What Will History Say

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What Will History Say

by

Ken Melvin

When the new US History books come out in 2040, what will they have to say about 2020? What will they say about:  Globalization?  The Trump Presidency?  Global Warming?  The 2020 Pandemic?  China’s Rise?  America’s Decline?  Capitalism and Free markets?  Mitch McConnell?

to run where the brave dare not go.

Globalization: From a US perspective, globalization began in the 1970s with the first large-scale offshoring of semi-conductor, clothing, shoe, electronic, … manufacturing, and the large-scale importation of automobiles, and accelerated during the 1980s. Capitalists and 401Ks were the most significant forces driving globalization. As a result of globalization, the DJI soared to new heights.

By 2020, most all of our critical medicines were being manufactured in China and India; hampering our ability to respond to the Covid-19 Pandemic, causing tens of thousands of Americans to die unnecessarily. The US was no longer self-sufficient, hadn’t been for more than twenty years.

Significant unintended consequences of Globalization include:   Millions of well-paying jobs were sent overseas.  A Globalization related Opioid Epidemic that began in the 1990s. The American landscape was littered with dead and dying communities.   By 2020, 40% of US Workers were living from paycheck to paycheck; working at jobs that did not pay a living wage.   America suffered a soaring homeless population. Due to offshored critical manufacturing, the nation was unable to respond to a worldwide pandemic.

The Trump Presidency: The Trump administration, Trump would not have been elected but for help from Russia.  The most incompetent administration in US History, was the culmination of a long string of events, including:  The failure of our political system to respond to the negative consequences of Globalization and Automation. The failure of Democratic politicians, in particular, to react to the needs and concerns of their traditional base, working-class Americans. The continued dumbing down of America.  Latent Racism willfully stirred up by a long string of Republican office-seekers.

Global Warming: The failure of the World to take sufficient action earlier resulted in the loss of an estimated 100 million lives to date, and another estimated 200 million over the next decade. The failure of the US to take action was due in the main to the corruption that had taken over politics, especially the Republican party. The fossil fuel industry controlled the US Senate at a time when action desperately needed be taken.  Concern for the short-term interests and wealth of the few, led to the deaths of millions.

The 2020 Pandemic: The US Government was incapable of leading the efforts to limit the ravages of the Pandemic. The US Government’s response was a failure in almost every way. There was inadequate preparedness; funding to those agencies charged with meeting the challenge had been cut as part of spending reduction measures. The $billions saved wound up costing $trillions. Political considerations were given precedence over the facts, over science. The US Government was incapable of performing the functions of Government.

China’s rise to Predominance: Beginning in the 1980s, China modeled her economy so as to take advantage of the hokus pokus inherent Capitalism and Free markets. China’s growth was fueled by the investment of US Capital; a lot of which came from the money in 401Ks. The worldwide collapse of consumption resultant the 2020 recession that was itself a result of the 2020 Pandemic was the most proximate cause of China’s collapse.

America’s Decline: Donald Trump was a significant milestone in the decline of America that began with Richard Nixon, was accelerated by Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, and George W. Bush; and abetted along the way by Fox News and right-wing ideologues appointed Justices to the US Supreme Court. America’s decline created a leadership void that was laid claim to by Nations with long histories of inept and corrupt governance and adversarial behavior. The World became a greatly more dangerous place.

Capitalism and Free Markets: The failure of Capitalism and Free Markets to respond to income disparity, Global Warming, homelessness, healthcare, … was becoming obvious to more and more Americans.  Many now saw that Global Warming was a direct consequence of Capitalism and Free Markets.  America’s economic decline was in large part a consequence of its devotion to these failed economic deities; it’s denial of reality.

Mitch McConnell: Sen. McConnell was most notable for having accomplished nothing of value during his time in the Senate. Over his long career, he became the poster boy for bent politicians and the corruption of the Republican party. Sen. McConnell leveraged the ignorance and backwardness of his small home state into a long and destructive career in the US Senate. Sen. McConnell was best known for doggedly blocking popular progressive legislation and for facilitating the appointment of right-wing ideologues to the federal courts and for his refusal to hold the Trump Administration accountable for its numerous violations of the Constitution and other criminal acts.