AMERICA

“DON’T SPEND MONEY ON BOMBS, WE’RE HUNGRY!” See what black and white voters in Chicago think about the government! (VIDEO)

by Antonije Kovačević29. October 2024.29. October 2024.

Many believe that the economy will be the decisive factor in the upcoming elections in America, as how Americans live—specifically how much money they have—has always been their top concern.

Over the past three and a half years, especially in the last 24 months, American purchasing power has weakened. With the same amount of money, people can buy less. Moreover, many companies have gone out of business, many people have lost their jobs, and mortgage interest rates have skyrocketed, now exceeding 7%, compared to 2.5% or 3% in 2020.

Although official Washington reported that the inflation rate last year was 2.5% and did not exceed 8% in the previous three years, the facts tell a different story. Almost everything has become more expensive—food, services, and especially gasoline and diesel. In 2020, a gallon of gasoline in America could be purchased for $2 or less, but today prices range from $4.50 in Illinois to $5.50 in states like California.

To avoid struggling with calculations and converting gallons to liters, you should know that a liter of regular gasoline in Chicago today costs $1.16, which is about €1 per liter.

Of course, the American standard of living is still better by that and other measures compared to Serbia, but that doesn’t mean Americans are satisfied, as the saying goes: “May you have and not have!” And today, Americans have less than they did.

WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE RISING PRICES: Chicagoans blame the government and a bad president

Whether the fact that Americans are living worse than before will significantly impact the elections coming up in November remains to be seen. What is currently known is that when it comes to the economy, voters slightly prefer Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.

Trump faced criticism for the economic downturn during COVID, and he paid the price in the 2020 elections. However, it seems that Kamala Harris has fared better in this regard, as she somewhat hid behind President Biden, who has faced criticism for poor economic policies in the past period. Mainstream media, which is favorable to Democrats, have worked hard—and succeeded—to absolve their candidate as if she were not part of that poor policy, even though she was very much involved as the second most powerful person in the country and the current Vice President of the United States.

The media have forgiven Kamala. Whether voters will forgive her remains to be seen in November…

Watch the exclusive report and survey with American citizens filmed in Chicago by Serbian Times editor Antonije Kovačević.