Spanberger gives the SOTU rebuttal
Why Spanberger? Maybe because she’s a relatively new face, she’s under eighty years old (actually, she’s forty-six), and she’s a white woman with various college degrees. Thus she represents a very large portion of the Democrat demographic.
Spanberger hammered home the message of “affordability,” which the Democrats apparently think is the way to win. After all, it helped get Spanberger into the Virginia governor’s seat, and it also made Mamdani New York’s mayor. From Spanberger:
She began her remarks by telling Americans that “tonight … we did not hear the truth from our president.”
After claiming that President Donald Trump’s tariff policies were making the price of goods more expensive, she told a whopper: “But here in Virginia,” she said, “I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the Commonwealth more affordable.” …
After campaigning on affordability, her administration unveiled a series of tax increase bills within the first 48 hours of her inauguration. And these tax hikes weren’t aimed solely at high-income earners; most targeted ordinary Virginians. The sheer speed and scope of this legislative blitz drew immediate criticism, with detractors branding it a classic bait-and-switch. The sweeping power grab quickly commanded national attention, dominating headlines for weeks. And no one has forgotten.
The bills included the creation of two higher tax brackets of 8% and 10% on people making over $600,000; a 4.3% sales tax on services like Uber rides, DoorDash, and Amazon deliveries; a 3.8% investment tax; an increase in hotel taxes; a new personal property tax on landscaping equipment; a $500 sales tax on firearm suppressors; an 11% sales tax on all firearms and ammunition; and more.
It’s almost as though Democrats consider “affordability” a magic word, an “open sesame” spell that gets them into office, after which they can redistribute wealth to their hearts’ content.
NOTE: In the comments at the link, I found this:
“Her full remarks can be viewed below.”
Thank you. No.
I’d rather listen to Yoko Ono’s greatest hits.
“I am working with our state legislature to lower costs and make the Commonwealth more affordable.”
The only costs that the state government can really control are taxes. The market sets the price of goods and services. The state governments can’t set interest rates or the money supply. The federal government can.
What the Dems do is create a headline and the Press goes with it. Many people are fooled.
Biden increased all prices 20% in 4 years with his wild spending and increase in the money supply. That 20% is now imbedded.
The Dems keep talking about affordability because it works and they ignore the fact that the Dems created the problem.
In Omaha, real estate bumped up and it ain’t going back.
At the risk of sounding catty, that’s a rough forty-six.
It’s almost as though Democrats consider “affordability” a magic word, an “open sesame” spell that gets them into office, after which they can redistribute wealth to their hearts’ content.
Under Biden they were hit with inflation, which they tried to pretend wasn’t real.
Since then they have been trying to use this against Trump. Despite the low inflation since he took office. It seems they want us to forget when the inflation took place.
Real incomes are not declining. ‘Affordability’ is a nonsense term. It’s one legitimate use is if you have unanticipated real price increases in a particular market. Medical insurance and housing costs would be the usual loci of that. Regulatory schemes are one way which induces real prices to advance to levels higher than they otherwise would be. Insurance markets are governed by state law and (notably) by federal legislation desired by BO. Other than interest rates and some health and safety regulations in re asbestos and lead paint, federal policy has little to do with cost inflation in housing markets.
If the federal (previously feral) government allows unchecked immigration that might influence the availability of rental housing and impact housing costs?
Art Deco: “Other than interest rates and some health and safety regulations in re asbestos and lead paint, federal policy has little to do with cost inflation in housing markets.”
One would expect that the federal-policy-driven expulsion and voluntary departure of illegal aliens in large numbers would lead to declining rents and other real-estate prices. And I’ve certainly read that this is happening.
Another way if stating it: the price has not gone up. However the value of your dollar has gone down. Something like 95-96% in the last 100 years.
Trump’s speech, about 20 min. & a final 5 minutes, with almost 90 minutes of presenting normal Americans as heroes was fantastic. Long, but never boring.
Very authentic—Trump wants a Medal of Honor but can’t give one to himself.
Lots of campaign rhetoric & prep. Mostly true.
Also, the opponents were never Left, nor Liberals, always Democrats.
Affordability is a still a huge problem in mostly 3 important, highly regulated areas: home prices, healthcare, & education.
Trump’s deportations are stopping the big increases in home prices, and his efforts to stop investment funds from buying houses will help, a bit. But what really needs to happen is more house building, which depends on local conditions. Wherever there are new good jobs, the nice areas already there don’t want new building.
Trump also doesn’t want so much new building that current high prices come down, he explicitly noted he wanted homeowners who are rich, first time in their lives, not to lose. Keeping values high is incompatible with lowering prices, but having some building along with raising median & 40% incomes will be about as good as can be done.
Won’t be enough to stop a huge amount of complaining & Dem media focus on Affordability.
Too many voters want govt paid magic solutions that are not possible, but Dem media focus as if it is possible is to create expectations that will not be achieved, leading to disappointment.
Similar to healthcare, tho Trumpzilla rightly noted Unaffordable Care. (Autocorrect made it Trumpzilla). He can improve it but can’t achieve almost free, low wait, high quality care for all, everywhere, always.
Wasn’t much on education.
None in comments noted his conservative/ Rep appointments to the SC got Roe overturned, but most pro-life folk are mildly or strongly against IVF, because of the killing of unwanted fertilized eggs/ zygotes.
His prior success, which should create more support, might cause some to want a new highest priority, that he’s not promising. Exactly like a bureaucracy created to solve a problem, finds itself less useful if it succeeds in solving that problem.
With illegal immigration solved, those who voted R against illegals have less reason to vote R. Nov is not far away.
Fantastic year.
Heydrichs twin sister/ trans clone is just as evil as him
If the federal (previously feral) government allows unchecked immigration that might influence the availability of rental housing and impact housing costs?
==
Good point. And the phenomenon is grossly manifest in Canada.
Please note the role of the mass media. David Muir of ABC News was yammering about ‘the affordability crisis’ the other evening. The ‘crisis’ is entirely imaginary.
Art Deco
All part of the psychological warfare operation the the Dems/Progs run for the low information voter. Which is the vast majority of voters it seems.
@ Tom Grey: “Also, the opponents were never Left, nor Liberals, always Democrats.”
A good observation.
Which leads to: how do we wrest the 25% of our folks who are left of center Democrats from the Communist/Leftist D party leadership and indoctrinated media? That great body of still current or former friends and relations who have TDS or have been led to believe the R’s are evil, not merely mistaken.
Living on a legislative knife edge of +/-3% reps means not a whole lot is guaranteed to be changed (in time), or remain changed if/when the regime party changes.
Dave Grey:
“With illegal immigration solved, those who voted R against illegals have less reason to vote R. Nov is not far away.”
…
I disagree that the problem is solved.
New illegals are always going to look for ways to get in … obviously including visa overstays. But worse: there’s still a lot living here that need to go!
Still burdens on the citizens, and many still committing more crimes.