Improving the economy was a major 2024 campaign promise made by Donald Trump and the Republican Party. And since some people – maybe you – don’t trust the media and are skeptical of what it reports, I have a suggestion: be resolved in 2025 to be proactive, ignore the mainstream media and do some old-fashioned data gathering on your own when it comes to determining how the economy is doing.
Turn off the TV and do some leg- and finger-work on your own. You’ll never be a sucker for “alternative facts” if you’ve taken the time to determine what the “real facts” are for yourself.
Some suggestions to get you started. Under the heading of “Direct Effect” economic factors, record the prices of the following as we enter the new year: loaf of bread, gallon of milk, dozen eggs, pound of bacon, gallon of gasoline, 15-year mortgage rate, 30-year mortgage rate, average home price, average rental price and minimum wage.
Under the heading of “Indirect Affect,” record the inflation rate, unemployment level, new jobs created the last six months and national debt.
Lastly there are the variable “Indicator Effect” items: Dow Jones, NasDAQ and S&P 500, document these also.
Consult Mr. Google when necessary. Write everything down and/or save the data on your fancy iPhone. Note your sources with dates, save receipts, take pictures, etc. just like professionals on “CSI” do.
And then, on July 4, crack open a beer, do it again and compare numbers to see what’s happened thus far under the MAGA regime. Invite the neighbors and have a social event: call it a “Fact Function.” With no need for the TV pundits, you have the “real facts” and can honestly say that you are not a “low information citizen.” Happy New Year!
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
