We are enduring serious times. Led by unserious people.
Since the end of the Cold War, our nation specifically, and the world generally, have been able to live a sort of "teenager" life. We have had everything that we need and/or want. We have been spoiled to the extent that we believe that the good times will continue forever and that there is never, really, a time of reckoning for those wasted years - when we should have been maturing, growing, learning, toughening.
When times got hard it was just easier to retreat to the comfort of our parent's basement - never having to face the reality of the decisions we have made, the actions we have taken, the knee-jerk responses to juvenile hurts. Granted, there have been times of challenges that caused us to stand up for a bit and make tough decisions but, in the end, we drifted back to the pleasure zone of never worrying about too much.
Now, though, we are facing critical times that are enduringly serious. End-of-the-world type serious. And we have people who have been put in the position to lead that, in previous generations, would never have been given the keys to the car for any reason.
But here we are. We have a White House which has created a phony "White House Set" upon which the President reads his speeches. For those of us who have worked with senior adults with congnitive decline - the signs are clear. It is seen in his eyes, his gait, his speech, his handling by those around him who literally take his hand to get him to the next spot. How often have we heard comments from this administration and asked "Is he serious?" We know they are not - at least not with this team.
We have crisis points at virtually every part of our world: COVID-19 and its variants and Ukraine could be an extinction level crisis, inflation is literally eating the life out of many families, access to basic medicine and medical parts is being restricted because of the supply chain upheaval, genuine food shortages may soon be in the offing as the cost of and lack of accessibility of petroleum continues to rise at historic speed. It is commonplace during a trip to the grocery store to find that many shelves are empty - even of basic staples like pasta, rice, beans - and the options of days past are not available. An interesting "for instance" comes from trying to make a specific recipe that calls for a items and sizes that cannot be found within the entire store. That's not life changing but it is indicative of the substantive changes that are occurring before our eyes that we lack the ability to even quantify in a way that makes sense. Worse, when our "leaders" are asked to address these changes/shortages/etc. we are told that it is just not true. The problem lies with the greed of the corporations which is somehow, for some reason, withholding the goods that make money.
We know this is not true.
We have, for much of the last 100 years or so, expected that there was some "plan" to relieve the economic stresses and pressures to which we are currently exposed. But that does not appear to be the case today. There is NO national leader who, it seems, is looking at the realities we are facing and is addressing ways to help.
These are serious times. Our President, Vice-President, the Cabinet, and most of Congress appear totally unserious in their expectations, their analysis and intent and their solutions.
In regards to higher oil prices and lack of necessary increases in production, President Biden and (at the very least) his Transportation Secretary tell us to buy an electric vehicle. According to Biden, that will save each family approximately $50 a month. In what world does he live?! I work with thousands of people a year who live on very meager incomes. They have vehicles (largely paid off because they could afford to buy them used - when that was possible). They have the car they are going to have. Where will they come up with a minimum of $35,000 to buy the new electric car the Biden Administration seems to believe is available?
Unserious.
What IS very serious, is when the Biden team says the words they usually mean to keep only in their heads: we want to force these rubes to go electric so that we can eliminate fossil fuel use. They are using this Biden-made crisis to force a systemic policy change that they cannot accomplish through standard means of debate, policy change and general agreement of the direction our nation will go. Nope. They never let a crisis go to waste and, instead of creating a consensus for policy and national change - they are attempting to fake force us to make decisions which are not affordable, rational or within our best interests. To use an old phrase, it is a "Limosine Liberal" solution - created by people who never have to live with the results of their "wise" solutions to our national problems.
On Ukraine, how does (or does anyone) take our Vice-President and other administration figures seriously?
Her comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine are so simplistic as to make me believe that, maybe, she saw she had briefing notes but had other things to do than comprehend what she should have been learning.
“So, Ukraine is a country in Europe. It exists next to another country called Russia,” she continued. “Russia is a bigger country. Russia is a powerful country. Russia decided to invade a smaller country called Ukraine. So, basically, that’s wrong, and it goes against everything that we stand for.” If only this was a singluar example of her ill-preparedness for public comments on this situation and others. She is not ready to be President when and if that falls to her. Those who picked her, those with the responsibility of briefing her and those who are in charge of making sure she is ready have all failed the basic task of leadership. Worse, she seems unwilling to learn or alter her practices because she is not getting better. After a few publicly critized flops as she has had, I think she would go overboard to not make the same mistakes. I would be wrong of course. But the entirety of the Biden Administration keeps making the same mistakes in the same ways. Every. Single. Time.
She is unserious and seemingly unable to change course. They, as a whole, have failed to take seriously the concerns which even an amatuer like me can see coming.
Afghanistan - the President promised that it was not going to be a disaster. Everyone could see what would happen but him. His analysis was not serious.
Inflation - the President and most Administration leaders said it was only a small blip that would pass. It is now impacting every part of every person's life. They were wrong. Their analysis was not to be taken seriously when it was offered and continues to prove wrong today.
Ukraine - We are told by the President, Vice-President and key officials that sanctions are meant to keep Russia from attacking Ukraine. Then, when sanctions failed to do that, Biden says sanctions were never meant to prevent the devastation which has rained down. What? We heard it with our own ears.
By undercutting his own words and positions, the President proves the unserious nature with which he governs. Perhaps the problem lies with the fact that he was a US Senator for so long and he could say whatever he wanted and the impact was negligible. But now, his words have impact. They represent the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans. They represent the policies which have developed over decades that help provide a foundation for how we establish the priorities of our country - domestically and internationally.
Our President, as a Senator, was always unserious and it had few ramifications.
Today, we are in need of serious leaders who use wise judgement about all aspects of the crisis with which we are being pummled from all sides. The Administration needs to find a way to gain the confidence of the American people and of the international community quickly. If that cannot happen, we are in for a terrible period. World leaders who wish ill to our country will not just give us a pass because our leaders are weak-willed or weak-minded. They will, instead, press the distinct advantage they have to bend our policy to their will.
By being unserious in all of the above ways and more our nation is at greater risk than anytime since the early days of World War II when it was uncertain about whether we would join to save the free world. Our unserious leaders now are focused on everything but the dangers to our survival. Hopefully adults will once again be in charge.
Until then, we are being led by the most seriously unserious administration in our history.
