Nation’s debt epidemic must be taken seriously

September 15, 2020

On Friday, the Treasury Department announced that the U.S. budget deficit has hit an all-time high, of $3 trillion. That is just for the first 11 months of the fiscal year. Billions upon billions of dollars more will be added to the total. Obviously, the vast majority of this year’s deficit is linked to the pandemic. Had Congress and President Donald Trump not acted, the economy could well have plunged into a full-fledged depression. In any event, tens of millions of Americans laid off from their jobs would have suffered dreadfully, even more than they have. Still, that $3 ...

Credit insurance crunch hurting U.S. businesses

September 14, 2020

Among popular Christmas season activities during recent years has been finding the Elf on the Shelf. The stuffed toy, about 12 inches long, delights children who wonder where in the house he or she may be hiding. Thanks to COVID-19, a good place to start looking for the Elf this year would be the factory where the novelty is manufactured. The Elf, along with a substantial number of other products, may become a victim of the coronavirus. Blame a credit insurance crunch. As a recent Associated Press story explained, many manufacturers and distributors rely on credit insurance. They ...

Et Cetera …

September 12, 2020

Turn in census data The U.S. census is wrapping up this month, and the response rate in Martin County is 72 percent, which compares favorably to the state rate of 74 percent. Still, this result clearly indicates that more county residents need to turn in their household information. The results of the census will stand for the next 10 years when it comes to legislative representation, grant funding, attracting new businesses and more. We encourage everyone to respond, and commend the local census committee for working to ensure people know about the significance of the census. A ...

Supreme Court picks remain important issue

September 11, 2020

President Trump is preparing to release a list of potential Supreme Court nominees should he have the opportunity to name more justices in a second term. It is not a new move for the president, who did something similar in 2016, but it remains important. Trump’s opponent, Democrat Joe Biden, has made a promise to nominate a Black woman to the high court if he is elected. We assume Biden means someone who meets his criteria and is qualified. Identity politics might be big in the Democratic Party. They should not matter on the high court. In any case, we have to assume Trump’s ...

Politics delays measure to help millions in U.S.

September 10, 2020

Partisan politics continues to delay enactment of a new coronavirus relief measure in Congress. Regardless of your political leanings, that is hurting millions of Americans. Even emergency action taken by the White House has been affected. After negotiators in Congress deadlocked over a new relief bill last month, President Donald Trump authorized release of some money to keep augmented unemployment benefits flowing to those who have been laid off because of the epidemic-related business slowdown. Under the White House plan, those who qualify can receive $300 per week in addition ...

Voters can help ensure all ballots are counted

September 9, 2020

Concern over use of mail-in ballots for the November general election is building. Critics of the process fall into two categories: those who worry about vote fraud and those who insist many Americans may be “disenfranchised” by the system. Indeed, fraud is something of a concern — but it is one election officials in some states are taking effective steps to counter. Failure of many ballots to be counted, not just in the race for president but in many local affairs ranging from state legislators to local tax measures, is more worrisome. If it concerns you, take heart. This is ...