Writer shares his hopes for the US in 2022

To The Eagle:

My number1 hope for this country and continued democracy, is to pass the two voting rights bills currently in Congress. Sadly did not happen. Some years ago, it would have been a large bipartisan vote, now zero Republicans will vote for it! Sad!

Next, I hope the roughly 15+ percent of the adult population that remains stubbornly unvaccinated, who are at the greatest risk of severe illness and death from the omicron variant, will somehow change their minds.

My hopes also come in the form of appreciating, where we have so much improvement, with this administration, over the last, in most ways. First, decency, less lying, less grandstanding with the Me, Me of prior. Instead of cutting taxes for the rich, pretending we too got a cut, we are now supporting health, education and general welfare of our population, remembering we aren’t all as fortunate as I am.

The economy added 5.6 million jobs at a record pace. No matter how Republicans try to spin today’s jobs report, the numbers don’t lie! Stocks have been on a historic ride since Americans elected Joe Biden as the 46th U.S. president, the likes of which have not been seen since at least the Second World War. Since President Biden came into office, the US GDP has grown by 6 percent in 2021.

On the bad side, the United States inflation rate is projected to trend around 2.3 percent in 2022 and 1.90 percent in 2023, according to econometric models. Annual inflation rate in the US accelerated to 6.8 percent in November of 2021, the highest since June of 1982, and in line with forecasts. This though, thus far in 2021, wages in the US have grown at the fastest pace in over 20 years, fueled by a rapid economic reopening in the wake of covid-19 vaccinations.

Finally, I hope all who promoted the Big Lie, participated and planned the Jan. 6th insurrection will be exposed and prosecuted according to our laws.

I pray we can close the divide and realize that facts should be used to define different opinions; it’s what this country has had, since its birth.

Poul Toftemark

Rosburg