Skocik: Bottom line for voters is, who will keep us alive?

Letter writers about national candidates continually ignore inflation that went from 1.3% to 9% under the current national administration; a doubling of gas and energy costs; a 40% increase in food; the inability to buy a home at a 10% mortgage; or, more importantly, the 12 million people who crossed our borders illegally and the trillions of dollars of national treasure and national security we’ve lost.

Among them are drug traffickers, organized gangs, human slavers, 350,000 children unaccounted for and increases in crime. FBI director Christopher Wray and multiple other national security officials have repeatedly warned us about imminent attacks related to wars in the Middle East and Europe, as well as the ongoing threat from the current axis of evil: Russia, China, Iraq and North Korea.

Having seen what the recent dual hurricanes cost in destruction — especially the several-week power disruption — imagine what will happen when our antiquated electrical grid, bridges, rail systems, roads and communications are taken down not by weather but squads of trained saboteurs from 160 nations or an electromagnetic explosion from any of several sources.

They predict that months without electricity and drinking water will kill millions of Americans, who will freeze, roast and die without medication, food and fuel. So will uncontrolled looting and riots with no police available. These things happen every day in other parts of the world, whose citizens have become accustomed to ongoing death. We have not.

As one of many veterans who have been exposed to shots and shells in foreign nations, I can only imagine the panic when it happens here, and communication is cut off amid mass casualty attacks. History has proven that aggressors are encouraged by weak and ineffective leaders who abandon their troops and military equipment ($80 billion in Afghanistan) to keep a promised date of withdrawal, despite the counsel of their military leaders.

The bottom line is, who will keep us alive?

Dave Skocik

Dover

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.