NFL
By: Greg Rector
Top 10 lists abound at this time of year. It’s not easy to whittle down a list to just a few news stories and I mean no disrespect to any event that could be on many other people’s lists. This is just my list.
Russia Invades Ukraine
On the 24th of February Russian military forces invaded Ukraine. Russian President (Tyrant) Vladamir Putin, himself becoming more isolated and volatile, decided that the old Russian Empire must be restored. Given his basis for the attack is a false premise, seeing millions of people displaced, and the deaths of an untold number of civilians and soldiers on both sides are the worst of mankind. War is always that way. The numerous other effects of Putin’s invasion could fill an entire volume of stories. NATO has responded to help Ukraine defend its sovereign territory, and currently, Ukrainian forces are pushing hard to repel the invaders from the Eastern portion of the country. Global inflation (Another Story later on), has been impacted by this war. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as I write this is ending the year by addressing a Joint Session of Congress after meeting with President Biden. Zelenskyy was named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” the fortitude and determination of the Ukrainian people have been truly inspiring and the forces of freedom attempt to beat the authoritarian Russian regime.
Supreme Court Overturns Abortion Rights
On the 24th of June, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision by a 5-4 vote. Women’s constitutional rights to abortion ended after 49 years and the court said it was okay for individual states to determine a woman’s reproductive rights. For the first time in 246 years, the court took away a right. The response was swift and decisive from many states although every new anti-abortion measure passed at the state level is being challenged in the courts it also led to ballot measures in other states regarding abortion rights and even in conservative states like Kansas and Kentucky voters told their state legislators hands off a woman’s right to choose in their states. Many also feel this prevented a true “Red tsunami” effect in the mid-term elections in November. The Republicans didn’t gain anywhere near the number of seats they and the pundits thought they would win.
Passing of Queen Elizabeth II
On September the 8th after being the Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms since February 1952 (70 years) passed away at Balmoral Castle at the age of 96. She was Queen through 13 different U.S. Presidents and 15 different British Prime Ministers. Her reign was the second longest ever for a monarch and the longest for a female in history. Although I was U.S. born my parents were both Canadians and as part of the Commonwealth of Nations the Queen was a part of my life. So on September 9th for the first time in my life and the lives of so many millions in the Commonwealth, we could finally sing God Save the King as her eldest son King Charles III ascended to the throne. My parents were only 12 and 9 years old when her father King George VI died. To have lived through the Great Depression, World War II, and so many major events through the end of the 20th century and most of the first quarter of the 21st century, simply put the changes she saw and the events she was privy to is simply mind-boggling to try and comprehend. The mere fact that just two days before her passing Queen Elizabeth went through the formality of accepting the 15th Prime Minister forming the government of the United Kingdom just proved to the world her devotion to her duties as the sovereign.
Global Inflation
Inflation and the economy as a whole are both GLOBAL, despite what many may think and feel. The effect of the global Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the global supply chain affected by both events saw the rise of inflation across the globe. The U.S. rate was high indeed topping out at 9.1% but elsewhere it has exceeded double digits. The costs for everything imaginable were therefore increased and the impact is felt by everyone. There is no easy solution as economies are not fixed overnight. Every country has taken steps to fight inflation but as we all know it takes time for consumers to feel things are improving. Inflation reached a 40-year high in 2022. For those too young to recall the early 80s mortgage rates averaged 16.63% and we are nowhere near those numbers today. This was also a key factor in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections.
Heatwave Records
No part of the world was unaffected in 2022 in regard to heat waves. Record temperatures that have made droughts worse, increased the number of wildfires, and the displacement of people all over the world was just some of the effects. The loss of life as well during these heat waves was simply awful. One more factor as well for inflation rates rising all over the globe.
9 Billion of Us
The population of the world in 1803 reached 1 billion people for the first time. 219 years later the population rose to over 9 billion. How the folks can calculate this is amazing to me, but on November 15th the world’s population indeed reached the 9 billion mark.
Mass Shootings
As of today December 21st, there have been 611 mass shooting incidents in 2022 while less than the record from 2021 (690) the fact that so many continue to die whether they are children going to school (Uvalde Texas), attending religious services, shopping at Wal-Mart, or just about anywhere no place is safe from the violence perpetrated by so many people who inflict so much pain on others there was finally small measures passed by Congress after 28 years without any meaningful legislation. Since so many cases have involved 18 to 21-year-old males there will be enhanced background checks and more focus on red-flag laws that Democrats support, the Republicans would budge no further and their cries that a lot of these cases are mental health related, there will be more money for school safety and youth mental health programs. There is no chance of an assault weapons ban.
2022 Election Cycle
The November midterm elections did not go according to plan for the Republican Party. They will be the majority party in the House of Representatives in January, however, they lost one seat in the U.S. Senate. The country has not been this divided since the Civil War. After a record, of 17 billion dollars was spent by state and federal candidates and the daily exhaustive coverage in the media one thing was clear after all the results were all in. The media and especially the pollsters got it wrong again. The American people didn’t turn out (49.6%) anywhere near the 2020 Presidential election (67%), and turnout amongst younger voters was higher for the third-straight election cycle. That’s a positive trend. After the chaos of the January 6th insurrection in 2021 and all of the major stories (Outside of Queen Elizabeth’s passing) that affect the lives of us all, it’s sad to see that less than 50% exercised their franchise as citizens and voted. All of that said the Republicans gained a grand total of 34 legislative seats in total between the federal and state levels. Is that really worth 17 billion dollars?
Britney Griner
The WNBA star was arrested by Russian officials for a minute amount of cannabis oil residue. This gave President Putin of Russia an opportunity to embarrass the United States and he took full advantage of the situation. Russia eventually leveraged her status into a prisoner swap. The reasons why Griner ended up in Russia to play basketball are well documented. The case drew worldwide attention and condemnation from the global community for Russia and Putin. Griner was released in a swap of prisoners for the Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout after Griner had been in Russian custody for 10 months.
Those are my top news stories of 2022
