The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of NightMoves and AAN.
It is no secret these past two years have been the most devastating, weird, unpredictable, restrictive and emotionally challenging years many of us have gone through. For me, being as old as dirt, these past two years have been worse than the five years I endured growing up during WW II. Between the pandemic, the deaths, businesses going belly up, the national media becoming a fear factory, the two parties fighting, not for you and I, but against each other and our government being turned upside down with no clue what to do next, it has put a ridiculous, and in many ways, unnecessary burden on all of us. Now as 2021 comes to an end and we enter 2022 it is also the third year of this continuing battle that the government doesn’t seem to really want to come to an end.
I am not going to get into a long essay about politics and the mess that it is and has created we are all well aware of that. Rather, I am just going to put out my wish list for 2022 about what I feel can get all of us and this great country back on the right track and normalcy once again. So here we go.
- Stop the HATE! Unless you are blind you all can see what the hate for one man has done to this country. Stop the HATE because of one’s skin color or religion. Stop the HATE for those in law enforcement that protect us 24/7/365. Stop the HATE for anyone who has a different opinion than yours. Stop the HATE that is constantly manufactured by the national media on a daily basis. Stop the HATE for every little thing and we can move forward as one great country again.
- Stop the Division! Every single one of our congressmen or women, senators and even the POTUS and VPOTUS, need to take a good look in the mirror and realize how much they have contributed to the division in this country through their party affiliations showing little or no regard for their constituents. A big chunk of this division also falls, once again, on the national networks who continue to this day to preach the fear and divide mantra and it must STOP. Contrary to what many want to believe the division in this country did not start with the previous administration, but the one before it. If this country is going to heal and become one again the division must end from all corners of the political spectrum.
- I would hope in 2022, that taking care of our own comes first for a change. Yes, we are the land of the free and we welcome immigrants and foreigners who want a better life……if they come here legally, like millions before them have for decades. But it is time to take a look at the homeless situation in this country and to do something about it. It has been ignored for far too long and it is only getting worse. The numbers show that the majority of homeless are veterans who served their country honorably. Yet for the most part these warriors have been given the middle finger by our government and pretty much ignored and that is wrong, wrong, wrong. It is time for this worsening problem to become a priority.
- It is time to find a way to put an end to this pandemic and get our lives back to normal. It is time for honesty and being forthright about this pandemic instead of telling the country only what the politicians want you to know and hear. This can be put to an end in short order, we know it and they know it, so please close the door on this pandemic. Let us have our lives and businesses back. Let us get back to being the great country we have always been.
There is a lot more I could add, but I hope you get the general idea of what I am trying to get across. We are blessed to live in this country and the time has come for the incompetence in Washington to come to an end and make our country great again instead of a laughing stock. I hope and pray that 2022 will see this country rise once again above the ashes and shine a bright beacon of light to let the world know we are one country united not divided. We are, after all, the United States of America.
May you all have a very Happy New Year and be blessed with a safe, healthy and prosperous 2022.
Art Koch. National Features & DVD Editor, NightMoves Magazine and AAN
