Reflections on the New Year

Wow, what happened to the year 2007? As they say… time sure does fly…

I guess that is what happens when one is having fun.

Here we are now looking down the barrel of a brand new year.

So, what is new for us to examine here at the Iconoclast in the new year?

A return of cheap gas? Fogettaboutit!

Presidential primaries… the Party conventions… the November elections? Yep… almost no way to avoid it unless we move into a cave for the next year.

The writers strike? Will they go back to work? Or does it even matter? With few exceptions, can TV programming actually get much worse? Who really knows?

More shameless lack of political principles and backbone in the General Assembly regarding the payday lending issue? Probably.

More lack of real solutions to the Virginia transportation funding crisis? Maybe some bright legislators can think of something better than last year's silly gimick of gouging Virginia divers under the trumped up guise of “highway safety measures”.

Peace in the Middle East? One would hope but I'm not very optimistic.

World peace? Mmmmm… I guess that depends on where you happen to be hanging your hat. We in America will still enjoy relative peace and safety in the coming year and for the foreseeable future. But beware of politicians promising perfect safety. It is a false promise. The world is still a dangerous place.

A meaningful reform of health care system in the United States or at least some progress? Maybe. With all these "boomers" approaching that health critical age, the politics might actually start to respond.

More boneheaded poor judgment by public officials in high offices at every level of government from the White House, through the halls of Congress, the state houses across America and right down to our city halls and county courthouses? Almost certainly.

It is said that there is nothing new under the sun. I tend to believe that this is true. Most of the important issues of the past year or even the past decade are still with us. Maybe we can say that there has been some progress on some fronts. But, too often, it is hard to say if there has been any real progress or just changing details on the same problems. Who knows?

We will be watching and from time to time offer our little two cents worth to the unfolding events.