The good, the bad and the ugly
First the good
The U.S. $1.9 trillion COVID-19-relief package that helped families—and states and cities—weather the financial hardship caused by the pandemic
A relatively smooth rollout of the major COVID-19 vaccines that offered protection to more than 200 million people and provided at least a brief return to normalcy
A U.S. $1 trillion infrastructure law that won Republican party support and made substantial progress on an issue that had vexed presidents of both parties
The bad
The resurgence, first in summer and then in late fall, of the coronavirus pandemic
Failure to win Senate backing of his $1.75 trillion Build Back Better economic plan all thanks to one man, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin III
Retention of the filibuster in the United States Senate
Vladimir Putin massing Russian troops on its Ukraine border
The pointless meeting of countries called COP26, United Nations Climate Change Conference, that accomplished nothing
The ugly
Invasion of the U.S. Capital
The U.S. chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan that ceded the country to the Taliban, cost the lives of U.S. troops, and left many Afghan allies to fend for themselves
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that inflation for the past 12 months has risen by 6.8 percent
The supply chain that ensures we can buy the things we want and need has been disrupted by the pandemic. There are too many cargo ships waiting to be unloaded and there is a shortage of manpower to make things and to drive the trucks that deliver goods around the country. In Houston, the public transportation system is offering new bus drivers bonuses of $4,000. For mechanics, it’s $8,000.
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2022 does not appear to be any better than 2021 with the threats of war, a pandemic that is more ominous, and a democracy that is being threatened by its own people.
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