I think that the world economic system is going thru a transition that will shift power from the west to China and India. As George Freidman has aptly noted, " we are in a pivot of power." Russia is effectively a vassal state of China. The only way we in the west will have influence is in the margins. Acting like we still have power is delusional and dangerous. However, this Ukraine war ends, we need to do some resets. First, we need to realize that no matter what happens in Europe, we need to let the Europeans work it out. Over the long term, we as Americans need to withdraw from these alliances and go home. Second, we need to tackle climate change and it's impacts on our world. We need to concentrate on finding more energy and different sources of energy to prevent a horrible future. This will be a long-term project. Third, we need to consider the upcoming food crisis that is going to explode in the next few years. The potash shortage and natural gas price rises are causing Nitrogen fertilizer prices to inflate in many ways. Food supports for low income americans and grain incentives for farmers is a must in order to support farmers and consumers alike. Protecting the farmer from the shortages of inputs is not only smart but it encourages farmers to plant whatever they can in order to protect our food supply. Fourth, we need to work within each nation to find ways to reduce our waste of food and products. We can start with our individual efforts to prevent waste and spoilage of food. Changing tort laws and allowing cafe's to donate surplus food to food banks will cut waste and serve food to the elderly and disabled populations more effectively. While this might seem a minor issue in most nations, in the west is a large issue. We need to find ways to solve our food waste issue. Communities need to find ways to end waste, period. Fifth, we need to conserve water. Climate change is impacting our water supply, globally. One drop of motor oil ruins 1000 gallons of drinking water. We need to protect our freshwater supplies and our oceans, lakes and rivers. My own community has unsafe drinking water due to Benzine. We buy bottled water for drinking and only shower once a week. I hope this reaches you in good spirits,
ME163
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