Dilemmas of Our Times
Dilemmas of Our Times We live in perilous times. One political party—the Democratic—is focused on meeting the challenges of preparing the United States for the near-term future, for which the year, 2040 might serve as a symbolic target. Foremost among the priorities is climate change reform, without which Planet Earth will be in peril, with the result that the planet’s temperature will rise well above the recommended 1.5c rate for the remainder of the 21 st century. In response to this crisis, the recent legislation passed by the Democrats makes a historic climate investment that is on track to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030. It would be difficult to minimize the importance of this alone, even as the Inflation Reduction Act accomplishes a great deal more, including expanding Medicare benefits by capping out-of-pocket drug costs, ultimately to $2,000 per year, and lowering energy bills by $500-$1,000 per year. For those living on fixed incomes, the importance of these r