Someone once said everyone, even an average person, has one good novel in their memory bank to publish. Perhaps a corollary of that is that a TV journalist, (even those who habitually embellish war experiences) still might one day have a really great piece of broadcasting to share with their viewers.
Brian Willams, the retiring and now former NBC, Nightly News anchor, finally said something all Americans can (believe happened and) fully agree with. On his last 11 PM, MSNBC broadcast, Brian issued a gracefully written, poignant and thoughtful warning to his viewers: that “he will wake up tomorrow in the America of 2021 …a nation unrecognizable to those who came before us…”
Yes, even relatively young Brian (62 years) is aware that the USA has in 2021 become unrecognizable. Sadly a good part of the decline and negative changes that have recently occurred to this now unrecognizable nation, can be in some ways attributed to Brian and his fringe, left-wing colleagues on MSNBC. So perhaps this is a Brian “mea culpa”. Not sure.
I do agree with Brian…the US is unrecognizable, and for me, a decade older, the changes are even more stark and the nation even more self-flagellating, self-destructive, decadent and on the wrong course . In fact, in this year of 2021 I would say the operative word is not “unrecognizable”, that word simply implies change of any kind. I would prefer the word “pathetic”.
Under the short term ministrations of the Biden team the USA has become pathetic— a word which better describes and fits the actual situation. It means: arousing pity, vulnerable, miserably inadequate, of very low standard, exasperating, …even obscene.
Our leadership in Washington— based only on their calamitous performances—is shot through with obvious incompetents, either too old, or too stupid, or simply out of their depth. Some have been slotted into powerful positions simply on the basis of the political need for diversity or inclusiveness, while ignoring the cardinal leadership requirements for those in powerful positions: ability, effectiveness, experience, common sense, and the desire to work selflessly for the people of this nation.
Our President is an old man, afflicted with all too obvious low energy, bouts of forgetfulness, signs of dementia and perhaps stenosis of the carotid arteries, all rendering him too weak or tired for the demanding job into which he has been elected. His physical frailty even prevents him from essential face to face encounters with his contemporaries— friend and foe. He and his handlers prefer the safe, fumble proof venue of a zoom meeting with powerful and dangerous adversaries like Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. In these encounters, while Biden sits surrounded by handlers whispering into his ear, Chairman Xi and President Putin face him alone, making decisions to advance their national interests as vibrant, powerful men and women are expected to. Biden projects weakness and arouses pity and uncertainty—a pathetic ineffective head of a vulnerable nation.
This leadership vacuum gets us pushed around by the Russians in Eastern Europe, by the Chinese in the western Pacific, and in many other places around the world. The war lords we helped install in Afghanistan ride around in our abandoned military vehicles and are now armed with “gifted” M16s A2 and Beretta M9 handguns which they fire off into the desert air and sell for ready cash to our enemies around the world along with the tons of ammo the Biden team left behind.
At home we face an economy shattered by a vicious pandemic. In its aftermath, we buffeted by conflicting and short term alternating conflicting demands and mandates. Medical decisions have become politicized and the credibility of our medical and political leaders has fallen to a low ebb. This is troubling and dangerous.
The economic impact of the pandemic has created stores and offices with absent workers, food and other shortages, empty shelves, and long waits for imported goods.
Crime has skyrocketed. “Smash and grab” gangs clean the shelves out of upscale retail stores and common drug stores with impunity. The crime wave continues unabated and ignored and denied by the administration. These folks are those who voted for them. The Democrats can not prosecute on their own base. Thus, fringe left policies of no cash bail, and “progressive” AGs who persist in ignoring felonies and decline to prosecute perpetuates and exacerbate the crime wave. Homicides and violent crime in our major cities have skyrocketed. Fear stalks the land.
Violent criminals instead of facing incarceration are funneled into the revolving door of a permissive justice system that pours felons right back out onto the street as it prefers to cater to “justice” of the criminals rather than safety for innocent citizen-victims. Violent offenders are arrested, given a court date and sent out on the street, now with less fear and concern about rearrest. Arrested again for a more violent offense than the first until their offense is so egregious ;murder, rape) only then they are arrested and jailed.
Police forces around the nation are defunded, maligned and demoralized while crime soars. Illegal immigrants (yes they are not here legally) simply walk across our southern border in the hundred of thousands with the aid of human traffickers and coyotes and the drug cartels. These folks face frightful conditions and dangers during the passage, as well as abuse from Mexican gangs and others who have made a lucrative business out of human trafficking. They bring drugs and yes disease. Once over the border, they are rapidly ferried —often by the Biden Administration itself—to all parts of the nation to enlarge a growing undocumented, unvetted, unvaccinated and vulnerable community of immigrants.
False histories such as the “1669 Project” which view our nation’s past—based not on the historically valid critical analysis of holistic, reality-based past events—but a history cherry picked from the past and viewed through the “pinhole perspective” of a racist fringe, as if that extreme minority view in any way constitutes our national reality. It does not. These false and damaging views are accepted by a compliant media with little critical historical evaluation. These efforts at historical propaganda have caused great harm to the necessary and desirable goal of encouraging, fact based and harmonious relations between the diverse groups which make up our citizenry.
Inflation is a sinister hidden tax which has crept up from near zero in the Trump administration to 6.5% under Biden. Our 6.5% present inflation rate is a toll or levy quietly added on to everything you purchase. If your city tax, state tax, or tax on gasoline is perhaps 10 cents on the dollar, and our an inflation rate is 6.5%, you are actually paying a total silent “tax” of 16.5 cents on the dollar. When you hear the term inflation: think “silent tax”. Furthermore , while the city state and gasoline taxes remain well-publicized and relatively static …at least for a while….the inflation tax creeps silently higher and higher with no one informing you or requiring your agreement.
In President Biden’s first month in office, he made a policy faux pas and inflicted a self inflicted wound by stirring up inflation. To placate his far left ideological supporters he proudly promoted polices to end dependence of fossil fuels and make the nation “green”. But as in the disaster of Afghanistan the planning process ot achieve this goal (with his gang of incompetents) went awry. President Biden proudly exclaimed he was going to close (and did) oil pipelines, disinvest in fossil fuels, force the government fleet to use electric vehicles, as well as restrict oil and gas leases on government land. These polices acted like a “sucker punch” to the oil and gas industry investors. Existing fossil fuel investments were tabled and new oil or gas ventures plummeted. But the President’s announcement was poorly timed. It came just when the world economy was rising out of a deep pandemic induced recession and oil, always on the knife edge of scarcity, could just barely meet demand. The immediate result was the rapid rise in the cost of oil and gas, both essential commodities. The price of crude on the world market rose steeply. At home, gasoline and and heating oil prices spiked. When the price of this basic commodity goes up, so does all other prices. Inflation soon bared its ugly head rising from near zero to 6% as a result of these poorly thought out policies.
Today while the nation is wracked with a forty year high 6.5% level of inflation, Congress, ignores that threat to our well being (see above) and instead forges ahead with its goal to pass another multi-trillion dollar spending bill that will further spur the inflationary cycle. Again an example of poor timing and hasty and poorly thought out decision making. Our ideologue leadership claims these misguided massive borrowing and spending bills will cost the middle class “zero dollars”. Even in the face of the obvious —the inflationary impact of waves of more dollars chasing scarce goods in the market place—they (unconvincingly) argue that their huge expenditures will “reduce living costs” to middle income folks. Those of us who have experienced inflation know this is simply a lie. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a watch dog group for these expenditures, has recently reviewed this bill and concluded that Biden bill can not be reasonably paid for with its “tax the rich” plan. The CBO concluded that over its ten year period it can not pay for itself and will cost an additional $3 trillion dollars, making the BBB, not $2 trillion dollars, but a $5 trillion inflationary out lay. The bill as written will wipe out any claimed “lower costs for workers” and for the middle class, who would be stuck paying the interest on a huge $5 trillion debt, as well as suffering from a silent “inflation tax”, not to mention the hefty rise in income tax as well.
On the social scene our nation has reverted into a Salem Witch Trials era when it comes to allegations of sexual harassment, or police brutality. In these areas mere claims of harassment or malfeasance will destroy a career (or multiple careers “a la” the Cuomo brothers). Too often, the accused is not able to face their accusers. Too often there is no trial, due process, no formal justice, simply a string of multiplying allegations that seal the fate of anyone accused. This publicity generates a knee jerk response from employers and others for dismissal, resignation or ostracism. The scene brings us back into the 17th century in Salem Massachusetts prior to a working justice system when a whisper of witchcraft could get one hung from a tree. Where is the golden thread of our jurisprudence that the accused are all innocent until proven guilty?
So yes Brian, nice for you to opine from the well lit confines of your safe and sterile studio and to finally notice what we, who actually have to deal with and survive in the real world, have known all along, that the USA of 2021 is pathetically unrecognizable. Now when you wake up tomorrow in America—- you too will have to deal with it.
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