Jackson Jambalaya

Sometimes The Man comes through to save the day, and sometimes The Man takes advantage of the little guy. The Man is always symbolic of power, whether for good or for bad, and thus is a type of savior or villain. The little guy has no power and is continually a victim, until he rises up to stick it to The Man. 

In 2016 millions of voters supported The Man Donald Trump for president, and he came through for America in big ways. Unemployment rates fell to historic lows for all races, and wages surged particularly for middle and lower income workers. America became energy independent, and gas prices hovered around $2.00/gallon nationwide. The energy sector boomed while the U.S. led the world in reducing CO2 emissions in 2019.

Trump signed the Future Act making permanent $255 million annual STEM funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He was the first sitting president to address the National HBCU Week Conference. He authorized the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program that has awarded scholarships to more than 10,000 students, more than 75% of whom are Black. 

President Trump created the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council that provided additional support for distressed communities. He created Opportunity Zones that have attracted $75 billion and provided investment opportunities in nearly 9,000 economically distressed communities across America. 

He championed the First Step Act, a criminal justice bill that makes the justice system fairer and helps former inmates transition back into society. More than 90% of those benefitting from the retroactive sentencing reductions are Black.

Nevertheless, for more than four years LEFT woke/cancel-culture folks tried to stick it to The Man, not because he was actually accomplishing what they were never able to accomplish, but because he was uncouth. President Biden promised to undo everything Trump had accomplished, and he has succeeded spectacularly in fewer than ten months! 

What’s up under President Biden? Gas prices, food prices, inflation, unemployment, number of migrants crossing the border, and delays in the supply chain. Are the LEFT woke/cancel-culture folks celebrating Biden’s accomplishments? No. Trump is still living in their minds and conversations rent-free. They literally are incapable of thinking or talking about any topic without sticking it to The Man.

President Biden enjoys complete Democrat control of the House, Senate, and federal bureaucracy. With that wind at his back, he has managed to make America dependent on OPEC for energy needs while wrecking the energy sector of our economy; depleted the delivery of goods and services across the economy; attracted the highest number of illegal aliens ever across our southern border; and, is leading the effort to mandate first responders, healthcare workers, and teachers out of the workforce in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Oh, and there’s also the rise of crime rates in every metropolitan area under Democrat control.

What’s happening to the little guy? The little guy doesn’t care about couth. The only folks who care about couth are never bothered or threatened by hard economic times. They ponder solutions to social issues like gender identification and self-esteem. They hardly notice the little guys who serve them, those striving to earn enough money to put gas into their own cars and food on their own tables. The Man helped the little guys. Now he’s gone.

Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PJandMe2@gmail.com.