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Explanations often are quite simple

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FromEditorsDesk TonyI came close to unfriending someone who I have been friends with for a couple of decades, becoming one of those people who walk away from someone who says something I disagree with.

I vehemently disagreed with his take on the immigration crisis on our border (my friend lives in Missouri), in which he tied allowing our border to be wide open to the current 40-year-high inflation numbers.

I thought that not only was it a stretch that strained incredulity, but it was a blatant sop to the current administration’s foundering economy.

His point: Gov. Greg Abbott’s rules slowing vehicle traffic over bridges from Mexico from 3,000 to 100 is causing the price of tomatoes to skyrocket.

The governor ordered DPS to do additional inspections on trucks coming in from Mexico, citing safety concerns. 

Those inspections, in turn, caused delays, which governments on both sides of the border claim is adversely affecting their respective economies. 

It’s like the old argument who will do the jobs no one wants to do if we don’t let the border be as porous as it usually is, combined with the Putin is causing our gas prices to go up. It’s cynical, and designed to be a dig against conservatives.

Another friend posited that inflation is caused by corporate greed, and that corporations and big businesses are charging more than they “need,” just like Ebenezer Scrooge.

Two axioms in business are pretty much unassailable — the first being that when supply is greater than demand, prices are low, and if supply is less than demand, prices are high. The second being that corporations pass down costs to consumers. The points my friends are trying to make are squarely rooted in this. And that’s OK.

There’s a third one that we seem to be forgetting about, though, and that’s consumers vote with their feet. 

Let’s take that one and combine it with a little American exceptionalism and ingenuity. Let’s not allow outside forces to dictate our misery, because that way lies madness.

Tomatoes cost too much? Let’s grow them ourselves. Gas prices too high? We have the means, resources and determination to become energy independent and not rely on Putin or Saudi oil sheiks for oil.

If tomatoes only are available in Mexico, which I seriously doubt, then why don’t we go get them?

First and foremost, let’s stop the government from dictating every little piece of our lives, making the costs of things skyrocket from unfunded mandates, unnecessary safety requirements and ridiculous regulations.

See, the government produces nothing. It has, however, put itself into the equation of just about everything, which adds a layer of cost that really is unnecessary. Sure, it has the ability to regulate interstate commerce and stop monopolies, but that doesn’t mean it gets to essentially place itself at the top of the ladder.

Which is another way of saying that during election season, vote with your feet and against anyone who makes matters worse in the name of protecting the people.

Tony Farkas can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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