[Dallas Morning News] Texans are stressed about the economy, cutting back on spending and placing the blame on the policies of President Joe Biden.Seven in 10 Texans say they are more worried about finances than they were a year ago and 87% said increased prices have had an impact on their household situation, according to a new survey of 1,384 registered Texas voters by The Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler.
Gas prices are hitting family and business finances hard and forcing them to cut back on spending for groceries and entertainment, said several Texans who took the poll. That sentiment is backed up by financial advisers and community aid organizations that say there is increased worry in the region as prices for energy, housing, groceries, insurance, utilities and other necessities continue to rise.
The poll, which took place between Aug. 1 and 7, comes as the Dallas-Fort Worth region registered inflation rates above the national average in July, even though gas prices are coming down sharply after peaks in the spring.
In your dreams. Got any data to back that up? Gas was up 20 cents a gallon this morning.
Some 48% of respondents said President Joe Biden and Congress were most responsible for inflation and the rising cost of living, including 75% of Republicans. About a quarter placed blame on supply chain problems, while the policies of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the state legislators garnered 9% and 12% cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
A lot of kool-aid drinkers.
"Groceries and gas are a killer," said Lusk, who considers himself a libertarian. "We just don’t have anything left anymore." Lusk said he also places the blame on the Biden administration, particularly for a moratorium on offshore drilling and his opposition to the Keystone Pipeline project.
"I didn’t vote for Trump either time, but his hands-off approach to most things economic tended to allow the economy to improve. And it improved significantly while he was in office."
Pretty insightful for a 45-year old program coordinator at a west-Texas university.