Its called a perfect storm. And it may have a long way to go yet before it blows itself out. But they do end. And in the meantime all I can say, as a foreigner looking at the big picture from a distance, is that, US democracy has always been strong, and people will not forget that. So that even if fascism, vodoo, anti-environmentalism, theocracy, plague, and/or whatever, triumph for a while, people will not forget that, and will realize what its worth is when they see the other side full in the face, whether they can rebuild a true strong democracy again, that is another issue.

This great National Public Radio segment explains what is causing the shipping shortfalls. A big reason is that people turned to online shopping during the pandemic.

[npr.org]

When I feel upset by the news, I get absorbed in great books. Reading is grist. Reading is bliss. Reading teaches me about different people, families, cultures, countries and ways of living. I experience what divers call "rapture of the deep."

Never owned a television. In 2014, my boyfriend essentially called me "culturally retarded" because I never watch TV. The IT director of Boeing, John took me to Costco and bought me a smart TV. He hooked it up, thank goodness.

Now I sometimes watch Netflix.

Sometimes if everything becomes too much, I feel to roll into a ball and hide in dark secret place a long time until it feels like am breathing and thinking clearly again. You may need to get more rest to ease the pressure of so many troubles which don't make much sense. Rest is healthy and good. Make it happen.

The rich and the corporations are doing just fine. The economy is doing fine for them. Lobbyists and political donors pull the strings of too many of our politicians. We're the wealthiest country in the world yet our education system is underfunded, we are lagging behind in infrastructure, and our healthcare is the most expensive yet not as effective as many other countries.

We spent many decades building this mess. Even if we can fix things it will take many decades to do so. With out political system gridlocked into ineffectiveness and the country divided it's likely nothing will change anytime soon.

I think this country may need to hit rock bottom before it will ever begin to fix itself.