On January 1, 2019, as President Trump approaches his third state of the union address, people in America should pop the Reagan question: Are you better off than you were four years ago?
Those in the United States should ask, for example:
“Is my health insurance costing me more out of pocket than under Obama? Am I getting better, more affordable benefits?”
“Can I still get health insurance?”
“Have work restrictions been placed on my Medicare benefits? Has my state limited Medicare benefits?”
“Has my property tax bill gone up or down?”
“Has the rusty bridge carrying my daughter’s school bus been fixed?”
“I live in a city. Has my child developed asthma in the past year?”
“What’s the interest rate on a new car now?”
“Do I have to pay more for my prescription medications?”
“Am I on a different side of The Wall now?”
“Is it more difficult for me to vote now? Do I have to show a photo ID to vote if I didn’t in 2016?”
“Is being a member of a union useful to me any more?”
“Is there a union for me to join?”
“Will my child in the military need to fight a war in southeast Asia? Or eastern Europe? Or guard an oil well in the Mideast?”
“Will I (or my child) have to worry about being drafted into military service?”
“I had a job in 2016. Do I have one now?”
“I didn’t have a job in 2016. Do I have one now?”
“Can I be sure that the food I eat is as safe as it was in 2016?”
“Did we add more nuclear bombs to the U.S. arsenal? Does Iran have a bomb now? Does North Korea? What about Israel?”
“Do we sell more or fewer weapons to Saudi Arabia?”
“Is my child getting a better education now? Are there more or fewer computers in her school? Are the teachers better?”
“Are more potholes being fixed?”
“Are TSA lines at the airport longer?”
“Are we spending more or less on foreign aid?”
“Is the federal deficit higher or lower now?”
“What’s the price of gasoline? Of bread? Of milk?”
“Did the Keystone pipeline get built?”
“Are my Social Security benefits still the same?”
“Have any big bank executives been charged with crimes?”
“Do I have the same doctor?”
“What about my student loans? Higher? Lower?”
“Do colleges cost more now?”
“Has the post office in my town been closed?”
“Do I still have to wait a long time to get an appointment at a VA clinic?”
“Has a federal treaty with my tribe been broken or ignored again?”
“What’s my tax bracket now?”
“Can I hire a refugee from the Mideast to work for my company?”
“Has the gender, racial, or ethnic mix of teachers at my child’s school changed?”
“Do I have to worry about Russia again?”
“Who’s looking out for my family?”
