Happy birthday, America! To another rough one

Presidential grifting, war and inflation are best put in the past. But we've seen worse.

- MARK Z. BARABAK

GENARO MOLINA Los Angeles Times FIREFIGHTER David Gastelum shares his congratulations for the U.S.'s 250th.

Happy birthday, America!

You turned 250 on Saturday and, honestly, you don't look a day over 249. (Haha.)

Seriously, it's perfectly understandable why there's more gray on your scalp and deeper worry lines on your face. This last year has been another challenging one, to say the least. (And we thought the one cataloged 12 months ago in this space was rough.)

The country is caught up in an unpopular, on-again, off-again war with Iran that was recklessly launched by President Trump with far more swagger than foresight. In an utterly predictable move, Iran choked off the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passageway for the world's oil, sending gasoline prices skyrocketing.

Though they've fallen since the announcement of a shaky ceasefire agreement, the cost of filling up is still significantly higher than a year ago.

Of course, costlier oil means virtually everything else has become more expensive. Trump was reelected in good part because he vowed to tame inflation on his very first day in office. Instead, it's reached a threeyear high.

The ground beef served up at many Fourth of July cookouts costs 75 cents a pound more than it did a year ago. A package of hamburger buns is up 15 cents. The price of hot dogs and other picnic staples has also increased, along with just about every other item at the grocery store.

Chew that over with your corn on the cob. (Up roughly 2.5% from July 2025.)