Once again we are constantly told by pundits of all flavors that this upcoming election is critical to the future of the nation. With less than six weeks to go, our mailboxes are filled with political junk mail, the radio waves with sleazy and accusing adverts (and presumably so is television but we here at TPOL don’t watch the thing much), and media is harvesting all that lovely green stuff. We see this every two years, of course. We get used to it.

But really, will the elections in the various States really have any impact, any potential for improving (let along fixing) the many problems facing Americans (and the world)?

Past “critical” elections – often billed as “the most important in our history” – show that is very, VERY unlikely.

Yes, some faces and names will change. Some labels will change. Republicans and Democrats seem to accept that the US House will change hands. Various commenters (including some libertarians) say that things might change in the US Senate but in favor of the Democrats. (Republicans are still trying to swing it their way.)

In the various States, there will no doubt be several situations where one side’s propaganda will win out over the other side. Some new governor-emperors may take power: some legislatures may change ruling parties. A few blue places will turn red, and vice versa.

But if we expect the results – federal or State – to really make ANY difference at all in improving our lives? We are dreaming.

Inflation will continue – and whether it gets worse or better (a lot or a little), the causes: too much “money” chasing too few goods and services (services including labor – employees) already have happened. The consequences will remain. (No, the Time Travel Party has no candidates for office this year.)

The Russians will continue to fight their war in Ukraine – and I would say there is as much a chance that a Republican Congress as a Democratic Congress would get the FedGov (and NATO) directly involved in the ground war. Moscow cannot retreat, at least in their view.

The supply chain mess will continue and grow worse, as Congress and legislatures alike meddle where they shouldn’t and fail to pass laws that they should. (Mostly laws getting rid of old laws and regulations and cutting spending.)

The so-called public education system will continue to circle the drain faster and faster. Political correctness, diversity, profiteering, corruption and waste, incompetence and other problems will not be resolved and will increase: quality will deteriorate.

Infrastructure – roads, utilities, etc. will continue to deteriorate (and at an accelerated rate) as more and more money is thrown at the “fixes” but unable to match inflation and supply chain problems – and more and more diverted to the profiteers and parasites. And we won’t talk about quality of construction, repair, and maintenance.

Elections will continue to be stolen, both through fraud and corruption and through legal games. Claims will ratchet up and more and more money will flow. And as always, most of those able to be elected will be unable to do a decent job of whatever office they are elected to.

And global climate change will NOT be affected in the least. Economies may be destroyed, lives will be wasted, storms and floods and solar flares will continue to do damage and generally be a headache for billions of people. No matter what the ads and the books say.

Most likely and perhaps most critical, the massive divides in the Fifty States will NOT be healed or even patched over. Not just a “blue-red” divide, not a “liberal-conservative” divide, but division over more and more aspects of daily life: not just political and racial, but moral and ethical and economic.

So when people tell you that things will get better, or things will get worse, with so-and-so elected (or not elected), take it with a grain of salt. And help your blood pressure and your ability to sleep at night: don’t waste so much time listening to and reading the blizzard of propaganda.

And don’t waste your money supporting any candidate at all. Use that money to prepare for another two years of living as free as we can in an unfree world. And preparing to survive whatever this new crop of political leaders and their cronies do next.