As the presidential election approaches, four “American Indicators” representing business communities from across the United States talk about their politics.
Courtesy of Arch City Defenders, Winton Machine Company, Bhavesh Patel, and Just One Project.
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Courtesy of Arch City Defenders, Winton Machine Company, Bhavesh Patel, and Just One Project.
As the presidential election approaches, four “American Indicators” representing business communities from across the United States talk about their politics.
Courtesy of Arch City Defenders, Winton Machine Company, Bhavesh Patel, and Just One Project.
Just as President Biden was taking office, the pandemic brought many parts of the American economy to a standstill. Since then, the number of unemployed people has decreased and the unemployment rate has fallen below 4%. However, in a recent opinion poll, economist and YouGov It was found that more than 50% of participants felt that the economy was worsening overall. This is important because Americans often rank the economy as their top voting priority.
Taking everything into account During President Biden’s term, he spoke with four “Measures of America” in different parts of the country, reflecting different parts of the economy. In an election year, they sat down with him again on NPR, this time to talk about their politics.
trip
Bhavesh Patel is a franchise hotel owner in the Northeastern United States. He voted for both President Donald Trump and President Biden, but is currently undecided.
Provided by Bhavesh Patel
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Provided by Bhavesh Patel
Bhavesh Patel is a franchise hotel owner in the Northeastern United States. He voted for both President Donald Trump and President Biden, but is currently undecided.
Provided by Bhavesh Patel
Bhavesh Patel is the owner of franchise hotels (think Comfort Inn, Hampton Inn, and other brands) in the northeastern United States. When he first spoke to NPR in 2021, the country was beginning to emerge from the pandemic recession. At the time, he owned seven of his hotels in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Illinois. Since then, he has had to downsize.
“We sold three properties, so we’re down to four now.”
Patel said his two sons, who are in their 20s, are pursuing careers in medicine rather than joining the family business, and Patel says he can’t blame them.
“It’s a tough market right now,” Patel said. When he graduated from university in 1990, the hotel industry was “a lucrative business. There were no rules, regulations, brand specifications. But now, things are tougher. Running a hotel is more complex. became.”
Patel says luxury hotels are currently doing much better than his mid-sized hotels. In recent years, the gap between rich and poor has continued to widen. Between these challenges and increasing regulations, I sometimes wonder if I should have chosen a different career.
“I don’t want the government telling me how to do my business,” he says. “I don’t want to put all these different rules and regulations out there.”
Patel describes himself as a moderate Republican. He voted for former President Donald Trump in 2016 and for President Biden in 2020. And this time he hasn’t decided who to vote for yet.
“We’ll see where the campaign goes and what happens in the coming months.”
housing
Lee Camp is a housing attorney in St. Louis. Apart from concerns about high rents and limited access to housing, he also wants to see more action taken on student loan forgiveness.
Courtesy of Arch City Defenders
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Courtesy of Arch City Defenders
Lee Camp is a housing attorney in St. Louis. Aside from his concerns about high rents and limited access to housing, he would like to see more action taken on student loan forgiveness.
Courtesy of Arch City Defenders
Lee Camp is a housing attorney in St. Louis. Rent continues to rise in his city, he says, and vacant housing is decreasing.
“I certainly haven’t heard from renters, especially low-income renters, that they’re excited about the direction of the economy,” he says.
Things have improved since the summer of 2021, when he first spoke to NPR. At the time, his office phone was flooded with people seeking housing assistance as the pandemic eviction moratorium ended. He says 2024 will still be a turbulent time.
“What’s really disappointing at this point is that the eviction filing itself is the most expensive I’ve ever seen in my career.”
According to Eviction Lab, which tracks eviction filings, there were 1,288 eviction filings last month, 124% of the average number of filings for the same month before the pandemic.
“It is true that our most vulnerable people, low-income renters, are still experiencing homelessness, they are still in really tough situations, and systems like courts and evictions are still failing them. It’s certainly worrying that it’s controlling the narrative and what people are saying about the current economic experience.”
He is encouraged by the fact that more clients are working or finding new jobs now than during the pandemic. However, Camp points out that high consumer prices remain a concern.
“On the flip side, everything just looks more expensive [my clients] “And I certainly feel that way myself,” he says.
Camp said he and his wife can tolerate higher food prices, but they still feel the extra burden. And Camp says he has other things on his mind when it comes to the economy.
“One of the big things that has changed is that my student loan payments have resumed. I love my career. I love serving people and working with so many inspiring and wonderful people. But with loan payments restarting, it has certainly changed our household’s financial situation. ”
He further added, “I encourage [the Biden Administration] It will go even further, especially if it gets the option to do so in a second term. ”
food
Brooke Neubauer is the founder and CEO of Just One Project, the largest provider of groceries to at-risk populations in Nevada. She would like to see a president who invests in social services.
Provided by Just One Project
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Provided by Just One Project
Brooke Neubauer is the founder and CEO of Just One Project, the largest provider of groceries to at-risk populations in Nevada. She would like to see a president who invests in social services.
Provided by Just One Project
Looking at today’s economy, Brooke Neubauer, founder of Just One Project, the largest distributor of groceries to at-risk individuals in Nevada, says there are plenty of jobs available, but “I’m not hearing from customers. The problem is that wages are not keeping up with the cost of living.”
Nevada has the second-highest grocery prices in the nation after California, with people spending an average of nearly $300 a week on groceries.
“Our customers save an average of $250 to $300 a month with us and get everything you and I can buy in the store, including dairy and produce and meat and poultry. I can. .”
Neubauer pointed to systemic issues that make it difficult for people to access food, including food deserts, the withdrawal of grocery stores from low-income areas, and the closing of hundreds of Family Dollar stores across the country. There is.
The Just One project serves approximately 20,000 people each month. At the peak of the pandemic, the organization was serving about 58,000 people a month, nearly three times his number. And, as she told NPR in 2023, their organization has felt the rise in food prices for years.
“As we buy millions of pounds of groceries a year, our grocery bills have gone up significantly and it has hit us pretty hard because we buy in bulk.”
When it comes to politics, she wants a president who invests in social services, especially people like her clients.
“I’m not a fan of unkind presidents,” she says. “And, look, I spend my life’s work making the world a better place. As a mother, I spend my time teaching my children to be kind and encouraging them to be loving.” I couldn’t bear to vote for a presidential candidate like this because it didn’t align with my values. ”
Neubauer has voted for both Democrats and Republicans in the past and said she plans to be open-minded when she goes to the polls. But this election solidified her resolve.
“I just don’t understand whether Donald Trump is the best person we could have come up with to run for president.”
manufacturing industry
Lisa Winton, co-founder of Winton Machine Company, considers herself fiscally conservative but socially liberal. She is currently undecided and would like to find a better solution.
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Lisa Winton, co-founder of Winton Machine Company, considers herself fiscally conservative but socially liberal. She is currently undecided and would like to find a better solution.
winton machine company
In Georgia, Lisa Winton, co-founder of Winton Machine Company, considers herself a pocket voter. Not only for herself, but also for her 40 employees at the company.
“I have 40 people to think about, and I think about their families, and I have vendors to think about,” she says. “So we can’t afford not to think about these fiscal policies.”
Winton said economic conditions looked good last year. Her company had a great year, increasing by 20%. As a result, she says, her company was considering opening a second factory, but the lease for the current space was nearly double hers, forcing her to put those plans on hold.
Winton considers herself “fiscally conservative and socially liberal,” which puts her in frustrating situations.
“I’m not a political party voter. I vote for candidates based on fiscal policy and also on some social policies.”
When asked which candidate she thought would get the votes, she said: “I’m very confused. I don’t know yet.”
“I’m not happy with the current government,” she says. “I’m not happy with a lot of the policies that have been enacted. But I’m also not happy with some policies from a social perspective.”
Ultimately, Winton wants a moderate candidate in the White House, but he feels neither of the options in front of him fit that description.
“Like many other voters, I feel there needs to be a better solution.”
