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I have a habit of watching C-SPAN, with my coffee, possibly more mornings than I'd like to admit. That or RFD-TV, which has real-time updates on grain or fertilizer prices.
But every now and again I take a break and flip through a few channels before setting about my day at hand. Not too long ago, I ended up watching the long running Price is Right. And I couldn't help but think to myself, “More like the Price is High."
It doesn't take much to look around and see that prices are high everywhere and are continuing to climb. Trump and his Republican cronies have made basic needs like healthcare, groceries and utilities even more expensive, putting them more out of reach for Americans, instead of providing relief from skyrocketing costs and stagnant wages.
I guess it's hard to grasp the impact of having a tight paycheck spread increasingly thin when you aren't the one doing the grocery shopping or filling the tank. Trump's ability to relate to everyday people's realities is nonexistent. Instead, this summer he bragged, "You know what I really love? I love the inflation."
I don't know about you, but I sure don't love the inflation.
Farmers need look no further for evidence of this than out their farmhouse window. Diesel prices soared to a staggering $6.19 a gallon when I checked them a few days ago. I've heard they're even higher in other places. For us, it really hurts. All of our equipment runs on diesel. Combine fuel alone for one of our 75-acre cornfields--it will cost $1,160 at the current price.
In a matter of days or weeks, farmers across Iowa and the Midwest will fire up combines and other machinery to harvest our fields. While we do this, we'll see alarming dollar signs as the wheels roll and our pocketbooks get emptied.
We're not just feeling the pain at the pump. The cost of living crisis is nearly everywhere we look. We see it in the grocery store aisles where the price for beef, coffee, eggs, and more keeps ticking up. We see it when we go to the pharmacy or in our monthly bills that keep climbing higher while incomes stay the same.
This is happening while a select wealthy few keep getting richer at our expense and our social safety nets erode. H.R. 1, the inaptly named "Big, Beautiful Bill" passed last year by Congress gutted our SNAP program and Medicaid coverage for hard-working folks who were just trying to play by the rules and get a leg up.
The "Big, Ugly, Bill" was touted as one of the largest tax cuts in history. But for whom? Not me or darn near everyone I know. But Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and others rushing to build the AI that will jeopardize our future opportunities seem to be doing fine.
Add all of this up and it's not surprising to see many Iowans are struggling. We were promised lower costs, a higher standard of living, an end to foreign interventions, and so much more.
We'll have a harvest this fall, but it'll be on the back of empty promises. Conditions on the ground, and especially in D.C., need to change for a better crop next year.
Barb Kalbach is a fourth generation family farmer, retired registered nurse, and board member of Iowa CCI Action. She can be reached at barbnealkalbach@gmail.com.