Biden blames everything on gas prices except his policies
According to the polls I have read, the American electorate is more concerned about inflation than any other issue. The price of gasoline is a prominent, and nearly daily reminder, of the escalating price of just about everything.
The Biden administration has pursued policies guaranteed to bring about this result as a consequence of its war on hydrocarbons designed to force a shift into green, “renewable” energy. Since this policy is only popular with the Green base, a distinct minority of the electorate, President Joe Biden constantly blames the oil companies for the price increase. They are greedy, engaging in price gouging and need to become more “patriotic.” If not, there are dark warnings about the use of “emergency powers” to force them to do the right thing.
In addition to the oil companies, Vladimir Putin is also prominently to blame. In short, blame everyone and everything except the very set of policies bringing about the predictable result.
Although the price of gasoline is the most universal attention grabber, food prices are also heading much higher, and even if you don’t buy gas, you have to buy food. Since there is not a single price, like gasoline, food prices don’t lend themselves quite as well to a simple headline. I am not aware of stickers, often found on gas pumps, in grocery stores proclaiming “Biden did this.” From time to time the Biden administration will blame the meat packers for the high price of meat.
Rents are skyrocketing. Greedy landlords trying to take advantage of people needing housing is always a popular meme. The fact that administration policies are inviting hundreds of thousands of folks to cross our southern border, with predictable results on the price of housing, is never mentioned.
The increased spending on education to school the inflow of children, or welfare spending, or food stamps, or medical care, or all the rest to take care of the new immigrants largely unable, at least for a while, to support themselves is likewise ignored. Increased taxes and increased borrowing is swept under the rug, in the hopes that the voters won’t notice. The Democrats’ fond hope is, if they can just hold on for a while, all these new immigrants will vote for them out of gratitude. Already a couple of jurisdictions have waived the necessity of being a citizen in order to vote.
In President Biden’s rush to reverse virtually every Trump policy, the regulatory state is back with a vengeance. One of the reasons the economy was so strong under Trump was the deregulatory policies he pursued. Regulations are like grit in the gears. Remove them and costs, followed by prices, go down. Add them, and the reverse happens.
Everywhere you look, the Biden administration runs away from taking credit for what it is intentionally doing. Just a few days ago one of his chief administrators for the environment called for tech platforms to ban any discussion of the costs of forcing an energy transition to Green. Maybe if the voters hear nothing but the alleged benefits of going Green, and hear nothing about the costs, they will mostly fall into line. If only the message can be properly massaged, then no one will notice the costs.
The costs, I assure you, are not just economic. I submit the suppression of free speech is a big cost, even if it cannot be quantified.
In all the inflationary bad news, one of the worst is the price of eggs. In all the major food categories, up from 10% to 15% over the past year, eggs are up 32%. I wish it were only 32%. Locally, over the past year, we pay nearly quadruple what we paid 12 months ago, from $0.79 to $3 a dozen. If that ever becomes a thing, I can hear Biden blaming the chickens. They eat too much expensive grain. Or greedy farmers. Or greedy processors — none of them patriotic.
I suspect, this fall, the chickens will come home to roost.
Charles Milliken is a professor emeritus after 22 years of teaching economics and related subjects at Siena Heights University. He can be reached at milliken.charles@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Charles Milliken: Biden blames everything on gas prices except his policies
