Local races are equally important

To The Eagle:

Seems we are already in the presidential battle for 2024. Keep in mind, local and state candidates and policies are equally important. You only need to look at southern red states, to see the will to ban books, halt free speech, stop personal freedoms and persecute anyone different from themselves.

As for president, the difference is glaring. Used to be I could vote for best qualified, as with McCain, Kasich and others. Not sure what the Republicans stand for these days, not law and order, childcare, health care, personal freedoms, voter rights, workers, minorities, or most of the things everyday people look for.

We are producing record oil, yet prices are still high at the pump. The last record output was 12.3 million barrels per day in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. (Big Oil more than doubled its profits in 2022 to $219 billion.) Inflation is close to where we need it. Not all of us, but Americans’ growing paychecks surpassed inflation for the first time in two years. Some folks, like fishermen in Bristol Bay, got the very short end! Jobs are plentiful; Congress has no intention of fixing the immigration system.

More tax cuts for the rich? That simply puts the burden on those down the ladder. “Trickle down” is a bad joke unless you own stocks.

Much of this will be felt over the coming years. Lowering the cost of drugs. Rebuilding our infrastructure. Taken over 100 actions to lower household energy costs by $100. CHIPS and Science Act will lower costs, create jobs, strengthen supply chains, and counter China.

Poul Toftemark

Rosburg