The Good, Bad and Ugly of 2022 | By Louie Overstreet
December 14, 2022 by agutting@reviewjournal.com
Filed under Community
BY LOUIE OVERSTREET
Louie Overstreet
In America, you can count on its citizens engaging in the good, bad, and ugly of everything you can name, with apologies to Clint Eastwood.
Good and bad things happened — and to no one’s surprise, it also got ugly in America in 2022. I can recall five things occurring in the categories of good, bad, and downright ugly.
Good:
1. Ketanji Brown-Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court. Early reviews are that she will be a force for justice for all.
2. Over four million jobs were created in 2022.
3. The unemployment rate dipped below 4%.
4. An international terrorist, al-Quarayshi was brought to justice. He was the successor to Baghdadi leader of Daesh/ISIS.
5.Election results: American democracy survived a severe assault that placed her in the intensive care unit on November 8th. Her recovery is expected to be a long and painful one. However, fortunately, America did not drown in a red wave.
At the time of writing this column, the former President had not been indicted, which certainly would have made the list.
Bad:
1. Inflation rates topped 40-year highs, while impactful on the November election, it was not determinative.
2. The effects of climate change harmed America to the tune of scores of billions.
3. Sadly, 300 election deniers, from 2020, ran for public office, 168 won.
4. The dismantling of CNN has made it also unwatchable.
5. Pablum solutions for gun violence were passed into law, when copious doses of castor oil were needed.
Ugly:
1. Politicians continued to lie with impunity.
2. All things Trump, i.e. theft of top-secret documents.
3. The war in Ukraine has had and will continue to have devastating global health and economic impacts.
4. Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade, taking away a half-century of the right for women to make safe health decisions.
5. Republicans’ embrace of supremacists’ groups led to civil unrest and will threaten America’s domestic tranquility in 2023 and beyond.
Folks, there you have it: 2022, the year that was.
