The end of each year gives us an opportunity to reflect on the year behind us and look forward to what is to come. As I look back on what 2021 has brought our country, I can’t help but think of two reoccurring themes from Democrat-controlled Washington: reckless spending and bad policy.

Ever had a 3-year-old appear on your front porch with dazzled little eyes in a glowing face and pipe up, “Oh, wow! Y’all have Christmas!” I’m sure you have, and we did, too. Our tiny grandson had come visiting us for the holiday, and he was excited. He was blown away by all the colored lights and glittering Christmas decorations that we had outside our house. Such a fond memory.

There is so much uncertainty in today’s world that someone who attempts to stay abreast of important world (also state and local) activities could soon find themselves easily drowning in so much information, misinformation and even mean-spirited chaos.

For the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no officially approved outpatient treatments for combating the disease. From March 2020, when the virus first emerged in the United States, until that November, when the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of monoclonal antibodies, health authorities advised that the infected do little but quarantine themselves, drink plenty of fluids and rest unless hospitalization was necessary.

I think it’s safe to say that the social structure of the Americas has changed significantly over the past few years. The more liberal ideology that we need more love and less crime and its resultant incarceration has been a general trend for almost a decade.

In my home state of California, smash-and-grab is fast becoming a way of life. Crime is a rampant, daily occurrence.

Governments’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic varied greatly from state to state. What sorts of consequences did governmental actions have? A new study by Erik Randolph of the Georgia Center for Opportunity helps shed some light on how each state fared during the first year-and-a-half of the pandemic.

Big Kudos to Barbara Byrd and her family and staff for hosting last week’s visit by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.

Viruses mutate all the time, including the one, SARS-CoV-2, that’s caused the COVID-19 pandemic. Although most genetic changes are innocuous, some can make the mutant more adept at infecting cells, for example, or evading antibodies. Such “fitter” variants can outcompete other strains, so that they become the predominant source of infections. A succession of more-transmissible variants has emerged over the past year, each harboring a constellation of mutations. The most worrisome so far is the so-called delta variant. It’s become dominant in much of the world since its discovery in India in October 2020, leading to surges in cases and hospitalizations, especially in places where less than half the adult population has been fully immunized.

WASHINGTON/MOSCOW — U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday the West is concerned Russia will invade Ukraine and warned of “strong economic and other measures” as punishment should Moscow start a military conflict, the White House said.