Response To a Local Newspaper Pushing Disinformation.

 Letter to the Editor,
I was saddened by the Opinion column penned by you, Mike Wallace “Why Has Nothing Been Fixed?” in
the November 3 rd edition of the Glenwood Herald. I was struck by the lack of respect you have for the
current President of the United States. Despite our like or dislike of who is President, I was taught we
must show respect for the office. Terms like “Uncle Joe” and “his minions” are beyond opinionated and
downright disrespectful, which is sadly what most politics have become lately.
You then go on to repeat several conspiracy theories and downright lies. Your hyperbole is more fit for a
Facebook rant than a column in a respectable newspaper, which is bound to reporting facts and news.
Sadly, it seems you have become so swayed by whatever conspiracies to which you have been exposed,
you miss the obvious irony in the title of your opinion column. If President Biden inherited a stable
economy and the former President had “Made America Great Again” then there would be nothing
needing to be fixed. Unfortunately, he inherited a country in despair.
President Biden continued the work of President Trump in rolling out vaccines for free throughout the
country. Misinformation and conspiracy theories cost hundreds of thousands of peoples their very lives.
With over 1 million now dead from Covid-19 and over 2 million with long-term Covid, the shame lies in a
political party so intent on undermining the entire political system, they put the lives of the Americans
they represent at risk. And it paid off in extended lockdowns, hospitals understaffed, nurses and doctors
overworked, our children out of school far too long, and untold preventable deaths.
Moving past the glaring irony of the title of this opinion piece, one can see you have chosen to conflate
inflation with “printing money.” Inflation is rampant throughout the globe at this time; it is not a
uniquely American concern. Many parts of China are still in a Covid lockdown, adding stress to
manufacturing. President Biden signed the CHIPS Act into law. This is just one example of efforts by the
current administration to put their money where their mouth is by investing in domestic research and
manufacturing, bringing those jobs back to the United States. The $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthiest
Americans under Trump created an increased deficit and putting an average additional $1500/annual
tax burden on the middle class. A deficit reduction of $350 billion and $1.5 trillion dollars in 2021 and
2022, respectively, creates the opportunity for the federal government to channel money into programs
to help Americans. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act works in very real ways to lower costs for
the costliest items Americans spend money on: healthcare and prescription drugs. The average savings
is $800/year on health insurance premiums for 13 million Americans. It also caps the prices on many
prescriptions and caps out of pocket expenses at $2,000. For many people that is only one or two
months of prescriptions. Another high-cost item for families is childcare. Families making less than
$250,000 will see significant changes to their tax returns, with credits to offset the cost of childcare at
certain levels.
Mr. Wallace, you also chose to spend several paragraphs attempting to scare readers into believing
President Biden is going to take away your gas vehicle and force you to spend $60,000 on an electric
vehicle. This statement is obviously ludicrous. Like all industries, change happens. We no longer drive
Model T’s and the steam-powered engine doesn’t convey us down the highway. Automakers agree
electric vehicles are going to be part of our future. Since President Biden took office, companies have
invested nearly $85 billion in manufacturing of electric vehicles, batteries, and EV chargers in the United
States. That is a private investment by private companies. This is what happens under a free market.

This figure does not include the government’s investment in EV technology. This leads to more
manufacturing jobs for these vehicles here in the United States. EV charging stations are starting to pop
up everywhere.
As to the “batteries catch fire” scare tactic, a quick Google search will show electric automobiles catch
fire less frequently than gasoline-powered cars. The duration and intensity of the fires can make them
considerably more difficult to put out due to the use of lithium-ion battery packs. With less than 200
globally since 2010, EV battery fires don’t seem to be the “gotcha” in the rant against new technology.
Sadly, it also appears you do not understand the progress of solar and wind energy. As a former Texas
resident, I lived through the blackouts where people literally died from lack of electricity to heat their
homes. This was not a failure of solar or wind energy, but was the failure of coal and natural gas. In fact,
the wind turbines continued to run and provide reliable electricity once the grid was back online. It was
a predictable failure, given the failure of Republican leadership to have mechanisms in place to oversee
the weatherization of the Texas grid. After the deaths from lack of oversight, Republican Governor
Abbott gave the oil and gas industry permission to add up to $60 monthly to every electric bill to pay for
winter weatherization, weatherization which they were required to do but had not done, weatherization
which still hasn’t been done to standard.
Later in your opinion piece, you talk about “a particular group of people are not in power and be able to
tell us what to do” then Democracy is lost. A long list of things Republicans have banned or are
attempting to ban would be impossible to fit in this letter. I would remind you that freedom is not telling
others what they can or can’t do based on your personal beliefs, to wit: abortion, healthcare, which
books to read, etc. No matter your opinion on any of these matters, it is not any one individual’s
personally held beliefs which should dictate the actions of another. If you want freedom, you must give
freedom to others.
I won’t go into the entire immigration scare scenario. I will say this: It is NOT illegal to be a human.
Lastly, Mr. Wallace, you want to discuss gas prices. This mish-mash of factually incorrect statements is
just another misinformed talking point from politicians and political pundits who want to use escalatory
gas prices for political gain. America is part of a global economy. The entire world is dealing with higher
gas prices and yes, embargoes against Russian export of oil and gas have impacted those prices. In
addition, the oil and gas companies are posting astronomical record-breaking profits. In the first quarter
of 2022, Shell Oil's adjusted earnings rose to $9.1 billion from $3.2 billion in the same period last year.
The same types of profits are recorded by BP, Exxon, Chevron, and all the rest. The oil and gas
companies should make a profit, but not at the expense of the consumer. This has nothing to do with
politics and everything to do with capitalism and a free market. When consumers start pointing their ire
where it belongs, to the oil companies, instead of at politicians, who have nothing to do with setting oil
prices, then perhaps a change will come about. Oil and gas companies are lining the pockets of certain
politicians to turn them into a mouthpiece for political finger-pointing.
Back in April of 2020, President Trump joined Russia and Mexico in persuading OPEC to cut production
by a little over 13 percent. Part of that deal included a decrease of 300,000 barrels a day of United
States oil production. Overall, the U.S., Brazil, Canada, and other non-OPEC countries cut production by
four million to five million barrels a day. All of this happened during a global pandemic and was
necessary to keep oil companies in business. Once the shutdowns were loosened and people were

buying more oil, these companies saw an explosion in profit. OPEC, in fact, just cut production again.
United States oil and gas companies, since President Joe Biden took office, have seen oil production rise
both on federal lands and on U.S. lands overall. Overall domestic oil production in 2021 came close to a
record high. In addition, no President has the authority to block drilling on private lands. As to a shut
down on drilling and pumping on federal lands, President Biden did order a pause to review the leases
and climate impacts; however, a federal judge blocked the order and drilling continued. Oil and gas
companies currently hold over 9000 approved permits on federal lands which they are not using.
Federal permits have actually risen during the Biden administration to the highest levels yet.
Additionally, no President has the authority to restrict how much the refineries around America can
produce.
Mr. Wallace, your poorly informed opinion article, written under the guise of political blame-gaming,
falls short on facts. Every political party wants to see their preferred candidate win. I remember when
people could disagree on things without resorting to lies, innuendo, disrespect, and outright conspiracy
theories. Despite the outcome of the elections on November 8 th , Americans will still wake up and go to
work together and worship together. We will all go grocery shopping and be shocked at the price of a
dozen eggs. I remember my mother telling me how she went to the movies and got a Coke and candy
for a nickel. I’m sure you and I can both agree that a nickel for a day out sounds great. And I’m sure we
can both agree those days are long past. I just hope we can both agree to move past the finger-pointing
and us versus them to make our communities a warm, welcoming place for everyone, despite their
political affiliation.
Sincerely,
Karen Cline-Tardiff