Ethan and Ehlana:
March definitely came in like a lamb instead of a lion – from a weather perspective. The high for today hit seventy-five; we spent extra time outdoors at school; played and biked with our friends after being set free for the day; and then we had a pancakes and bacon dinner for Shrove Tuesday. We also had Olde Bakery Paczkis at lunch and for our evening snack break; so we enjoyed a fairly-awesome food day too.
All of that was amazing; and a huge contrast to the serious issues in the world and the big State of the Union speech from President Biden that we watched tonight while doing our work and studying in the office with Mom and Dad. Our Magi lesson was chosen because of the war in Ukraine, and while the uses of our talents can be scaled up to create defenses against bomb-level attacks; Mom and Dad do not plan on letting us take a trip to Eastern Europe to put our abilities to the test.
The situation on the ground in Ukraine is awful and getting worse; yet our leaders around the world generally are doing nothing to even attempt to de-escalate the crisis. The risks of a mistake or accident taking the fighting to next levels are real; and underestimating opponents may be a significant part of the political problem – just as has been true in the months and years leading up to this moment. After two years of dealing with a pandemic, the world cannot afford a major war and the destruction that would result both physically and economically.
There really isn’t any point in harping on what might have been before Russia invaded Ukraine, but the same solution is still possible – if unlikely; since Russia’s demands probably won’t be accepted by our country, the EU, or NATO. We don’t know what will happen instead, but it is more-likely to get worse before we can hope for better.
That seems rather pessimistic and feels worse compared to our personal happiness; and that’s becoming a daily mental battle when we’re bombarded by so much bad news. President Biden’s speech did nothing to help us out with that, and since we’re to that part of our news of the day; let’s offer our commentary – which definitely doesn’t go along with the mainstream media narratives on either side of the political aisle.
It was no surprise to anyone that the President’s speech began with tough talk directed at Russia and President Putin, and while that will get a lot of media play; we took note of the mentions of oil and energy; since that really is what this conflict is about – the natural resources of both Ukraine and Russia. If that wasn’t true, you can be sure that the ‘western’ countries would care very little for Ukraine or the people there. None of the rhetoric did anything to bring peace to Ukraine, and the people there will not thank the world for provoking Russia and then standing by while their country is destroyed. That isn’t a recommendation for joining the fight – we would advise all leaders to choose peace and do whatever it takes to make that happen – starting with admitting mistakes and negotiating for what is best for everyone.
Next up in the speech was infrastructure. Our take on that was more money for the wealthy without much for regular people, and while the money might seem like a lot; it annually still pales in comparison to what our country spends on the military-industrial complex. We understand and support the need to update our national infrastructure in a lot of different areas of technology from roads and bridges to power grids and technology; we doubt that there is the political will to actually do what is necessary.
That brings us to the next topic – President Biden’s comments on good jobs, manufacturing, and renewable energy programs like tax breaks for renewable energies and electric cars. The big flaws with all of that begins with the costs that do more to make those tech companies and owners richer at taxpayer – or added national debt - expense; there was no commentary on the natural resources costs of electric power; or the human issues for mining all of those minerals and ores that nobody in developed countries want to talk about or even care about the effects of these initiatives on the poorest nations and peoples of the world. Bringing jobs home also doesn’t discuss what that means for people in other countries; and claims of better paying jobs and lower prices are simply economically ridiculous.
We can’t cover every bit of the speech – or don’t want to do that, but we will cover the ‘law and order’ part of President Biden’s statements. If anyone was surprised by the tough talk from the president; they shouldn’t have been when his political history is well-known. We would agree with the parts of the speech related to helping everyone mentioned from victims of crime to dealing with addictions, but we’ll also guess that funding police and cracking down on crime will come long before meaningful help for the poor and most-in-need. Again, the costs of the suggestions and how to make them happen without destroying the economy weren't explained. We are not talking about ‘how to pay for it’ mentality – it is simply a fact that there are not unlimited resources; so there is a cost for everything we do whether that is easily visible or unintended consequences.
As far as we’re concerned, the rest of the contents of the speech were generally similar to promises and proposals that are brought up regularly and then never actually happen. That’s really what politics in general come down to – whether the acts ever match the words. Only time will tell whether anything that the President talked about tonight will happen or not, and while we wait for that; we’ll continue to do what we can here at home and through our family businesses and charities to bring love, joy, and help to the world regardless of what our world leaders do to help or harm our efforts.
That’s enough for tonight. After we wrapped up our speech-watching and work; bath or Jacuzzi time was needed after the outdoor play time; and now it is late and we’re ready to crash and nap. We’re still going to feel happy and be grateful for our blessings; and pray and hope for everyone in the world – since we sincerely care for everyone and believe that we should treat everyone equally.
Okay, it really is time to get some sleep now; so we’re out of here.
Until next time, this little blast from your near or distant past is written for you with love from Ethan and Ehlana Proctor – twin junior Magi Masters of the Light!
