Joe Biden wrote a landmark (no kidding) article.
An article published in The Wall Street Journal is called "My Plan to Fight Inflation."
The text is written in simple and clear language.
But a careful reading of it suggests that if Joseph Robinette Biden had not gone into politics, he could have become a good science fiction writer.
The article begins with the words that the President of the United States repeats every time he is asked how he intends to solve the problem of inflation: “The global economy is facing serious challenges.
Higher inflation is exacerbated by Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine."
I remember that about ten years ago, domestic liberals giggled: “When will Obama stop shitting in Russian entrances?”
But at least it was a joke, albeit a vile one.
And Biden is brutally serious.
Putin is to blame for inflation in the United States - and who else?
“Americans are alarmed,” writes the owner of the White House.
“I know that feeling.
I grew up in a family where it mattered when the price of gas or groceries went up.
We felt it as we sat at our kitchen table.
But the American people must be confident that our economy is facing these challenges from a position of strength.”
Meanwhile, the American people are looking at the price tags at gas stations with increasing bewilderment - and they understand that very soon a trip to the store by car will become a sign of a luxurious life.
In the United States, gasoline prices are traditionally calculated not per liter, but per gallon - in an American gallon 3.78 liters.
Under Trump, the average price of a gallon did not rise above $2.6, and in 2020 it fell to $2.17 altogether.
Now a regular (our 92nd) costs $4.67 per gallon on average in the country.
There are states where it's slightly cheaper (Georgia, for example), but you won't find less than $4 a gallon anywhere else.
More than $5 - please.
Oregon, Nevada, Alaska, Washington, Illinois.
The record here belongs to California - in this most democratic and progressive state, the average price of a gallon of gasoline was $ 6.16 last weekend, but there are gas stations where fuel is sold for 8 bucks.
What does this mean for the average American?
And here's what.
The average American household has 1.88 cars, and nearly a quarter of households own three cars.
And if the average household in 2021 spent $2.8 thousand on refueling cars, then with current prices it will spend at least $5 thousand. And this is provided that gasoline prices remain at the level of May, which, frankly, is doubtful.
On the contrary, according to analysts at JPMorgan Chase, over the summer, fuel prices may rise by a dollar and a half.
“In anticipation of strong stimulus demand… US retail price could rise another 37% by August to $6.20 a gallon nationally,” said Natasha Kaneva, head of commodities research at JPMorgan.
In other words, the American car owner will now think three times before setting off on his faithful Mustang not only to the other coast of the country, but even on an excursion to a neighboring state.
This became clear last weekend - along with Veterans Memorial Day (the last Monday in May), Americans had three whole days off, which are usually used for outings and family trips.
Not this time: many Americans have calculated how much it will cost them to refill their fuel tanks and have decided to stay at home.
A month later, the main summer holiday, Independence Day (July 4), by this time the demand for gasoline in the country reaches its peak, which means that prices will continue to rise.
Diesel goes gold too, averaging $5.57 per gallon.
But diesel fuel is the blood of industry and agriculture.
Already, such crops as corn and wheat have risen in price by 45% compared to last year.
Milk became more expensive by 47%, vegetables by 39%.
Ordinary eggs that cost $1.5 a dozen in April 2021 are now $2.2.
The price of chicken and turkey meat is rising, not to mention beef and pork.
Feed grain prices rose by 7.8% compared to April and by 33% compared to last year.
And this is not the end, but only the beginning of an unfolding inflationary spiral.
You don't have to be an economist to understand that expensive fuel makes everything else expensive as well.
Therefore, it would be wise to start the fight against inflation with a reduction in energy prices.
But Sleepy Joe Biden has his own thoughts on the matter.
A good half of the article, entitled, I remind you, "My plan to fight inflation," is devoted to self-praise of the author.
The scoundrel Trump left him the United States in distress, and superman Biden quickly fixed everything.
“In less than a year and a half,” the White House host writes, “my administration’s economic and vaccine plans have produced the most sustained recovery in modern history.”
If by "recovery" we mean the feverish disposal of Trump's legacy, which greatly strengthened the US economy before the pandemic crippled it, then Biden is certainly right.
No one has done more than Sleepy Joe to destroy the American energy independence that Trump has been striving for.
As soon as he took office, Biden vetoed the construction of the Keystone XL mega oil pipeline, which would bring oil from the Canadian province of Alberta to terminals on the Gulf Coast.
He repeatedly suspended new contracts for the lease and development of federal lands by oil and gas companies.
Biden urged Congress to oblige oil and gas companies to pay duties on unused leased fields.
Behind all these suicidal steps for the US oil and gas industry was Biden's blind commitment to green energy, of which his former boss Obama was and remains the paladin.
“Because America is the world's largest oil and gas producer, these policies and the threat of even tougher measures have weighed on global energy cuts and rising prices,” wrote The Wall Street Journal in April.
“In a normal situation, high oil prices would attract investment that would increase production, which, in turn, would lead to a stabilization of the market.
But this is hampered by the Biden administration's dislike of fossil fuels."
As you can easily guess, Biden is ready to blame anyone - Putin, Trump, Xi Jinping - for rising fuel prices, but not himself and the green lobby behind him.
“Gas station prices have been raised largely due to the lack of Russian oil and gas on the market,” Biden admits.
But since "we cannot stop our global efforts to punish Mr. Putin for what he has done," all we can do is mitigate those consequences for American consumers.
How?
Here's an example: “Congress could help right now by voting for the tax breaks and clean energy investments that I proposed.
Earlier this year, a dozen top U.S. utility company executives told me that my plan would cut the average family's annual utility bill by $500 and accelerate our move away from autocratic energy."
So, let's punish the villain Putin by refusing to buy oil and gas from him, and invest trillions in the development of green energy, as the great Obama bequeathed!
Well, if windmills and solar panels cannot provide the nation with heat and light - well, in any case, no one will say that old Biden did not try to do the best.
Further in the article there is already perfect fantasy - the feeling is that Sleepy Joe is completely out of touch with reality and soars in pink clouds.
“Since I took office, families have increased their savings and reduced their debts: A recent Federal Reserve report found that a higher percentage of Americans reported they felt more financially comfortable at the end of 2021 than at any time since began research in 2013,” says Biden.
In fact, the latest Gallup poll showed that only 1% (!) of Americans think the US economy is doing "excellent" (probably that 1% includes multimillionaires and tycoons who fund the Democratic Party).
Another 13% believe that things are going “good”.
39% believe that things are “so-so”.
And finally, 46% are sure that the situation in the economy is “bad” or “very bad”.
And the Gallup integral index of economic confidence in May amounted to -45 points (in March and April it was -39).
This is the lowest rate since the end of the Great Recession in 2009.
In other words, sociology ruthlessly refutes Biden's words.
The whole world has seen the President reach out to the void, greet ghosts he alone can see, but now it turns out that he fights and defeats enemies in an equally ghostly, haunted world that has nothing to do with reality.
What, however, is Biden's plan to fight inflation?
He is very simple.
The main responsibility for controlling inflation, Biden says, rests with the Federal Reserve System (Fed).
Trump "humiliated" the Fed, and he, Biden, will not do that.
He appointed "highly qualified people" to run the institute.
And he, Biden, agrees with their assessment that the main economic task "right now" is to fight inflation.
And what do these highly qualified people say?
On Tuesday, Biden met with Fed Chair Jerome Powell and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to discuss the "top priority," that is, tackling inflation.
The meeting was held behind closed doors, and Powell chose not to comment on it.
But Janet Yellen did not remain silent, and her statement, made after this meeting, is worth paying attention to.
“Well, look, I think I was wrong then about the path that inflation would take.
As I mentioned, there were unforeseen and severe shocks in the economy that led to rising energy and food prices and supply bottlenecks that greatly affected our economy, which I did not understand - did not fully understand at the time, - admitted Treasury Secretary on CNN.
“But now we admit it.”
Great - now they admit it.
But, as Teffi's character said: “Ke fer?
Fer something ke?
Biden knows what to do.
Write articles.
Invest trillions in green energy.
And blame everything on Russia.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.