Liberty Exposed: Conservatives Top Issues of 2024

John M Lund Photography Inc

With the conclusion of 2023, conservatives are already looking at the potential biggest challenges that they will be facing in the following year. Negating that 2024 is an election year, there are three main issues that the United States needs to address: the stagnating economy, its weak foreign policy that's created more hostility around the globe, and its immigration crisis.

Immigration

Immigration has been a major issue in American politics for the last several years, but in 2023, it has increased exponentially. Border Patrol is encountering more than 10,000 migrants per day. Then they are processed and given court dates far out into the future, some as far out as 2031, before being released into the United States, likely to never be heard from again. Over the course of 2023, roughly 3.5 million illegal immigrants will enter the United States.

This influx in the last several years comes from the last attitude when it comes to immigration by the current President Biden. Without any firm stance from the current administration, individuals are taking the opportunity to rush the border in an influx we haven’t seen, creating 15-year highs.

It is not just the massive numbers of undocumented people entering the country that cause concern. There is also a massive amount of illegal drugs that come across the southern border. In 2020, border agents seized approximately 4200 pounds of fentanyl across the southern border, and in 2023, that number has increased by 480 percent; 26,700 pounds of fentanyl were seized by border agents in this year alone. Fentanyl and other opioids are highly dangerous narcotics that lead to the deaths of over 80,000 Americans each year. A true epidemic that requires immediate attention

This crisis can be resolved easily if the Biden administration decides to take a hard stance on enforcing the rule of law and turn away those looking to enter the country illegally. The Biden administration has given up on any proposals to reform our legal immigration system and instead allowed for unbridled access into the United States. Closing the border would also help mitigate the rising amounts of fentanyl entering the country. Approximately, 98.9 percent of fentanyl is being smuggled in through the southern border. Meaning that this epidemic can stop if we merely choose to close down the access point, allowing smugglers to dump their illegal drugs into the country.

Economy

The first area in which Americans have been personally hurt has to most likely come from their bank accounts. 2023 has been marked by high inflation that has become baked into the United States economy. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for September showed that inflation was up 3.7 percent. Normally, the United States likes to average around 2 percent inflation. However, since Biden has taken office, inflation has risen 17.1 percent. To put this into better perspective, an average household for people I know spends an additional $15,133 per year, or $1,261 per month, on the same goods since President Biden took office.

The culprit for America’s high inflation over the last several years comes from the tremendous amount of money the federal government has spent. Over the next decade, the Biden administration was planning to spend $82.2 trillion in cumulative spending. This includes $2.5 trillion for new mandatory spending on things like Medicare and Social Security. It is impossible to spend this massive amount of money with no consequences. Taking on this means that Americans in the future will have to fork up the expended cause of today’s radical government spending.

There have been multiple attempts proposed in Congress to rein in this level of government spending, but all have been void, as there are different ideologies when it comes to how the United States can run its economy. This effect of inflation should make it clear that it is impossible to have endless amounts of spending and avoid all consequences.

Foreign policy

Over the course of 2023, America has looked tremendously weak in terms of its foreign policy. Not only have we had the continuation of the Russia-Ukraine war, but also Israel and Hamas. As of September of this year, 9614 civilians have died in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While the United States sent Ukraine $75 billion, which ultimately led the war into a stalemate, America is in a weak position to foster any peace negotiations. The only way out is for America to play the bad guy and force concessions to both Russia and Ukraine if there is to ever be an opportunity for the war to come to a conclusion.

America’s weak present has also destabilized the Middle East, emboldening terrorism across the region. October 7, 2023, saw the largest attack on Israel, where Hamas invaded the country, killing 1,200 people and taking 240 of them hostage back to the Gaza Strip. This attack on Israel which sparked this entire conflict, might not have ever happened if the United States decided to show its stronger presence on the world stage.

The future for the world is still looking bleak as the increase in tensions over China’s overtaking of Taiwan increases every day in the United States, showing weakness or a lack of moral support for its allies. Other countries do not have the same outlook as the United States does in regard to foreign policy. Primarily, other nations only respond to shows of strength. This includes countries like Russia, China, and the Middle East.

Conclusion

The United States has been suffering from problems related to its economy, immigration, and foreign policy for many years. However, all of these have accumulated into greater concern over the past year and will continue to be the biggest issues facing the country in 2024. Much of these issues can be resolved by limiting the massive spending the federal government has become addicted to. The other is by enforcing border policy, and finally being active on the world stage.  To be willing to show strength to our various enemies and show support for our allies. There are many opportunities for the United States to correct itself in the next year. Conservatives should remain optimistic about the future of the nation. As long as we can accomplish our objectives, When America is united as one that is prosperous within its borders and allows there to be peace all across the globe.