Dec 19, 2023 4 min read

By Dave Ball

I really dislike doing retrospectives, especially when they concern years that have been driven by nothing but malevolent incompetence. The only redeeming value is that in identifying problems there is always the hope that corrections may be proposed and implemented.

The whole universe of problems is huge, so let’s limit this look to some things that are hot right now; the price of goods and services, the drug problem, immigration, national security and the economy-killing energy policies.That’s ghastly enough.

I almost shudder to ask the typical opening question for a retrospective, but here goes; are we better off now than we were almost three years ago when President Biden took office? I can’t think of any reasonable measure by which the answer would be yes in any area.

Despite Biden’s preposterous claims to the contrary, the prices of essential goods and services have risen anywhere from 20% to 70% without corresponding increases in wages. Food goods, including flour, bread, poultry, ground beef and dairy have risen between 23% and 35%. Heating oil has risen 75%, gasoline 48%, electricity 24% and used vehicles 23%. Average weekly earnings, adjusted for inflation, have dropped 3.9%.

The national debt (now $33 trillion) and deficit (now $1.7 trillion) have exploded, along with interest payments on the debt, which are just under $1 trillion). With all of this, purchasing power is down. Your dollar buys less, but that comes as no surprise to anyone who has gone shopping lately. People are significantly less well off economically.

Not a day goes by when we don’t pick up the newspaper or see on the news that more young people have died from drug overdoses. Since 2022, there have been 4,703 reported fentanyl deaths in Pennsylvania. Where do those drugs come from? Much of the fentanyl comes from China and enters this country from Mexico, along with the heroin across our poorly-guarded southern border.

Most nations have borders and immigration policies to control who enters their countries, and to ensure that visitors leave. The late Henry Kissinger warned that it was a grave mistake for a country to allow in so many people of totally different cultures and religions. It creates pressure groups inside the country, Kissinger said. It creates balkanization.

It has been proposed, and with some merit, that there should be no immigration. The question that follows is, “Can you name one Western country that, on balance, has been improved via our modern immigration regimes?”

We have in this country, right now, 49.5 million immigrants. We have 10 million “got-aways”, undocumented immigrants that are unaccounted for. This is larger than the population of all but 10 of our states. Our customs and border patrol personnel have been ordered to pay more attention to using proper pronouns with undocumented immigrants than arresting and returning them. They have become a uniformed Welcome Wagon. How has Biden’s immigration non-policy improved the United States?

This raises the issue of national security. With millions of undocumented immigrants in this country, how many are terrorists intent on striking our nation? According to recent FBI risk assessments, the probability of a major terrorist attack is high and increasing. Another national failure by the Biden administration where we are certainly not better off.

This nation’s energy position deteriorates daily. The absolutely ludicrous green energy policy designed to destroy the fossil fuel industry has made the United States heavily dependent on our adversaries, is killing jobs and wrecking a once-vibrant economy, all in the name of fabricated climate change. Killing our fossil fuel industry leaves us vulnerable to our enemies. No improvement here.

Is there any hope on the horizon?

A couple of weekends ago, I had some hope restored. On Dec. 1, the Peters Township High School football team played Cocalico High School from Denver, Pa., in the Division 5A state semi-final championship game. These are two big, tough teams and they played a tough game.

Peters won 14 – 9, with a thrilling ending that had to be crushing for the Cocalico players. After the game, one of the Cocalico players came over to the Peters side and said that they were going to say a prayer and that if any of the Peters players would like to join them, they were certainly welcome. The entire team went over and joined the Cocalico players.

It was reported by the Peters players that they thanked God that they were able to compete in a great game and that no one was injured. They prayed that everyone would arrive safely home. Finally, they prayed that the lessons they learned on the football field would guide them in their lives. And then they prayed the Lord’s Prayer.

Yes, there is hope. There is hope because of fine young men and women like these.

Dave Ball is the former chairman of the Washington County Republican Party.