Letter To The Editor: Inflation: Who's To Blame?

Everywhere you turn, prices are going up. Our grocery bill, electric bill, and now, to add insult to injury, gas prices are also skyrocketing. It makes me wonder: who is to blame for all of this?

At first, if you remember, we were told it was due to the laws of supply and demand. We were told that because of the pandemic, goods could not be manufactured fast enough, and we were told there were not enough workers. All the country's ports were littered with loaded cargo ships due to a shortage in manpower. But even as COVID cases came down drastically and people went back to work, prices kept going up. The U.S. inflation raged on.

Still I ask, who is to blame for all of this? The president and the current administration told us that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is what sent the global oil market into a frenzy. Therefore, we, the American consumers, have to pay more at the pump. Joe Biden called it "Putin's inflation.” Most recently, the president and the progressives claimed that oil and gas companies are essentially engaging in price-gouging tactics at the detriment of the American people. They are now the new boogeymen.

Seriously, this inflation is at almost 8% now. This is higher than it’s been in decades. I do not think for a minute that this is a "COVID inflation,” a "supply and demand inflation,” “Putin's inflation” or the "oil and gas companies’ inflation.” I believe this inflation is a direct result of poor policies, incompetence and lack of leadership directly from the president. Luckily, this is election season. I am urging you, my fellow Marylanders who are bearing the burden of this crushing inflation, to go out and vote this November and vote for change. If we sit this one out, we will have no one else to blame but ourselves.

LaToya Nkongolo
Severna Park