What a difference a year makes. When we marked Independence Day in 2020, the country was at its lowest point in my lifetime.
Residing in the White House was a mean, vulgar, intellectually challenged man with no idea how to confront the crises facing the country. His career had been based on the bluffing and bravado that characterize all bullies, and he was learning that those tactics no longer worked.
The nation faced its most serious pandemic in more than a century, and no one was quite yet sure when an effective vaccine would be available. City streets remained empty, and families celebrated the Fourth of July in the yard rather than at large fireworks shows.
June 2020 had seen riots across the country following the late May murder of a Black man by a white cop in Minnesota. Arkansas, especially its largest city of Little Rock, wasn't immune to such violence.
Both major political parties seemed to be controlled by fringe elements. Republican officeholders, including those from Arkansas, feared the immoral despot at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and dared not speak the truths that were becoming obvious by that point.
On the Democratic side of the political spectrum, those cocky woke warriors seemed to be in control. Street thugs used what had started as legitimate protests as an excuse to loot and burn. The woke wing of the Democratic Party dared not criticize them and dared not speak up for the vast majority of police officers who perform a valuable public service each day.
No, the woke warriors were too busy erasing parts of our history and destroying the English language as they demanded we use terms that no normal person would ever utter. It's what political consultant James Carville labels "faculty lounge politics."
Meanwhile, those of us in the middle--stuck at home with too much time to read and watch television news--wondered just what the heck had happened to the two political parties and our country.
It would, mind you, get worse before it got better.
Still to come was the winter peak of the pandemic before the vaccines had a chance to work. Also still to come was the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by what can only be described as domestic terrorists; men and women who had been egged on for weeks by the despot in the White House. It was something we thought we would never witness.
Still to come in Arkansas was the worst legislative session in anyone's memory. The group I refer to as the Cowards cowered in fear of the Know Nothings (Republican legislators who pushed through cookie-cutter legislation that had been drawn up by out-of-state organizations intent on sowing discord in order to raise money from brainwashed adherents of the former president).
Yes, things are much better this Independence Day. The man who now occupies the White House must constantly hold off his left fringe, lest they go too far, but at least he seems to be decent. That alone is a huge step forward from last year.
The vaccines work. I'm convinced that their effectiveness and the speed with which they were developed will go down as one of the top achievements in human history. Those of us who are vaccinated have resumed normal life, having learned lessons from the pandemic but still delighted to be traveling and having dinner with friends once more.
The economy is booming as Americans spend money they saved and go on vacations they postponed.
Here in Arkansas, I sense optimism again as businesses make capital investments and bring workers back to the office. The tourist spots I've visited during the past two months since becoming fully vaccinated--the White River trout waters near Flippin, Hot Springs, Eureka Springs, Jasper, Greers Ferry Lake, Mountain View--have been crowded. It's going to be a good summer for the tourism sector.
Even our farmers, for whom the glass so often seems to be half full, have been heard expressing optimism based on crop prices.
On this Independence Day, I find myself generally optimistic about the future of the place I call home. With its countless natural attributes, opportunities for outdoor recreation and low cost of living, Arkansas could be the state that a lot of talented young people are searching for as they leave the West Coast and East Coast.
The time is right for what I call the Arkansas Era. How do we make sure we don't blow a chance to finally achieve our potential as a state?
At the state level, we must:
• Make sure that we oust legislators who don't have the state's best interests at heart. Among the most awful developments in the six decades I've lived here was the introduction of Washington-style partisan politics to our state Capitol. Many of the issues debated this year had nothing to do with state government. Arkansas voters must get rid of those who gum up the works for personal gain and replace them with people whose interest is spending tax dollars as efficiently as possible. It doesn't matter if these people are Democrats or Republicans. What matters is that they're educated, competent and love Arkansas more than they love their political careers.
• Focus on properly funding higher education after years of starving our colleges and universities. A K-12 education is no longer enough to succeed in the knowledge-based economy of the 21st century. In the years ahead, most manufacturing jobs will require at least an associate's degree. We also need more people with bachelor's and advanced degrees. Until that happens, we're not going to increase per-capita income.
• Take every step necessary to protect and enhance this state's world-class outdoor recreational areas. Economic development in the previous century was about attracting industry. Economic development in this century is about attracting skilled workers. You recruit these people with quality-of-life amenities. Gov. Asa Hutchinson's recent move to establish a state Office of Outdoor Recreation and an Arkansas Outdoor Recreation Advisory Board is just the type of thing we should be doing in state government.
• Emphasize broadband deployment statewide. Broadband is to rural Arkansas in the 21st century what electricity was in the 20th century: the difference between having a chance to make a living where you want to live or having to move to the city.
At the local level, we must:
• Make school districts as good as they can possibly be. As has been the case since Arkansas became a state in 1836, education is the key. The large percentage of people refusing to take the vaccine because they've bought into conspiracy theories is the latest example of how important education is. Anti-vaccination lunacy runs deepest among those with the lowest levels of educational attainment. Those who have been vaccinated have begged and pleaded with them. We now must look on sadly as they get sick and die.
• Establish leadership programs. With two-thirds of the state's counties now losing population, it's vital that we produce the next generation of business and civic leaders.
• Provide quality-of-life amenities. Establishing an industrial park is no longer enough. There now must be bike trails, hiking trails, quality parks, revitalized downtowns, unique shops, great restaurants and maybe a craft brewery or two in order to convince well-educated young people to stay in your community.
In post-pandemic America, people are looking for less stress, fewer crowds, less traffic and lower housing costs. Arkansas is positioned to succeed. Will we? Looking at this past legislative session and the percentage of those who refuse to get vaccinated, I must admit that the jury is still out.
Have a safe and happy Fourth of July. We've come a long way since last year.
Rex Nelson is a senior editor at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.