• Inflation hit 9.1% under Biden; prices don't reverse, they stay elevated

• $100 basket of goods: $122 by end of Biden term, $128 by Aug 2026 — most of the increase was already locked in

• OBBB cuts taxes on tips, overtime, and gives seniors a $6,000 deduction

• Core inflation now 2.4% (lowest since March 2021); 2025 household income hit a record $87,460

• Tariffs hit a narrow slice of imports (coffee, furniture, some goods) — not housing, services, or most food

• Actual rates paid were cut roughly in half via exemptions/sourcing shifts

• Fed Reserve research: tariff effect on prices leveled off by early 2026

• Used as leverage to cut EU industrial tariffs; reshoring of manufacturing is up (36% of manufacturers moving work back)

• Current price (~$4.40–$4.50) is still below Biden's 2022 record of $5.02/gal — with no war driving that spike

• 2026 increase tracks the Iran war/Strait of Hormuz risk, not domestic policy

• Biden-era leasing pauses and pipeline blocks created a structural shortage; war premiums fall when wars end, policy-driven shortages don't

• Dallas Fed: illegal immigration surge drove ~30% of home-price growth, ~20% of rent growth, 2021–24

• $6,000/$12,000 senior deduction (through 2028) means most middle-income retirees owe no federal tax on Social Security

• Core inflation down to 2.4% from 9.1% peak slows cost-of-living compounding

• CBO's “10 million uninsured” / “~$1 trillion” figures mostly reflect expansionpopulation adults and non-citizens, not traditional Medicaid for seniors/disabled/children

• Changes add work requirements (62% public support) and more frequent eligibility checks

• Savings redirected to tip/overtime deductions and the senior deduction

• Healthcare costs have risen under both parties for two decades — a systemic trend, not one Congress's fault. Under Trump:

• Hospital/insurer price transparency enforcement expanded (fines up to $2M/year)

• Most-favored-nation drug pricing deals with 26 drugmakers (~90% of brand-name market); TrumpRx.gov savings over $700M

• New PBM (pharmacy benefit manager) transparency rules enacted

• Iran has funded Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis for decades; Obama/Biden-era sanctions relief funded that aggression

• Goal is dismantling the nuclear program and proxy network, not open-ended occupation

• Inaction has its own cost (proxy attacks, shipping lane risk, nuclear timeline) — not a “free” alternative

• ~73% of the budget (mandatory spending + interest) is on autopilot; Congress only directly controls ~27% (discretionary)

• GOP increased defense (+$150B) and border security (+$175B); cut Medicaid (–$917B), student loans (–$320B), SNAP (–$187B)

• Democrats' alternative was more spending (restored subsidies, open enrollment) with no comparable cut list

• Social Security/Medicare/public schools are opt-outable — you can still buy private insurance or choose private school

• DSA's 2025 platform explicitly calls for public ownership of major industries and aggressive wealth taxes — a stated goal, not an inference

• Historical pattern (e.g., Venezuela 1999–2007): welfare expansion first, nationalization once government is already the dominant provider

• House vote, Sept. 1, 2026: 192 Democrats voted against a resolution condemning socialism (8 Democrats joined Republicans)