State of the Union
There is a lot going on in America today, and sometimes I find myself wondering where we are headed.
As a newspaper publisher who has been watching this country for many decades, I have rarely seen so many major issues competing for our attention at the same time. Gasoline prices remain high. The national debt has surpassed $40 trillion. Federal spending continues to exceed federal revenue. Tariffs and trade disputes are making headlines. And political arguments over socialism, capitalism and the proper role of government have become increasingly intense.
That is quite a State of the Union.
Let’s start with gasoline.
I recently saw gasoline selling for $4.50 a gallon, and I had to stop and take notice. Prices vary by state, region and station, but gasoline prices have been high enough to put real pressure on household budgets.
We can point to international conflicts and disruptions affecting oil shipments, including concerns involving the Strait of Hormuz. Those are legitimate factors. But the United States is also the world’s leading oil-producing country, producing enormous amounts of crude oil at home.
So why are Americans paying so much at the pump?
The answer is not as simple as blaming the oil companies. Oil is traded in a global market, and gasoline prices reflect crude oil, refining, transportation, distribution, taxes and local market conditions.
But I still look at the profits.
Chevron and Exxon-Mobil have reported multi-billion dollar quarterly earnings. Those are extraordinary numbers.
I understand the other side. Producing gasoline isn’t like producing a bottle of pop. Oil must be discovered, often thousands of feet underground. Companies spend enormous amounts exploring, drilling and producing it. Then it must be transported to a refinery, processed and transported again to gasoline stations.
It is an enormous industrial operation, and oil companies deserve to make a profit.
But consumers notice when gasoline prices rise quickly and seem to come down much more slowly.
The second major issue is our national debt.
The federal debt has now surpassed $40 trillion.
That should concern every American, regardless of political party.
I don’t blame one president or one political party. The debt has been building for decades. Republicans have contributed to it. Democrats have contributed to it. Congress has contributed to it. Presidents have contributed to it.
We spend more than we collect in revenue, so we borrow the difference.
America has an enormous economy and extraordinary resources, but that doesn’t mean we can borrow without limits forever. Interest payments consume an increasing share of the federal budget, leaving less money for other priorities.
We spend billions on grants, programs, universities, scholarships and countless other government activities. Many may be worthwhile. But somebody eventually has to pay the bill.
We need to ask a simple question about every government program: Is this something government absolutely must do, and can we afford it?
That isn’t a Republican question or a Democratic question.
It is an American question.
The third issue concerns the direction of our political debate.
I have many Democratic friends. Most are hardworking Americans who want to help their neighbors and make this country better. I don’t consider them socialists or communists.
But socialist ideas have become more prominent in American political debate, and some politicians openly identify with democratic socialism.
I find the broader movement toward government control troubling.
I have actually seen communist rule at work.
In 1975, I was one of 13 American journalists — seven men and six women — selected for a six-week goodwill tour of the Soviet Union. I was surprised to be chosen because most of the journalists came from major newspapers in cities such as New York, Chicago and Baltimore. I was the newspaper publisher from Craig, Colorado.
We traveled throughout the Soviet Union, and I was shocked by how poor and primitive much of the country appeared.
We were in Moscow on Nov. 7 for the Communist parade. We stood on the Kremlin wall, where I could see Leonid Brezhnev as the enormous military parade passed below us. It was about 20 degrees below zero, and military troops and equipment went on for hours. Our hosts gave us hot wine in leather flasks to help keep us warm.
I remember asking one of the Communist Central Committee officials what happened if someone didn’t show up for work.
The answer was simple: Somebody called on them to make sure they showed up.
That was communism as I experienced it.
Years later, I went to Cuba with a national newspaper delegation. We were there on visas to teach at the José Martí School of Journalism.
We toured the country, and what I saw was heartbreaking. Cuba had beautiful old buildings and a remarkable history, but many buildings were badly deteriorated, with broken windows and crumbling structures. There was widespread economic hardship.
Cuba’s communist system had not produced prosperity for its people.
Those experiences gave me an even greater appreciation for the American system of free enterprise, private property, individual opportunity, representative government and the rule of law.
That doesn’t mean America is perfect. We have poverty, homelessness and people struggling to get ahead. We have work to do.
But the answer isn’t to abandon the system that has helped create the world’s greatest economy. The answer is to improve it.
That means controlling government spending, encouraging work and business, creating opportunities for people who have been left behind, maintaining a strong economy and protecting the constitutional system that has served this country for nearly 250 years.
Political disagreement is healthy. Weakening the institutions that allow us to settle those disagreements peacefully is not. The rule of law matters.
America remains a country people around the world want to enter, not one they are trying to escape. They come here for freedom, opportunity and the chance to build a better life.
We should never take that for granted.
Colorado voters will soon have another opportunity to make their voices heard. There will be important elections and important decisions on the ballot. Study the issues, read the official explanations and make your own decisions.
Most importantly, vote.
I don’t care whether you are a Republican, Democrat or independent. I want you to participate.
America belongs to all of us.
The State of the Union is being challenged. Our responsibility is to pay attention, participate in our government and defend the principles that have made this country great.
And when Election Day comes, go vote.