Larry Elder: A Nation Divided and a World in Turmoil

Some people choose not to keep up with the news or discuss politics, religion, or sports. They may have heard about the coronavirus pandemic only after the California lockdown began. It’s surprising that someone in their 30s could be unaware of current events, especially since they use a smartphone and Facebook. However, they may feel happier and more positive because they don’t consume news media.

However, they may be unaware of some significant developments since Joe Biden became president. For example, more than five million illegal aliens have entered the U.S. from over 100 countries, and many of them cannot be accounted for. Dozens of terrorists have also been caught crossing the border. A lethal synthetic opioid called fentanyl is killing tens of thousands of Americans each year. China is supplying the ingredients, and Mexican cartels are producing and trafficking the drug. The former president, Donald Trump, is facing potential legal trouble from a Manhattan district attorney, and conservatives’ views are being censored by Big Tech and the Department of Justice. Communist China’s power and aggressiveness are also growing, and our dependence on them for goods like rare earth minerals is increasing. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with Chinese support and Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose additional challenges to world peace.

Furthermore, inflation, now at 40-year highs, is eroding bank accounts and causing bank failures. Cancel culture is targeting professors who express opinions against reparations, race-based preferences, critical race theory, and the DEI agenda. The person in question also may not realize that President Biden’s policies are driving up gas prices and causing other problems across the country. Crime rates continue to rise, and the “systemically racist” narrative against police is fueling antipolice sentiment and cutting back on public safety measures. California is taxed heavily, has poor-performing schools, a massive deficit, and an unfunded pension liability. These problems have contributed to a net population loss of half a million people in recent years.

Analogizing the person to a chain-smoker who stopped reading newspapers that linked tobacco to cancer, commentator Larry Elder wonders whether his friend’s avoidance of current events is psychologically healthier.

Larry Elder is a nationally syndicated radio show host and a bestselling author. For more information, please visit his website, www.LarryElder.com. Follow him on Twitter @larryelder. To read more features by other writers and cartoonists for the Creators Syndicate, please go to www.creators.com.