Barrett Rainey's Second Thoughts

O.K.

We’ve made it out of 2022 alive. Somehow. So, here we are. Stepping off into 2023 with high hopes it’ll be a better 12 months. And, maybe it will.

After moments of resolution-making and reflection, have you given a thought lately to about how many of us there are in the old U.S. of A. as we enter a new cycle?

Folks at the U.S. Census Bureau have. They’ve been sifting through the huge stacks of data in the back room and have come up with an educated guess. Or two.

The first guess is a projection that 334, 233, 854 of us now take up residence border-to-border and coast-to-coast. That number has grown roughly 1,571,393 in the last 12 months.

Another piece of minutia from the Bureau. There is one birth every nine seconds and one death every 10 seconds. Net international migration adds about one new face every 32 seconds.

So, if you combine the number of births, deaths and international migration, we gain one person every 27 seconds. How ’bout that?

As for how many of us there are on the entire planet at the moment, that would be an estimated 7,942,645,086. And counting. Worldwide, the four-point-three births and two deaths each second.

The Bureau maintains a “Population Clock” which displays the simulated, real-time growth of both the U.S. and world head count. And, it’s constantly in motion. (You can keep a daily watch at www.census.gov/popclock.) There, you’ll see a moving headcount from birth to age 100, growth by male/female, the most populous and highest density states. You can also link to a world clock from that site with even more information.

If you localize things a bit, Washington State is largest in the Northwest with about 7,800,000 residents at the beginning of the year. Next comes Oregon with some 4,240,137 souls and Idaho is third with about 1,940,000.

But, it’s not the number of us that matters. No, we should be more concerned with how the enumerated behave. And, if you’ve been watching our newly elected members of Congress the last few days, the enumerated have been not only an international disgrace but they’ve shown a callous disregard for our national security. Forget decorum.

Whatever hollowed out, empty, worthless victory Kevin McCarthy surrounds himself with in his new Speaker’s Office, he’s made so many enemies – given up so much power formerly in that powerful position – created so much enmity and distrust with Representatives of both political parties – that he’s Captain of a rudderless ship.

The next 24 months are going to see nothing – n-o-t-h-i-n–g – of meaningful legislation. No coordinated efforts to address the needs of the citizenry, a political party devoid of direction, powerless to conduct even the most diminutive tasks and without vision or goals.

Whatever crackpot, personally vindictive and dangerous bills emanate from that severely damaged and diminished body will face a Senate and a President ready to fill the legislative ash can.

One-half of one-third of our Constitutionally created government is in chaos and totally disabled. The anger, the desire to payback and willingness to destroy another member’s work will haunt the hallowed halls of half our Congress for possibly years to come.

And Mr. McCarthy – like some wounded Captain Bligh – will have rendered one of the most powerful political offices of Congress – powerless.

There will be no legislative accomplishment count because of the Republican body count.

Happy New Year!

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