OPINION:
Joe Biden gave a State of Denial address on Tuesday. Our people are strong, but the state of our Union is not. Inflation continues to push up prices for things like fuel, food, and housing to unreachable levels for many Americans. Opioid and drug addiction are rampant as fentanyl, and other drugs flow through the southern border and onto streets across the country. Depression is up after two years of isolation for many driven by closed businesses, shut down schools, and stay-at-home orders.
President Biden’s answer to high prices is particularly troubling as it is likely to have the opposite effect on society. Massive new federal spending, tax increases on employers, more government bureaucracy, and favors to the bosses who want to organize more labor union members will likely lead to even higher prices for consumers and few jobs for those seeking work to make ends meet.
Forty years ago, President Ronald Reagan wisely warned against tax increases in his first State of the Union address. He said, “Raising taxes won’t balance the budget; it will encourage more government spending and less private investment. Raising taxes will slow economic growth, reduce production, and destroy future jobs, making it more difficult for those without jobs to find them and more likely that those who now have jobs could lose them. So, I will not ask you to try to balance the budget on the backs of the American taxpayers.” Just as he was about the Russians, President Reagan was right about “tax and spend liberals” like Joe Biden.
There is a better plan to help America become strong again.
First, rein in federal spending. The national debt is now more than $30 trillion for the first time in history. Even with Democrats in charge of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1980s, President Reagan was able to slow the growth of spending in the federal government. That was a key part of getting inflation under control early in his presidency.
Second, cut government red tape. Excessive bureaucracy has the double burden of slowing economic growth and forcing many businesses to raise prices. In contrast, the Biden Administration is proposing new ideas that will actually grow the government and the costs of compliance.
Third, return to American energy independence. Under President Donald Trump, the U.S. exported more oil than we imported. Now, the trend has gone the other direction.
On the home front, most of us are seeing massive increases at the pump. In recent weeks and months, the average gas price has gone up. This week’s price was $3.60 a gallon—which is up 33% from the average a year ago.
At the same time, the lack of energy independence is playing a role in Ukraine. Earlier this week, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin called for tougher sanctions against Russia. He said it was hypocritical to ask other countries to do ‘what we can do for ourselves’ – and demanded the administration halt the imports, which he noted exceed 500,000 barrels a day of oil and other petroleum products.
It is outrageous that America is still importing oil from Russia. That means the people of our country are effectively financing part of the war against the people of Ukraine. It is time to sanction Putin’s oil and natural gas.
Fourth, we need to protect our borders. Long ago, we debunked the myth that people coming across the border were just looking for employment. The facts show that the border crisis leads to the trafficking of drugs, firearms and people. We are facing historic levels of crossings and must take action now.
It would be nice to have a U.S. president care as much about protecting his borders as the Ukrainian president cares about his. Failing to act is a national problem as drugs and firearms flow into cities all across the country.
Drug overdose deaths have doubled over the past six years—soaring in recent months amid the COVID-19 pandemic and continued rise of fentanyl—and hit historic highs. We surpassed 100,000 annual deaths last year.
Fifth, we must clean up crime on our streets. America needs bail reform, but not the kind many liberals are pushing for with limits on or the elimination of cash bail. Instead, we need higher bail for those who have shown themselves to be a threat to the public. States and local jurisdictions must also end early release of offenders. We need to keep violent criminals behind bars.
The State of the Union is dire. These five action items can get America back on the right track. Instead of being in denial, we need leaders who understand the real challenges we face and have the courage to provide real answers to move the United States forward.
• Scott Walker is the president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin from 2011 to 2019.
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