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President doesn’t control economy
Two recent letters to the editor have talked about how good the economy was under President Trump as compared to President Biden. The president cannot have much impact on the economy.
When I got my first teaching position, I made $7,000 per year. I could buy a new car for $1,200, gasoline was 25 cents per gallon and a gallon of milk was 50 cents. Are you going to tell me that all the presidents since then are responsible for cars now being $25,000-plus, gas being $3.39 and milk running around $3 per gallon?
It is called inflation. It is not that these items cost more, it is that the dollar is worth less. I imagine beginning teachers make $30,000 (not sure as this is Texas and I first taught in Michigan) and teachers with seniority make much more.
Typically, inflation runs about 3% per year, but something happened between Trump and Biden — the COVID pandemic, where initially little was being bought because everyone was at home. Then after the vaccines, people wanted everything, but the supply lines were disrupted. Basic law of economics: When demand is high and supply is low, the price goes up.
The Federal Reserve has been raising lending rates slowly, trying to curb inflation while not causing a recession. And it is working, as inflation has come down from 9% to a little over 3%. But the president had nothing to do with it.
I know people tend to vote via their pocketbook, but I see stores filled with people. Restaurant parking lots are full. More people are flying and taking vacations than in any previous year.
So, something about the economy must be right — but again, it is neither President Trump’s nor President Biden’s doing — it is just economics in a consumer-based society.
Gerard Pahl
Edinburg
Writings addressed
A prolific MAGA writer from Edinburg, like his idol the 91 felon, loves to pit one group against the other. In this case “legal” immigrants versus “Illegal” immigrants.
By the way, the majority of immigrants coming across are claiming amnesty, an important part of the “legal” process. I prefer undocumented aliens and not the racist term illegal aliens.
While we must commend the MAGA writer and address his concern about our country’s finances, a concern shared by both parties, what is apparent is the anger and hate demonstrated by our prolific writer toward undocumented aliens.
That said, where is the anger on the action initiated by the 91-charged felon ex-president’s billionaire tax rate cut? The non-partisan U.S. Committee on the Budget estimated recently on May 16, any extension of the Trump tax cuts would add $3.5 trillion to the deficit through 2033. That’s $3.5 trillion with a T!
Clearly, the money the MAGA writer is harping about is not even a drop in the bucket. Now do the math and ask the 91 felon king, and while you’re at it ask the concertina fence-buoy barrier governor of Texas why this is the case.
While it is none of my business how these haters are raised and their values, the way I was raised, and values imbedded by our family, we always had a term for those who have a disdain for the unfortunate who at the same time worshiped the fortunate — that term is hypocrite. And to unequivocally state that it is only about the money and nothing else, may I say hypocrite once again.
Remember always, real patriots do not storm the Capitol. Not sure if the 91 felon king or the MAGAs received the memo, I am sure the cowardly Proud Boys did! Vote blue.
Joe Villarreal
Edinburg
Women’s deaths draw comment
Letter writer Diane Teter from Edinburg would have you believe that deaths of pregnant women has increased 40% (Letters, Sept. 14). The 40% part is true but it covers a period from 2010 to 2019. Gov. Abbott’s ban on abortion took effect July 24, 2022, so there are no studies covering this period yet.
Teter manipulated a valid story to fit her pro abortion agenda, like other letter writers who do the same, and this newspaper is complicit in furthering this by not putting a timeline to her story or adding an Editors note specifying that the information collected was pre-abortion ban. As for the 10,000 babies who are alive thanks to the abortion ban, I can only say thank God for every precious life; who knows, maybe one of them will be the godsend who cures cancer, famine or just does something great for humanity, and not the burden that Teter purports they might be to their families.
Jake Longoria
Mission
LETTERS — We welcome your letters and commentary. Submissions must include the writer’s full name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters of 200 words or fewer will be given preference. Submissions may be edited for length, grammar and clarity. Letters may be mailed to P.O Box 3267, McAllen, Texas78502-3267, or emailed to [email protected].
