Letters: Thank you, Mr. President

As I read and listen, I conclude that many Americans think that the president somehow controls everything. They can’t explain why. They just think it and, magically, it must be true. The price of gas? Yep. Biden. Grocery store totals? Blame the president. The cost of sex toys? Sure. Joe Biden. Well, maybe Hunter Biden.

Does the president have that authority? Of course not. Prices are at the mercy of supply and demand around the globe, pirates off the coasts of Yemen and Somalia, Chinese viruses, and Russian sanctions. And there’s climate change and its effect on water supplies, insect populations, and growing seasons. 

The executive and legislative branches can play a large role in our economy. But all too often lately the biggest drag on the American economy is the refusal of the two major political parties, mainly Republicans, to work together and put Americans first. The last time the two parties worked together, Clinton left office with a budget surplus which was projected to continue to reduce the national debt for years. Bush destroyed that with tax cuts and unfunded new wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.