To the editor:

I’d like to start today with a little simple math. If you had the enviable task of spending a billion dollars over the course of 30 years. With no earned interest or investment income during that period (which is very unlikely) you would have to spend a little more than $91,000 per day, every day. Considering that here in the North Country the average annual income is just north of $60,000, that would be a challenging task for pretty much all of us. Why do the math? To illustrate how unfathomable it is for a person who has multiple billions of dollars to relate to the trials and tribulations of the average Joe. In the Trump administration, there are as many as 13 billionaires and an untold number of multi-millionaires. With that context, Dec. 17’s bully pulpit truth-challenged address by President Trump shows that empathy for the common American’s financial challenges is lacking. They probably haven’t pumped their own gas, or for that matter, driven themselves, unless they are playing. Health insurance costs would be inconsequential regardless of the annual increase in costs. Home or auto insurance again, no concern, just send a check.

For those of us who do our own grocery shopping, we know that the carts are smaller, the packaging is smaller, like the 4-pound sugar instead of the 5-pound and the prices are up. Of course, some of it is inflation, but a lot of it appears to be this new tariff (Trump’s new favorite word) based economy. Even Trump seems to understand this; otherwise, why in an effort to reduce prices recently, did he announce a reduction on the arbitrary tariffs assessed on consumables like coffee, fruits, spices and beef, to name a few? As an aside, did you notice that the claw back never seems to go back to the original price point, hmmm?

Some more math to consider that President Trump seems to misunderstand. If you pay $100 today for an item and you reduce the cost be say 400% that would mean if you went to buy that item, the retailer would be handing you $400 and the item. Obviously, that will never happen, so the false claims of reducing prices by 400, 500, 600 and 1,000% are just total bunk.

I will never understand why President Trump can’t just tell the truth; it’s gotta be difficult keeping all the falsehoods straight. Of course, anyone who God forbid fact checks him will be on the receiving end of some not-so-high-brow insult like “piggy” and then the “fake news” mantra. By the way, 10 years and counting, and he still hasn’t put forth a health care proposal, geeee!

Chuck Damp

Ray Brook