THE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS | Gwen The Dem For Congress

The Affordability Crisis: Why Everything Feels So Hard — and How We Fix It

Somewhere along the way, struggling became normal.

We were told that if we just worked harder, budgeted better, or learned a new skill, we’d be okay. But no matter how hard people work, the math just doesn’t add up anymore.

Groceries cost more. Gas costs more. Everything costs more. And yet paychecks — for most people — haven’t kept pace. This isn’t just “how it is.” It’s the result of choices. Choices made by politicians and corporations that built an economy where the cost of living keeps climbing while wages stay stuck.

If we want to fix it, we have to start by admitting what’s broken.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

The Living Wage Isn’t Radical — It’s Reality

When someone works full-time, they should be able to live — not just survive. That shouldn’t be a controversial idea. But for decades, we’ve accepted a system where productivity skyrockets, profits soar, and wages crawl. When the price of everything rises faster than pay, it doesn’t matter how many hours you work — you’ll always be falling behind.

A living wage isn’t some far-fetched dream. It’s the foundation of a healthy economy. Because when workers have enough to spend, local businesses thrive, families stabilize, and communities grow stronger. It’s not just moral — it’s practical.

But too many in power still act like fair pay is a gift instead of a right. They’re protecting a system designed to squeeze workers while padding the profits of those already at the top. That’s not “the market.” That’s policy — and it can be changed.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Tariffs and Hidden Taxes

We also need to stop pretending tariffs help working people.

They’re sold as patriotic, but in reality, they act like hidden taxes. When corporations pay more to import goods, they simply pass the cost along — and everyday Americans foot the bill.

Instead of using trade policy to lift wages or strengthen manufacturing, we’ve let it become another tool that drives up prices for families already struggling to keep up. Even worse, corporations have learned to exploit tariffs and “global instability” as an excuse to raise prices further — long after their costs have gone down.

That’s not supply and demand. That’s opportunism dressed up as economics.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Make the Rich Pay Their Fair Share

While everyone else cuts back, the wealthy and well-connected continue to do just fine. They’ve had decades to perfect a tax code that lets them avoid responsibility — and they’ve done it brilliantly. Billionaires pay lower effective tax rates than teachers, nurses, and firefighters. Some of the largest corporations in America pay nothing at all.

That’s not a coincidence; it’s a choice.

When the rich don’t pay their fair share, the burden falls on the rest of us — in higher prices, higher taxes, and fewer public resources. It’s time to close the loopholes, end offshore havens, and finally require the ultra-wealthy to contribute like everyone else. This isn’t about punishing success. It’s about ensuring that success contributes to the country that made it possible.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Cracking Down on Corporate Greed

The biggest lie we’ve been sold is that high prices are just “inflation.” In reality, what we’re seeing is greedflation — corporations raising prices not because they have to, but because they can.

During the pandemic, companies raised prices when supply chains were disrupted. But when costs went back down, the prices stayed up — and so did profits. Grocery chains, oil companies, and major retailers have all quietly enjoyed record margins while working families struggle to afford the basics.

And why can they get away with it? Because too few companies control too much.

When four meat-packers set the price of beef, when a handful of corporations dominate shipping, energy, or food production, that’s not a free market. That’s a monopoly — and monopolies don’t compete. They coordinate.

We can fix that, too.

By enforcing antitrust laws, breaking up corporate cartels, and penalizing companies that profit from artificial scarcity, we can make prices reflect reality again. Competition works. Monopolies don’t.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Fixing the Rules That Broke the System

If we want an economy that works for everyone, not just the powerful, we need to change the rules that created this mess. That means:

Raising the minimum wage to a true living wage and tying it to inflation.
Protecting unions and the right to collectively bargain.
Eliminating tariffs that act as stealth taxes on families.
Ending price gouging and taxing windfall profits.
Closing tax loopholes for billionaires and multinational corporations.
Breaking up monopolies and restoring competition to the marketplace.
Taxing excessive CEO pay and stock buybacks that do nothing for workers.
Reforming trade policy to protect consumers, not just corporate interests.
Making economic policy accountable to the real measure of success: people’s quality of life.

Because the economy isn’t an abstract system. It’s us. It’s our paychecks, our groceries, our bills, our lives. And it should serve the people who make it run — not just those who profit from it.

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Building a Fair Future

The affordability crisis isn’t inevitable. It’s not some force of nature we have to accept. It’s the result of decades of deliberate choices — and we can make new ones.

We can build an economy that values fairness as much as it values growth. One where hard work leads to stability, not exhaustion. One where the rich and powerful finally play by the same rules as everyone else.

Because affordability isn’t just about prices. It’s about dignity. It’s about fairness. It’s about whether the American Dream still means something for the people who keep this country running every day.

We don’t need another generation of empty promises. We need action — and the courage to demand it. The system wasn’t built to last forever the way it is. It was built by people, and people can rebuild it.

And that work starts now.