Rep. Joyce Weston
Grafton 8, Hebron, Holderness, Plymouth
We have had a year of bad news, languishing, and depression. So let’s start the new year with some positive messages.
- Better broadband is coming to New Hampshire. Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that will get broadband to places that still don’t have it, like pockets of homes in our area. And, in addition, we’ll get a lot of bridges and roads repaired.
- Wages in America are growing at about 4% a year (compared with less than 1% a year in the Eurozone), as worker shortages push wages up. This helps women workers in particular, in low-wage jobs in our tourist industry.
- The Biden administration has created 4.1 million jobs — more than were created in the twelve years of the Trump and George W. Bush administrations combined.
- Child poverty has been cut in half through the Democrats’ The American Rescue Plan—putting $66 billion into 36 million households. Think of all the kids who no longer go to bed hungry.
- We are leading the world in economic growth. . . U.S. economic output has jumped more than 7% in the last three months of 2021. Overall growth for 2021 is around 6%, and economists predict growth of around 4% in 2022—the highest numbers the U.S. has seen in decades. China’s growth in the same period will be 4%, and the Eurozone will grow at 2%. "America’s economy improved more in Joe Biden’s first 12 months than any president during the past 50 years." — Matthew Winkler, Bloomberg
- The Affordable Care Act has raised the total number of Americans who have healthcare coverage to a record 13.6 million. Of that number. 4.6 million were added by the ACA. Obamacare works!
- And finally, it looks like the current spike of Omicron might be waning soon. We now have beautiful snow, and the ski areas are selling out! Tourism is back. . .
Lots to be thankful for in the New Year.