Are We Better Off? by
Suzann Darnall
I think the resounding answer to the question, "Are we better off after 3+ years of an Obama presidency?" has to be an adamant, "No"! And, the point was driven home to me by some small events that occurred between me and members of my family on this past Tuesday morning.
My husband told me before 7:30am that our favorite local grocery store would be offering a gas discount special again this fall. He heard an ad about it as he was listening to the radio on his morning commute. I texted my daughters immediately to let them know about the potential savings. My oldest daughter came right back with a text saying, "Yippee!" My other daughter was less enthused, but only 'cause she had not been here last year when this special was also run through the holiday season.
The deal offered by this store is a savings of 12 cents per gallon. Yeah, that's right, twelve cents. Probably comes to less than $2.00 savings per fill up. But, with the gas prices as they are and the economy as it is, we are all thrilled to be able to save even those pennies, nickels, and dimes per gallon in hopes of saving some dollars on the tanks full we buy over the month or so of the special gas savings offered.
These kinds of penny ante savings are being sought after by folks I know for everything in their lives: food, energy, clothing, entertainment, etc. We are all passing up luxuries to pay for necessities or at least downgrading a bit 'cause budgetary dollars don't stretch as far as they used to go. There simply isn't as much discretionary income as there used to be. Most family income dollars are earmarked for the must haves which minimizes the availability for the might haves.
I read through the grocery store flyer that comes in the mail each week and base some of my shopping list purchases on the deals they offer. I plan my weekly menus to take advantage of savings that can be built in by using these specials for our meals. I also find myself planning ways to use any leftovers to supplement meals later in the week. Not that we have lots, 'cause I try to prepare only what we will eat, so as to not waste food . . . which translates into money.
However, if I serve chili dogs with buns, coleslaw, and chips we cannot eat a package of 8 buns, a whole container of slaw, and a bag of chips in one meal. So, maybe I serve sloppy joe meat over torn up hot dog buns with coleslaw on top and chips on the side later in the week. Or, I make mini-sub sandwiches on the buns with chips as a side for lunches and maybe serve the coleslaw as a side to BBQ pork chops. But, I try to stretch those grocery dollars by tailoring my menus to accommodate the grocery items in more than one slot throughout the week. And, from what I hear, others are doing the same kinds of things.
There are other areas besides groceries and gas that are skyrocketing, but these are ones that impact our lives every single day. My husband and I see these regularly because he buys most of the gas and I buy most of the groceries. So, we notice the changes that happen pert near on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
He is well aware that gas now costs more than double what it did before Obama came into office. As I am aware that I pay twice as much for a loaf of bread as I did before, and that I no longer buy our preferred kind as an occasional treat 'cause it costs over twice the price of the more economical loaf. These are examples of price increases we see across the board. Pennies soon become dimes which then become dollars, and suddenly we have to make changes and decisions about where our money goes.
So, do I see us as being better off than we were four year ago? Absolutely, positively NO! We are definitely much worse off, and I know that we are among the lucky ones 'cause my husband has a job, we still have our home, and we can pay all our bills. Many people are much less blessed and much more stressed.
This election isn't about being cool or being diverse. It isn't about supposedly showing that Americans aren't racists. It is about the future and what that future will be for us and our children. And, not necessarily the far distant future of 5, 10, or 20 years from now, I think this election has an immediate impact of what we will face in December 2012 and the start of 2013. I think this election will have consequences pretty much from day one. And, if we do not elect Mitt Romney, I think those are very dire consequences.
I think four more years of Barack Hussein Obama will destroy this nation. I think our economy will never withstand the disaster of crippling national debt combined with ever-increasing business and job losses. I believe the Far Left's societal views and demands will overpower the family and church to such an extent that morals and ethics will pretty much be considered politically incorrect, while allowing immorality to run rampant.
© Suzann C. Darnall, SEPTEMBER 2012, San Marcos, Texas
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