administration limits that right to the Democratic elite. People who do not agree with the party line are cancelled. Are we really OK with the FBI contacting private news organizations to censor stories it does not like? Or with party operatives suggesting questions to be asked of their people? Or with Leftists squashing conservative speech on College Campuses?
The Democrats have forgotten or have ignored the Constitution’s tenant of Separation of Powers. Biden bypasses Congress regularly with his Executive Orders such as his attempts to forgive student loans, despite a Supreme Court Ruling it is illegal.
The Constitution established the Judicial as separate from The Executive Branch and from Congress. Yet the Department of Justice and the FBI have been used repeatedly to harass private citizens, corporations, and even opposing candidates. The FBI in particular has lied under oath to assist in prosecution of Democratic Party opposition.
The Biden Administration has interfered with our free enterprise system in handicapping our domestic energy industry with an overzealous clean energy policy.
The only version of Democracy that Donald Trump threatens isthe Democratic Party’s version of it and that is not at all close to what our Founders wrote into the Constitution.
Gerry Giesler
Greensboro, GA
To The Editor
I am intrigued by the use of the word “Extremism” in two Editorials in your newspaper last week. If you take a close look at our oversized Federal Government, you will hope for some extreme measures.
• The U.S. Department of Education has 4400 employees spending $68 Billion per year interfering with our schools that should be run by our counties and states.• The U.S. Department of the Interior has 61,000 employees. What can they all be doing?• The Department of Transportation has 58,000 employees spending $271 Billion.• The U.S. Department of Justice has 115,000 employees including the FBI who’s track record of harassing US. citizens is well documented.• The U.S. Department of Agriculture has 85,000 employees.
We also need to keep three other facts in mind when considering whether and how to improve this situation. First, none of these are elected positions, all these employees are appointed. Does anybody think cronyism may be running rampant is Washington D.C.? Second, until the recent Supreme Court Ruling in Colorado, these agencies have the power to regulate to meet their own wishes and defend their regulations with their own attorneys; the Supreme Court has reined them in with just cause. Third, the total of our Federal Government staffing has increased 55% since 2019 according to the White House Office of Management and Budget. How can anyone think there is not a need for extreme change in Washington?
Project 2025 proposes to claw back overreach by current and previous presidents. "Presidents should not issue mask or vaccine mandates, arbitrarily transfer student loan debt, or issue monarchical mandates of any sort," the plan reads. "Legislatures make the laws in a republic, not executives." At the same time, the proposed platform eliminates or reduces several of thesegloated Federal Agencies in terms of their power and cost. The proposal would restore parents’rights vs. the current, radical gender ideology and reduce the impact of DEI thinking in Government decisions.
As for the authors’ comments about Donald Trump, there is a mountain of evidence he would be more effective in achieving needed changes in Washington than Joe Biden has been or would be.
Gerry Giesler
Greensboro, GA
Bidenomics is Spin Economics
“Americans, particularly working and middle-class Americans, are poorer today than they were during the Trump Administration”, writes Andy Puzder in the NATIONAL REVIEW”. That is why only 38% of Americans approve of Biden’s job on the economy.
Inflation is the enemy of the consumer. As it goes up, our money buys less.
The Biden Administration claims that inflation has fallen. In fact, inflation was at 1.4% when Biden took office. It is now at 4.0 % and still rising. Biden’s “spin” reflects a statistical nuance. The rate of increase in inflation has slowed BUT inflation is still increasing. Biden’s claim that inflation is less than half of what it was a year ago is at best misleading. Since Biden took office, inflation has actually increased by nearly 13%.
Bidenomics is actually competing with Federal Reserve efforts to reduce inflation. The Fed’s program to raise interest rates has in fact slowed the growth in the rate of inflation. On the other hand, Biden’s $1.9 Trillion American Rescue Plan has pumped up the economy with severe inflationary pressures.
Biden claims,” wages are up, accounting for inflation, that’s real breathing room” for the public. In fact, real average hourly earnings were $11.03 in May 2023, down from $11.39 when Biden took office.
So, in my view, Bidenomics is just another way the Democrats are lying to the public. Harry Reed lied in the Senate when he told us Mitt Romney did not pay his taxes. Nancy Pelosi lied when she (and others) promised we could keep our own Doctors under Obamacare. In each of those cases they recanted at a later date bragging, “it won the vote, didn’t it?”
We need to be on guard for Biden spin trying to mislead us.
Gerry Giesler
Greensboro, GA
Greene County Republican Party