Americans have felt the effects of ballooning inflation as a direct result of government-mandated shutdowns of the economy. Prices on essential goods, including food and gas, have risen steadily over the past few months, leaving many wondering about the economic health of the nation."This past year and a half, we also saw a very sharp economic decline, larger in a single quarter than we have seen in any of our lifetimes, unless you were around back in the 1930s," says Joel Griffith, research fellow in financial regulations at The Heritage Foundation.Griffith joins us today on "The Daily Signal Podcast" to talk about the latest inflation numbers and how good fiscal policy can help us right the ship.We also cover these news stories: The Taliban capture the strategically significant cities of Ghazni and Herat, marking the fall of 11 out of 34 provincial capitals after a weeklong blitz of fighting.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton push back on Dallas County's new mask mandate. A recent report details how Oregon Gov. Kate Brown quietly signed into law a measure ending graduation requirements for students to prove they can read, write, and do math at a high school level. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is going to step down, but Republicans and Democrats alike call for him to be held accountable for his handling of nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.