Now that we’ve had 120 days of the Biden administration, we can look and see what he’s done and ask ourselves the most important question: Are we better off now than we were before?
I would contend that the answer is “no” on almost every front.
The only area where we are better off is with Covid, but that is due almost 100% to Trump’s creation of and support for Operation Warpspeed, which developed the vaccines in record time.
Trump’s administration, as reported by me a couple of months ago, even did a lot of the groundwork to prepare for the distribution of the vaccine, so even though Biden tries to take credit for that part and studiously denies any gratitude to Trump for developing the vaccines, the fact is that any progress we’ve made against the vaccine has primarily come from what occurred under the previous administration, not this one.
And, it has been clearly shown that Democratic-led states who imposed the harshest restrictions fared no better than Republican-led states with looser policies. In fact, they were often worse off.
So, the Democrats have either failed at managing the pandemic well or are unable to take any credit for the strides of the recent months, in spite of what their lackeys in the press may say (by the way, does it bother you, Democrats, that the only way your guys can look good is by having the press cover for them?).
In every other area of public life, we are in fact worse off than before. Crime is up, especially in big cities. Some may say, “Hey, crime started going up under Trump.” That would be true, but it went up in cities led by Democrats who began defunding the cops or at least withdrawing both moral and legal support for their police forces. Trump actually tried to help with crime, with various DOJ programs aimed at helping local governments deter crime or by offering to send federal troops to quell long-standing violent protests and riots, but often these efforts were rebuffed by Democrat leaders.
So, no, you don’t get to blame that on Trump. The increase in crime is a direct result of bad policies based on a false narrative of systemic racism in our country ginned up by the media in order to both defeat Trump in the 2020 election and tear down our country, which they truly seem to hate.
How about Biden’s other policies? Energy: after summarily halting the Keystone pipeline, Biden has also undercut our domestic energy supply by cancelling leases on oil reserves in the Arctic, while — unbelievably — allowing Russia’s natural gas pipeline to go forward and supply Europe. Not only are our prices rising and our energy independence waning, but we are emboldening one of our biggest global foes with Biden’s misguided energy policies.
We all know of the disaster that is the Biden’s dismantling of the Trump immigration policies, which were reducing illegal immigration with the cooperation of Mexico and other Central American countries. This will result in reduced labor prices in the areas that absorb these folks and increased unemployment for those on the lower rungs of the labor market, not to mention the potential of Covid outbreaks along the border. Way to go, Biden!
What about his economic policies? How are those working out so far? Well, besides putting us further in debt by giving away money that wasn’t needed, the Covid “stimulus” package had the effect of keeping lower income workers home, which has restrained economic growth and driven up prices, which will again most adversely affect the poor.
International relations? Biden inherited the most stable Middle East situation in decades, but proceeded to dismantle the work done by Trump to curtail Iran and increase ties between Israel and various Arab states. His administration re-instituted payments to the Palestinian Authority, which were then used to purchase rockets from Iran for the recent indiscriminate attacks on Israel, while also re-engaging the Iranian mullahs and thereby encouraging their various malign attempts to weaken Sunni Arab states and harm Israel. As a result: our enemies are emboldened and our allies are weakened. Thanks again, Biden!
Perhaps you’re happy with Biden if you’re a radical activist on race or sexuality issues in our country. I wouldn’t blame you for that, but I would argue that his administration’s aggressive support of the BLM agenda/narrative and pro-LGBTQ policies will do more harm than good, increasing the cultural divide in our country and, in the end, harming the very people they claim to be helping. And let’s not forget Biden’s strong support of abortion access, which directly contravenes the principles of the faith he claims to embrace while ensuring an increase in the deaths of the smallest human beings.
But even if you rate these accomplishments as positive, the rest of Biden’s executive orders, policy changes, and legislative initiatives have been abject failures, usually substituting chaos and dysfunction for stability and calm for purely ideological or petty reasons (“whatever Trump is for, I am against”).
Spending trillions of dollars in the effort to re-make American society, stoking cultural divisions, and demonizing his political enemies may make Joe popular among the literati of media, academia, and politics, but one would be very hard pressed to explain how these things actually help our country. As far as I can see, all these actions do is buy votes and energize the increasingly radical Democratic base so that they can eventually make our country a one-party nation. In that effort, I strongly believe he and his ilk will fail, but not before doing unnecessary harm to the poor, our children, and our nation as a whole.
Trey Hoffman
Peachtree City, Ga.
I am so glad Trey sent this letter! It gives me a chance to say what I’ve been thinking about the Biden-Harris administration, too. And it couldn’t be more different than what Trey thinks! I hope he will break his rule about not reading the comments and at least try to familiarize himself with what other educated people think. Here goes …
I so appreciate all that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are doing for the United States of America. Honestly, the day President Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election was the first time I had been able to breathe easy in 4 years! What a joy to have responsible adults in the White House again.
Of course, the first wonderful and amazing accomplishment of Biden-Harris leadership was getting the pandemic under control: 200 million people vaccinated and vaccinations opened up to everyone 16 and over in the first 100 days of their administration! This after an entire year of President Trump downplaying the virus, refusing to wear a mask, lying in promises that the virus would just disappear, and showing no remorse that half a million Americans died on his watch. I am so thankful that the Biden-Harris team takes the pandemic seriously and is working to see COVID-19 eradicated. (Despite what Trey seems to think, what I read was that the Trump team had NO plans for the vaccine roll-out and dumped the problem onto the incoming administration.)
Then there was the COVID Relief bill, passed just 2 months into the administration and bringing hope to so many people who had been devastated financially by the quarantines and lockdowns. We can only hope the next relief and infrastructure bills will be passed to further buoy our country’s morale and physical circumstances, although of course, the GOP is fighting as hard as they can to deny common people any relief and maintain tax breaks for corporations and the ultra-rich. We can see just in this issue whom the GOP serves and whom the Biden-Harris ticket serves.
But it isn’t only COVID-19 relief and eradication where President Biden and Vice President Harris have made great strides. Among their first orders of business was to overturn President Trump’s hateful and shameful “Muslim ban.” Why anyone would pander to the unrealistic fears and mean-spirited prejudices of the most terrified white supremacists over the real lives of Muslim people in need is beyond me, but thank goodness President Biden won’t go along with it.
And despite a surge of unaccompanied minors at the Southern borders, causing a bit of a crisis, President Biden pushed ahead with reuniting parents with children who had been mercilessly torn from their families by President Trump’s evil “zero tolerance” immigration policy. What a blight upon our national honor to be the country tearing families apart and then losing the children in the shuffle!
President Biden has also strengthened the Affordable Care Act, and thank goodness! He got the online exchange reopened and extended the deadline for people who use it to get themselves signed up for healthcare — and also made benefits of the Affordable Care Act available to more people in need.
In addition to these important acts with very measurable benefits for those affected, President Biden also named the most diverse cabinet in U.S. history, which is just a joy to see. He’s showing Americans that all are welcome at this table, and this was something sorely lacking during the Trump administration when the former president did all he could to kowtow to white supremacists and incite racial unrest. President Biden and Vice President Harris are also moving forward on addressing racial inequality, long overdue in this country.
Joe Biden was not my choice for the Democratic nominee, but with Kamala Harris beside him and the hopes and prayers of so many people of different races and economic backgrounds upholding him, I feel like President Biden is doing well. Certainly there is more to be proud of in the USA today than we had at any time in the 4 years previous. President Trump drove this nation completely off the rails, and President Biden will probably have time to do no more than get the train back on the track and headed in the right direction during his term, but he is doing this now, and I am grateful.
So if Trey is right and the onus is on the Democrats, I feel like they are doing their part. It’s the obstructionist Republicans and Mitch McConnel’s normalizing use of the filibuster that is holding the Dems back from doing even more to make American great again and help bolster the future for ordinary people and for a racially just and equitable society. It’s my prayer the Trump-worshiping GOP has a change of heart and chooses to do what is right for all Americans rather than bow to their evil idol.
YES! Even I can spell that correctly…YES! YES! YES!
Thank you, VJax.
Oh, what a new day!
There seems to be a basic disconnect here.
How do we judge if “we are better off now than we were before”
(with Trump) than we are now, under the Biden-Harris Administration What criteria do we use?
Mr. Hoffman has made it clear that he values a safe, secure, comfortable existence; for himself and those like himself. Fair
enough.
However others, including myself, are not content with this. We feel ALL people should share in this good life; and we are willing to sacrifice to make it so.
To put it bluntly, in the words of Jesus, “For what shall it prophet a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?”.
Is an immigration policy that turns away from the needy a success or a shame?
Is cheap gasoline worth the damage done to God’s creation to deliver it?
Are we willing to admit that crime is a complex problem and the solution must include reform of law enforcement and the court system due to systematic racism?
Health Care? Foreign Policy? Equal Rights? I wonder if Mr. Hoffman’s “better off” on all these are judged by how they prophet white straight Christian Americans.
Flakes like me believe the price is too high.
The word is profit.
Everything else you wrote was wrong too.
Thank you, PTCitizen, you are correct.
Spelling is not my strong suit.
I’ll have to hope that anyone reading my musings would be gracious enough to realize my error and understand the meaning.
Apparently you did.
Suz – Don’t let Andrew’s criticisms deter you. Keep your comments coming.
Thank you very much, Stranger.
As I have mentioned before, I enjoy these conversations; and find them thought provoking.
And of course I realize my comments are far from perfect–I DO have problems with spelling and coming up with a correct phrase. It was good of PTC to point it out.
Honestly, I would prefer to hear his opinions rather than his pointless potshots (ditto for Spyglass).
But I’m always glad to see your contributions.
Thanks again.
p.s. please spell-check!
Once again Suz cuts right to the heart of it. While the past administration might have been preferable to older white men who still believe in the patriarchy and are “not racists” while refusing to admit racism even exists, the new administration is broadening the American dream to include more Americans of all races and genders, and more people from abroad who want to be American. It’s refreshing!
And once again PTCitizen is unable to come up with a way to refute by logic (or by sentiment) what Suz is saying and so chooses to try to insult her based on something — anything! — s/he can come up with … and lights on spelling? Get a grip PTCIt. You’re losing your edge.
Trey, what I really miss since changing Commanders-in Chiefs are those profanity laced, late night tweets, the disparaging pronouncements about anyone who begged to differ, losing national status around the world, and of course, the assurance that any deviation from complete acquiescence to authoritarian rule would result in the seditious overthrow of the government. The added bonus of watching evangelical Christians abandon every teaching of Jesus and sell their birthright for a bowl of stew was priceless.
Like you, I pine for the good ole days when morality didn’t matter. Thanks for keeping us informed of what Tucker Carlson told you to believe last night. It sure is easier to unquestionably introject every conservative canard than to rationally consider life’s complexities.
Right on cue…:)
Promises or claims made five (5) years ago …
Build a wall “Mexico will pay for it”
Inside the Beltway “will drain the swamp”
Balance the Budget “fairly quickly”
Grow the economy “over 4% a year”
Eliminate the Deficit “in 8 years”
Obama Care “repeal it and replace it with something beautiful”
On WH Admin “hire only the best people”
Tax Returns “I’ll release them if elected”
US Infrastructure “will become second to none”
While in Office “won’t have time to play golf”
Sexual misconduct “will sue them after I leave office”
Then while in office, over 30,000 false or misleading claims were made. The Liar-in-Chief aside, the Trumplicans are still baffled they lost the House / Senate / Presidency (a biting political hat-trick) while the rest of America is bemused, especially after Jan 6, why they’re still staying the course … with the Biggest Snowflake of All.
Doon – You’re so accurate.
President Biden will never be able to live DOWN to this orange guy’s legacy.
Imagine too, a US President that can name all three branches of the government, find Missouri on a map, knows who the WWI allies were (you know – the good guys), and can easily recall who the 46th President is.
What an extraordinarily high bar!
Stranger, you are right on! The previous administration was a global embarrassment, and every day you had to check the news to see what lies the President told or what new cringe-worthy statements he had made. It’s so wonderful not to have those fears anymore!
I have found my fellow flakes!
Grateful for you all.
This ought to tweak a few flakes.
…a foregone conclusion, yet still entertaining.
Like flies to honey.
I will admit, the letters to the editor are easy picking…