Autumn is upon us, but it is making me a little bit sad this year.
I have always loved autumn.
I love the brilliant colors, the chilly air and the smell of oak burning in a fire pit.
Whereas spring is about new life and fresh starts — and summer about toil and sweat and a one-week break at the beach — autumn is about harvesting your hard-earned fruits.
It’s about peacefully accepting that the warm weather will be gone soon — that the bitter cold winds and snow will soon be here.
Autumn used to be about sitting around a fire with good friends, sipping hot apple-cider toddies and laughing into the wee hours – and taking a much-needed respite from politics.
But this autumn it’s impossible to escape politics. It’s also impossible to avoid worrying about the state our country is in.
Just a few years short ago the economy was booming. The cost of food and utilities was low relative to our incomes, which were strong and growing. The world was relatively stable and peaceful and prosperity was improving for billions across the globe.
Now we have major wars in Ukraine and Israel and the cost of goods and services have soared and continue to inflate.
According to the U.S. debt clock, our national debt stands at nearly $34 trillion — about $100,000 for every person in the country — and it continues to soar at a rapid pace. How long can such spending go on?
Crime rates are up across the board.
According to Newsweek, crime is increasing everywhere, not only in big cities. With organized looting by gangs out of control and going largely unpunished, many big retailers are closing stores.
Copyright 2023 Tom Purcell, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.