Rants by Mac: The good news, the bad and the ugly
Rants are typically negative. I find topics to rant about and that prompts me to attempt to point out the absurdities of life, the stupidity of people, and world situations that make no sense. To be accurate and thorough in my writing, I view a lot of news, I read a lot of books, and I try to stay knowledgeable on both current and historical events.
But four-plus years of ranting can take a toll. As an observer of today’s world, it is difficult to avoid the feeling of gloom. I search for clarity. I root for common sense. I seek to find kindness, humanity, justice. In 2022, that all seems to be in short supply.
So, let’s try a new approach. Instead of simply ranting about our vicious, ruthless, and disturbing world, let us look for the positive. You must look closely to find it.
Here is a positive – COVID is not as bad as it was. Mrs. Mac and I went to a movie last weekend, our first in three years. We still wear masks in certain situations, and people are still getting sick, and deny-ers are still declining to believe the science and get vaccinated, but it is better than it was two years ago. That’s good news.
The Federal Reserve projected that the U.S. economy grew 5.9 percent in 2021 and will grow another 3.8 percent in 2022. That number has not gone above 3 percent in the past 20 years.
Wages have grown, and unemployment claims are at a 52-week low. That’s all good. Yes, we have record inflation and interest rates are up, while the stock market is bearish. Gas prices are through the roof and employers cannot find people to hire. But some economic news is positive.
How about politics? Yes, Congress did it; they passed a gun bill with bi-partisan support, proclaiming it “the biggest gun bill in three decades.” While that may be true, their bill did not really do much to make anyone safer. And only 15 of 50 GOP senators signed on, so it’s bi-partisan, but only kind-of. Being summer, school shootings are down, so that’s good news, for now.
But this bill may be an improvement over Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor Green’s innovative idea to combat school shootings: “I think children should be trained with firearms. I definitely do. I think that’s very important.” So, if the teachers have guns, and the kids have guns, what could possibly go wrong?
But Congress did do something, after bragging that doing something is better than doing nothing? Mission accomplished.
Let’s not forget our courts, who are always protecting our rights. While 59 percent of Americans disapproved of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court affirmed that they knew best and did it anyway. Being pro-life, I do support education, counseling, and contraceptives, and I believe that unborn children should not be aborted simply for convenience or to correct an avoidable mistake.
But I would join 80+ percent of fellow Americans who would advocate for exceptions in situations where the mother’s life is at risk, or when a pregnancy results from incest or rape. But a lot of old men know better, so public opinion be damned. I believe Supreme Court Justices and Congress should represent the American electorate, but it appears that our Supreme Court now has a political agenda, much like Congress. The Court seems to have evolved into politicians in robes.
On May 25, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in her campaign for Governor of Arkansas, summed up the anticipated Roe reversal, "We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they're as safe as they are in a classroom.” That speech came the day after 19 10-year-olds and two teachers died in the Uvalde, TX school shooting.
OK, it’s not all good news, but there is some. We need optimism. Even a good rant needs to look for the positives. Like this little irritation on my arm; it’s probably nothing. OMG, is that a Monkey-pox?
Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater and publishes columns on multiple Saturdays each month. All columns are tweeted (@curtmacrae). Send comments to rantsbymac@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on The Daily Reporter: Opinion
