You might be able to escape with saying 2020 COVID was a true disaster.
In 2021, the government (local and federal) used vaccines as a kudgel to create partisan politics around the logistics industry. Ports were shut down (for no reason), and truckers who didn't want to meet vaccine requirements were barred from entry to major ports such as in California.
In 2020 and 2021 helicopter money designed to help people ended up having a second order effect of making people less likely to work. Even if you made the desired "15 dollars an hour" the left asks for as a "fair wage" for burger flipping you still would make more money being on pandemic assistance.
Moreover, California law in particular has strange environmental regulations that further reduced the availability of trucks. Your average truck is worth a small townhome and you can't just sell it and buy a 2012+ model on a whim.
Indeed, the problem like usual is government interventionism through helicopter money and the manipulation of rates to protect the petrodollar in a crisis. It's not complicated, because like usual the finger can be pointed squarely at the fed and congress. We could've been heading back to normal in 2021 with or without vaccine rates being 99.9%. But the nanny state does not believe in personal responsibility (and neither do their constituents) and so here we are. This was compounded by the incessant bleeting of climate pearl clutchers that further reduced the availability of logistical firepower that could've bailed us out.
In 2021, the government (local and federal) used vaccines as a kudgel to create partisan politics around the logistics industry. Ports were shut down (for no reason), and truckers who didn't want to meet vaccine requirements were barred from entry to major ports such as in California.
In 2020 and 2021 helicopter money designed to help people ended up having a second order effect of making people less likely to work. Even if you made the desired "15 dollars an hour" the left asks for as a "fair wage" for burger flipping you still would make more money being on pandemic assistance.
Moreover, California law in particular has strange environmental regulations that further reduced the availability of trucks. Your average truck is worth a small townhome and you can't just sell it and buy a 2012+ model on a whim.
Indeed, the problem like usual is government interventionism through helicopter money and the manipulation of rates to protect the petrodollar in a crisis. It's not complicated, because like usual the finger can be pointed squarely at the fed and congress. We could've been heading back to normal in 2021 with or without vaccine rates being 99.9%. But the nanny state does not believe in personal responsibility (and neither do their constituents) and so here we are. This was compounded by the incessant bleeting of climate pearl clutchers that further reduced the availability of logistical firepower that could've bailed us out.