Deja Vu All Over Again Part 4: Democrat Inflation and the Compounded Damage of Politically Generated Economic Stupidity

Over the past three years we have had excessive runaway inflation in our economy. The political explanations for this phenomenon have been farcical, if not frightening. Over the past three years, my students have asked me on numerous occasions to explain what is happening in our economy to cause inflation. To this, I have always defined Inflation as is a sustained increase in the overall price levels of consumer goods and services. In other words, an item that used to cost $1 now costs $1.50 or has increased in cost by 50%.

It is simple. In an inflationary environment, consumers, families, and businesses must pay more to purchase the same items. Where does this money come from? Consumers have limited options that include cutting back on their purchases, buying these same items using credit cards and having to pay back that amount with interest over a longer period, cashing in savings to help pay for these items and/or not buying the item and doing without. Businesses must now cope with raw material cost increases, higher transportation costs, higher insurance costs, higher taxes at all levels of government, and more useless and hurtful government interference during a period of inflation. Consequently, this situation leads business to either increase the costs of the product, good or service that is sold. Of course, it is important to realize that based on our somewhat free market economy, businesses need to make a profit to remain open. How can they stay in business if they do not? Can any elected official explain this to us? Can business stay open only if government says it's okay to stay in business via Taxpayer funded subsidies and or political contributions to elected officials’ campaigns? Look at the contraction in businesses in Connecticut since the illegal shutdowns implemented by the Lamont administration during the Covid-19 debacle.

To get to the roots of inflation, we unfortunately must start at the top. The Democrat Biden Administration has engineered a massive overhaul of the works and functions of our economy since it took office in 2021. The voodoo policy of “Bidenomics” has tortured the economy with disastrous results, including runaway inflation. From a pure economics view, many of the policies it embarked upon defy economics (if not gravity), and are economically incoherent to anyone with the least sense of logic or reason. Examples include an open border with Mexico that has led to Taxpayers paying for illegal migrants coming in from other countries for their clothing shelter, food, transportation, and medical care, among other things. This policy has placed an exceptionally high burden on Florida, Texas and their border communities while increasing numbers of illegals flee to Democrat run cities like Chicago and New York City thereby causing massive social and economic problems such as crime, murder, illegal drug trafficking, human trafficking, a housing shortage and much more in these places. The economic costs of all the social welfare programs to pay for these multi-millions of people here illegally are estimated at $42 billion dollars a year. In my opinion, these costs are underestimated since we have no idea how much the "gotaways" or those illegal immigrants who cannot be found are costing the economy. My economic guess is that Taxpayers are paying roughly $60 billion dollars a year at a minimum for this economic nightmare of the Democrat Biden administration. (https://budget.house.gov/imo/media/doc/the_cost_of_illegal_immigration_to_taxpayers.pdf). This extra $42 to $60 billion dollars is a massive drain on our economy. Illegal immigration is a massive drain on housing costs in cities, medical care, social welfare services and our public education system. It is now common for legal Taxpaying American citizens to be ignored while illegal immigrants are getting a blank check and free hand in their "needs". With an increase in consumption and a decrease and supply and production, inflation soon follows.

Of course, the Democrat-led economically clueless Connecticut State Legislature (and its presiding Paterfamilias, King Ned Lamont the Unaccountable) are not to be undone in continually throwing good taxpayer money after bad, with such disasters always leading to increases in taxes, fees, useless and painful regulations, and the ceremonial hiring of politically connected cronies. As a case in point, I was saddened this week by the closing of a Bob’s Furniture Warehouse in Meriden, CT (https://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/financial-issues-threaten-154-jobs-at-bobs-stores-eastern-mountain-sports-warehouse-in). However, in 2018, I had written a blog (https:/swickspeak.blogspot.com/2018/02/connecticuts-department-of-economic-and.html) about the serial handover of taxpayer dollars to this same organization through the oxymoronic Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, a Cracker Jack box of favors for the politically connected. But to the inflation matter at hand, wasted money and increased expenses invariably lead to tax increases, which lead to greater inflation. Even so, no one in our legislature ever makes a proposal of either gutting or abolishing this tax-consuming and grossly incompetent organization as more taxpayer-financed debacles soon to follow.

Are you interested in learning about more money-burning follies? Green energy and the hysteria and paralysis against the use of fossil fuels have led to massive increases in our energy costs in our economy. Why is fossil fuel bad? Can this be explained? Why is there a massive regression racing to an unsustainable green energy plan with undesired electric vehicles due to their cost and lack of range one can drive on a battery charge? Our economy cannot magically retool our driving capabilities for electric vehicles without serious issues in finding raw materials to manufacture their car batteries, deal with their flammability, and managing an electrical grid incapable of keeping up with the demand for electricity with these vehicles being forced into the economy. No amount of Taxpayer funded subsidies will create this Utopian clean energy concept that seems to be the Job No. 1 concern of Socialist/Democrat acolytes.

In addition, there will be long term damage to our environment with the constant demand of large wind turbines that upset our oceans and seas and murder sea mammals. Much more, our country could dramatically reduce energy prices with the reopening of the Keystone Pipeline, more natural gas use and the use of safe nuclear and hydrogen power options. Instead, the political system races to the disaster of a new stone age due to these incoherent policies.

In addition, higher energy costs contribute dramatically to higher food costs. My good friend Tony De Angelo stated on his segment on 5/21/24 on the Lee Elci Show 94.9 correctly that higher transportation prices have led to much higher food prices. He is correct in his cause-and-effect analysis of these increases which are causing massive issues for families trying to feed themselves. Still, the entire political system turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to the simplest and most practical inflation-fighting tool, being the cost of cheap fuel.

If you observe, you will see that the size of some products has gone down, and the prices have increased. The new term made up by woke economists "shrinkflation" blames businesses for this new type of inflation. Sadly, businesses must remain competitive, therefore they have to cut costs. These same businesses are also being hammered by green energy zealots to make all packaging eco-friendly, non-polluting, and recyclable at all costs. This mantra and mandate have increased costs for all food products and in some cases has shrunk the size of the product being sold to meet this unrealistic and fantastic goal of green energy. Instead, Democrats choose to blame grocers for "excessive profits" and "greed". However, these Democrats should be continually reminded that their political system, fundraising activities and promotions are the genuine source of "excessive profits" and "greed" since that money is taken out the economy and placed in nonproductive and programmed uselessness doing little to benefit the economy except for the ruling political class of both the Democrat and Republican parties. Connecticut is an excellent example of this buffoonery in its politically elite system.

America has declined economically and socially since the irrational Democrat Biden administration has taken office, aided by the ineptitude, recklessness, and cluelessness of states such as King Ned Lamont The Unaccountable’s Connecticut. Our country has seen a massive rise in the blatant discrimination of Jewish people, conflicts with the axis of evil, Iran, China and Russia, a damaging open border policy, a fanatical and economically irrational green energy plan, campus unrest and violence, a fixation on proper nonsensical “woke” terms meant to divide and cause hate and derision, and the serious, far reaching impacts of insane government policies by a pathetic and corrupt Democrat President hell bent on destroying our economy through runaway inflation. Legal Americans should not be forced to forage for food like animals, be dictated to by a political system leading from behind without common sense and to be subjected to crime, rape, and murders thanks to an unconstitutional open border policy.

Inflation is a major problem that has turned into a political game of cat and mouse with the losers being the American Taxpayers who must just grin and bear this incomprehensible destruction of economic freedoms and our country as we once knew it. Inflation can be stopped but not by our current elected government and state government and the collective disrespect and hatred they hold for America.

Free Israel. Free Jewish Students and Professors. Free Jewish Students from Campuses Where They Are Being Persecuted.

Free Israel. Free Jewish Students and Professors. Keep them from harm and abuse in colleges such as Columbia, USC, and Yale. I really cannot believe we are having this discussion in our society today. But with our economy, lives and society turned upside down by Joe Biden and his liberal socialist/communist Democrat Party along with complicit state governments run by incoherent and delusional haters of our country, the hatred of Israel and people of Jewish faith should be no surprise.

I and many others have had enough of the anti-Israel and Pro-Hamas demonstrations we have seen on our college campuses and through the illegal protesting at airports, highways and other public places in our country and world. I and many others have simply had enough of the surreptitious posture of feckless leaders like Connecticut’s King Gov. Ned Lamont the Unaccountable making statements about the Yale protests such as “I think broadly speaking (the anti-Israel protests) been a peaceful demonstration over a cause people believe in,” https://ctexaminer.com/2024/04/23/rise-in-antisemitic-incidents-spark-fear-security-concerns-in-connecticut/. I and many others have had enough of cowardly legislatures such as Connecticut’s not cutting off state funding to schools like Yale until such time as the abuses cease. I and many others have had enough of the silence of elected officials overall, especially Jewish Democrats in not condemning the terrorist actions of Hamas and the murdering in cold blood of over 1,200 Jewish people on October 7, 2023. I and many others want to know why our work, travel and education must be violated by these protestors. I and many others wonder why we must endure their incoherent psychobabble nightly on television and wonder why these attention-seeking spoiled brats are not summarily arrested, or at least summarily ignored by now. Many Taxpayers are sickened that their hard-earned tax dollars have been sent in all sorts of financial benefits to many of these same Universities where it seems like these protests are nurtured and encouraged.

Yale, Columbia, USC, and New York Universities come to mind as being models for anti-Jew and anti-Semitic conduct by observing what is taking place on their campuses. Universities where learning obviously no longer has a place for the students and professors of the Jewish faith who attend and teach there. Racism and bigotry reign supreme for these woke, liberal cesspools of supposed learning and diversity that Taxpayers help to fund.

As an educator, my view of the targeting of Jewish people is ironic, if not dastardly. The Jewish people have always prized the gift and virtue of education as one of their highest priorities. This thirst for knowledge reaches back to Biblical times. Boys aspiring to become rabbis had to memorize the first five books of the Old Testament by the time they were thirteen. The Torah reinforces the forty-eight (48) scriptural virtues, many having to do with education. My friend and colleague Tony De Angelo pointed out on the Lee Elci Show that the goal of Senator Joe Lieberman’s mother was to encourage him to be the first Jewish President of the United States. So, it would seem perversely apropos that the most devastating attack upon the Jewish people would be against their education. (And it is also a blessing that Joe Lieberman is not alive to see the travesty that is taking place against his people at his beloved Yale University, especially with such tragedy engendered by the modern-day version of his Democratic party).

Moreover, having taught for over 42 years on a college level, I have instructed many students of all different faiths including Jewish students. In my own observation these Jewish students excel in their studies. They try to better themselves through education. They have a true respect and tradition with many colleges and universities throughout the world. Why is it socially acceptable now to strip them of this achievement? Why is it acceptable to satisfy these protestors who are in the minority in their beliefs and twisted ideologies of terrorism? Where are the leaders of these colleges? They obviously are ill equipped to remain in their highly paid positions of power if they are so blind to what is happening on their campuses. Campuses that are now segregated between Jews and non-Jews. Campuses where Jews are being persecuted regularly. What happened to the rights of all students, of all faiths?

Are we as a people just going to stand back as those did in the 1930's when the Nazi's started rounding people of the Jewish faith to begin the Holocaust? Are we beginning the new Holocaust of 2024 with paid college demonstrators and their love of the Hamas terrorists? The protestors have no issues with the terrorist actions of Hamas and their murdering of over 1200 Jewish people in cold blood. And now, we have now absolutely no decency or respect for the human life especially if one professes the Jewish faith.

It is time for these protests to end. It is time for the Hamas terrorists to be eliminated and jailed for their crimes against humanity. It is time for educational institutions facilitating this abusive and abhorrent behavior to be defunded and starved out. Remember that this situation would not have reached this point of no return if these Hamas terrorists did not murder on October 7, 2023. And are the Hamas terrorists the true government of Palestine? It sure seems like it to many rational law-abiding citizens of the world.

Israel will always defend itself against those who wish would eliminate it and its right to freedom of religion and the right to self-government. Maybe, (just maybe) we could see a daily condemnation of these Hamas terrorists by both sides of our political aisle, followed by a withholding of educational grant funding. Maybe (just maybe) we could see the entire Connecticut legislature pass a unanimous joint resolution condemning this wretched behavior and withholding its state funding until this nightmare ends. If this were to occur, it would be the first time in the past four years that the horrific Biden and Lamont Administrations did something right for both religious freedoms, and the free world.