Monday, July 22, 2019

The end of optimism

When Eagle touched down on the moon, we were so optimistic.  The space age was here.  Everything seemed possible.  Anyone over 60 probably remembers that heady feeling of optimism.

It’s gone.  Some of it came back when Obama was elected, but Republicans in Congress pretty drove it away.  Do you know of anyone now who is optimistic?  Trump supporters pretend to be, but I think deep down they know we are losing our democratic values and all sense of hope.

American adults born in the early 1980s had, on average, 13.7 years of schooling.  American adults born in the early 50s had on average, 13.5 years of schooling.  That’s is a very small improvement, and I’m fairly sure it remains stagnant.

In 2014 life expectancy began to drop for the first time in a century.  This is partly due to what are called “deaths of despair” (suicide, drugs, alcoholism), but the decline is also a result of public health setbacks and amazingly expensive medical care.

Almost everyone in America is aware of the growing income inequality.

The quality of the presidency, the courts, and the Republican leadership and cabinet appointees is laughable.  

If you aren’t pessimistic, you have not been paying attention.


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