Do you have a sense that the world is topsy turvy, fraught with crises? There are scores of hotspots around the globe that are causing great consternation that we hear about every day in the news.
Let’s discuss the problems starting with the most problematic and existential.
Certainly, pandemic concerns are number one on the list. To this day, there still are so many unanswered questions about COVID and the other related diseases that have stopped the world in its tracks. We don’t even know whether the pandemic is in decline or whether it’s morphing into new strains of sickness. We don’t know whether you can contract COVID more than once. The only good news is that it appears that the flu is not killing as many people as it did initially. The pandemic appears to be able to morph into a new deadly strain at any moment. Can it still wipe out mankind? Probably.
Many countries that have nuclear weapons have been rattling their swords and threatening a holocaust if they don’t get the attention of others. I can’t believe that Iran and North Korea still pose existential threats to their neighbors and countries thousands of miles away. They, along with other aggressive countries, don’t seem to appreciate that the use of a nuclear weapon could lead to the extinction of man.
Recently, Russia and even China, our two most powerful adversaries implicitly threatened the US with nuclear weapons. Why would either country suggest that nukes are on the table? The angst affiliated with these threats only serve to make peace that much more unattainable.
Putin has illusions of grandeur relating to rebuilding the Russian empire. He doesn’t have the resources or the conventional military might to intimidate the West, and in particular the US. His generals have proven that the army is poorly trained and ineffective. If Russia cannot overpower Ukraine, how could it overwhelm Europe with US support? But it becomes a huge problem when Russia suggests that existential weapons are a viable option. What would the US do if Russia employed tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine? Somebody on our side better be worrying about this contingency. Putin appears to be at his wits’ end.
China, on the other hand represents a power that has unique resources. Of note, it has huge standing army and its interests are focused primarily in remote places in Asia. Money is no object for the Chinese. To make matters worse, the West’s response to the Ukraine conflict has emboldened China into thinking that taking control of Taiwan is a reasonable objective at this time. The indecision in the White House is not helping the situation.
Domestically, the US has dilemmas that are screaming for leadership. It’s incomprehensible that social issues, including gun control and women’s rights are overwhelming our leaders.
Please understand, the decades old problems affiliated with improper use of weapons is an important issue that involves the deaths of thousands each year. The recent tragedies involving domestic terrorism are critical and must be addressed immediately. But the impact of a possible nuclear war in Europe trumps all else.
Similarly, women have been fighting for equal rights too long but, the country is about equally split relating to women birth rights. This controversy is still light years away from resolution, whereas crime on the streets and aggression by our enemies are more immediate concerns.
Further, the humanitarian crisis along our southern border is eroding the country. From my perspective, I cannot believe that stopping an incursion of millions of illegals is not among the highest priority of our nation. The interlopers are materially affecting our social traditions, using resources that should be available to needy Americans, opening the US to much more disease and subjecting the authorities to greater amounts of crime.
It has become evident that the unwise enactment of entitlements has had a horrendous impact on our nation’s financial condition. Inflation is moving higher at a frightening pace eroding buying power, in great part due to the actions and legislation being enacted for social purposes. It’s time to take account and moderate the outflow of money for social programs.
Crime on our streets is reaching unsustainable levels. Defunding the police was one of the most inane proposals ever. To make matters worse, the supporters of taking funds away from the police are the ones being hurt the most in urban environments. Big cities need a lot of well-trained police protection. By not having it, innocent people will be affected and further traumatized.
The never-ending brouhaha relating to the January 6 assault on the Capitol is a complete waste of time. The offenders on that fateful day should be indicted and jailed. All the effort and money being spent on defaming Trump are a great waste of resources. Democrats are subjecting us to this farce as a way to temper the losses they will sustain in the impending midterm elections.
In summary, our country is not focused on the most important and risky problems. There is a dearth of leadership in Washington. I’m hoping for a grand change in the membership of Congress on Election Day 2022.