Biden must refocus on real issues facing Americans

As President Joe Biden prepares for his State of the Union address, our nation is at an important inflection point. While I have been a supporter of Biden, I worry that the White House is not focused enough on issues that truly matter to me and the people I love.

When I talk with my friends and family, we discuss how inflation is making it more expensive to buy groceries and other essentials. We complain about health care costs and how prescription drug prices continue to increase. We worry that our homes or cars will be broken into and how our border issues are getting progressively worse as opposed to improving.

While the Biden administration has proposed some solutions for these challenges, little progress is visible to many Americans, and an increasing amount of time and energy is being directed toward what appear to be special-interest issues.

For example, I question why banning menthol cigarettes has seemingly taken on a life of its own and become a policy priority. I can’t help but think that many Americans would consider this a low priority.

I’m not a public health expert, but I know that smoking rates are the lowest they’ve ever been in my lifetime. People just don’t smoke cigarettes the way they used to do, which is a public health success. For instance, in the past two decades, Nevada’s adult smoking rate has decreased from 30.3% in 1998 to 16.5% in 2016. Even more encouraging, the percentage of Nevada high school students who had smoked cigarettes within 30 days of being surveyed dropped from roughly 8% in 2015 to 3.4% in 2021.

Further, with any plan, even if well-intentioned, there are unintended consequences. For instance, lost tax revenue for the state. People would likely be surprised to know that Nevada brings in more than $155 million annually from taxes on cigarettes, the sixth-largest source of revenue funneled to the state’s general fund.

We need to stop the obsession with menthol cigarettes. At the State of the Union address, I want to hear from Biden a clear vision and a strong plan to stabilize our economy, make groceries and prescription drugs cheaper, make cities safer, and get control of our borders.

Polls show that confidence is waning in the federal government’s ability to deliver on the fundamental promise of a better tomorrow. I hope the president can use the State of the Union to restore our confidence that he has a plan for our future.

Joseph Camicia is a retired Alameda, Calif. city councilmember and former director of the California Senate Democratic Caucus. He resides in Henderson.