Affordability, Stability, and the Return to Sanity
A brief review of 2025 — and a hopeful look toward 2026
Hi friends,
When people talk about “the economy,” they often mean charts, forecasts, and debates among experts. But when most Americans talk about the economy, they mean something simpler: Can we afford life again? Can we buy groceries without cringing, fill the gas tank without stress, plan for retirement without fear, or help our kids and grandkids without going backward ourselves?
That’s why I’m choosing these three words that best describe where we are right now: affordability, stability, and normalization — returning America to constitutional, economic, and cultural sanity after years of a leftward direction. (For example, Democrat JFK would have been a far right extremist in 2024.)
Things are not perfect - of course. But they are improving in ways we can feel, and that matters more than the liberal media will even address. Inflation has eased; compare to December of 2024. Energy prices have moderated. Wages, in a variety of areas, are catching up. Consumer confidence is rising. These are not abstract victories — they show up at kitchen tables.
And that brings me to an uncomfortable truth many politicians ignore: perception matters — and presidents ignore that at their peril, especially heading into midterms. Voters don’t experience the economy through spreadsheets. They experience it through monthly bills, insurance notices, grocery receipts, and whether the future feels manageable or worrisome.
This administration understands that reality. President Donald Trump said he expects the 2026 midterm elections to hinge on prices and perceptions of economic progress, betting that easing inflation, lower energy costs, and rising wages will be key to persuading voters to keep Republicans in control of Congress.
This Isn’t Radical — It’s a Reversion
Much of the outrage we’ve been hearing throughout 2025 is framed as resistance to “extreme” change. But when you look back, the most ‘controversial’ developments of 2025 are not radical at all. They are reversions — course corrections — bringing America back toward how the system functioned for decades before it drifted sharply left.
Courts, including the Supreme Court, have repeatedly reinforced constitutional boundaries that had been stretched thin. Executive authority has been clarified, not expanded. Administrative agencies have been reminded that they execute laws; they do not invent them. Congress, not unelected bureaucracies, writes policy.
What some critics describe as dangerous disruption is, in reality, a restoration of balance. That balance matters because when rules are stable and power is predictable, people can plan. Businesses can invest. Families can make decisions with confidence. Normalcy, it turns out, is not boring — it’s liberating.
Why Affordability and Stability Go Hand in Hand
Economic policy isn’t just about growth; it’s about behavior. Tariffs, for example, are often caricatured as blunt instruments. In practice, they have been used since Alexander Hamilton (and before) as leverage — encouraging domestic production, reducing dependency on adversarial nations, and generating revenue without simply borrowing more money.
Despite media and ultra-liberal dire predictions, the U.S. economy has held up better than many peer nations. Growth has outpaced several other developed economies, and forecasts of disaster and collapse simply did not materialize. That doesn’t mean tariffs are universally good, but it does mean the “expert consensus” was far less certain than advertised. Fearmongering increases stress and division.
Energy policy has also played a critical role. Affordable energy touches everything — manufacturing, transportation, food prices, and household budgets. When energy policy becomes ideological (climate chaos) instead of practical, affordability collapses. When it becomes realistic again, costs ease across the board.
A Personal Note on Social Programs and Technology
I want to be clear that I do not support policies according to politician or party.
Some recent initiatives — such as the $1,000 Trump baby savings accounts (for children born 2025-2028) — are intended to provide relief and encourage broader participation in the economy. While I understand the motivation, and certainly hope it is wildly successful in raising those children up financially, it’s still an expansion of social-style programs. Historically, long-term affordability is best achieved through growth, lower costs, and structural reform.
Likewise, investment in advanced technology, including AI data centers, has contributed to productivity and growth. At the same time, these developments raise legitimate concerns about energy demand, water usage, and property rights — issues every American must care deeply about. I don’t oppose innovation, but it must be balanced with stewardship and the big picture of communities and farms/ranches, and the bottom line is that technology is not more important than people. The encouraging sign is that these concerns are finally receiving more public attention. Awareness is growing, and that’s healthy. (One win this year was the administration proposed narrowing the Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) definition to align with Supreme Court directions, significant for property rights and environmental policy.)
Agreement does not require silence, and support does not mean blind endorsement. A functioning country allows room for both success and scrutiny. We’re living through a time that freedom of speech - criticizing politicians and policy - is under fire.
China, the Red-Green Axis, and Why Strength Matters
Economic strength is not just about prosperity; it is about national and personal security. China’s global ambitions depend heavily on Western dependence — on energy, manufacturing, technology, and capital. China has shown a willingness to work with Islamist movements and destabilizing forces, not out of shared values, but the shared objective of killing America.
This shared objective, sometimes called the “red-green axis,” thrives when Western nations are weak, divided, and economically fragile. Trade leverage, energy independence, and domestic production are not isolationist impulses. They are stabilizing forces. A country that can feed itself, power itself, and defend itself negotiates from strength rather than desperation - and survive. (We’re seeing, in real time, how the UK is being affected by the success of the China/Islam objective.)
Peace Through Strength — and Why It Affects Your Wallet
One of the most overlooked aspects of the past year has been diplomacy. Multiple peace and normalization agreements brokered by President Trump reshaped regions long assumed to be locked in permanent conflict. These were not symbolic gestures; they were practical agreements grounded in leverage and realism.
Peace is not just a moral good — it is an economic one. Wars are inflationary. They drive up energy prices, expand debt, and erode civil liberties. Avoiding large-scale conflict saves lives and taxpayer dollars alike. The absence of new wars is not an accident; it is the result of deterrence combined with negotiation.
At the same time, the war in Ukraine remains unresolved. It continues, exacting a terrible human toll and placing ongoing strain on global markets and alliances. There are no easy answers here. Escalation carries risks. Endless proxy conflict carries risks. Diplomacy is difficult — but it remains necessary.
Recognizing complexity is not weakness. It is maturity.
Accountability at Home Still Matters
Closer to home, we’ve seen reminders of why reform matters. The massive fraud uncovered in Minnesota, involving billions of taxpayer dollars siphoned through social programs, is not an indictment of compassion. It is an indictment of systems that lack oversight and accountability.
When corruption flourishes, the vulnerable are not helped — they are exploited. Taxpayers lose trust (in addition to money). Communities suffer. Accountability is not lack of compassion; it is stewardship.
Legislative High Points Worth Remembering
The “One Big Beautiful Bill” delivered several tangible outcomes: tax relief, regulatory rollback, stronger energy policy, national security provisions, and support for working families. No legislation is perfect, but direction matters. This bill moved the country toward stability rather than experimentation.
This is another area where I feel fiscal responsibility could have been better addressed.
A Word of Caution on CBDCs
One important issue deserves vigilance. A Central Bank Digital Currency did not make it into the final NDAA, which is bad news. But the idea has not disappeared. CBDCs raise serious concerns about financial privacy, control, and the potential for programmable money. The absence of a bad policy is not the same as protection from it. This is an area where continued public attention matters because CBDCs must be avoided.
Looking Toward 2026
As we look ahead, I expect more improvement, by which I mean continuing to return more to the original idea of government that the founders planned. Not everything can be fixed in one year. Momentum matters, but Executive Orders need to be passed into law where applicable. Stability compounds over time. A country that feels calmer, more predictable, and more affordable is a country regaining its footing.
Notable:
Texas National Guard Deployment Blocked by Supreme Court. This recent decision is deeper than SCOTUS told Trump ‘No’. The Supreme Court addresses only the narrow question before it, resolving the immediate dispute while deliberately leaving broader, indirect questions for future cases. Where you and I might try to solve a bigger question, that is not the job of the Supreme Court.
U.S.-Venezuela Tensions. This is very complex, and I don’t pretend to know anything about it; however, President Trump’s strategy has proven right many times, and I await developments.
The filibuster. I learned a bit about this recently. In my ignorance I didn’t know the congressperson just had to say the word and not take the action! It sounds like in a trial, the attorney could just say my client’s not guilty and not have to present his case. So some congresspersons are saying this is not right; we need to go back to the actual act of the filibuster. Make the objectors put in the work to get the result. I mean what if I told my boss, ‘Hey, pretend I worked 40 hours this week and cut me a paycheck…’
A Closing Thought
I’ll end on a personal note.
Gratitude matters. So does perspective. We do not expect perfection, and we are called to responsibility. (I would even say duty.) I am thankful for signs of economic improvement, for course corrections that restore balance, and for a renewed sense that loving our country is no longer something to not talk about.
My hope for the year ahead is simple: health, happiness, prosperity, and peace — rooted not in utopian promises, but in faith, common sense, and steady work.
Thank you for reading, for thinking, and for caring enough to stay engaged.
As always, do your own research and make up your own mind.
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