State Of The Union 2024

[Amskeptic]

* Lowest unemployment rate since WWII (below 4% for nearly two years)

* 14 million new jobs added during Biden admin
(2.9 million jobs were LOST under Trump)

* 800,000 new manufacturing jobs created
(Manufacturing jobs DECREASED by 154,000 under Trump.)

* Inflation down since summer of 2022 — 65% decrease
(Trump kicked off inflation with pandemic spending in 2020.)

* Gas prices down — 5.8% decrease in December 2023

* Average worker’s pay is up (and minimum wage is up in many areas), outpacing inflation during the same time frame — 20.5% wage increase since January 2020

* Health insurance cost is down — $800/year reduction for more than 15 million people

* Price gouging on food, which suppliers falsely blamed on production costs, was stopped — resulting from partnership with bipartisan state Attorneys General

* Drug prices significantly lowered for Medicare, and insulin prices capped for seniors

* Internet costs lowered — for more than 22 million families

* Consumers saved billions from a crackdown on hidden junk fees and bank fees — reduced cost of airline tickets, banking, insurance, and apartment rentals

* Education debt canceled for more people than ever in U.S. history — $132 billion canceled for 3.6 million people
(Trump repeatedly proposed ending student loan forgiveness for public workers.)

* Annual GDP growth was 4.9% for 3rd quarter and 3.3% for 4th quarter
(This is better than GDP growth under Trump before the pandemic.)

* National deficit came down by trillions — $21.6 trillion in 2020 to $17 trillion in 2023
(Trump increased the deficit from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion.)

* Stock market hit record highs
(The market broke records under Trump. But… it did even better under Biden.)

* Home ownership rates for Gen Z are above both millennials and GenX at this point in their lives

* Farm income has risen significantly

* Issued executive orders that protect access to abortion, contraception, and the right to travel across state lines for care
(Trump did more than anyone to overturn Roe v. Wade with his Supreme Court appointments. He refuses to speak against a national abortion ban.)

* More people have health insurance now than ever in U.S. history

* A record number of people got health insurance through the Affordable Care Act in 2024 — more than than 20 million
(Trump relentlessly tried to repeal ACA — and still threatens to do so. He promised a replacement and delivered nothing.)

* Veterans have the biggest benefits increase in 30 years.

* The murder rate, violent crime and property crime rates all continue to decline — following an increase during the pandemic
(The murder rate spiked under Trump, during 2020.)

* Passed the most far-reaching climate legislation in U.S. history

* Major increase in new clean energy jobs — 210,000 jobs

* Huge investment in battery and electric vehicle supply chains — $160 billion

* Stricter limits on soot from industry — will save an estimated $46 billion in net health benefits by 2032

* Exports of liquified natural gas paused in 2024, heeding the call of climate activists

* Methane pollution from oil and gas companies was cut a measly 3% but in the right direction

* More acres of public land were preserved than under any president since Kennedy — more than 21 million acres
(The Brookings Institute cites 74 significant actions by the Trump administration to weaken environmental protection in favor of the fossil fuel industry.)

* Passed the biggest infrastructure bill since Eisenhower, fixing roads, bridges, public transit — 33,000 projects across the U.S.
(Trump promised a trillion-dollar infrastructure upgrade and failed to deliver any infrastructure legislation or improvements over four years.)

* Signed first major bipartisan gun violence legislation in 30 years
(Trump gutted restrictions on gun access for people proven to be dangerous; he even stopped efforts to promote child safety devices in gun stores.)

* Established the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention

* Strengthened our NATO Alliance and restored respect for the United States on the world stage
(Trump stated that he wants to withdraw from NATO. He loudly praises Vladimir Putin, Viktor Orban, and other dictators around the world.)

* Supported Ukraine against Russian invasion
(Trump will not commit to continued support for Ukraine.)

* Fixed massive blocks in the supply chain, pressing rail companies and ocean shippers

* Made vaccines available to everyone, lowering the Covid casualty rate
(Trump delayed his response to COVID, denying the severity of the pandemic while Americans died.)

* Appointed a record number of Black, Hispanic and AANHPI judges and the first black woman to the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

* Supported United Auto Workers Strike, joining workers on the picket line

* Strengthened the National Labor Relations Board, to create a fairer playing field for unionization
(Trump cut federal workplace safety inspectors to their lowest level in OSHA history, opposed any increase in the federal minimum wage, stacked the NLRB with union-busting lawyers, and was — according to the AFL-CIO “catastrophic for workers.”)

* Countered hate crimes, antisemitism and Islamaphobia with the first-ever national anti-racist strategy

* Invested in historically black colleges — $7 billion
(Trump praised the “good people” who marched in the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.)

* Filled the civil service with skilled non-partisan experts — about 4000 positions

* Rescinded Trump’s executive order that made it possible to fire non-partisan civil servants and replace them with partisan loyalists
(Trump wants to revive an executive order that would allow him to infiltrate the civil service with his supporters.)

Biden is a smart, ethical, generous, patriotic American who has dedicated his life to serving his country.

(Trump is the most corrupt and unpatriotic politician in American history. He praised and incited the Jan. 6 insurrection against his own country. He was found guilty of sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll. He was found guilty of financial fraud in New York State. He stole top-secret papers, lied to the FBI about it, and gave away national secrets. His businesses and his family members accepted millions from foreign governments while he was in office.)

Colin

[hippiewannabe]

How can the national debt come down if deficit spending continues? Doesn't look like it did.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-sta ... nment-debt
https://www.investopedia.com/us-nationa ... ar-7499291

A.D.D. strikes again. I came here looking for a TSB on ball joint boot replacement.

[airkooledchris]

How can the national debt come down if deficit spending continues? Doesn't look like it did.

by giving out tax cuts!

oh wait, we tried that.

[Amskeptic]

How can the national debt come down if deficit spending continues? Doesn't look like it did.
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-sta ... nment-debt
https://www.investopedia.com/us-nationa ... ar-7499291

A.D.D. strikes again. I came here looking for a TSB on ball joint boot replacement.

switched "debt" to deficit.

[Amskeptic]

How can the national debt come down if deficit spending continues? Doesn't look like it did.

by giving out tax cuts!

oh wait, we tried that.

Some of us have had to endure two decades of supply side boilerplate knowing full well that it has been disproven. I hope we are slowly letting go of that and getting ready to be more nimble in our assumptions.
Colin