America Is in A Maelstrom With No Way Out

America and the world are in a bad place, with no easy way out.

Although the worst of the coronavirus is behind us, the unprecedented economic after-effects of the pandemic continue to afflict every aspect of our lives.

The Great Resignation has disrupted supply chains for goods of all kinds and made air travel, which formerly used to be a pleasure, a fraught experience, with thousands of flights cancelled every week because of a shortage of pilots and crew.

All of us are griping about the high cost of energy, but with oil refining capacity at an all-time low relative to demand, it is all but certain that gasoline prices will remain at record levels for the foreseeable future.

Electric cars are still a long way off from becoming practical for most Americans for a host of reasons.

The war in Ukraine, the largest in the world since WWII, is exacerbating shortages of commodities of all kinds, especially food.

Avian flu, the worst on record, continues to devastate both domesticated and wild bird populations.

Our health care system, which proved so inadequate during the pandemic, is completely incapable of handling the coming influx of aging Baby Boomers — just visit any ER, anywhere and everywhere.

Our public educational system not only has fallen far behind because of the pandemic, but the looming teacher shortage means that catching up will be all but impossible.

Drug overdose deaths are at their highest rate ever, with no solution in sight.

Mass shootings are a routine occurrence with [p;iticians too-cowed by the gun lobby to take even the simplest, most common-sense action.

Climate change continues unchecked and unabated. Life on the planet as we know it never will be the same.

And last but not least, it is apparent that a large percentage of Americans are committed to overthrowing our democracy. What happened on 1/6 is just a prelude to what is to come in the 2022 and 2024 elections.

Yes, the present is tough going — but the future is even bleaker.