We've reached a point in the presidential race in which the Republican, frustrated by his standing in the polls, fearing a possible defeat and feeling increasingly desperate, is starting to blurt out all kinds of ideas without vetting or forethought.

Earlier this week, for example, Trump published an item to his social media platform vowing that he'll cut consumers car insurance bills in half. Can he do that? No. Does he have any meaningful ideas about pursuing such a goal? No. Has he mentioned it since? No. Will anyone remember this a month from now? Probably not.

And therein lies the point. Trump continues to bombard the public with panic-stricken proposals - I'm using the word "proposals" loosely - not because he intends to implement them, but apparently because he thinks they might help squeeze a few more votes out of people who don't know better.

Remember the plan for free IVF? How about defraying the costs of child-care expenses with imaginary tariff money? What about the proposal to amend the 25th Amendment? Or the avalanche of multitrillion-dollar tax cuts that collapse under minimal scrutiny?

At one point in June, he even talked about eliminating the Department of the Interior for reasons that didn't make any sense, and he apparently forgot about it soon after.

Where are all the righties decrying Trump trying to "buy votes" by promising people "free things" from government? Strange, the threads were full of outrage when Kamala Harris advocated using existing anti-price gouging laws to stop corporations and grocery wholesalers and retailers from building their record profits on the unwitting backs of consumers under the guise of merely passing along higher costs due to inflation that they exacerbate themselves.

Yet here we are, with Santa Trump. Ho-Ho-Hold on here. Should government be used to regulate business and finance in the manner Trump proposes, or are price/rate settings an area best left to our markets to determine?

Inquiring minds want to know.