Nicole Russell of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote about Texans having to pay more for groceries, gas, and even furniture. Placing the blame squarely on President Joe Biden and his administration or at least that is what she wants her readers to believe with her headline that included “thanks, Joe Biden.”
If you read the article in its entirety she actually writes “no one person bears full blame, not even President Joe Biden.” She does go on to explain that the administration has not done a good job when it comes to the issue of inflation. Which obviously is a fair point.
Still when it comes to her focus it is the Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington areas. In my opinion then the shift in blame is incredibly easy. It starts and ends with Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Since the pandemic started he is too busy trying to pander to his supporters than doing the right thing.
Abbott is against employers requiring vaccinations for their employees. So it is not surprising that grocery stores and even restaurants are struggling to stay open when omicron is surging in Texas. Meanwhile emergency rooms are full with mostly those who have refused to get vaccinated.
Still the biggest issue is that in Texas the minimum wage is an abysmal $7.25 an hour. So it is not exactly shocking that there are many unwilling to risk their health for those jobs. Yet, a certain group will paint those workers as not wanting to work which is nowhere close to being the truth.
Also with no vaccination or mask requirements for businesses it is not surprising that when an outbreak of COVID occurs the business closes or has to change their hours of operations.
Ms. Russell the blame does not go to Biden or even his administration for what is happening in Texas. The blame goes squarely on Abbott. It is really that simple. We all know what Abbott’s Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said about sacrificing grandparents to keep Texas’ economy going.
Now if Abbott actually made an attempt to lead then that is a different story. Since he has not done anything, he deserves to get called out for not helping Texans during the pandemic especially when it comes to inflation.