Posted on 11/27/2019 2:36:46 PM PST by Ennis85
For those of us who spend far too much time following the news these days, it is easy to feel that everything is falling apart. Regardless of your political ideology, there is no doubt that this country is politically divided and facing serious challenges. To make matters worse, we are entering an election season. Politicians will be trying their best to convince us that we are one vote away from choosing between Nazi Germany and Venezuela.
Yet, as we gather with friends and family this Thanksgiving, it is worth remembering that, beyond the headlines, things are actually pretty darn good. As both individuals and a country, we really have more than enough to be thankful for.
Start with the economy. We can debate who — if anyone — is responsible, but we can’t argue with the fact that unemployment is down and wages are up. Unemployment is at the lowest level since 1969. There were 2.3 million more full time, year-round workers this year than last. And those workers are earning more. Median earnings for full-time workers rose by more than 3 percent last year. Since 2009, average hourly earnings for all employees is up 5.6 percent, while real average weekly earnings rose by 6.9 percent.
Inequality remains a big political issue, but poverty rates continue to decline. In 2018, the official Census Bureau poverty measure fell to just 11.8 percent, down a full half percentage point from the year before, and the lowest rate since 2001. Using other, arguably more accurate poverty measures shows even better results. Consumption-based poverty measures put the real poverty level at as low as 2.8 percent.
Of course, too many people still struggle, but we are doing our best to help them. Last year, Americans donated $427 billion to charity, and more than 63 million people gave their time and talent to help others — over 8 billion volunteer hours.
Politicians also like to conjure up images of crime and carnage. But we are safer today than we’ve been in decades. Violent crime has declined by 51 percent since 1993, while property crime has declined by even more (54 percent). The United States still imprisons far too many people — almost twice the incarceration rate of any country except the Seychelles. However, between falling crime rates and criminal-justice reform, 100,000 fewer Americans will spend this Thanksgiving in prison than did ten years ago.
Health care is another issue the politicians fight over, and with good reason. Our health-care system is deeply flawed for many reasons. Yet we are healthier than ever. Infant mortality has declined by 14 percent since 2007. Death from cancer has dropped from 168 per 100,000 people in 2000 to just 146 per 100,000 today. More Americans are exercising and eating healthfully, and smoking is at the lowest level since 1965.
Even in those areas where we still have improvement to make, we should not ignore how far we’ve come. Racism and other forms of bigotry are still far too prevalent, but let’s remember how much progress we’ve made. The alt-right and their fellow travelers are noxious and noisy, but they are still a tiny minority. The worst forms of overt discrimination have largely been consigned to the dustbin of history, and there is a growing push for still more fully realized justice and equality. Within my lifetime, both interracial and gay marriage were outlawed. Today all Americans are free to marry the person they love. Almost 9 percent of Americans have two or more races in their background. It may be halting and uneven, but we are making progress toward a more inclusive society.
Politics are not our life. The people we love, our faith, our families, the things we do that bring our lives joy and meaning — these things are far more important than politics. As George Will has pointed out: There are 357 million Americans; 350 million of them did not watch cable news or listen to talk radio yesterday.
So, as we begin to carve our turkey — which costs 4 percent less than last year — let’s tune out the politicians and their doom and gloom. It is a wonderful time to be alive. We really have so much to be thankful for.
I read it only because of the Hurl alert. So much for alerts.
For a National review article, it is actually pretty good. Lots of backhanded swipes at America. Total inability to give Trump any credit for anything. And it approves of homosexual marriage, viewing it on equal footing with heterosexual marriage.
But it manages to avoid actively attacking Trump by name or to claim Trump supporters smell like an old, unwashed jock strap, so by National Review standards...
The pity is I remember eagerly awaiting my copy of National Review in the mail. So long ago. When Reagan was President.
Getting better all the time-Mcartney.
Mcartney?
Who's "we"? Oh, NR and its cabal of Leftist suck-ups, that's who.
What is our alternative?
>>Mcartney?<<
Sing it to ‘em, Pool.
Oh, it’s not so bad. About half of the people are on drugs, going crazy, leaning more to the left and committing crimes, including administrators and their family members. The toll on our economy and quality of life is horrendous.
We’re going to hell in a handbasket, but there are still some laughs to be had.
Your rant doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the article.
The US imprisons far too many people???? If they committed the crimes, they belong in prison.
Maybe crime rates as noted have fallen, because numerous career criminals have gotten longer prison terms.
“Within my lifetime, both interracial and gay marriage were outlawed. Today all Americans are free to marry the person they love.”
Sodomy is hurl worthy.
The rest of the article — not so much
Sgt. Pepper.
People have been pointing this out about the Neocon wing of the Republican party since the mid eighties.
Have you not figured out that those people were not just nutcases yet?
McCartney!
National Review's Michael Tanner:
“We can debate who — if anyone — is responsible, but we can’t argue with the fact that unemployment is down and wages are up.”
A LOT of people would dispute the second point (that wages are up); the whole reason for the $15/hour debate is because they AREN’T up (not that such a measure would help things in the long run). The open borders guarantee that for most workers, wages are still stagnant.
There is a serious problem when young people today earn the same pay for McJobs that we earned 30 years ago in the same jobs (regardless of where the minimum wage is set); everything costs much more now.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.