NightGaunts

Fair enough, it was watered down in the name of compromise. The last piece of major legislation that I was enthusiastic about was the ACA, and look what that ended being after negotiation/compromise - better than nothing I guess, but, in my opinion, a lost opportunity due to poor leadership. Biden has been fairly effective in that context.

Also worth crediting him on the infrastructure deal. This piece of legislation had a lot of needed stuff in it.
For instance
Money to replace lead service pipes
Money for bridges, etc
A HUGE sorely needed investment in public transportation including passenger rail
Various green initiatives (ev charger network, solar and power efficiency incentives)
Etc.

It has been a really long time since the federal government has delivered anything (besides tax cuts that lean towards the wealthy) so it's a big deal that this was pushed through.

I am an astronaut, I have been priced out of the electric guitar market for over a year, I no longer think this city was built on rock and roll. For this reason I will blah blah blah.....

Another annoying thing about this guy is his both sides shit, what an asshole.

Respectfully, I will disagree. 2009 was a tough year and 2020/21 was pretty apocalyptic but day to day life didn't feel as described in this opinion piece (to me at least). I spent much of that period installing irrigation systems and getting by on temp jobs, it wasn't cake, but it wasn't tumbleweeds adrift in a hellish nightmare-scape either.

I guess what compels me to bother disagreeing is the author is such a fraud, telling us how the last twenty years he spent at 'think-tanks' with catered lunch, and in academia (which is about as far removed from reality as can be) have been just oh-so-awful.
The last twenty years in Russia, Venezuela, etc., the argument is compelling, but in the U.S., I just don't agree.

This is the kind of article that piques my suspicion. It tends towards sensationalism, e.g.:

'For over two decades now, Americans have been battered by non-stop crises at home and abroad...'

Have we been 'battered' ? Have the crisis really been non-stop? Fox news/cable outlets tell us we have, but what's driving their agenda.

And what is the source of this article? Some partisan conservative think-tank guy who isn't particularly insightful, even as far as this type of writing goes.

This moment may be fraught, but imagine living through the period from JFK's assassination to Watergate. That period must have felt like it was all crumbling.

You found some keywords, congratulations.

True, not quite there, but working on it.

Two years ago, a "once in a hundred years" wind storm downed trees that had been around for decades. Many of them fell on houses, garages, etc. Last year, the once in a hundred years wind storm took down even more. We haven't had the every hundred year storm this year yet but I am expecting it. The issues are serious.

On a positive note, more of us are adding our voices and resources to combat the profiteers. Join us if you can.

Beware, Delaware.