There\u2019s been an unmistakable theme in the local news lately.<\/p>\n
-\u201cSuper shoppers\u201d dispensing tips on how budget-stretched fellow San Diegans can save<\/a> on groceries.<\/p>\n -The state stepping in with food stamp funding<\/a> for people across California during the federal government shutdown.<\/p>\n -Philanthropic organizations increasingly teaming up<\/a> with San Diego governments and nonprofits trying to soften the impact of permanent federal cuts in social safety net programs.<\/p>\n Those kinds of stories aren\u2019t unique to San Diego and can be found nationwide.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s also this in the national media:<\/p>\n -President Donald Trump posts photos<\/a> of what his gilded White House ballroom will look like, along with images<\/a> of the remodel of the Lincoln bathroom, replete with gold fixtures.<\/p>\n -Elon Musk receives an incentive-based $1 trillion<\/a> pay package from Tesla Inc.<\/p>\n -Trump holds a Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party<\/a> at Mar-a-Lago.<\/p>\n Ostentatious displays aren\u2019t exactly new, though Trump and Musk may have taken that to a new level. It\u2019s hard to ignore the juxtaposition of this coming at a time when many people \u2014 for some time \u2014 have been feeling increasing financial pressures.<\/p>\n The added pain of the shutdown, which put some people out of work and others wondering if they could feed themselves, only exacerbated the situation and brought greater attention to the widening economic inequality in the United States.<\/p>\n Beyond that symbolism there is the administration\u2019s efforts to seemingly punish the have-nots \u2014 and make enough Democratic senators cave on the shutdown \u2014 by refusing to fully fund<\/a> Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Trump further has threatened to penalize states<\/a> that helped cover the balance of SNAP funding \u2014 and even grocery stores<\/a> that gave discounts to recipients.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no wonder the yearlong \u201caffordability\u201d theme Democrats have been pushing across the party\u2019s political spectrum and at all levels of government seemed so successful in the November elections.<\/p>\n There\u2019s great anticipation, of course, about whether Democrats can continue to capitalize on that to take over the House majority next year, as well as what Trump and Republicans will do to counter.<\/p>\n Trump has tried to dismiss the affordability argument as a \u201ccon job<\/a>\u201d by Democrats. There\u2019s room to argue how much cost-of-living pressure people are feeling, but folks tend to know when they are paying more for something than they used to.<\/p>\n At the same time, Trump is engaging in the affordability discussion with efforts to lower<\/a> some prescription drug prices, reduce monthly mortgage payments through proposed 50-year mortgages<\/a> and the notion of giving a $2,000 tariff \u201cdividend<\/a>\u201d to lower- and middle-income people. Tariffs are paid by U.S. importers who generally pass the cost on to American consumers through higher prices, according to many economists.<\/p>\n With so many current dynamics swirling on the affordability\/inequality front, it\u2019s easy to forget that Trump and Republicans earlier this year extended tax cuts<\/a> heavily weighted toward the wealthy.<\/p>\n That past action may be even more relevant politically when subsidies for Affordable Care Act recipients expire soon and the next phase of Medicaid cuts kicks in. Trump and Republicans are talking about coming up with their own health care plan, which they\u2019ve been doing for years with nothing substantive to show for it.<\/p>\n Whether or how much Democrats could improve things is far from certain. The affordability shoe was on the other foot during the inflation-plagued Biden administration, when voters\u2019 concerns about the cost of living helped boost Trump to a second term last year.<\/p>\n Gov. Gavin Newsom, with his anti-Trump fighting words and actions, is angling to become the Democratic standard-bearer in the 2028 presidential race. But if affordability is still a defining issue that could be a liability, given the high cost of, well, pretty much everything in California during his tenure as governor.<\/p>\n The economy is a paradox. At some levels, it\u2019s doing well \u2014 for some people. Just look at the stock market. Inflation, while up a bit, is relatively tame, as is unemployment. But those economic indicators don\u2019t mean much to people struggling to make ends meet and feeling the pinch at the market almost daily.<\/p>\n The heat is on at the moment over the cost of living, but the economic gap has been growing for decades.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the past 60 years, America witnessed a massive transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthiest families, increasing wealth inequality,\u201d according<\/a> to the Urban Institute. \u201cIn 1963, the wealthiest families had 36 times the wealth of families in the middle of the wealth distribution. By 2022, they had 71 times the wealth of families in the middle.\u201d<\/p>\n Pope Leo XIV even weighed in on the Musk pay package, using this extreme example to underscore a concerning trend not only in wealth inequality, but, he feared, values.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that is the only thing that has value anymore, then we\u2019re in big trouble,\u201d the pope said<\/a>.<\/p>\n But in big and little ways, economic concerns have also shed light on other values.<\/p>\n Roman Gourmet, a pizzeria in Maplewood, N.J., gained widespread attention and praise by offering a special deal<\/a>: Show your SNAP card and get two slices and a soda free.<\/p>\n \u201cRoman Gourmet is always here for those in need,\u201d said owner Vinnie Loffredo.<\/p>\n Said one person on the social media platform X, \u201cThis is the America I remember.\u201d<\/p>\n What they said<\/p>\n