Disconnect between the numbers and the reality: How happy are you with events?
I like reading news reports and papers. They let me know what people are thinking. I am hardly surprised any more by much of anything.
Have you read any interesting news reports impacting your walk down Americana Street?
For instance, President Joe Biden in a recent speech in Wisconsin offered his listeners a lot of good news.
He says his administration has created 12 million new jobs. Unemployment is down to 3.4% — a 50-year low. Gas prices are down $1.50 since June 2022. Inflation has fallen six months straight. And manufacturing jobs are rebounding.
The president takes credit for creating 800,000 manufacturing jobs in the first two years of his administration.
With all of these announced achievements, how do you think the president is polling by today’s voters? The most recent Reuters/Ipsos Core Political poll reflecting public opinion shows Biden’s approval rating remaining steady, but low.
According to the poll, Americans are concerned about the following issues in our society:
21% — Economy, unemployment, and jobs
15% — Crime or corruption
10% — Environment and climate
8% — Immigration
7% — Morality
6% — Inequality and discrimination
6% — Health care
The remaining 27% is divided between topics including abortion, war and foreign conflict and public health, among others.
How would you rate the health of our economy in regard to your own economic conditions? Would your opinions mirror those groups listed above?
Although both political parties can have an influence on adding or reducing our deficit, is a deficit of some $31 trillion dollars of any importance to you personally?
Politics always plays an important part in the nation’s current and future economic health and welfare.
Another topic, courtesy of Reuters on June 30:
"The U.S Supreme Court handed President Joe Biden a painful defeat on Friday, blocking his plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt — a move that had been intended to benefit up to 43 million Americans and fulfill a campaign promise."
Was Biden seriously concerned about an individual’s obligation to pay off costly student loans, or was he merely tossing out a political notion to attract some 43 million voters currently indebted to their "investment" for a better future?
Did any consideration go into those individuals who chose a wiser avenue not to go into debt with a student loan, and selected other avenues to build a more successful life by hard work in securing a job?
Perhaps the president might have secured even more votes if he came up with a plan to reward those individuals who avoided this academic debt and hole of misery with little reward.
Maybe helping to pay off mortgages or excessive credit card debt of the non-collegiate would have garnered him even more votes and popularity and a much fairer consideration for all.
When I ride around the neighborhood, I see a lot of help wanted signs, with not enough applicants applying. Is there a reason why so many vacancies remain unfilled? Could maybe some of those college debtors seek a second or third employment to assist them?
Have our political friends figured out a way yet to study that glaring appearance and problem that our nation may be growing a "bit lazy." Has there been any studies done as to why Americans are not seriously looking for jobs or careers, or has government been too generous in other avenues?
Law enforcement careers are certainly under extreme distress because recruitment numbers are seriously down;. Even military enlistments are not meeting their quotas. Prison employee vacancies in our own community and throughout the state are experiencing hiring problems. Some local restaurants are even reducing hours of service or closing because of the worker shortage.
Many businesses are now paying $15 an hour salary, yet many vacancies still exist.
And if our economy is so good in so many different areas, and at the same time struggling to hire an adequate number of staff of small and large businesses, what is the resolution?
And what of the homeless camps that are beginning to dot more and more of our cities and towns? Are these individuals to be left out of that middle-class advancement envisioned by our leaders?
Is there a future for drug addicts and those with mental health deficiencies?
Has there been any political inroads made into resolving these matters at the state or federal levels?
When I hear or read a speech of those many successes touted by our political leaders (all of them), I often look around and see other problems left unattended.
And besides who's going to buy a small popcorn for $10 at the movie theater?
Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Why can't businesses find workers, and other perplexing questions
