Preface: I am still not a fan of Trump when looking at the overall GOP field, but if given that as the choice from the mess we are in today …
I heard something the other day that just about floored me. When debating who was worse for the US, Trump vs. Biden, it was mentioned that we’re “better off under Biden”. When I asked what metric could possibly support that, the answer was “the economy is better”. Once I picked myself up off the floor from shock, I decided a bit of research was in order for those that choose to not look at the actual numbers. The actual data. The actual factors that have us where we are today. So, let’s visit that – over the last 3 years:
Today, we have (for the first time ever), over $1.08 trillion in credit card debt. Why? Inflation, wages not keeping pace, over 40% of the US now living paycheck to paycheck. Retirement hardship withdrawals are at an all-time high, and households now have amassed $17.6 trillion in debt. All are records.
Overall prices nationally are up 17.4%.
Food prices are up 20.3%
Rent is up 18.6%.
Electricity is up 24.3%
Fed interest rate was 0.75% when the evil one took office in 2017. It was at 0.5% when he left. It is now at 5.5%. With current home prices, the housing market has been severely crippled. Recent study showed average home could be bought for $74K income level 3 years ago; now it requires income of $120K to buy the same average home.
Inflation was between 0.7% and 2.3% over the last term of Obama and the term of Trump, averaging 1.6%. Fed target is 2%. Biden peaked at 9.1%, and over 3 years has averaged 5.63%. Currently at 3.7%.
Biden straight-face tells us he’s created 9M-11M jobs (depending on the speech) – more than any president in history. In fact, he’s created under 2M jobs, all the rest were Covid returnees. All demographics have recovered to the same levels as the last administration; no further improvements to tout.
The “made in America” rule is being waived by this administration, against the bi-partisan efforts in Congress, so China can supply the massive battery charging station market this admin wants.
The strategic petroleum reserves hold 714M barrels. This admin inherited a steady level at 638M. They have since sold off almost HALF to a current level of 354M barrels, mostly quietly, to try to stabilize crazy gas prices and leases that are all set to start expiring. FYI – gas was at $2.33 three years ago (under $2 before the election, then started upward as Biden said he will end fossil fuels), now at $3.19 after peaking at over $5.
We’ve had 8.2 million border encounters in 3 years. Records set almost every quarter and/or month. Overwhelming cities and certainly border states. This admin has a 2% deportation rate. Well over 8X previous numbers, and those had 49% deportation rates. Amnesty hearings are now 10+ years out. With estimated got-aways and know got-aways, that number is actually assumed to be well past 10 million. Several big cities are pleading for Federal assistance. New York is slashing at least 10% from every department budget. Denver is now planning a 15% cut across all city budgets. California, projected a year ago to have $24B in budget surplus, is now facing a $68B deficit and is in the process of emergency sessions to figure it out. All due to the open border policy that is not only illegal (Title 8, for starters), but also incredibly dangerous. NYC is closing sports complexes for youth to make encampments, and even schools are closing on occasion for migrant sheltering.
Did I mention the rise in violent crime in every major city nationally? Right here in Colorado it’s also up substantially.
100K killed here annually on overdoses. At least 75% are fentanyl, and 95% of that is coming across that border. Along with the other drugs that are part of that OD statistic. Colorado and Arizona now share the top spots for teen OD rates in the country. Not proud of that…
No wars under the last administration. Peace accords across several Mid-east nations and Israel for the first time in 75 years (except the Camp David accords – Egypt and Israel). Today: War in Ukraine. War in Israel. American hostages. Over 130 attacks on US troops with minimal responses. Now we’re attacking Houthi in Yemen because of shipping, not because of our troops. The Middle East is escalating. China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia all escalating.
Through all of this, the appointed military leadership has engaged in a mass DEI agenda, and morale is dropping so fast that recruitment goals are being missed across branches – by an alarming amount. Readiness is key. Nothing else.
This is better? This is stability? This is “better off”? 1 in 10 say they are better off… The divide between rich and the rest of us has only widened in the last three years.
Look at the facts, not the emotions. Once the emotions are taken out, another Biden/Harris term is potentially (even more) devastating. Objectively and honestly, this has surpassed the Carter years, previously noted as the worst president in modern times. Look at the common statistics from the late 70s, the hostages, the escalating tensions globally, inflation, military readiness (failed mission in Iran), etc. Now is worse. Carter was at least a great humanitarian.
