Trump Comments On Kamala’s Prices Proposal
Scurvy, the age-old disease associated with 18th-century sailors and vitamin C deficiency, is making a surprise comeback in developed nations.
Known for causing symptoms like loose teeth, lethargy, and even reopening of old wounds, scurvy was largely thought to be a relic of the past after British sailors adopted citrus on long voyages. Yet, a recent study revealed that cases in children in the U.S. have more than tripled between 2016 and 2020, with similar patterns appearing in Canada and Australia.
Medical experts attribute this unexpected return to a rise in restrictive diets, weight-loss surgeries, and increasing fruit and vegetable costs due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Meanwhile, on the political front, Vice President Kamala Harris is sparking debates over economic policy with her recent proposal to impose federal price controls on groceries.
Aiming to combat rising food costs, Harris claims that “big corporations” are taking advantage of consumers, and her plan would implement what she describes as a “federal ban on price gouging.” But this initiative has drawn intense criticism from economic experts and political figures alike, including former President Donald Trump.
Trump lambasted the plan on Truth Social, calling it “Soviet Style Price Controls” and predicting that if enacted, it would worsen the economic crisis, likening it to failed policies in countries like Venezuela and the former Soviet Union.
Economists from across the political spectrum are voicing concerns, with Jason Furman, an Obama-era economic advisor, describing the proposal as more rhetoric than realistic policy.
Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell took it further, warning that Harris’s plan could result in widespread shortages and black markets, and might inadvertently increase prices by encouraging companies to collude on pricing strategies. Rampell also pointed out that government-enforced price controls historically fail, creating inflationary pressure rather than alleviating it.
This renewed focus on pricing controls is feeding into the 2024 election as Harris and her critics, including Trump, stake out opposing visions of how best to tackle inflation. For voters, the choice may come down to navigating a growing divide: Harris’s approach to controlling consumer costs with intervention versus Trump’s call for deregulation and a freer market.