PA’s Growing Latino Community Demands Policy Solutions
If President Biden thought that he would get a warm welcome in his birth state of Pennsylvania last month, he was sorely mistaken. Struggling Pennsylvanians lined the streets as he drove through Pittsburgh, voicing what Americans around the country are feeling: Bidenomics doesn’t work.
A recent poll confirms this, with findings showing that Pennsylvanian voters – including members of Pennsylvania’s growing Latino community – are not happy with how Biden is handling the economy.
The president would have us believe that he inherited a mess and is doing his best to right the ship, but his administration’s three-year, $5.5 trillion spending spree has helped push consumer prices higher. This inflation, combined with elevated interest rates, has made it nearly impossible for many families to achieve the American Dream.
Nationally, the average median household income for Hispanic families is nearly $20,000 lower than for white families. When you live on less to begin with, inflation hits harded. Due to inflation Pennsylvanians must spend an additional $10,000 a year to maintain the standard of living they had in 2021.
I’ve talked with struggling families. Clarissa Bell, a Lancaster native, says that inflation outpaces her income, and that a simple trip to get gas or groceries takes a financial and mental toll. “I can’t imagine having to tighten our belts for another four years of this disastrous economy,” she says.
Bell is not alone. Americans now spend an average of 20.7% more on groceries, or an additional $223 monthly for a family of four in the mid-range of food spending, than they did in January 2021.
Yet I also hear hope in Bell’s voice, and in the voices of other Pennsylvanians. They know that change is possible. By working together, we can get the economic train back on track.
Here is how we do it.
First, with an estimated 50% of the nation’s Latino community engaged in independent work, the Biden administration needs to stop its war on entrepreneurs. The Department of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board have written rules to limit or eliminate the gig economy, freelancing, independent contracting, self-employment, and alternate work arrangements that many Americans have built careers around and that have benefited whole industries.
The livelihoods of millions of Americans are at risk because of this deliberate strategy, and the Biden administration, or its successor, needs to reverse these rules.
Second, we need an inclusive energy policy. Pennsylvania’s natural resources and work ethic helped build America into an energy powerhouse. But the Biden administration’s restrictive policies have sent prices for home heating oil up 44%, gasoline up 33%, electricity up 29%, and natural gas 27%. Congress must embrace an all-of-the-above energy policy and reverse Biden’s policies that penalize reliable oil and gas production.
Finally, it’s time to rein in the deficit spending that has driven consumer prices to historic highs. Much of the Biden administration’s spending is unnecessary – and worse, it picks winners and losers in our economy.
We should instead be focused on creating conditions to unleash the power of the market and maximize economic freedom.
Elected officials from both sides of the aisle would do well to listen to the voices of Pennsylvania’s growing Latino community. They know that the American Dream is real, and that the United States is a place of tremendous opportunity when policymakers work together to empower individuals and unleash the entrepreneurial work ethic that made this country great.
Candidates who ignore these realities will not only hurt their party at the polls but also hurt American families.
