Restless nights to come
Rural Ramblings
Welcome to the third month of 2022. Some may say you’re welcome to the rest of it too and as in the song, “it’s only just begun.” I’m not going to get into the war in Ukraine here there is plenty of other things we should be worrying about and frankly, collectively and especially those in the know and with the power should have addressed a long time ago.
To say the world economy is fragile I would say is an understatement. Apply the same criteria to say, China, if it follows a similar path to Russia and I think things would be a lot lot worse.
On the upside, the pandemic appears to be easing. Or, being the collosal cynic that I am perhaps it’s becuase bigger news stories have overtaken it. On a shopping trip to the pharmacy my wife and I were offered COVID testing kits I nearly fell over. Something that was as rare as hens teeth is now astonishingly easy to get. I guess if the TV is dull one evening we can test each other.
Inflation was not so long ago, we were assured, is temporary by our glorious leaders. Yeah right, I thought, where have I heard that before? Of course, the reasons are supply chain difficulties, the pandemic, shortage of labour, shortage of raw materials. What were central banks doing for the last few years including Canada’s? Printing money, sorry, engaging in quantative easing is the smoothy phrase. And, ask economists what printing money can do to economies and many should or will answer, cause inflation, even hyper inflation. I’m not saying that’s the whole cause but if I was a detective on the case I think I would be wanting to talk to central bankers and those that gave them direction.
And, dear readers what often follows on the heels on inflation is recession, another one. Frankly unless you’re in a well paid, secure occupation or one of the one per cent with most of the money and power I would argue that a good number of the rest of us have been struggling for years and can’t see a way out. It is little wonder how and why exteme views and populists leaders can gain such traction.
Maybe we need think tanks to look at how and why we do everything and work out better ways to do it. There’s a lot to look at. Finishing on another gut punch. Climate reports say that it’s likley too late to change some of climate change effects and we must adapt. Gee, I’ve been saying that for years. We just have to be careful that we’re not part of the collateral damage. Sleep tight.