Americans Are Struggling, and Only One Side Is Fighting to Fix The Problems
I’m a Lawyer. I Know a Con When I See One. This President, MAGA Republicans and This Bill are Costing Us Everything
If you ask the folks in my community what keeps them up at night, the answers sound familiar. Families are stretching every dollar to cover basic expenses, worried about rising rent, grocery bills, and gas prices. Parents wonder how they'll afford child care or the next medical bill. Young people are losing hope that they'll ever own a home much less a future.
Across the country in 2025, people are working hard and still feel like they're falling behind. I hear it from neighbors and clients every day: the cost of living is squeezing everyone, and something has to give.
Economic stability is the foremost concern I see on Americans’ minds. Inflation might not dominate headlines like it did a couple of years ago, but prices remain high on everyday necessities. Wages for many haven’t kept pace with these costs.
Imagine a couple in their thirties juggling two jobs, still struggling to pay for housing, groceries, and their student loan payments. They did everything right and still can’t catch a break. This is the reality for so many of us. I believe our government should be doing everything possible to ease this burden on working families. In my opinion, leaders who truly care about America fight to raise wages, bring down prices, and create good jobs.
That is exactly what Democrats are striving to do, even as they hold a minority in Congress. They have pushed for practical steps that would make a real difference. Democrats have proposed raising the federal minimum wage so that full-time workers aren’t trapped in poverty. They have tried to cap the outrageous prices of life-saving drugs and expand access to affordable health care.
Not long ago, they expanded the child tax credit which briefly helped millions of families afford diapers and school supplies, cutting child poverty to historic lows. Those are the kind of policies that put money back in ordinary Americans’ pockets. This is what it looks like when lawmakers actually try to solve problems.
Here we are in 2025 with Donald Trump back in the White House and his allies in charge of Congress, and they are doing the opposite. Instead of extending relief to families, the Trump administration and MAGA Republicans have focused on helping the wealthy and well-connected.
They allowed that expanded child tax credit to expire, causing child poverty to skyrocket once again. They have stood firmly against raising wages for workers. They blocked efforts to increase the minimum wage, and in the same breath they gave massive tax breaks to large corporations and billionaires.
When Democrats fought to let Medicare negotiate lower drug prices to help seniors, every Republican lined up against it. It is hard to watch this and not conclude that the people in power right now care more about the profits of big pharma and the ultra-rich than about grandma affording her insulin or a construction worker buying groceries.
I see a fundamental difference in priorities. Democrats, despite being outnumbered, are trying to tackle the high cost of living and give regular people a fair shot. The Republican leadership seems intent on exploiting these struggles for their own agenda. They talk loudly about inflation when it suits them. Then they turn around and oppose practical measures that would actually bring costs down.
We all remember Trump’s first-term tax overhaul that was sold as a “middle-class miracle” and turned out to be a windfall for the wealthy. Now in his second term, it’s more of the same. His administration’s signature legislation, something he proudly calls his “Big Beautiful Bill,” is a massive package that they claim will fix our problems. In truth, that bill is a breathtaking giveaway to the richest interests in the country.
It showers tax cuts on corporations and the wealthy, slashes health care funding and other support for working families, and piles up debt that our kids will be left to pay. They had the nerve to brand it as something beautiful for the people. I believe it’s one of the ugliest betrayals of working Americans I’ve ever seen. It makes crystal clear who benefits under Trump’s agenda, and it’s not your average American family.
Economic hardship is far from the only thing on people’s minds. Another everyday concern I hear about is the situation at our border and our immigration system. People are frustrated seeing chaos and humanitarian crises play out. They want a secure border, yes. They also want a fair and humane system that reflects our values.
I have talked to business owners desperate for legal workers and young Dreamers who only know this country as home. We need real solutions on immigration that uphold the law and our ideals as a nation of immigrants.
Democrats have long tried to work toward comprehensive immigration reform. They have offered plans that would invest in smart border security and modernize our immigration courts, while providing an earned pathway to legal status for law-abiding families who are already here contributing to our communities. This would make our country safer and stronger.
Even from the minority, Democratic lawmakers keep advocating for treating migrants with dignity and addressing root causes of migration, so fewer desperate people feel forced to come illegally. They want pragmatic fixes, like hiring more asylum judges to process cases faster and using better technology to catch drug smuggling, instead of endless political theater.
What are we getting from Trump and his MAGA loyalists on this issue? Political stunts and sound bites. We see Republican governors and officials putting migrants on buses and planes to dump them in other states unannounced, as if these were pawns in a game rather than human beings. We hear the President rage about building bigger walls and conducting militaristic raids in immigrant communities.
Those strategies make headlines and do nothing to solve the underlying problems. In my opinion, they prefer to keep immigration as a fiery talking point for campaigns rather than actually sit down with Democrats to fix the system. The result is that the border remains a mess, employers still can’t find the workers they need legally, and thousands of Dreamer kids remain in limbo.
That status quo may be fine for MAGA politicians who thrive on chaos and fear. It is not fine for America. We deserve an immigration approach that is serious, compassionate, and effective. Not one that treats the issue as a political prop.
Political division itself has become a daily concern for Americans. Neighbors are at each other’s throats over red-versus-blue feuds. I hear people say they are exhausted by the constant anger and the feeling that we can’t agree on basic facts anymore. Trust in our institutions (in government, in media, even in the fairness of our elections) has been badly shaken.
This weighs heavily on me as a lawyer and as someone who loves this country. Our democracy only works when we have some shared truth and faith that our system is just. Lately that faith has been eroded on purpose by those who see political gain in driving us apart.
I see Democrats working to restore a sense of unity and fair play. MAGA Republicans seem determined to inflame resentment. Democrats have been trying to protect our voting rights and strengthen democratic norms. They supported independent investigations into wrongdoing, even when it was uncomfortable for their own side, because they believe in the rule of law. They continue to push for things like making it easier for citizens to vote and harder for billionaires to buy elections. Those may not be flashy causes. They are about rebuilding trust so that we Americans feel our voices matter more than dark money or gerrymandered maps.
Donald Trump and his inner circle have repeatedly attacked the very foundations of our democracy. This is not an opinion; we all saw it happen. When he lost the 2020 election, he and his allies spread a lie about mass voter fraud that nearly tore this country apart. Even now in 2025, that lie persists among his base, doing lasting damage to trust in our elections.
The same people who talk about government overreach are perfectly willing to use government power to overturn the will of the people if it keeps them in office. We witnessed a violent attempt to halt the peaceful transfer of power; too many in the Republican Party have downplayed that event or even cast the rioters as heroes. As someone, a lawyer, who has sworn to uphold the Constitution, I find this beyond alarming.
It gets worse. Once back in power, Trump and his loyalists set out to weaken any institution that might hold them accountable. We have a president who literally floated the idea of “terminating” the Constitution’s provisions when they inconvenienced him. Now we see his congressional allies trying to defund federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI and Justice Department. They are not doing this because they suddenly dislike law enforcement in general; they are doing it because those agencies dared to investigate wrongdoing by Trump and his associates.
Think about that for a moment. The party that claims to stand for law and order is gutting the very agencies that enforce our laws, simply to shield their own leader from consequences. It is an attack on the principle that no one is above the law. It is an attack on America’s basic foundations.
Americans across the political spectrum say they worry about losing personal freedoms, though they often mean different things by it. Here, the difference in approach is stark.
I believe in freedom in the fullest sense. That means the freedom to speak your mind, to practice your own religion, to make private decisions about your body and your life without government meddling. These are core American values.
Democrats have been working to protect those kinds of freedoms: the freedom to vote, the freedom for a woman to make her own health care choices, the freedom for families to be safe from gun violence in their schools and neighborhoods. When Democrats champion policies like background checks for firearms or laws to safeguard reproductive rights, they are trying to ensure that one person’s rights aren’t trampling another’s. They are seeking a balance that maximizes liberty for the greatest number of people.
MAGA Republicans use the language of “freedom” as well. Look at what they actually do when they have power. They have passed laws in various states banning certain books and censoring what teachers can say about history and human biology, which sounds to me like an assault on intellectual freedom and an attack on honest education.
They talk about freedom of religion. In the next breath, they tell other people who they can or can’t marry based on a narrow view of morality. They celebrate freedom to bear arms to the extent that even commonsense gun safety measures are blocked, leaving our children with the awful “freedom” to endure active shooter drills and the terror of real gun violence.
And of course, the freedom of a woman to control her own body has been demolished in many states after the fall of Roe v. Wade. Republican leaders could have taken a measured approach on that issue. Many of them rushed to impose near-total bans with no exceptions, even in cases of rape or danger to a mother’s life. That is not preserving freedom. It is about control. In my opinion, when they chant “freedom,” what they often mean is the freedom of a few to impose their will on everyone else.
Climate change and environmental threats are also weighing on Americans, especially younger folks who will live with the consequences. We are seeing wildfires, floods, and heat waves in parts of the country that have never had to worry about such extremes before. People are understandably anxious about what kind of planet we are leaving to our children and grandchildren.
Once again, Democrats are trying to take action. Republicans mostly deny the problem or distract from it. In the past few years, Democratic leaders fought to invest in clean energy, to finally do something about reducing carbon emissions, and to create jobs in the process. Those efforts, like the push for electric vehicle incentives or support for solar and wind industries, are aimed at protecting our future and also lowering energy costs for families over time. Clean energy could mean cheaper power bills and healthier kids not breathing polluted air. It is the definition of planning ahead for the common good.
Trump’s camp takes a different tack entirely. They have rolled back environmental protections at every turn, scrapped regulations that kept our water and air clean, and doubled down on fossil fuels as if climate science doesn’t exist. This approach pads oil company profits and scores points with a certain segment of voters. It leaves all of us more vulnerable.
What good is drilling a bit more oil today if it means more deadly weather disasters tomorrow? What good is boasting about energy dominance if our farmers are losing crops to drought and our coastal towns are flooding?
The Republican leadership seems to prefer short-term gains for their donors over long-term sustainability for our nation. It is infuriating, because the clock is ticking on climate issues. Every year we delay meaningful action, the harder and costlier the solutions become. Democrats have been trying to get us to face this reality and act responsibly. Republicans in power block progress and even ban officials from uttering the phrase “climate change.” That tells you all you need to know about their priorities.
When I step back and look at the economic strain on families, the dysfunction in our immigration system and at the border, the social conflicts in our communities, the climate crisis, and the threats to our democracy, I see one thing in common: most Americans simply want these problems addressed so they can live their lives with a little more peace and security. People want to earn a decent living, afford a home, send their kids to good schools, breathe clean air, feel safe from violence, and have a government that respects their rights and stays within constitutional bounds.
These are not radical desires; they are profoundly American ones. The tragedy right now is that we have a leadership in power that appears more interested in exploiting these issues than in solving them.
Donald Trump and the MAGA wing of the Republican Party feed on division and grievances. They identify real frustrations; I’ll grant that. There are indeed many Americans who feel unheard, or anxious about cultural changes, or angry about being left behind in the economy. The problem is that Trump and his allies offer them scapegoats instead of solutions.
They will blame immigrants, blame “woke” diversity programs, blame environmental regulations, blame just about anything except the greed of billionaires or the structural problems actually holding people back. Why? Because scapegoating and fearmongering fire up their political base. Frankly, solving those underlying problems would require standing up to powerful interests that benefit from the status quo.
It is no coincidence that so many of the solutions Democrats propose are opposed by big-money donors and industries that line Republican campaign coffers. Crack down on corporate price gouging and suddenly lobbyists swarm to kill the bill. Try to make the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes and watch how quickly the outrage machine kicks into gear, telling regular Americans that this will somehow hurt them.
What MAGA Republicans are doing is a con, and it’s infuriating because real people suffer while the game is played. I am tired of seeing working Americans being sold out and misled by leaders who pretend to be on their side.
I often ask myself: what do most Americans really want from their leaders right now? The answer I keep coming back to is simple.
—They want leaders who actually give a damn and will roll up their sleeves to fix things. They want less posturing and more problem-solving.
—They want someone to focus on making groceries, housing, and health care affordable.
—They are not looking for leaders who spend their time picking fights on social media or at rallies about the outrage of the day.
—Americans want a government that defends their rights and safety.
They do not want one that tells them who to fear or hate. They want some common sense and decency restored.
The Democratic leaders in Washington are, at the very least, trying to move us in that direction. They have plans on the table right now to tackle all these issues: plans to lower costs, plans to rebuild infrastructure and create jobs, plans to reform immigration humanely, plans to protect voting rights and strengthen ethics in government, plans to combat climate change while growing the economy. These plans exist, and many have broad public support. The only thing stopping most of them is the Republican leadership that sees cooperation as defeat and treats every issue as a wedge.
I know this sounds harsh. The stakes are too high to mince words. We are dealing with a Republican Party dominated by its extreme MAGA faction that is tearing down the very measures designed to help Americans, purely to score points or reward donors.
—They are diluting agencies meant to keep our water clean and our banks honest.
—They are yanking away resources from public schools and community health clinics under the guise of fiscal responsibility, and then handing that money to wealthy interests that don’t need a handout.
—They are repealing regulations that were put in place to prevent abuse and disaster. Every time they remove one of these guardrails, they make a quick profit or a splashy headline, and the rest of us pay the price down the road.
It will take years, if not decades, to repair the damage being done right now. That’s the truth that keeps me up at night. A president who flirts with ignoring the Constitution, a Congress that seems to put party over country at every turn, and a populace being fed a daily diet of division: this is a dangerous path for any democracy. I worry deeply about the country my children and grandchildren will inherit if we don’t turn this around. I refuse to accept that America’s best days are behind us. To secure our future, we have to wake up to what’s happening in the present.
The good news is that more and more regular Americans are seeing through the fog of propaganda. People know in their gut when they are being used. I have faith that the majority of us, whether we call ourselves Democrats, Republicans, or independents, ultimately want similar outcomes: a fair shot for our families, a safe community, and a stable country built on respect for each other and the rule of law. The challenge is getting past the noise and holding our leaders accountable to those basic goals.
So here is my message, plain and simple. We cannot afford to be complacent about what is happening in our government. Pay attention to who is offering real solutions and who is just fanning flames. Support the leaders who are working for the people, not those working the system for themselves.
Make your voice heard. That could mean calling your representatives, showing up at town halls, or voting in every election like the future depends on it, because it does.
America faces serious issues right now. They are issues we have the ability to solve if we choose leaders who will focus on the public good. I see one party striving against the odds to address our most pressing concerns. I see the other party, currently in power, cynically spinning those same concerns into cash and power.
I know which side I’m on. I’m on the side of hardworking Americans who just want a fair chance and an honest government. I believe in my heart that our country can live up to its promise. This will only happen if we demand it.
Let’s demand it together, for our families, for our future, and for the nation we love.
Mitch Jackson, Esq. | links
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