Sharon--yes, I remember the lone R here at Medium (your words when we last corresponded.) First, always good to hear the opposing viewpoints. You are also a fine writer and I imagine a fine teacher (retired klike me) so lets start with this: we agree on many things andour disagreement lies in the margins. Let's start with inflation and the American Rescue Act. Here is the conclusion from Politifact: "Our ruling.

Timken said Biden's spending "has sent prices skyrocketing."

The 2021 American Rescue Plan Act added about $1.9 trillion to the economy, and economists across the political spectrum say that it spurred inflation. They differ on the precise scale of its impact, with estimates ranging from two to four additional points out of the current inflation rate of about 8.5%.

However, none of the experts we reached, liberal and conservative, said Biden’s actions were responsible for all of the inflation. Past government spending, COVID’s disruptions to labor markets, energy prices and supply-chains also played significant roles. Most recently, the war in Ukraine has made a challenging situation worse.

We rate this claim Half True." https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/apr/20/jane-timken/bidens-american-rescue-plan-fueled-inflation-so-di/

Sharon, this is an article that has R and D sources both conservative and liberal. In the end, it is a complicated issue and not given to simplicity. The truth lies in the fact that the war in Ukraine has made the inflationary trend stick longer than it normally would. What you do not address is the fact that 1. we are in a recession (no proof) nor that the money you imply was unwarrented was actually the saving grace for individuals who were unemployed (not us) and business that were closed. Hmm. That is something one should not ignore--unless one is not the person in need.