- Thursday, October 31, 2024

Liberals expect us to suspend reality next Tuesday. They want voters to believe that former President Donald Trump will do horrible things during his next four years in office that he did not do in his first four years.

At the same time, they want us to believe that Vice President Kamala Harris will do great things in office over the next four years that she could not get done for almost four years.

Voters are smarter than that. They can see that life was better when Mr. Trump was president, and Ms. Harris does not have a clue.

These are indisputable truths: Prices were lower, the border was more secure and violent crime was less of a concern when Mr. Trump was in office.

My wife, Tonette, and I routinely hear people talking about how high food prices are when we buy groceries at the Sentry near our home in Delafield, Wisconsin. My mother often says the same thing when we take her to Aldi for groceries. It is tough for people like her to live on a fixed income.

Typically, we fill up our Chevrolet Traverse at the Kwik Trip a few minutes from our home. Gasoline prices there and across the state are about $1.25 higher per gallon since Mr. Trump left office. My brother is a manager at a gas station and convenience store chain. He says that more customers are not filling their tanks because it costs too much.

Housing prices in Wisconsin have risen nearly 30% since President Biden and Ms. Harris took office. My son and daughter-in-law recently moved into their first home. Their mortgage payment is nearly $1,000 more per month than it would have been when Mr. Trump was in office.

Securing the border is another major concern for voters in my state. According to a report from two House committees, there have been over 8 million migrant encounters nationwide. On top of that, more than 1.7 million illegal immigrants have evaded the Border Patrol. Many of them are involved in bringing illegal and dangerous drugs into our country.

More than 50,000 pounds of fentanyl have crossed the border since Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris took office. The president publicly announced that she was the point person who would address the causes of illegal immigration. She has failed.

An estimated 111,029 overdose deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2022, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The number surpassed 100,000 again last year. Many of these deaths were directly linked to fentanyl that was brought across our southern border. Nearly all of us know people who have been adversely affected by drug overdoses.

Ms. Harris has had nearly four years to solve this national problem, and she has failed. In fact, she and Mr. Biden made it worse by reversing many of the Trump administration’s border policies.

Public safety is another big issue for voters. Despite claims from the Biden-Harris administration and many in the corporate media, violent crime is up. Data released by the FBI in September showed that violent crime had fallen by 2.1%. The revised data, however, showed an increase of 4.5% last year. Few media outlets reported this incredible shift.

In addition, estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey from the Department of Justice found that the rate of violent offenses was nearly 40% higher in 2023 than in 2020. These offenses include rape, robbery and aggravated assault. No wonder citizens are concerned about public safety, particularly in some of our largest cities. Voters want to be safe and will gravitate to leaders willing to protect them and their families.

We don’t need to guess. An honest review shows that prices were lower, the border was more secure and violent crime was less of a concern when Mr. Trump was president.

In contrast, Ms. Harris was asked on “The View” what she would do differently than Mr. Biden has. Her response: “There is not a thing that comes to mind … and I’ve been a part of most of the decisions that have had impact.”

We know that life was better when Mr. Trump was in the White House. We know that Ms. Harris says she will continue the Biden administration’s failed policies if she becomes president. In the end, we know who will be a better president.

• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.

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