Read Vikram's Latest Op-Ed   WHEN I entered the race to represent the Second District in Congress, I condemned Washington, D.C. dysfunction and said I was running to fix the mess. D.C. is a mess because it is filled with career politicians and lifelong bureaucrats, who are disconnected from the lives of everyday Americans. Nowhere is the mess more obvious than with the economy. A bunch of people who have spent their careers in the Beltway bubble collecting government paychecks, recklessly borrowed, printed, and spent too much, generating budget-busting prices on everything from groceries to heating oil. So-called experts and Washington elites broke the economy and hard-working families are feeling the pain. Our 401k’s are rapidly turning into 301k’s, the global markets are realizing our economy has been driven by unsustainable debt-fueled government spending, and proposed policies are now overtly socialist. It didn’t have to be this way. Consider that when President Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, inflation was 1.4%. Less than two years after Democrats took the White House and opened the spending spigot, inflation hit 9%. Many of us feel like we’re going backward, and for good reason — because we are. American incomes (on average) haven’t kept up with the cost of living. Ironically, the Democrat solution to inflation caused by too much government spending is ... more spending. The Inflation Reduction Act, (really an Inflation Production Act) which Kamala Harris enabled with a tie-breaking vote, kicked off a green-energy spendathon. Goldman Sachs analysts recently estimated that her vote would cost taxpayers $1.2 trillion. Or think about the fact that the Biden-Harris administration has written off more than $170 billion of student debt, which divides out to about $700 per taxpayer! And how do they pay for all of this? Through inflation. Think of it as a hangover tax, the result of spending like drunken sailors, and one that is squeezing our budgets while helping the rich. And it’s leaving our kids and grandkids a mountain of debt. Meanwhile, Washington insiders and elites tell us the economy is great. What they really mean is that it’s great for them. (Some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the United States are in the D.C. area.) Career politicians and bureaucrats no longer associate with, understand, or represent hard working American families. How could they? They live in a cocoon, hidden from the pressures of strained budgets and economic cycles. They don’t understand the problems we face; worse, they think we are the problem. To lower prices and improve affordability, we need leaders with real world experience and common sense, not lifelong politicians or career bureaucrats. We need to embrace capitalism and run as fast as possible away from socialism. And in this regard the contrast between the Republican and Democrat tickets is noteworthy. The Trump-Vance team has decades of experience in the private sector, while the Harris-Walz team has a combined total of zero years of business experience. In fact, a 2022 study found that the majority of Biden-Harris administration officials who were responsible for economic policy had no business experience at all. Is it any surprise that Trump policies resulted in widespread and inclusive growth that helped almost everyone, while Biden’s have only helped a few? The 2024 election offers Americans a clear choice: career politicians who live in a political bubble or businessmen who understand how the economy works. Capitalism or socialism. An economy that works for all or one that just works for a few. Unusually, there are two actual administrations to compare, complete with implemented policies and realized results. President Trump cut taxes and regulations, encouraged American energy production, and addressed the emerging threats from China. He made NATO countries pay their bills, ushered in the Abraham Accords, which were bringing peace to the Middle East, and decreased American military engagement abroad. The result? An economic boom that led to income gains for most segments of society. The American Dream was alive and well, with equal opportunity for all. The Harris-Biden policies, on the other hand, were hostile to fossil fuels, mandated diversity training in the government and military, and continued a long stream of handouts and giveaways. Further, Harris now wants to set price controls, a sure-fire way to generate shortages and higher prices. The result? Budget-busting inflation that hurts everyone. We are watching the American Dream slip away as housing, education, and food are increasingly unaffordable. Like many, I vote based on how policies will impact the economy, and the choice is clear. To lower prices, I’m going to vote Trump-Vance. To have an economy that works for everyone, I’m going to vote Trump-Vance. And ultimately, to protect our society from socialism and all its ills, I’m going to vote Trump-Vance. We cannot afford another Democrat administration. It will bankrupt working families and quite possibly America, turn the American Dream into a nightmare, and replace equal opportunity with elite-determined outcomes. It’s time to make the economy great again. Vikram Mansharamani of Lincoln is a candidate for Congress in the Second Congressional District. Vikram, sign me up! I will help in the following way: Lawn Sign House Party Make Calls Knock Doors Endorse Volunteer Please Consider Making a Donation! Will you chip in $10 or $20? Every little bit helps get our message out to voters! $5 $10 $20 $50 $75 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 Visit Our Website! Paid for by Vikram4NH | P.O. 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