On Wednesday's broadcast of Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Republican First Congressional District candidate Austin Sidwell discussed the growing financial challenges of running a household in Alabama, including navigating the affordability of childcare and rising grocery prices.
"You should be able to raise a family on a single income, right? The government fix is getting the costs down," Sidwell argued. "Get it to where you can have a dad out there working, busting his butt while mom's at home with the kids, or vice versa. The costs have gotten so high because we keep printing money and buying our own debt."
"This continual cycle keeps going, driving up inflation and makes it to where families can't do that," he added.
The U.S. Air Force veteran and small business owner spoke about his family's personal experience with the increasing cost of childcare.
"In order to even survive and make your house payment and make food bills, you've got to have both parents working," said Sidwell. "Then you go and run into the cost of daycare. It's absurd right now. We had ours in daycare when I was in the military in Dothan, and it offset the cost of my wife working. Now that doesn't help the families that just have to get out there and have two people working, but the government's not the solution there."
Sidwell called on local churches to ease financial difficulties faced by nearby residents, as in times past.
"We need to get churches active again in our communities, and they can help pick up the weight of the social safety net. That's how it was originally structured. The church was supposed to take this role and responsibility in the communities, but once we separated the church out of our politics, they're just not providing that support anymore," added Sidwell.
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