Are you better off than 4 years ago?

Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-SC) asked if you are better off economically better now than 2 years ago. A fair question for politics and life in general. Let's look at the numbers.

Gas prices are up. And they are now going to continue to increase due the increasing problems in the Middle East. Natural Gas prices are starting to rise. This is the chief fuel for heating and power generation.

Food prices are up. Don't believe me? Grab a receipt from last year and compare it to this year. And they will continue to go up due to gas prices. And farmers are suffering and watching their crop rot in the fields. (Can't get workers due to immigration crackdown)

Those wonderful tax cuts? A majority of them went to executive pay and stock buybacks. Simply put, your CEO got a pay raise and the company bought the stock to artificially raise the price (which gave your CEO an even higher pay raise). A lot people did not get a tax break or a pay raise. And over the next two years, expect your taxes to go back up, unless you are an one percenter or a company.

Prices for cars and electronics are rising due to the tariffs. And more are on the way. After the first of the year car prices are going up by 2000-3000 (Ford has already lost $1 billion and will be laying off a lot of people. ).

Because of the end of Net Neutrality, expect your internet access to increase in price. That means your streaming service will need to raise prices to get to the top of the heap. Social Media will now be selling more commercials.

Now all these price increases have a name.

Inflation.

And with that, the fed is raising the interest rates. That means credit card rates, mortgages, lines of credit, car loans, and general loans will start going up. The market will start (and has started) to drop because of it. And when it does, there goes your 401k.

The budget deficit is increasing at an alarming rate. When this happen, the value of the currency declines. Don't believe me on this one? Look at the economies of South America for the last 30 years. With that devalued currency, look for the increased prices in imports. And it is already happening.

So Senator Tillis, in response to your question, no we are not better off than we were two years ago. We are worse and are head down a economic hole. I will be voting against your party. You have proven that you party does not care.

November 6 is Election Day. Make the time to vote.