I believe America’s best days can be ahead of us, but it will take Americans uniting and going back to common sense policies to make it happen. I believe that in Moore County we will have an unprecedented opportunity this fall to elect local people who believe in you and me. President Biden in his State of the Union said his priority is on reducing inflation, but the radical left policies which he is supporting will only make it worst for most Americans.
Here are some policies that would immediately help:
Make America energy independent again. One of the sanctions put on Russia is closing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. This was smart, it was what President Trump had in place before Biden reversed it. When President Biden first stepped into office, he stopped the Keystone XL pipeline.
Who was that meant to hurt? As gas reaches $4/gallon in Moore County you know who it is hurting. I’ve seen recent articles how Moore County residents are “shocked” by their heating bill. As Vice President Kamala Harris said on February 28, “voters got what they asked for” in electing our current administration. President Biden should reverse his decision and assure our domestic oil and gas producers that he won’t enact additional regulations on them during this term. That way they can invest with confidence and bring back American energy independence.
Clean up the shipping container backlog. We’ve all heard of supply and demand. The “supply” is stuck off the California coast. It is estimated 80-90% of the world’s supply chain backlog is off the coast of California and there are around 1 million container days’ worth of backlog. I recently got a quote for a print paper run for one of my companies. I was expecting it to be about $1.50 per piece, but it came back at $5/piece and we had to decide that day, because it was the only way they’d be able to get the paper for it.
California’s insane labor laws are keeping this backlog from being cleaned up. In a state with sane labor laws, you could bring in a bunch of temporary employees, get people to work, and get it cleared up. In California you can’t do that, and on top of that the unions have a stranglehold on the docks. There is constitutional power to regulate interstate commerce, we have military and others that could be sent to the docks to get them running properly. No current dock employees’ wages would be negatively affected, but we could get the backlog cleaned out quickly. This would help relieve the supply side, which in my experience is what is currently driving up cost.
Insist Congress passes a balanced budget and reduces government spending from its current levels. Democrats tried to pass “build back better,” which would have exacerbated our debt and increased the rate of inflation. President Clinton and a Republican Congress passed a balanced budget a long time ago but they proved it can be done. President Biden campaigned as a uniter, but his policies have been divisive. If he was serious about addressing inflation, he needs to start where he has the most control and that is by vetoing out-of-control government spending. Demand that each level of federal government find ways to cut their budgets.
At the State of the Union, Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia sat with his Republican counterparts. Perhaps it was to distance himself from Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who seemed at a loss multiple times on when to clap. Perhaps it was because the only thing that President Biden seems to be uniting is America against his radical policies. Biden’s poll numbers are cratering, and his plan is to double down on his failed policies.
You better get used to the pain in your pocket. Career politicians who live in the insulated D.C. swamp are counting on it.
Robert Bortins is a businessman in Moore County
