We asked and you answered: This week’s poll results are in. How high will gas prices soar this summer? Are we headed for a recession? Will Biden’s police reforms make officers’ jobs more dangerous? Liberty Nation readers have weighed in with their opinions.
How high do you expect the average national gas price per gallon to go by summer?
Result:
- Above $6: 60%
- Between $5 and $6: 30%
- Around $5: 10%
After two years of pandemic shutdowns and chaos, and with summer just around the corner, people are anxious to get out and take a vacation. But with inflation and the soaring prices at the pump, that may be an unachievable goal.
Californians are already paying $6 a gallon for gas in some areas, and most of our LN poll respondees believe that the national gas price will hit that high mark just in time for the travel season. Crude oil prices are already above $100 a barrel, and now that the Department of the Interior has decided not to go ahead with oil and gas lease sales in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, people are even more concerned about the United States’ energy resources.
Liberty Nation Economics Correspondent Andrew Moran reported that “By canceling the lease sale up north, the US government will prevent up to one million acres of drilling.” He added:
“The case that the current administration is purposely exacerbating the nation’s energy woes to install a green agenda is becoming increasingly prevalent after the federal government put the kibosh on new oil and gas lease sales in the country’s key producing areas. What might have been initially a policy of incompetence has metastasized into a campaign of arrogance and disdain for millions of struggling Americans in today’s cost-of-living crisis.”
Is the United States headed for a recession?
Result:
- Yes: 90%
- No: 7%
- Don’t Know: 3%
A month ago, LN’s Mr. Moran wrote: “The United States economy is one quarter away from slipping into a downturn.” Most of our poll respondents agree that the US is indeed headed into a recession. And they aren’t the only ones. The World Bank is warning of a global recession caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The bank’s president, David Malpass, spoke at a US Chamber of Commerce meeting, delivering his message of doom: “As we look at the global GDP … it’s hard right now to see how we avoid a recession. The idea of energy prices doubling is enough to trigger a recession by itself.” Malpass attributed a lot of the uncertainty to China’s lockdowns in key areas such as Shanghai.
Americans have noticed the ever-increasing cost-of-living expenses, especially at the grocery markets. Recently, a shortage of baby formula sent parents into panic across the nation, and the Democrats are struggling to find a way to save the day. It’s likely going to take some kind of miracle to keep the nation from going into a recession.
Will President Biden’s proposed Police Reforms make policing more dangerous?
Result:
- Yes: 90%
- Don’t Know: 7%
- No: 3%
Two years after the death of George Floyd, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to reform police practices, which also includes establishing a national database of police misconduct. According to the commander-in-chief:
“This executive order is going to deliver the most significant police reform in decades. It applies directly, under law, to only 100,000 federal law enforcement officers, all the federal law enforcement officers. And through federal incentives and best practices that are attached to it, we expect the order to have significant impact on state and local law enforcement agencies as well.”
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) proposed the JUSTICE Act two years ago, and he claims Biden has taken key points from his failed reform bill but isn’t backing them up properly, making it even more dangerous for officers to do their job:
“While my proposal added funding to help local law enforcement comply with higher standards, the Democrats’ proposal sets departments up for failure by issuing unfunded federal mandates. Making it harder for police to do their jobs to the best of their ability should be a nonstarter, yet that’s exactly what the Biden plan does. I’m disappointed that the president who campaigned on unity has once again fallen into the trap of divisive politics.”
A whopping 90% of Liberty Nation’s respondents agreed: Biden’s police reform bill is just going to make it more dangerous for police officers who are already facing higher crime rates, defunding, and criticism from the public.
Thank you for participating in our poll. To see previous poll results, go here.
