Everyone has their thoughts on how last year went — hope we all found some good, while hoping for better. Personally, we are doing very well. We have little income, but enough to cover bills and feed us. Seems for many, the biggest expense is a roof over their heads, an expense that keeps taking money from groceries.

One thing keeps costs up is the huge cost to even start a home or apartments. Permits, hook-ups and inspections are terribly costly. Can we get our local, state and federal restrictions eased? I think we must!

Corporate profits, or greed, from the mega companies is also a problem. Profits went down a bit in the second half of 2023. Shell and Chevron saw their profits rise about 5% year-on-year to $9.6 billion and $6.6 billion, respectively. Big international energy and food firms have an outsized influence on the wider economy.

Regarding 2023’s much good news, unemployment continues to be low, with many job opportunities. Wage increases finally caught inflation, which came down. Unions strengthened workers in many areas. Stocks hit an all-time high, benefiting 401k holders. U.S. gross national product has grown about 22% since Biden took office. That’s compared with a 14% uptick during Trump’s presidency. The U.S. is producing 13.5 million barrels of oil a day, and we’re heading towards 14 million barrels a day. That is more oil than any country in the world. That is a record for the U.S., despite renewable progress.

Sadly, our debt and deficit are not doing well. Cutting taxes and increasing spending in the years since Clinton and Gingrich had a balanced budget keeps adding to our interest load!

POUL TOFTEMARK

Rosburg