Readers write

Georgia families feel the strain of Trump economy

“The U.S. economy,” President Trump proclaimed, “is doing unbelievably from the standpoint of Wall Street.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently insisted, “the K-shaped economy is over.”

Both claims are woefully detached from reality. Every hardworking Georgian family knows, through lived experience, that their budget is straining at the grocery checkout line. Food prices are up more than 3.4% since last year, and gas prices are up 50% since the start of the Iran war. Families aren’t just budgeting money; they’re budgeting miles.

If anything, we have what is called an E-shaped economy: an elite class, a middle class squeezed by costs and debt, and a widening underclass. Capital income thrives while labor income lags — a gap made visible by rising credit card delinquencies and families running harder just to stay in place.

We have a social contract to uphold the common good. Main Street needs policymakers focused on working-class purchasing power through targeted tax relief, fair wages and smart tariff strategies that don’t pass costs down the line. Main Street deserves an economy that works for everyone.

PHILBERT SMITH, VILLA RICA

Trump is doing the opposite of what he promised

Imagine where we would be if, as President Trump promised in his inaugural address, he had directed “all members of my cabinet to marshal the vast powers at their disposal to defeat what was record inflation and rapidly bring down costs and prices.”

He claims the word “affordability” is a fake word, a “hoax.” Recently, he warned Americans to get used to higher gas prices.