GOODBYE 2008

Looking back at 2008 it wasn’t the best of times. The year was marred by greed and a lack of accountability. The collapse of the stock and real estate markets affected everyone and caused businesses to fail. Jobs were lost as people faced the reality of a new life of sacrifice. The U.S. was going into a recession after years of uninterrupted prosperity and growth.

History will judge government on how they managed and dealt with the 2008 economic crisis. The word bailout will strike a chord as government’s strategy to rescue the money market and auto industry. Time will tell if the bailouts were good or bad for a capitalistic society. We will learn about the deals and cronyism that existed between government and various business leaders. The failures of business leaders will be studied in classrooms.
Books will be written on how prominence and payoffs led to many of the problems of 2008 through the abuse of power and position. The story would not be complete without an analysis of the public’s inability to keep informed and how they are influenced to vote.

The year 2008 echoed the words, Change and Hope. The people elected its first black president, Barack Obama. The election process seemed to be never ending with countless debates and tons of money spent to win office. Much of the public debt could have been paid with the monies collected to finance campaigns. 2009 will determine how much influence rhetoric and image had in electing the President. Getting good candidates to run for public office is getting more difficult. The public loses when only the rich and influential run. The election process is broken and the question is: can we fix it? Again it’s up to the people to force the change needed to maintain a free and democratic society.

The Iraq War was the major issue at the beginning of 2008, it faded as the elections came and the economy worsened. As the tide turned and victory became imminent the focus turned to other issues. The Iraq debate is not over and time will tell if our actions were worthy of the lives and dollars spent to spread democracy in the Middle East. The focus in 2009 will turn to Afghanistan.

The world remained unstable as we watched Iran push its quest for nuclear power. The Russians started to reheat the cold war with its push to realign itself with Boliva, Cuba and Iran. The Russian aggression into Georgia was an indicator that this is a power to be watched and reckoned with. China’s strength and power continued to grow as it advanced its economic strength with cheap labor. As the year was ending we watched with anticipation the conflicts between India and Pakistan and Israel and the Palestians. Europe seemed to be moving to the right towards a more free and democratic society. It continued to face threats from Russia and Al Qaeda. The world’s economy is now in crisis and will create new world tensions for the new President.

Oil was the big story through most of the year as prices fluctuated from over $120 a barrel to under $40. The world’s oil producers raked in the money and rode high until demand and prices fell. The Russians, Bolivians and Iranians flexed their muscles as prices soared. Once prices fell they found their economies in turmoil. Oil was their leverage. The U.S. was in conflict to drill or not drill. After an outcry to drill, we still have not seen any positive action to end our dependence upon foreign oil. With lower prices, the question is: do we again become complacent and do nothing? When will we learn?

The relevancy of newspapers faded as revenues shrank and many shut down. Was it because of the internet or bias and poor reporting? To me it was its failure to provide fair and equal reporting. It failed to scrutinize and provide unbiased analytical reports on all issues.. After the election, the Chicago Tribune tried to regain credibility by providing in-depth analysis of the issues. People looked to the internet for quick information. The problem is, where do you get good reliable information? The sources are many, but great care is needed to select the most reliable and credible coverage?

The issue of illegal immigration took center stage for part of the year. The battle continues with the politicians catering to the minorities for votes instead of applying the law. As the economy weakened we began to see many of the illegal’s return home. With the New Year the battle will continue and we can expect the politicians to cave and grant amnesty to the illegals. With the threat of terrorism and not securing our borders we are in danger of another 911. Our culture and attitudes are changing. We appear to be losing some of the patriotism and spirit that made America great. Government wants to run our lives and we must resist, we must maintain our independence and keep our minds free.

Many of the problems we faced in 2008 were due to the lack of leadership and foresight to deal with issues. Government wants to be everything to everyone. They wanted everyone to own a home. They promoted free credit and it boomeranged and created the banking crisis. They sponsored and promoted their friends to high positions at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Government leaders will not accept responsibility for bad decisions. There is no accountability. Unions are praised even though their contacts and demands add to our economic woes. The UAW and Teachers Unions use blackmail as a tool to get what they want. Our Washington politicians gave themselves raises and more perks as the country fell into recession. Have they no shame? Pork is prominent in passing legislation. “If you want my vote this is what I want”. This is the greed and attitude that brings our country down. It’s not about you and me, it’s become about them. We must hold all elected official accountable. Who created this mess, we did by electing and re-electing the people who represent us. We the people must keep government in line.

2009 brings many challenges. With a new President who promises hope and change we can only pray for the best.