An article in the business section of this past weekend’s Sun-Gazette is unfortunately not surprising.

The successes and survival of the retail sector in recent years is largely due to purchases by the wealthiest Americans.

The article from the Associated Press shared the perspective of a 69-year-old teacher from New Jersey trying to find discounts on gifts for her daughter, niece and nephew.

“I am not feeling good at all,” Helaine Rapkin told the Associated Press. “I can’t believe how expensive things have gotten…Clothes or food.”

The article cited data that reflects lower-income Americans have had to cut spending wherever possible. Also unsurprisingly — and shamefully — “inflation sharply increased the portion of their income that they had to spend on housing and food, leaving little for other purchases,” the article said.

As we have editorialized before, our leaders — particularly within the White House — have failed to demonstrate either that they take the toll years of inflation have had on the budgets of American families seriously and that they can implement solutions to provide American families with the relief they need.

As we editorialized in May, President Joe Biden has been negligent in prioritizing efforts to curb the pressure rising prices places on middle-class and working-class families. As we editorialized in July of 2022, the White House’s efforts to deflect responsibility for addressing inflation were, in our words at the time, “unacceptable.”

It pains us that after years of imploring the White House and other leaders to elevate the level of importance of this critical issue, we continue to see such a lackadaisical attitude. We believe, as families across our region continue to pay more for groceries, clothes and heating costs and other bills, among others, and continue to feel the stress and worry that accompanies these greater expenses that it pains them even more.