Opinion
This week, the White House posted an infographic on X explaining how Team Biden-Harris has made life more affordable for the American household. The cringe-worthy photo of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walking side by side in what appears to be some attempt to exude confidence and smoothness is enough to turn one’s stomach.
But the real kicker is the community note that proves the intended message from the White House runs counter to the real-life lived reality of the average American citizen. (Isn’t it nice finally having an actual fact-checking source?!)
How long will the White House continue to push the narrative that the economy is in great shape thanks to their leadership?
A question of accuracy
The White House posted on X the above infographic claiming:
“Because of the Biden-Harris administration, Americans are seeing lower costs and getting much-needed breathing room.”
Within the infographic are various claims about alleged decreased medical costs, lower energy bills, reduction in internet bills, and relief from overdraft fees.
Of course, “lowered costs” is not at all the “lived experience” of we, the people. We have been beaten and battered by historic inflation.
And so thankfully, it didn’t take long for Biden to get fact-checked by Community Notes.
Linking to the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator, the note states:
“According to the government’s own data, Americans are seeing costs 17% higher overall since Biden took office.”
Upon clicking the link, one will see that $100 in January 2021 has the same buying power as $117.62 in October of this year. No matter what the Biden administration tries to do, they can’t outrun facts.
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Much to Team Biden’s dismay, the American public continues to feel the pain of the poor economy despite how often they are told not to. According to Gallup and the Pew Research Center, only one in five Americans rate the economy as excellent or good.
How could this be? A good chunk of these “bad vibes,” as some on the left try to downplay this feeling, is due to high food prices.
Hungry for something else
A whopping one in seven Americans are struggling with food insecurity. Last month, an alarming one third of Americans admitted they have experienced food insecurity at some point in their lives.
The numbers alone prove that hunger isn’t something that just one group of Americans is suffering from. The head of Feeding America, Claire Babineaux-Fontenot foot stomps this fact:
“This is not just one group’s issue; it’s an American issue. Hunger is an issue in America across every demographic group, and now, growingly, across more and more levels of income.”
Grocery bills are insane, as this consumer can attest to. Feeding my family of four costs close to $300 a week.
Across every food category, prices are up 25% since 2020. The following family staples are more expensive: ground beef, milk, and white bread.
A pound of ground beef costs about $5, up over $1 over the last three years. A gallon of milk is just shy of $4, which is 20% more than pre-pandemic.
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And a loaf of white bread has gone up 50% to an average of $2. When a family of four like mine buys approximately five pounds of ground beef, a gallon of milk, and two loaves of white bread a week, the monthly cost for just those three items is over $130.
Again, that’s just three items; that doesn’t include eggs, toiletries, paper products, fruit, vegetables, other meats, and canned goods.
Maybe that’s not a lot for the highly-paid left-wing pundits who keep telling us the economy is great, but for most Americans, it is an immediate decline in their standard of living.
No satisfaction
The struggles of an American household can’t just be seen through the lens of the groceries; managing a home is a multifaceted beast. President of the Houston Food Bank Brian Greene explains:
“Food inflation is only running about 3% now, but rent inflation is over 7%. And for low income or working families, rent can account for about 50% or more of their income.”
After paying rent or mortgage, utility bills, gas for a vehicle, and insurance, there can be little left for food, let alone other necessities like new clothes, school supplies, or, unfortunately, gifts during the holidays. The future doesn’t look much better, either.
A report from Bankrate says it could take until the end of next year before wage growth finally outpaces inflation. Essentially, another full year before the pay increase many Americans are receiving is more than the increase in goods they need to purchase.
But even then, we are not talking about returning to the former standard of living. Prices are not going down, they are increasingly slightly slower than they were before.
Another report, courtesy of an inflation tracker from Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, shows that American households need to spend about $10,000 more to afford the same quality of life they had three years ago. And yet Team Biden-Harris can’t figure out why Americans aren’t buying their economic success story.
Perhaps it’s just too damn expensive.
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