New Year’s prognosticators were nearly unanimous that 2022 would be a better year than 2021. With COVID cases easing, the stock market booming and jobs aplenty, it seemed we were returning to something resembling normality. Americans could spend more time with friends and family. And, aside from a touch of inflation, there was nothing but blue skies ahead. We forgot things can always get worse, even much worse. Crime is up, violence is up, and Comrade Putin has opted to recreate the Soviet empire – a project that is attracting few enthusiasts.

After 2014, when Putin brazenly grabbed Crimea from Ukraine and launched pro-Russian militias in the east of the country, Ukrainian troops were able to contain further expansion in the Donbas. Since then, the Russian military has been hardened in Syrian battles. It returns to Ukraine an improved fighting force. Crimea, while ethnically-majority Russian, is also the location of the new Czar’s billion dollar palace on the Black Sea. It’s doubtful Ukrainian forces can hold out for more than a few weeks, although a bloody guerilla insurgency may thrive for a decade or more.

It appears Colorado could be pulled into this conflict with unpredictable consequences. Gas prices are sure to rise in a state that measures distances by hours rather than miles. There are any number of other possible inconveniences. The most worrisome is a prolonged cyber war that cuts us off vital services, from banking to energy distribution. Russian hackers are the people who stole emails from the Clinton campaign in 2016 and then published them on Wikileaks to damaging effect. It is believed many critical systems have been penetrated by these hackers, who have placed undetected malware waiting to be released with a keystroke.

There is nothing Americans detest more than chaos. We are, by and large, an orderly people with a penchant for identifying scapegoats. The “blame Biden” chorus has been growing despite little evidence he bears any responsibility. He is, however, from a Cold War generation that devoted decades to containing communist aspirations. Consequently, the President is likely to demand sacrifices in defense of democracy that many Americans will resist. These demands will not sit well in a comfort-loving society. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came much closer to predicting armed conflict during his address to Parliament this week than any voices from Washington.

Putin has no favorites in the schism that separates Democrats from Republicans. He loathes all Americans, which is why he has devoted so much effort to inflaming our partisan differences. He is happiest when delivering gasoline and matches. Ambassador Mike McFaul has noted that, “Putin doesn’t think like we do.” Once he is successful in seizing control of Ukraine, his appetite will only grow. When as rabid a partisan as Ted Cruz lifts his “holds” on virtually all of the Biden’s State Department appointees, it’s apparent Washington might be recognizing we are all in the same boat while a former Russian spy is trying to punch holes in the hull.

Thousands of Americans lost their lives to the dangerous containment strategies and hostile fire skirmishes of the Cold War. We will dishonor their sacrifices if we fail to unite with our NATO allies in defense of democracy. Partisan squabbling can and should wait for another day. The same can be said for the Colorado Legislature. Perhaps no recent Legislature has been so awash in cash. Legislators have failed to reveal a strategy other than spending every available dollar despite incoherent priorities. Until we understand what the impacts of full-scale war in the heart of Europe will be, retaining some of this surplus in the state’s rainy day fund makes eminently good sense.

We were fortunate to possess discretionary moneys to assist the thousand families who lost their homes in the Marshal fire. We can only guess at the possible challenges lying await in our immediate future. Financial reserves may be required and will spend just as well in a year or two if they remain. Even our gas pumps operate on internal computer chips these days. Can they be hacked? Could our ATMs be shut down from Moscow? As Sen. Michael Bennet observed recently, “We don’t know what a cyber war might look like.” If we are about to find out, life could get ugly in a hurry. Supply-chain disruptions will be remembered as child’s play.

By no stretch of the imagination is Vladimir Putin our friend. Nor are the current depictions of him as an unhinged lunatic more than wartime propaganda. He is a shrewd adversary with more experience on the world stage than any other national leader. He is also a narcissistic despot without a conscience. Gov. Jared Polis’ decision to impose Colorado specific sanctions will poke the Russian bear in the eye but is worth doing.

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.