11 trends and hard truths in 2022


The following is a news analysis.

Sometimes we are so mired in debating the minute we lose sight of the obvious big picture. It distracts us. 

As we close out 2022, I thought it would be a good idea to identify discuss 11 trends and hard truths for the sake of saying things out loud that the media should be reporting on fairly and investigating but too often is not. These are big picture items that stand to impact many, if not most of us, in a big way.

1. Illegal immigration. Each day that passes is another day that makes it impossible to go back, even if the border were to be secured immediately. We will be dealing forever with the fallout of the unrestricted, illegal border crossings in terms of expense, crime, impact on our schools, and an already stressed health care system.

2. Covid. There is ongoing fallout from controversial vaccine mandates. Congress has rescinded the military mandates but not before tends of thousands or more received the vaccine under duress, and many thousands were forced out. We already had a recruiting crisis and it’s only grown worse. A judge has ordered New York City to hire back more than 1,700 workers fired for refusing the vaccine. What’s the state’s response? It is appealing. We are also dealing with the costs and health impact of those who got vaccinated and are suffering illnesses. Some of them are permanently disabled. Some have died. There is an ongoing cost to our youth, who do not tend to get very sick with Covid but who are at risk of serious illness from the vaccine.

3. College costs. With discussion and debate focused on loan forgiveness–  or more accurately transferring the cost of outstanding loans to taxpayers– it does nothing to cure the overinflated and unjustifiable cost of a college education. The same syndrome is in play with health care costs. The fact that the government ensures these bills will get paid using taxpayer money and loans, grants, scholarships, Medicare, etc., only ensures the corporations can charge outrageous amounts of money for the services. If it weren’t for government and private medical insurance, and loans and grants, then few could afford the overinflated medical and education costs and the prices would, by necessity, have to come down. The government is the cause of these problems and could solve them, but will not because elected officials are part of the system that benefits. They get donations from the industries, academic institutions, hospitals, insurance industry, pharmaceutical companies, and others to help them stay in office and positions of power. Thus, their solutions by necessity will continue to feather their nests always at our expense.

4. January 6, 2021. (I’ll be reporting on this topic on an upcoming edition of Full Measure.) This event stands out as as one of the most outrageous e of our time in terms of how it’s prosecuted by government officials. There are clearly political motivations and double standards in play, with what seems to be an obvious plan in advance to controversialize anyone who turned out to support Donald Trump and question the 2020 election. The apparent goal? To neutralize these people and anyone else who dared to think of questioning elections of supporting Trump.

5. Transgenderism in medicine, media, politics, education, advertising— you name it. Virtually unheard of just a few years back except as part of a mental health discussion largely limited to a psychiatric diagnosis — suddenly it’s everywhere! Like other narratives, there are organized, well funded efforts behind the transgender lobby and, as I’ve written in my books, these powerful forces have been able to co-opt nearly every form of information in order to make fringe beliefs appear to be the norm shared by nearly everyone.

6. Health crises. From rampant chronic health issues, to autism, autoimmune disorders, and new diseases such as POTS, the government is typically only funding research on issues that the pharmaceutical industry wants funded and is only finding answers that the industry and special interests want to be found. Since it’s not in any big industry’s interest to identify the multi-exposure causes likely behind many health issues, these studies won’t be funded. I would argue that much if not most legitimate research that needs to be done to answer important health questions is being blocked or not funded. 

7. Government control. The government is so tied into funding everyone and everything today, including private companies through contracts and incentives, it can control policies and actions far outside what is supposed to be in the government’s reach. Covid vaccines were one such example. By threatening to pushing private hospitals by withholding Medicare payments, the government was able to force policies upon them. By refusing to reimburse for certain medical treatments, the government can make sure certain treatments– even if important and effective– aren’t used. This government power is especially dangerous when the government takes part in corrupt or politically-motivated agendas.

8. Scientific fraud. I’ve reported on and written much about how the scientific and medical industries have been largely taken over by vested interests making it hard to get accurate medical information. Some of the best evidence comes from top scientists at medial journals such as Lancet’s Dr. Richard Horton, and Dr. Marcia Angell, formerly of the New England Journal of Medicine. They have said that much or most science in medical journals is not to believed today due to the undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry on studies and what does or doesn’t get published.

9. FBI and intel agency corruption. One of the biggest scandals of our time that is drastically underreported is widespread corruption at high levels in our intel agencies, as exposed in their schemes to frame Donald Trump. Even when agent and officials commit lapses and crimes, they are rarely held to account in any meaningful way. Recall former FBI director James Comey was referred by the Inspector General for criminal charges in his efforts to damage Trump but the Dept. of Justice took a pass on prosecuting him. Only one FBI lawyer was (lightly) prosecuted in one of the most outrageous crimes of its kind: doctoring a document to obtain a wiretap on Trump campaign associate Carter page… who never got so much as an apology. And that FBI attorney didn’t even get jail time. And there seemed to be no effort to identify and prosecute the others that were in that chain, signing off on false information or staying silent about it.

10. FISA court scandals. One of the most powerful and secretive courts, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, has confirmed rampant FBI lapses or misconduct when it comes to applications for secret wiretaps to spy on US citizens. However, nobody has been held to account.

 11. Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover. I rank this as the single most important development when it comes to censorship and the government/industry’s grip on our information. It is sad that it took a scorned billionaire– remember Musk was notably left out of Biden Administration invites on car and green energy discussions because he apparently doesn’t blindly support organized labor/labor unions– to do the job that the media, elected officials, and intel agencies all failed to do: expose censorship, corruption, and election interference within a top Big Tech company. Though one of the biggest stories of our time, it is still widely ignored or slanted by the news media, which is opting for stories about how bad it is for Musk to be running Twitter rather than the previous government-corporate minders.

To listen to Sharyl Attkisson’s podcast version of this article, click the link below.

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/GmBENf6xbwb


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21 thoughts on “11 trends and hard truths in 2022”

  1. Thank you for the comprehensive and concise writing on the problems destroying America.
    There is a common thread running through some of the problems. That thread is Mueller as head of the FBI and the training or shaping of Comey, to McCabe to Wray. Mueller’s role in the creation of the FISA courts. Mueller and the Jan 6 travesty.

    There should be no misconduct or lapses by the FBI when filing FISA warrant applications. Why? If a loan application is not completed correctly, you do not obtain a loan. Same is said about a job application or any other application. So, my question becomes, Why did the FISA judges grant the warrants?

    I believe Clarence Page was no longer part of the Trump Team when the warrant was granted. Page was a top graduate of Annapolis and Naval Intelligence Officer. Page had been approached by a couple of Russians who attempted to turn him. Page goes directly to the FBI with their offer and sits through their interviews and everything asked of him. He agrees to testify in open court about the Russians, Page did not have to do that because the Russians plead guilty. Just as that was ending, the FBI starts with the FISA warrants on Page.

    My reason for the common thread is for to keep the narrative in line with Your title, and still add another topic. Leftists have cited another Leftist but took it out of context. Santayna being the Leftist who uttered something to the effect, “Those who don’t learn the lessons of the past are condemned to repeat the mistakes”. (one of numerous variations). I say our leaders learned the lessons of the past and carefully replicated the mistakes.
    What caused the collapse of the Western Roman Empire?
    1. Inability to control their borders,
    2. Corruption,
    3. Debt
    4. Loss of traditional values.
    The FISA Judges Are The Ones To Be Held Accountable. Would Impeachment be the accountability for the FISA Judges.

      1. False, yes…but the paperwork was so weak that approval should have never happened.

        FISA became a rubber stamp. Since the government was not challenged it was up to the Judges to ask for additional information and challenge the documents.

  2. This is in regard to #7, above, the point about Government Control. I believe, this trend is getting more and more malevolent.
    I’ve noticed this in the last few years: On radio, a lot of the ads are sponsored by some government agency (eg. the FDA, Govt. Transportation, HHS, etc). The Government is quietly overtaking free and fair speech. It is sneakingly insinuating itself into radio advertising and our tax dollars will be sponsoring the bulk of all radio advertising. From this, the Government will be achieving control and the Government bureaucrats will be deciding the policy of once free radio stations.
    Pretty soon, the Government is going to give marching orders to these putatively free speech radio stations. Government propaganda and overinfluence; Will it suffocate free and fair speech on radio? 
    One wonders if this has already happened to newspapers, since in the last few years so much seems to have been censored. Now, as I’ve said, it seems to be happening to radio-the news reports are all slanted towards the Left. Has it already happened to television?
    Anyway, I think this trend has not been noticed. Like a hibernating animal, the Government is stretching and extending its tentacles. Perhaps, we should all be alerted to this insidious trend that’s in the making.

  3. Great analysis. And this is spot on about the inflated costs of healthcare and a college education:

    “The same syndrome is in play with health care costs. The fact that the government ensures these bills will get paid using taxpayer money and loans, grants, scholarships, Medicare, etc., only ensures the corporations can charge outrageous amounts of money for the services. If it weren’t for government and private medical insurance, and loans and grants, then few could afford the overinflated medical and education costs and the prices would, by necessity, have to come down.”

    Note that guaranteed student loans and expanded, widespread use of health insurance came around about the same time in the last century. I would love to see a timeline analysis of the costs of these services relative to those two third-party payor “innovations” that took the consumer out of the loop.

    If we look at health insurance as it is today with all the preventative care wrapped into it and the elimination of pre-existing exclusions, it is not technically insurance.

    Regarding student loans, no justification at all for the outrageous tuition and fees institutions of “higher” learning charge today.

  4. Somewhat related to #7 (Government Control), but more comprehensively: The massive growth of the federal government/ administrative state/bureaucracy (a.k.a., “The Swamp”) at the federal and, to varying degrees, state levels. This includes and is part and parcel of out-of-control, totally unsustainable government spending that is rapidly sapping the savings and wealth of this and future generations. If not dealt with significantly and very soon, the American economy will collapse and virtually nothing else will matter.

  5. I agree and fear everything Sharyl has outlined here. However, I need something to be hopeful about.
    Is there anything?

  6. R. L. Hails Sr. P. E. (Ret.)

    Ms. Attkinsson, and colleagues, are the best investigative journalists working today. This is small praise in a severely degraded profession. Indeed many professions have contracted the same leprosy, a gross lack of integrity. It has become common, if not accepted, that scientists, academics, medical, legal types, even churchmen, chronically lie to the public. They do this in two ways, pronouncing falsehoods as true while withholding vital facts. They do this, most often, for same age-old reasons, money and power. Thus well meaning Americans who hold to lie No.13 will strongly oppose equally loyal citizens who hold to lie No. 17, on the same topic. The Twitter – government wide controlling cabal could be found in the old Soviet era Pravda and KGB. The certain outcome is a melt down in trust and wide spread cynicism about the pronouncements of our leaders. It can destroy our society.

    Note to Editor: Check last sentence. No. 6 for a typo.

  7. All good points. I enjoy Sharyl Attkisson immensely. She never disappoints.

    For several reasons this article feels like a 2nd draft but not yet ready for print, 10 points in what is heralded as an 11 point article being only one, well, typo?

  8. Swamp Gas: I recently read that the federal government is revising loan standards to the “underserved” (politically favored) borrowers, so that they have access to credit, The federal agency is called CDFI, and follows ESG-type policies. Loan originators acquire CDFI certification, which allows them to attract investment from larger financial institutions looking to claim ESG credit. It turns out that the funds loaned are frequently defaulted by borrowers because they are unable to make payments. The reason is that the loan qualification of ability to pay is not applied, because the borrower is in a favored group. Thus, the borrower is unfairly placed in a worse financial situation. The CDFI suspects loan sharking and proposes to establish “rate-limits” on such loans, so that predatory lending is curtailed. The government is considering telling private sector lenders that they cannot make unpayable loans. But that same government is creating $3B in debt per day, which will supposedly be repaid by people in the future not yet born, who can provide no “proof of income” either. A con is when you tell someone they can have something for nothing, while arranging their financial ruin. It’s certainly not right when that happens to the “underserved”. How can it be right in general when the government does it ? How gullible are we ? We need to relink responsibility and authority. The gap between common sense and public policy has gotten too large. Enough with the dimwit dialectics. “The full faith and credit of the US government” needs to mean something.

  9. Gotta love these white women with several hundred dollars of hairstyles and makeup, nails, etc.monetizing the end of the empire.

    There is only one issue, your government is trying to kill you. Until this is dealt with, nothing else matters.

    You can start by no longer paying them to do this to you.

  10. Jan 13, 2023 – Covid still reigns supreme in California: Could have been a fun concert.

    FYI
    Reservations are needed for the Cole Porter concert, set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Ojai Valley Woman’s Club, 441 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. Reservations can be made by emailing xxxxxx

    A $10 cash donation will be collected at the door. Wine, beer and water will be available
    . ***** Proof of COVID-19 vaccinations will be required.***** ”

    (Jan 13, 2023)

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