President Joe Biden has no workable plan for dealing with current supply chain disruptions or ongoing shortages. Given that fact, it’s not surprising that the mainstream media is telling Americans to simply get used to a lower quality of life.
“Time for some new, more realistic expectations,” says Micheline Maynard from the Washington Post, noting that while she has seen empty shelves at the local grocery store, she’s thankful that many small businesses in her local area are even in business at all. Amanda Mull from The Atlantic is even more blunt, labeling American shoppers a “nightmare even before the pandemic” and stating “The pandemic has shown just how desperately the consumer class clings to the feeling of being served.”
Sadly, it’s not just liberal journalists who are completely out of touch with the rest of the nation. White House Chief of Staff Rod Klein recently called the current supply chain problems a “high-class issue.” There is the feeling that upper-class Americans; that is, rich, entitled white people, are complaining about having to deal with a few small hassles instead of being flexible enough to select an item of a different color. The truth is that supply chain disruptions affect the poor and minorities even more than the rich.
Those who have extra cash on hand can afford to pay extra for brand-name products while individuals on a tight budget have to change their meal plan in order to afford three meals a day. In Illinois, learning kits that could help poor children learn at home are not currently available due to supply chain shortages. To make matters worse, a bus driver shortage is making it difficult if not impossible for many of these poor children to get to school all five days a week.
These aren’t “rich people problems” and it’s hard to see how these parents should be expected to “lower their expectations.”
Industries that have been very adversely affected by supply chain shortages include companies that make diapers, toilet paper, and coffee. These are “staple” products and citizens of first world nations have every right to expect to find these at a local store for a reasonable price.
So, tell us WaPo writers: how far should expectations be lowered, and for how long? Why should Americans, many of whom are already struggling financially, be forced to “consciously lower expectations” while the government fails to do its job? Why should we be happy when they make matters worse by forcing willing workers out of a job just because they won’t get a questionable vaccine?
The current supply chain shortage isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s making life extremely difficult on those who can least afford to pay higher prices. Voters should remember to raise their expectations, not lower them.
