What were your feelings or response to this statement made by former President Trump?  "I'm not going to use the name anymore just one time," Trump said after mentioning the president. "Damage that he's done to this country is unthinkable, unthinkable. Together, we will restore vision, strength, competence and we're going to have a thing called common sense making most decisions."  See: /www.newsweek.com/trump-rnc-speech-key-quotes-big-moment-1927406 for more information.  Do you know what damage he is talking about?  How do you feel about the economy since COVID-19 is now mostly under control?

Is the high level of the stock market hurting you?  Are your taxes higher than they have been?  You’ll probably mention the prices at the supermarket.  They have certainly been much higher in the last few years.  Even some other daily necessities are higher priced.  Was this the fault of the current administration?  If so, what did they change to cause this?  Most say it was the blowback from COVID-19 and concerns about transportation costs.  What could anyone have done differently?

Prices now are much more stable.  Yes, they are still higher.  I agree with Vice President Harris’ concern, however, with price gouging and trying to manage that.  Do you agree that some of these prices are due to gouging?  If not, then what is causing the problem?  Why are some staying so high, yet we are seeing everyday gas prices going down?  I may be wrong, but I would ask why gas prices are going down if the biggest cause of rising costs for other needs is due to transportation costs?

Many may say that it is wages.  However, history has shown that it is not necessarily true.  The International Monetary Fund says, “We conclude that an acceleration of nominal wages should not necessarily be seen as a sign that a wage-price spiral is taking hold.”  See: www.imf.org/en/Publications/WP/Issues/2022/11/11/Wage-Price-Spirals-What-is-the-Historical-Evidence-525073 for more information.  You would need to do more research on this to come to your own conclusion.  I am, thankfully, not an economist.

One thing we do know is this is not an American event.  It is a world event.  COVID-19 pushed the world towards recession.  America did better than most of the world’s countries but not all.  The stimulus checks did lessen the recession’s effects but were also a part of the inflationary thrust.  See: crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46460.  This article is quite involved, but can give you a picture of how the stimulus checks affected the recession and inflation.

So, as we are getting over a pandemic like COVID-19, we must experience some sort of hardship.  It’s inevitable.  It’s good that we did not experience a deep recession like we did back in the 1980s.  Some of us were paying 12 to 15% for mortgages.  These were the days I remember.  Nor have we experienced the super high inflation rates of some other countries.  Our country has gone through these situations many times in the past and has learned from each.  In none of these situations has anyone that I remember said we have done unthinkable damage to this country and its economy.

Former President Trump had another comment in the article from Newsweek mentioned in the first paragraph.  Newsweek: “With talks of unity coming from both sides of the aisle, the former president put blame on the Democratic Party for fueling political division "at a level that nobody has ever seen before" among the American electorate.

The article continues:  "In that spirit, the Democrat Party should immediately stop weaponizing the justice system and labeling the political opponent as an enemy of democracy, especially since that is not true," Trump said. "In fact, I am the one saving democracy for the people of our country."  I’m glad it isn’t possible for the president to weaponize our countries assets in this way.  The Justice Department is certainly led by a presidential appointee, but that’s where any control stops.  Once appointed, the president can provide suggestions to their pick of attorney general, but that’s the extent of any influence.

In their organization, mission, and functions manual for the Department of Justice (DOJ), it states: “Independence and Impartiality.  The Justice Department works each day to earn the public’s trust by following the facts and the law wherever they may lead, without prejudice or improper influence.”  This can be found at: www.justice.gov/doj/organization-mission-and-functions-manual#:~:text=The%20Justice%20Department%20works%20every%20day%20to%20provide%20the.

There can be no weaponizing of the DOJ.  However, if someone has been found to be breaking the laws of the United States, then they must not only be tried in court, but also have their day in court.  So, the attorney general will not just say a person has been breaking the law and leave it at that.  He will then assign his attorneys to develop a case and bring it to trial.  They must then prove their case in front of a judge or jury, or the party charged is found innocent.

If you do not agree with some or all this opinion, it is my hope that you will write your own response to this or write your own opinion.  Therefore, in the true spirit of our great democracy, we can see both sides of the issue and make the important decisions we must make in November.