Winding Down

The nice thing about the week between Christmas and the New Year is that it gives most of us a chance to take stock of the fifty-one weeks leading up to this one. 2008 gave us all a chance to stretch our limits and test our patience. A year ago, I was wondering if there wasn't a way to get Martin Sheen into the Oval Office. This was about the time when the great heavyweight bout called the Democratic Primaries began. Hilary or Barack? It took another six months to decide which history-making candidate would run for president on that side of the ballot.
Meanwhile, the Republicans were trying to figure out why they shouldn't run John McCain. Now they have their answer. A year ago, there were very few "short lists" that included Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin as a candidate for much of anything, let alone a heartbeat away from the potential of possibly becoming the next President of the United States. Now, it seems, we're stuck with her.
A year ago, taxpayers were told that we could expect a nice check in the mail, between six to a thousand dollars with the expectation that we would rush out and stimulate the economy. In hindsight, it appears as though we failed. If only we had spent that money on stocks or a new car instead of groceries or rent. Silly taxpayers. We had a chance to save the economy, and we squandered it.
Last year, the American Dialect Society chose the word "subprime" as the one that best typified 2007. I expect that "bailout" will be in the running for 2008. All the while, we wait for our hunky new President to put his shirt back on and get to work. This must also be a year of miracles, since we've spent the past eight years waiting. War in the Middle East, financial crisis at home, and Jay Leno moving to prime time: there are plenty of opportunities. "Opportunities multiply as they are seized." -Sun Tzu