From William Weir...Author, Journalist, Minister

Briefly. Gas prices got as low as $1.87 in February 2016 under Obama, holding steady around $2.30 until Trump took office. From there they rose steadily until October 2018, reaching a peak of almost $3.00. As the economy continued to flounder under Trump (2018 saw the worst year for the stock market since the 2008 housing crisis; the Fed lowered interest rates in 2019 for the first time since Bush was President to try to prevent a recession), prices fell slightly, holding around $2.65 until the p******c.

Once Trump mishandled the p******c and the country began shutting down, demand for fuel dropped and prices fell, reaching $1.93 in April 2020—almost as low as a year before Trump took office. Trump then stated that low gas prices (during a financial crisis) was bad for America. He pushed OPEC into a two year deal to slash production to drive up prices. (This is probably the only thing in his failed Presidency that he successfully accomplished.) Gas prices began to rise immediately and continued to rise until Biden took office.

Once Biden reopened the country, people started driving normally again and the global oil shortage Trump created drove prices up even faster. Prices continued to climb until Trump’s OPEC deal ended in May 2022, peaking at just over $5.00 in June. Then normal production resumed and prices began to fall again. Currently prices are hovering around $3.00 a gallon, about where they were at the end of 2018—the last time the economy was considered reasonably stable under Trump.

So long story short, Trump’s failed economy did lead to gas prices dipping before reaching a record high because of his OPEC deal, but thanks in part to record high domestic oil production under Biden, gas prices are back in line with where they were before the “Trump Slump” despite global inflation driving prices up on almost everything else.

So let’s adjust the numbers for global inflation. The $2.30 under Obama in 2016 would be $2.97 in today’s dollars. That $3.00 under Trump in 2018 would be $3.71 in today’s dollars. The $2.65 we averaged in 2019 would be $3.22 in today’s dollars. So adjusting for inflation, gas prices now under Biden are lower than they were before the p******c under Trump, and only slightly higher than they were in the final year of Obama’s Presidency.

I went to college with state grants, PELL grants, work-study, and any other grant or scholarship I could find.

Once my business was established I paid more in taxes in a single quarter than all the grants and aid provided by the government. Do I feel the government bought me, nope. And say we go "FULL C****E" and have healthcare and make all state schools free up through the first two years of college or trade school free for the participant but paid for by taxes? Why is that a horror?

As for being dependent on the government using government benefits during times of need isn't dependency. Rush Limbaugh once went on unemployment. He managed to navigate his government dependence quite well. My first business loan was backed by the government and I came out just fine. Wh**ever horrors about government dependency you may have, exists in your mind and no place else. And do people become dependent on the government? Sure. But there are far more people who benefit from the government than become dependent. Plus, didn't you cons fix welfare dependency during the 90's? No more freeloaders? So what's the problem???

Unfortunately they have both passed away, my dad in 2020 and mom in 2018 while I was in Germany.(Believe me I wish they were here to talk with about this time) So far my professors here at USA(South AL) have made very little political commentary in either lectures or social media. As for my parents opinion of Mr Trump or Mr GW Bush it was not that favorable from what I remember. They were both BlueDog liberals supporting Mr. Clinton both terms. I also remember they also v**ed for Mr.Obama. I do remember Dad did write regularly that he thought Sec Clinton would have been the better choice in 2016. He also did say that the economic policies of the Trump admin were not all that bad. He also did not dispute the validity of Pres Obamas birth place. He did also agree mistakes were definitely made in the retreat from Afghanistan(one of his last discussions with me before his passing) So I don't know what he would think of the past 4yrs. I think he would be very worried about how things would turn out in this e******n. I also miss them being here especially dad. who I think would give our twins who will be 18 in 8days good advice. On how to research all the info they can in regards to their first journey into p**********l e******n mania. We have supported our girls as much as parents should. We have never told them who to v**e for but become aware of all the issues good and bad facing them and all of us.