When You Find Yourself in a Hole, Stop Digging

Sponsored by: Patriot Home Funding

My late dad was 100% South Georgia common sense through and through in a way that gave him incredible wisdom, which he tried to impart to me in many ways- through teaching, reasoning, mentoring, by assigning chores, and in some cases, at the end of his pimp hand- because I was particularly hard headed and remain so to this day.

One of his most basic and essential lessons was the old sage, "If you find yourself in a hole the first thing you should do is stop digging."

It seems like the biggest issue of the midterms- at least it is the one getting the most run in the media- is affordability. You've no doubt seen the statistics, 29% cumulative inflation over the last 77 months, 55.66% since Obama took office, record student loan debt, and record credit card debt.

The average car price has increased by 80% since Obama was inaugurated. Healthcare has risen by 129% since the advent of Obamacare. The average student loan debt for all who owe is about $39,500, or more than half the price I paid for my first house. The average home price has increased by anywhere from 100% to 140% depending on the market, and for the first time ever the average age of a first-time homebuyer in the US is over 40 years of age. First time homebuyers make up about 20% of all home sales now, the lowest on record.

Generation Z and the millennials, which combined make up Americans aged 18-45, are the biggest victims of the rapid rise in the cost of living.

Over the past 18 years, the primary drivers of inflation have been democrat policies- Obamacare, Dodd Frank, Cash for Clunkers, Government insured mortgages to non-citizens, the government taking over student loans from the private sector, housing assistance and welfare to illegal aliens, rampant illegal immigration, stimulus packages, and the out-of-control new spending of about $5 trillion in Biden's term. Yet, somehow, the GOP and Trump are getting blamed for it.

On February 13 in this space, in a show opening titled "It's the Messaging, Stupid," I compared Biden's 4-year economic record to Trump's 5-year economic record. The difference is harsh, night and day. But again, the GOP is taking the brunt of the heat, because they have let the democrats control the narrative, have sat on their hands as it comes to passing Trump's agenda, and have governed from behind, like a party who wants to be the minority. And since any messaging from the GOP about the day-to-day policies, accomplishments, and victories that directly affect the economy is non-existent, the narrative becomes ingrained.

But as bad as the government manages our money, as biased as the media is, and as bad as the GOP is at basic marketing, it is the millennial and generation Z voters who need to look in the mirror. Going back to 2012, millennials have voted democrat by a margin greater than 11% in each two-year cycle. In other words, the younger voters who make up about 35% of all registered voters keep voting for the exact politicians who are making their economic lives a living hell.

Now many of them are turning to socialism. The new red/green alliance between the socialists and Islamists represents an existential threat to our body politic. Instead of using critical thinking to change course, they are doubling down and are now voting for the exact thing that will make matters even worse economically.

What the democrats and left have accomplished in just a few short years is the implementation of the Cloward Piven Strategy, which seemed inconceivable just 20 years ago.

Uncontrolled illegal immigration, free housing including welfare and medical care for illegals, the lockdowns, and massive stimulus and government spending has overwhelmed the system to the point of economic crisis which could bring about universal basic income, also known as socialism - which is exactly what their May 1996 essay "The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty" published in "The Nation" magazine promised.

The irony and ridiculousness of the title- ending poverty by creating more poverty- aligns perfectly with what is happening today with our youth, that is their turning to guaranteed poverty in socialism to assuage affordability fears.

We can blame this misguided thought on the education system- just look at El-Sayed's electoral heat map from Tuesday for proof- the media, and popular culture; and we can even get a sugar high knowing that the radical candidates like El-Sayeed in Michigan will be defeated and there will be more GOP victories short term as a result. But, the long-term prognosis is dire and we should see this movement in the young as a warning, and the strategy I outlined above is well represented and, in some cases, dominant in many local and state governments. It is even growing on Capital Hill.

We better take the threat seriously and attack it with the same seriousness and fervor that they are attacking our government, economy, and culture with. We have to course correct. Their movement is ingrained, it is gaining momentum, and time is on their side- and by time, I mean not only are they younger, but the time cost of money and our ever-expanding deficit, which is rising by $3 trillion annually. That deficit causes inflation, which causes the affordability crisis, which combined with other forces, pushes the most ignorant and vulnerable to extreme measures like socialism.

We are in a hole for sure, and like my dad said, the first thing we need to do is stop digging.