This Christmas, as families across North Carolina feel the pinch of rising prices, a supply-chain crisis and an 8-year high in gas prices, celebrating the holiday season is more difficult than ever. Under Joe Biden’s presidency, Americans are paying the price for Democrats’ inflationary spending and failed policies, making grocery budgets and holiday wish lists even more burdensome for families struggling to make ends meet.
From rising costs for food and household items to skyrocketing energy costs, those hoping to host family members for parties and gift exchanges will struggle with the prices associated with entertainment this year. This is shown by the fact that 78% of Americans say that the surge in prices is forcing them to cut back on buying gifts.
Joe Biden may think that this surge in prices is nothing but a “high-class problem.” But in reality, lower-income Americans who spend roughly a third of their earnings on essentials like food and energy are the ones paying the price. Biden’s inflationary spending has effectively lowered the minimum wage — hardly a high-class problem — as rising prices wipe out any wage gains Americans might be seeing. Biden’s habit of downplaying inflation is not only untruthful; it’s a lie. Frankly, North Carolinians are tired of being gaslit on this issue and so many others.
Making matters worse, everyday goods are not only more expensive than ever, but harder to come by as supply-chain disruptions clear the shelves in grocery stores and retail spaces. Thanks to “record” backlogs, appliances, electronics, housekeeping supplies and home-and-garden items are out-of-stock. Sadly, for many families who may need to rely on the generosity of local food banks over the holidays, they will be hard-pressed to find another option, thanks to shortages that are affecting local food pantries in North Carolina.
Compounding the supply-chain crisis is a backlog at our ports and a shortage of truck drivers, causing delays and further squeezing this unprecedented bottleneck created by Democrats’ policies. At every turn, American families are seeing the magic of the holiday season strained by Biden and the Democrats’ failed agenda.
Families hitting the road to see relatives over the holidays to see relatives will face gas prices that are more than 60% higher than last year, a direct result of Biden’s anti-energy agenda. An 8-year high in gas prices may please radical environmentalists pushing the Green New Deal, but families driving to see their family are the ones that feel the pinch. Clearly, Joe Biden’s failed strategy of begging OPEC to produce more oil is not working, and we know that because North Carolinians are paying the price.
Now, Biden is serving up a final course, but North Carolinians aren’t having any of it. Biden’s Build Back Better agenda will only exacerbate issues as it sets out to raise taxes on up to 30% of middle-class families. Already, North Carolinians cannot afford the exorbitant cost of Biden’s first year in office. The last thing they need is another multi-trillion-dollar spending bill that will hike taxes and make life harder heading into the new year.
Biden’s failed policies are dampening the Christmas spirit and making it harder to spread Christmas cheer throughout the Old North State. North Carolinians will feel like they have to take out a loan to pump their gas, struggle to afford essentials needed to host holiday parties and find gifts, thanks to rising prices and supply shortages.
Next November, voters will not forget how Biden and Democrats made this holiday season harder for their families. The red wave we saw take over local elections this year is coming for Democrats up and down the ballot in North Carolina’s midterm elections.
Michael Whatley is chairman of the NCGOP.
