The Biden administration is warning of impending shortages at Christmas due to supply chain issues. A massive backup of container ships at the Port of Los Angeles is a major contributing factor to this severe problem. Not only are ships waiting long periods to dock, but, when they offload, the containers remain stacked, waiting for truck drivers to arrive to take the shipments to their destinations. Currently, there are approximately 250,000 containers on the docks and 500,000 shipping containers off the coast. President Joe Biden recently announced that the ports would move to 24-hour operations; however, most experts believe that the intervention has come too late and warns that shelves may be empty at Christmas time.
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) invited shipping companies to bring their goods to Florida in response to the problem. The governor has proposed that companies waiting to dock in California come to one of the 15 seaports in Florida to ease the bottleneck. Florida has invested $250 million in improving their ports and they are now ready to receive ships. Although this may help elevate pressure on the California ports, it may not prevent the shortages. Ports are only one part of the supply chain problem. Another broken link is due to the lack of truck drivers to transport the goods. Even before COVID-19, the country lacked an estimated 60,000 drivers. That deficit has only grown during the pandemic and will make on-time delivery of products for Christmas extremely difficult.
While problems with the supply chain are complex, the Biden administration’s response is most infuriating. White House Chief of Staff, Ronald Klain, retweeted economist Jason Furman who called the problems with the supply chain and inflation a “high class problem.” Additionally, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki defended Klain’s tweet and even went as far as saying that “we’ve made progress in the economy.” It seems the Biden administration is totally out of touch with how both supply problems and inflation impact all Americans. Not only are they out of touch, but they also do not understand the meaning of Christmas.
It is a bit reminiscent of the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas. In the children’s story, the petulant Grinch is irritated that the Who of Whoville joyfully celebrate Christmas and he decides to steal their Christmas. He sneaks into Whoville, taking all their gifts and the food for their table. Like the infamous Grinch, the Biden administration tells us that we too will have no gifts or dinner feast. And like the Grinch, this administration also has missed the point of Christmas.
Instead of bemoaning their loss, the Who of Whoville gathered in unity and joyfully celebrated anyway. Believers should react much in the same way, even if the supply problems and inflation are tremendous. Christmas is not about gifts or food, and we, as Christians, must demonstrate a joyful celebration of everything that Jesus Christ represents. If the gifts under your tree are fewer and the food on the table lighter, do not despair. Start new traditions with your family, make homemade gifts, or donate your time to those in need. Find ways to share the gift of Jesus with family and friends. Christmas isn’t about the things under the tree, but the gift of salvation that God willingly gave two thousand years ago. Let us, even in our time of need, remember the gift of Christ and remind the leftist Grinches that “It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes, or bags…Maybe Christmas…doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” (Dr. Seuss)
