Last thoughts on my greatest pet peeve: We as a people have so far been unwilling to give up our guns. Until we do, some 40,000 of us will be shot to death each year. Isn’t it time to change?
Lest the readers misunderstand the point I’m trying to make in listing my pet peeves: the U.S. has many problems it can solve, but significant portions of the population (mostly well-to-do Republicans) are using a variety of tools to stop us. In 2021, for example, more than 440 bills with provisions that restrict voting access were introduced in 49 states, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. The efforts have continued in 2022. The majority, that is, we Democrats, need to quit bickering and unite to get things done. My best guess is that the Democrats will win big in the 2022 election, mainly because the Republicans, led by Trump, have shown themselves to be villains opposed to democracy.
All that said, the U.S. is still the greatest nation in history. We have achieved more and improved our citizens’ lives far beyond any other nation. That we suffer imperfections is no surprise. Now is the time to work toward a more perfect union and correct our mistakes.
The list of things that bother me about the greatest nation in the history of the earth goes on and on. But these are the troubles that stress me the most, largely because it would be so easy to change them.
So easy. Why don’t we start?
Tom Glenn, Writer 