To quote the letter “Vote out Bob Casey” (May 1, TribLive): “If you do not enjoy high prices … and you are sick of the endless parade of illegal immigrants invading our country,” then vote out the Democrats. These conservative talking points — “inflation,” “illegal immigration,” “Biden’s fault” — do not stand up under even simple scrutiny.

Economy: The economy is humming under President Biden. Yes, there is inflation. This inflation was triggered by disruptions in the supply chain during the pandemic. However, under Biden, income has consistently outpaced inflation. Since 2020 prices have risen by 19.6% while wages have increased by about 25%. Wages are rising because of historically low unemployment — the lowest unemployment rates in over 60 years.

Yes, gas prices are high. The president has little control over gas prices. The pandemic cut gas consumption, so the oil companies made up for lost revenue by good old-fashioned price gouging.

Immigration: The February 2024 Bipartisan National Security Agreement, negotiated by Biden’s team with strong Republican support, would have been the first reform in immigration policy in over 40 years. The bill strengthened control over the border, increased security funding and gave the president emergency powers to shut the border. However, Donald Trump called for Republican opposition because, as he admitted, he wanted immigration to be a top campaign issue in the 2024 election. This bill, which would have done a lot to alleviate the immigration crisis, was killed just to make Biden look bad and help Trump win the election.

Richard Graham

Sheraden

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