Column: The Upcoming Consequential Election Requires Us to Look at a Fuller Picture

We are within a month of an election that really is the most important election of our lifetimes.

Early voting has already begun in many states and will begin here on Oct. 17. While most voters have already decided whom they are voting for, there is still a small percentage of voters undecided. To those who have yet to choose or to those who might be leaning toward voting for Donald Trump, I urge you to consider some real facts.

There are several issues of genuine importance that include the economy, immigration, reproductive rights, personal safety and, more than ever before, the very democracy in which we live. Voters should also consider the character of our candidates.

Many prices are still too high, but by any measure, they are coming down. Inflation is currently at an annual rate of 2.5 percent, down from 9 percent two years ago. Interest rates, set by the Federal Reserve and not the president, are down from their recent highs and show signs of declining further. This will help everyone with a car loan, mortgage or credit card balance. Nationwide, wages have increased by about 5 percent over the past year, so purchasing power is increasing.

The economy was devastated by the COVID pandemic. Under both Presidents Trump and Biden and with a Congress that was controlled at different times by each party, we pumped about $5 trillion into the economy in an effort to keep individuals and companies afloat. This was an instant recipe for high inflation.

Anyone who was president would have had to deal with this. But under the Biden administration, the U.S. economy has recovered faster and more completely than in any other country in the world.

Gasoline prices are declining significantly, now down about 25 percent from just a couple of months ago. Keep in mind that the price of oil is based on the world market price. Supply and demand are key factors. Since 2022, OPEC has reduced its production of oil by about 2 million barrels a day, lessening supply in a move that forced prices higher. At the same time, the U.S. is producing more oil per day than at any time in its history, but oil companies continue to buy foreign oil and charge consumers more for it. During the second quarter of this year alone, Exxon Oil made a net profit of more than $9 billion. At least shareholders were made happy. As a reminder, the government does not set the price for gasoline; oil companies do.

Illegal immigration remains an issue. Every effort must be made to eliminate or at least reduce the number of illegal crossings on our southern border. The good news is that the Biden administration has taken the initiative to accomplish this with tougher regulations that have resulted in fewer illegal crossings than anytime in the past five years, including when Trump was president.

But the real answer to this problem, along with trafficking of drugs and people, is to have comprehensive immigration reform. A bill in Congress, written by one of the most conservative senators and the White House, provided for this reform, but Trump did not support the bill and told the Republican House and the Senate Republicans to not pass it. He took this action because he wanted to campaign on a problem rather than work to fix that problem. Trump himself is now responsible for not reducing illegal immigration.

As president, Trump was also responsible for adding $8 trillion to the national debt, more in four years than any other president. He further advocates for policies that, if enacted, would add an additional $6 trillion to our debt.

Just as important as these and other issues are to this nation, and to the world, the character of a president is vital. Trump has promised to be a dictator on Day One of his administration, potentially leading to a threat on our continued democracy. He was responsible for inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — an effort designed to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and prevent an orderly transfer of power to a new administration for the first time in our nation's history.

Trump is a convicted felon. He has personally been found guilty by a jury of ordinary citizens of 34 felony counts. He is also awaiting trial on 54 additional felony counts. He has been found liable for sexual assault, and he owns a company that filed for bankruptcy six times. He has a history of not paying contractors and has also been found guilty numerous times on fraud charges, carrying with them hundreds of millions of dollars in fines and penalties.

While one may question voting for Vice President Kamala Harris, several things will be true if she is elected. The rule of law will be upheld. Our democracy will endure. Individual rights will continue to be guaranteed. And most important, we will not have a convicted felon as the president of the United States of America.

Character does matter.

Jim Hart, of Pinehurst, spent 38 years in Washington, D.C., as a lobbyist and chief of staff to four U.S. congressmen.