You Had Your Chance

This letter to the editor, by Pam Fricke, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on September 24, 2026.

I was reminded of the old adage, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me,” when I heard that Vice President JD Vance had recently appealed to voters to “give us another chance.” JD, you and President Donald Trump had your chance.

Your administration promised to lower gas prices below $2 a gallon. Gas prices today hover at $4.47 a gallon

You promised to end inflation. The Federal Reserve recently raised the interest rate to help curb inflation.

You promised to end forever wars. Not only is the Ukraine-Russian Federation war continuing, but you started another war that has no end in sight.

You promised to help our country heal. Today, the country is more divided than ever.

You promised to cut the cost of new homes in half. Today, buying a home is no closer to being affordable.

You promised not to cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid, but stricter work limitations and structural changes amount to cuts in Medicaid.

My list of “promises made, promises not kept” could easily exceed my word limit with this newspaper. Mr. Vice President, voters may have fallen for your promises in 2024, but this election, they are not going to be fooled again. You had your chance. It’s time to give Democrats up and down the ticket the opportunity to put things right.