Oh, how I long for the past — the past being about 100 days ago.
Under the Biden administration I felt safe and welcomed as an American when I traveled overseas.
Americans had jobs and unemployment was very low. Inflation and interest rates were on a significant downward trend. Signs of infrastructure investment were prolific.
Our investment portfolios were very healthy, and continued signs of growth were everywhere.
Solar energy, wind energy and geothermal energy production were moving quickly forward.
I could afford to buy an avocado.
Attempts to make immigration less chaotic, more humane, and more regulated were on the rise.
Businesses could plan for the future and retirees could breathe some sighs of relief as drug prices came down and pensions and 401k plans looked healthy.
I could wake up and read the newspaper with an affordable cup of coffee and not be faced with 13 “breaking news” articles that jack up my anxiety levels.
America had friends around the world.
We could refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali as Mount Denali.
Crime rates were down in our cities.
We had worker unions who advocated for the rights of workers and which brought them better pay and benefits.
We had vaccines which helped keep the American population safe from diseases that rapidly spread and people working on bird flu, which would have helped bring down the price of eggs.
We had free speech and the ability to have citizens’ initiatives placed on ballots for a vote. We had vote by mail and more people could actually vote. We had a public education system that strived to educate all Americans and a university system that actually broadened peoples’ minds.
We even provided food and medicine for people across the globe.
We cared about national security and we cared about having our privacy stay private.
We cared about not having an oligarchy run the country and people with chain saws running rampant across government agencies.
Oh, the past (100 days ago) ... how I long for thee.
Janelle Heck, Millcreek
