Tioga Herald

Economy, Inflation, Gasoline, Oh MY!

Washington Week, Oct. 21, 2022

My factual commentary, not an opinion editorial (op-ed).

First of all, this is no way for contacting you – by form. I despise it. Same thing with social media. It’s all about the opinions in short messages. I object. A person whose funeral was celebrated in the past two weeks, reminded us by way of her eulogy, that using technology and phones was so un-human when considering we no longer talk face-to-face. Thumbs thumbs thumbs and not speaking with one another.

Now I have that out of the way, the reason for me contacting you.

On your program last night (Fri., Oct. 21), your analysts proved once again how media concentrates on analyzing opinions, not providing the facts. As on a one-time television program, the police detective said, “just the facts, ma’am, just the fax.” The character of Perry Mason said, “I am not interested in your opinion, only the evidence.” You use opinions as evidence far too much. Those two television series were models for the American public in the 1950s and 1960s, as reading by Americans declined (according to George Will).

Recently, a wonderful actress named Angela Lansbury died. In her series after the time period I describe above, she would often say, “I have a theory, but I need the evidence.”

I ask you wonderful media people, with due respect, why do you constantly analyze the opinions of people and never look for evidence to support such people. Where did the opinions of voters, brought forward last night, derive? From surveys? From just a few voters? Where did those opinions about issues derive?

Recently, in waiting for my car in a detailing shop, I waited some two hours in a bar. I was not drinking, but just needed to get a soda and burger to eat and the establishment was the closest for walking. Just to clarify because I rarely visit bars.

Perhaps I should visit bars more often. Because what I heard spoken by the people (mostly men, but a woman, too) was this. How lousy healthcare in America was, particularly focused on one PRIVATE local healthcare unit. I never heard one thing about the “bail issue in NY.” That “bail issue” lying commercial was prevalent – from the Republicans. Lies in the commercials. Not one word was spoken about any of the other issues for which Republicans in New York are lying so as to gain votes. Hitler’s Goebbels: “tell a lie so many times that it becomes fact.”

Never once do I ever hear the media of any kind speak about what is happening with regard to lies. Just presentation of analysis of the various opinions, even some voters. Just the facts, ma’am. Just the TRUTH, ma’am. And in the process, your remarks do nothing but scare voters away from the polls.

Last night, you had a clip of the debated between Stacey Abrams and Kemp of Georgia. Kemp was quoted as saying (paraphrased) that he made the voting registration process in Georgia an online system easier to use. Beg your pardon? You broadcast that piece of information and later last night, I get a call from a person who recently moved from Florida to Georgia. He described the voter registration, online, as being a nightmare, so he did not do it. There goes one vote from Abrams, whom he likes a great deal.

My bet is that it is now too late for this person to register for the upcoming election in which he favors Stacey Abrams. Every vote counts. So, I suggested he vote absentee in Florida since his address is still in Florida and he would vote for Charlie Crist rather than Ron DeSantis. Every vote counts.

Instead, this person reminded me of what it was like to vote absentee in Florida. He lived at a residence far from where he was attending college. It was a nightmare. I recall when I turned 18 in upstate NY, living at college but my primary residence being my home some four hours from college, doing absentee ballots then and finding it to be far less complex than what Florida made it, for the sake of the Republicans. More Democrats in the state of Florida, yet somehow the Republicans win and have a one-party state there.

Where is the historical evidence when discussing inflation and gas prices? There were many times of inflation in my life. We never pointed at the government.

Gas prices today are equal to about what they where 50 years ago (1973) during the time of the oil embargo. Historical economics evidence speaks mountains. First of all, if people would read newspapers, an op-ed columnist wrote about how, on the basis of inflation over the LONG TERM, the prices of gasoline today are lower than in the early 1950s when there was a gas increase and LOWER THAN the prices during the oil embargo, WHEN ADJUSTED FOR LONG-TERM INFLATION. Look at the salaries of the big oil conglomerate oligarchs today, compared to those earlier years? Did you do that? No. I know that oligarchic salaries since the 1970s have increased 1000% or more today. Even the salaries of workers paying for the gasoline are higher and give them a higher earnings level than those during the oil embargo (but not as much as 1000%).

The SAME PEOPLE who gave us the oil embargo are the problem today. Trump and big oil of Texas LOVE the Saudis. Trump and big oil LOVE Putin and the Russians. Putin is a by-product of those years during the oil embargo.

Did this historical evidence ever get revealed last night? Not once did I hear such examples. Instead, we heard the presentation of opinions on the side of “what the voters are saying.” Does it ever behoove media to present historical evidence which might show these voters being mesmerized by the very people who are the cause of the problem – Trump and his cronies, big oil, and the remnants of OPEC? What is presented is stupid people too easily mesmerized by lies who are snotty brats moaning and groaning like a bunch of spoiled brats.

I say this because in the years of the oil embargo and high gasoline, we came together more often to do something. We did NOT point fingers at a president or the government, due to the oil problem. We did not look at handouts from a government. How many times did I take my 4-hour trip to college in the cars of other parents other than my own? Car pooling on our own, not done by a government. How many times, when I purchased my OWN car, did I share rides with other college students (four of us to be exact) on the 4-hour drive to college and back? I saved those parents the gas money for each of four potential car loads of students. My parents never paid me for the gas. I would sometimes receive some cash from some of the riders, but I never insisted on it.

There were others who did the same thing. Voluntary car pooling. No one FORCED us to do it. Some did the car pooling from Long Island to the college, typically a six to eight hour trip. Some rode the bus.

We used different modes of transportation Only after a few years did some local governments set up car pooling options for the residents. AFTER the years we car pooled. Had electric or hybrid cars been available, we would have rejoiced. Big oil is trying to sabotage that and captures the stupid imaginations of too many stupid people.

The other thing about last night’s broadcast. Never mentioning the accomplishments of President Biden and the Democrats, except to brush them off with no analysis of WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. Unemployment is down and has been reduced since President Biden took office. That should shoot holes into the lies of Oz in Pennsylvania, based on big oil, when discussing a Keystone project. “Loss of jobs.” OH? And what about the increase in jobs in the economy which has caused a lowering of unemployment? In other words, it’s lousy to lower unemployment but boy is it lousy that there is a lack of jobs due to – Keystone – offshore drilling in Florida, etc., etc. etc.

And then to hear some dwell on the reason to be against electric vehicles is the unfunded mandates for putting such vehicles in public transit. I have seen Republicans do unfunded mandates MANY, MANY, MANY times – to the detriment of public education. Don’t notice these people who are whiners complaining about those unfunded mandates which cause the taxes for public education to increase.

As for inflation, those of us who lived through inflationary periods have a great deal to teach, but are being shut down by the listeners of false information – from Fox News. how many times have I tried to take the opportunity to TEACH (my career was teaching) and other on the “red” side of the coin simply talk over me and not allow me to say one thing? My only way to say anything is writing, as in this example. But the media makes it more difficult to get published, with short snippy little tweets full of emotions and opinions, not the facts.

And who reads newspapers, right? Those of us who don’t like what I describe here which happened in last night’s Washington Week. The rest of the snotty young spoiled brats don’t read newspapers. Yet, in the newspapers of LOCAL INFORMATION and so forth, we have read information explaining how to overcome inflation. Instead, the Republican jerks of America rely on the fact that people don’t read such information and wisdom of age and inspire these brats against the government of Joe Biden and the Democrats. People who are NOT PERFECT, but have a record of doing some good things to counter what has been happening. The good things apparently are being BURIED by the strategies of lies and emotions emanating from a Republican Party leadership. Thus, these bastards LOVE it that we don’t come together as a nation and figure out how we can all deal with the inflation. They just expect someone to fix it.

When I was recently in a grocery store and looking for short ribs for a recipe I came across, the prices of short ribs exceeded $10 per pound. WOW! I was not going to pay that price. Sometimes, due to the cost, the stores just did not stock that meat.

When speaking with a human being called a butcher (at the store), it was suggested to me there is a less expensive cut of beef I could consider using to replace the short ribs. It was still on the expensive side, but it was worth considering. My thanks to human beings like that on the supply side who can help those of us on the demand side of a capitalist market, during these days of turmoil.

Yes, these examples are from the Middle Class. Yes, there is some suffering in the Middle Class. But so far, it has been Republicans who have worked to decrease the opportunities for people to live in the Middle Class, hoping to have “trickle-down economics” to all who become slaves and more impoverished. It has already been happening. Jack Walsh of GE, an anti-LGBTQ bigot, destroying the pensions of employees, leaving them with higher risk individual retirement accounts, while he and others have been corrupt and unethical in taking all the money for their bonuses and the 1000% increase they have gained since the 1970s. Many other CEOs, in particular big oil and the Koch brothers, have worked for the same results. Hording money at the top and denying it, but in a trickle, to the bottom, while private business and privatization have increased the costs for us in the Middle Class.

Did your media folks even delve into this issue? Not. Once again. Analyzing opinions only.

Mortgage rates. 3% in the 1950s when our parents purchased homes. 12% and 13% when we attempted to purchase a home in the 1980s. This was done under the REPUBLICANS who had PROMISED to reduce the interest rates. In 1982, under Reagan, 12%. In 1988 under George H.W. Bush, about 10 or 11% – still double figures.

Promises, promises, promises so as to only blame Democrats and unseat Democrats by not fulfilling the promises they likely COULD NOT fulfill. Those Republicans only delivered for FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS, not those who had already owned a home. Historical evidence, once again. Those of us who had already purchased homes at the high rates did not see relief into the single digits until Democrat, Bill Clinton. Meanwhile, Reagan and the Republicans had won over the YOUNGER Baby Boomers who were the first-time home buyers. It was such people and younger who are the mean-spirited and vicious ones defending Republicans today, with their bratty spoiled attitudes, especially when things don’t go their way. They own huge acreage and more than what i can afford on a teacher’s salary and still wish to ask for more. Just like Ebeneezer Scrooge and the LOVE OF MONEY and MATERIALISM, before human beings.

Today, the fault with high housing prices and a possible head to high interest rates has been caused by Republican bank buddies, flipping of homes and corruption in selling new homes in new developments (particularly in Florida, as written by investigative LOCAL NEWS reporters, backed by librarians doing research, in the early 2000s). All of this opened the doors for corporate slum lords to move in to purchase homes and FORCE the people of Florida to rent rather than the “American dream” of house ownership for the LONG TERM. (And Suze Oman validates this with “the new American dream,” so as to make young folk feel better about all of this, rather than rid us of the thieves of business who are doing this – robber barons. What a joke).

And then there is the complaint by some regarding how President Biden is following precedence with the Chinese and taxes. Such spoiled brats are irritating and obnoxious because they ignore the ideas of the use of infrastructure development to light a fire under development of the U.S. semi-conductor industry. Why would he do such a thing? Because the semi-conductor industry is based in Taiwan, China realizes this, and intends to take over the nation. You think the tax situation with China is bad? Think about what would happen should all semi-conductors be made by THE COMMUNIST CHINESE. Better yet, think about coming to the defense of Taiwan and what that would entail. Give up our rights in America for the sake of averting war? Go to hell.

Again. Why did your media folk not go into what I have mentioned? Why do you not interject the facts and just concentrate on analyzing opinions? WHY? Unless this is changed, it will be the downfall of American democracy. Makes me wonder who is TRULY paying for the media in America today.

“Purple mountain majesty…” America the Beautiful. It does not read, “red mountain majesty…” It does not read, “blue mountain majesty…” It reads PURPLE, a combination of red and blue. How appropriate. How interesting that this portrays a beautiful America, a nation which SHOULD be working together for the betterment of this beautiful land, not scoffing and scarring those who are trying to do so. Working against one another, rather than blasting one another with guns, ammunition and “the bombs bursting in air…”

It is said that the most popular song played by the U.S. Marine Corps band is NOT the “Star Spangled Banner,” but “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Not “stars and bars,” which is the symbol of a certain battle flag. I suppose we can see that the later one is a verse with words that rhyme. Rhyme has nothing to do with the words we use, in this case, because the only rhyme or harmony, in this example, is inclusive only to white supremacists.

Let us work together for beating inflation and gasoline prices, not argue for one side or the other. Such ways are an abomination against democracy, supported by Satan and the Evil Spirit.