The economy is one of the most important topics for Americans ahead of the November election. Scripps News Salt Lake City gathered a group of experts to address topics such as historically low unemployment and growing wages. “It's the first time that I've known in my 18 years in working in economic development in the state of Utah that the things that people are talking about at work are also the same things that people are talking about at home," said Derek Miller, the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance.
"Can I afford to pay my rent? Can I afford to go to the grocery store because the food prices are so high? And especially if I'm a dual-income family, what am I going to do about child care?” Path to the White House Other challenges people are facing across the country include inflation and housing. “Housing is a hot topic right now, you know, mainly because of the interest rates and the fact that the interest rates have been so high, but the prices aren't coming down. You know, we still see prices keep rising,” said Maralee Jensen with Axia Home Loans.
Economist Robert Spendlove added: “I just talked to someone that has a mortgage rate of 1.75%. So going from around 2% or 3% to 7% is a big change in a quick period.
Now if you look long-term, historically, going back to the 1960s, we've been at these levels before, but not for a long time.” Shawn Teigen, the president of the Utah Foundation, added: "Part of the problem, though, is th.