Gasoline prices hover around $4.00 a gallon for the least expensive grade at several gas stations in the nation's capital in Washington on April 11, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
In a recent piece, I discussed Jordan Peterson’s book, “12 Rules for Life.” I placed great emphasis on rule number six, which advises people to get their own houses in order. Peterson’s rule applies not just to individuals but also to entire nations.
Right now, the United States’ “house” is in a state of disarray. What, if anything, can be done?
On April 13, President Joe Biden announced that the United States intended to offer an additional $800 million in weapons, ammunition, and “other security assistance to Ukraine.” The Ukrainians have “used the weapons we are providing to devastating effect,” said the president. The United States “will continue to provide Ukraine with the capabilities to defend itself,” he added.
As Reuters noted, the generous package “brings the total military aid since Russian forces invaded in February to more than $2.5 billion.” Biden has assured President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that “the American people will continue to stand with the brave Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.”
When it comes to Ukraine, Biden’s family appears to be compromised. According to the New York Post, Hunter Biden, the president’s rather controversial son, played a significant role in “financing ... biological laboratories in Ukraine.”
The Post found that Hunter Biden “played a role in helping a California defense contractor analyze killer diseases and bioweapons in Ukraine.”
Of course, it’s important to separate Hunter Biden’s shady dealings in Ukraine from the events that are occurring in the country. Nevertheless, questions must be asked. Serious questions.
Answering Ukrainian Calls While Ignoring America’s
The Ukrainian people desperately need assistance. But what about the American people?
What about the tens of millions who find themselves crippled by rising prices of goods and services?
What about the Americans living in cities decimated by violent crime?
Officers investigate a shooting at the 36th Street subway station in Brooklyn, New York, on April 12, 2022. (Enrico Trigoso/The Epoch Times)
Right now, inflation is at a 40-year high.
From Feb. 1 to March 1, gas prices jumped by 18.3 percent. Compared to this time last year, gas prices are almost 50 percent higher.
The cost of rent has also skyrocketed. The Washington Post reported that rental costs have increased by 30 percent to 40 percent in cities like Austin, New York, and Miami. This is not sustainable.
Poverty rates are at a 50-year high. Human Rights Watch warns that millions “of people in the US are falling into preventable poverty and hunger.” With poverty comes despair.
Drug addiction has gripped America, with an increasing number of people dying from overdoses. The epidemic is being driven by illicit fentanyl, a topic that I have covered in great detail.
The United States is also struggling with an increase in suicides. Criminal activity is rampant.
On April 12, one day before Biden offered extra assistance to Ukraine, a man opened fire on a crowded Brooklyn subway. At least 23 people were injured. The shooting, which occurred at 8:30 a.m. local time, shocked the nation.
In reality, though, no one should be shocked. The attack was just part of a broader trend. In New York City and beyond, violent crime has been a problem for far too long.
In January, the Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) published a rather damning analysis of crime trends in the United States. Last year, according to the report, major cities were gripped by homicides. In fact, compared to figures from 2019, homicides across the country rose by 44 percent.
The analysis was comprehensive in nature, drawing on crime data from more than 20 U.S. cities nationwide, including the likes of Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Memphis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington. Compared to 2020, last year saw an extra 218 murders. Murder rates in big cities like St. Petersburg, Florida and Austin skyrocketed.
As CBS News noted, experts “believe pandemic pressures and changes in policing tactics have contributed to the uptick in homicides.”
What exactly does a change “in police tactics” look like?
This change in “tactics” harms every single American. When police officers are not allowed to do their job, no one benefits. Well, no law abiding citizens anyway.
Which brings us back to the extremely generous assistance being offered to Ukrainians. It is possible to be aware of other people’s suffering without being blind to the suffering occurring in American homes. It is possible to provide support to desperate people abroad without forsaking desperate people at home. It is possible to send a strong message to Russia without sending a weak one (or none at all) to America.
The Biden administration, we’re told, is in denial. More specifically, inflation denial. As the American novelist George R.R. Martin once said, “Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.” But denial is a fool’s game. No matter how fast we run, reality runs faster than us all.
With the gurus on Wall Street predicting a recession in 2023, reality is about to catch up with every single one of us, including members of the current administration. And when it does, the consequences will be severe.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and essayist. He covers psychology and social relations, and has a keen interest in social dysfunction and media manipulation. His work has been published by the New York Post, The Sydney Morning Herald, Newsweek, National Review, and The Spectator US, among others.
