Opinion Are you better off today than you were two years ago?

Are you better off today than you were two years ago?

The late President Ronald Reagan’s question seems appropriate today. We were all promised that inflation would be fixed on day one. Our economic fortunes would be the greatest ever, we were told.

Eight in 10 Americans don’t believe they are better off, the latest Fox News poll found. Our economic fortunes are worse—for many Alabama families, much worse.

Our president, U.S. Representative Dale Strong and other Republicans have given us inflation approaching 4 percent, gas at nearly $5 a gallon and diesel approaching $7 a gallon. Trump’s tariffs are driving up costs on everything from couches to car parts and timber. Strong voted three times to support those tariffs in spite of the financial costs to us and our regional economy. And thanks to Trump and Strong, our trading partners now see us as adversaries.

Housing is more expensive, and 2027 promises to get uglier. Brent crude oil has nearly doubled since the beginning of the year and is nearly $120 a barrel now. Mortgage rates are nearing 8 percent, making the dream of homeownership out of reach for many local families.

Strong’s votes last year for the tax bill led to 95,000 Alabamians losing their health insurance. Because of his votes, nearly 25,000 children have already lost food assistance across Alabama. Working-class families are getting dunked on while billionaires get richer.

His reckless spending votes have added trillions to our debt, dramatically risked our creditworthiness and accelerated reductions to Social Security benefit payments.

Then there is the Iran war. Strong voted at least five times to support Trump’s endless war and give up Congress’ oversight. The war and the unchecked spending have driven gas and diesel prices higher and sent the cost of fertilizer through the roof, making it harder and harder for our region’s farmers and small businesses to thrive. Too many families are struggling to pay their bills.

Strong and Trump are the new tax-and-spenders. Their primary accomplishment has been to divide us while they enrich themselves and fail to solve the economic problems we face in communities across north Alabama.

For the first time in at least 16 years, we have a choice. We have a solution-focused candidate in Andrew Sneed. He is committed to bringing us together, hearing every voice and meeting our economic challenges with solutions. A small-business owner and job creator, Sneed is committed to prioritizing north Alabama residents’ needs. Sneed will work to reduce our cost of living, provide access to more affordable health care and strengthen our economy with business-friendly, job-creating policies relying on his experience.

He’ll address the bald public corruption taking place that’s become a feature of this administration and the Republican Party, rather than a bug. Strong’s silence can be taken as approval of the grift that makes the patronage of the legendary Tammany Hall look like child’s play. Sneed will do it by voting to end stock trading for members of Congress, expanding the ban on lobbying when members of Congress leave office, getting dark money out of our politics and putting in place an enforceable code of ethics for the Supreme Court.

In short, Sneed wants Congress to serve us.

Performance has consequences. Honesty, accountability and transparency are required. Strong is wrong for this time. He’s a career politician now worth more than $20 million who’s lost touch and is no longer willing to stand up for us. He has shown us he’s more interested in holding on to power. His failure to deal with soaring costs of living and repeatedly voting to make these problems worse are grounds for termination.

So, on Tuesday, November 3, join me in voting for change. Join me in voting for Sneed. He will work for us.