November is looming on the horizon. There are predictions of major gains by Republicans. But there are wild cards that no one can predict their impact—The war in Ukraine, the Hunter Biden investigation and potential litigation, new COVID variants and the resulting mask “wars,” “transgender” issues, ensuring a “fair election,” along with the Durham investigation that can impact both Hillary Clinton and others. The mainstream media and Democrats want these stories to fade into the rearview mirror, but Republicans will work to keep them front and center when they work to their advantage.
But what issues will drive the electorate to the polls this November? Here are ten issues that will be vying for attention in this critical election year.
Inflation: Inflation is advancing at an unprecedented rate acting as a tax on every American as the value of their dollars are less and less.With Democrats in power, money is being printed and our deficit is growing at an every-increasing rate. Democrats threw $2 trillion into an overheating economy on top of the $3 trillion bipartisan COVID-relief bill. They then passed another trillion-plus-dollar infrastructure bill. Inflation is reducing the value of each dollar, destroying the buying power of the very people they claim to support—the poor and middle class.
Law and Order: Crime is a growing problem in America. From the threats of defunding police to lenient district attorneys unwilling to hold criminals accountable, citizens are more and more concerned about their own family’s safety. Progressive leaders have initiated criminal-justice reforms with the intent of rectifying the imbalance of black Americans who are arrested, convicted and incarcerated. But that does not deal with the reality of crime in our cities. White Americans make up 76% of the population with black Americans representing only 13%. Yet, in 2020, at least 9,941 black Americans were murdered compared to just 7,043 whites. The No. 1 cause of preventable death for young black men is homicide, usually committed by another young black man. From brazen snatch and grab mobs to attacks on the streets, law and order will be a strong issue in the Fall.
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Border Security: Biden’s immigration policies have created the worst immigration crisis in American history. In Biden's first year as president, a record 1.65 million Illegal migrants were intercepted crossing into the United States, doubling the encounters in 2020. As with President Trump, over 50% were expelled under Title 42. Those apprehended, instead of being expelled, were held temporarily and then released or bused to cities across the country. President Biden’s plans to let Title 42 expire could limit expulsions and result in as many as 18,000 apprehensions a day allowed to stay by Customs and Border Protection. Candidates calling to stem the tide of illegals, to finish the Southern border wall, and to reinstitute Title 42 and the “Remain in Mexico” policy will echo strongly in November with many frustrated Americans.
Energy Independence: Under Biden, America has gone from energy independence to energy dependence relying on oil from less than friendly countries using less environmentally sound drilling practices. Alternative energy sources are currently unable and may never be able to sustain our economy. By ending construction of the Keystone pipeline and curtailing drilling on government land Biden has put our future at peril and added to our inflationary spiral.
Self-reliance over Government Dependence: America was formed to protect individual citizens from government overreach and oppression. From the beginning, the focus was on ensuring the pursuit of happiness, not hiring politicians to take from one’s neighbor to pay for what one should earn themselves. Fewer people are working; they are looking to Washington for their next government handout. The Foundation for Government Accountability calculated that the enhanced unemployment payments and monthly child tax credits have added to existing benefits for lower-income Americans. That translates to about $3,700 per month for a two-child family, or $44,300 per year in payments. Why work? Such largesse contributes to our labor shortage. Campaigning on less government and letting working citizens keep more of what they earn instead of subsidizing those who don’t work is a winning issue.
School Choice vs Government Controlled Education: Teacher unions are investing heavily to keep public schools in control of education in America. Unions would like to extend that control to pre-schools. Popular charter schools are under attack. Parents are increasingly concerned that Critical Race Theory and sexual preferences/sexual practices curriculum will be forced on their elementary school children. Many minority parents want to get their children out of under-performing public schools. School choice would give parents the dollars to make their own choice of what school to send their children to.
Racial Equality: Shouts of “Black Lives Matter,” “Critical Race Theory,” “White Privilege,” and “Black Reparations,” are beginning to be shown for what they are—another form of racism. America is built on the God-based value that all lives matter. We will always need to work to further that ideal, but policies that attempt to put one race over another must never win the day. There are racists from all races. It’s time responsible citizens stand for equal rights for all.
Fair Taxes: With allowances and child credits, more and more Americans seem willing to make their hard-working neighbors pay for their free ride. To say that the wealthy do not pay their fair share is not supported by the facts. The top 1% paid about $615 billion in federal income taxes in 2018, which accounted for about 40% of all federal income taxes paid. The bottom half of the income distribution paid about 3% of federal income taxes that year. Recent results now indicate that 57% of Americans pay no federal income tax. It’s time to stop making the IRS a welfare agency; all should pay some tax.
Clean Environment: There is evidence that economic freedom is the answer to the environmental goals of cleaner air, water, and a sustainable planet. In a C3 Solutions report called “Free Economies are Clean Economies,” it can be shown that “mostly free” economies, according to The Heritage Foundation’s Index, scored twice as high on Yale’s Environmental Performance Index than “mostly unfree” economies. We don’t need more government regulations and controls; we need the freedom to unleash American innovation.
Limiting Abortion: It has been estimated that over 62 million children have lost their chance to live at the hand of abortionists since the passage of Roe v. Wade. Speculation is growing about whether the high court will decide an abortion case in this term that could result in the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. If that occurs before November, such a ruling would clearly make abortion a key election issue. States are already acting to limit abortions; in those states, this issue will be elevated.
Issues aside, there is another reality that cannot be dismissed in November. The party out of power normally makes significant gains in the mid-term elections. For example, with the Obama administration, Republicans picked up 63 seats in the House and 6 seats in the Senate in his first mid-term election. Joe Biden is no Obama. Similar results would produce a change in power in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Conservative Republicans can hardly wait to make that a reality.
Terry Paulson is PhD psychologist, author, and professional speaker on Earned Optimism, Making Change Work, Claiming Your American Dream, and Becoming a Conservative Values Voter. Contact him at terry@terrypaulson.com.
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