Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

High hopes for a better year ahead (WHITEWASHING 0BAMA'S FIRST YEAR)
Southtown Star - Chicago ^ | January 3, 2010 | Editorial

Posted on 01/03/2010 9:25:06 AM PST by Chi-townChief

Now that we have said "good riddance" to 2009, let's acknowledge the best thing about it - it wasn't as bad as 2008. That was the year that saw the worldwide financial meltdown, leading to the collapse of real estate markets, banks and other businesses and necessitating the biggest bailout since the Ark took on water. Even though it has seemed like 2008's crisis, 2009 actually brought the end to that economic crunch, or at least brought its end into sight (depending which economists you want to listen to.)

All in all, 2009 was a pretty good year, considering the one it followed. The worst of what was foreseen in late 2008 didn't happen.

OK, what did happen wasn't all that great, because the bailouts credited with stemming off Armageddon required the borrowing of about a kazillion dollars by our governments, mostly the feds. At some point America is going to have to stop borrowing and balance its books again, and then actually start repaying its gargantuan debt, before our currency is worth about 11 Euro cents or 13 Chinese Fen. But, that's an editorial for another New Year.

For now, let us look back on 2009 for being a better year than had been feared.

Let's remember, too, that the economy isn't everything, government isn't everything, even General Motors isn't everything anymore. There is more to life, and that's what should be remembered, this year and every year.

In 2009, hundreds of thousands of Americans fell in love.

About eight million welcomed new children into their lives.

Hundreds of thousands found a new favorite book, or song, or even a poem.

Tens of thousands quit smoking.

Tens of millions of people overcame misfortune, had good fortune, learned exciting new things, made new friends, found old ones, crossed things off their life's list, or wrote new ones onto it.

The best thing about 2009 is that we got to live it. That beats the alternative.

Let's count our blessings and remember them as we welcome 2010.

And hey, folks, there's a great chance it will be better than the year that came before it.

Happy New Year, Southland!


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: lefties; liberals; obama; rats

1 posted on 01/03/2010 9:25:07 AM PST by Chi-townChief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

Please watch this awesome video and send the link to your entire address list and ask everyone to forward it to their address list. Let this go viral; the tsunami is rolling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEuL4qy-Ztk


2 posted on 01/03/2010 9:29:20 AM PST by ExTexasRedhead (Clean the RAT/RINO Sewer in 2010 and 2012)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

The whole damned article is pure rosey cheeked, deer eyed, liberal idiocy.


3 posted on 01/03/2010 9:32:10 AM PST by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...Call 'em What you Will, They ALL have Fairies Living In Their Trees.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ExTexasRedhead

I didn’t trust them or vote for them - I knew what they were as did anyone with a little sense.


4 posted on 01/03/2010 9:33:33 AM PST by Chi-townChief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: rockinqsranch

Willful ignorance from the Southtown staff.


5 posted on 01/03/2010 9:34:23 AM PST by Chi-townChief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

The only way I’m going to have a better year this year is if we can get rid of the deadwood in Washington (i.e., those reps. and senators up for re-election this year).


6 posted on 01/03/2010 9:37:01 AM PST by fatnotlazy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief
The best thing about 2009 is that we got to live it. That beats the alternative.

This stupid whitewashing article concludes with a sad analysis of the Obozo's first year: "We survived." Survival is crucial, of course, but as Americans, we should be able to say more about ourselves.

7 posted on 01/03/2010 9:39:41 AM PST by hsalaw
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

“Now that we have said “good riddance” to 2009, let’s acknowledge the best thing about it - it wasn’t as bad as 2008.”

Oh really. Based on what?
Unemployment percentage?
Terrorist attacks?
U.S. Debt?


8 posted on 01/03/2010 9:46:16 AM PST by rod1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rod1

Based, perhaps, on their approval of the sitting President’s skin color?


9 posted on 01/03/2010 9:51:24 AM PST by pogo101
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

In 2009, hundreds of thousands of Americans fell in love.
(hundreds of thousands got divorced)

About eight million welcomed new children into their lives.
(millions died)

Hundreds of thousands found a new favorite book, or song, or even a poem. (millions gave up believing in America, thanks to 0bama, Reid and Pelosi)

Tens of thousands quit smoking. (Thousands and thousands started smoking)

Tens of millions of people overcame misfortune, had good fortune, learned exciting new things, made new friends, found old ones, crossed things off their life’s list, or wrote new ones onto it. (Millions are out of work and millions more gave up trying)

The best thing about 2009 is that we got to live it. That beats the alternative. (the best thing about 2010 is we can kick those worthless bastards off Capital Hill) (We’ll deal with Zero in a couple of years)

Let’s count our blessings and remember them as we welcome 2010.

And hey, folks, there’s a great chance it will be better than the year that came before it.


10 posted on 01/03/2010 9:51:46 AM PST by jakota (®)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rod1
Interestingly, an article from hard lefty Donna Brazile on the next page is a lot more honest:

Americans often put tremendous value on numbers, and rightfully so. We spent 2009 tracking the stock market, the president's approval ratings, interest rates and home values.

Reflecting on 2009, it became clear that numbers - whether in columns, tweets, ledger sheets, Facebook pages, bottom lines, televised speeches, bank accounts or the litany of legislation recently introduced - tell the real story. I've pored through many of them to bring you "The Numbers to Know in 2010."

$459 billion: the size of the federal budget deficit in 2008.

$1.587 trillion: the size of the federal budget deficit in 2009.

0: the number of House Republicans who voted for the stimulus bill.

1: the number of U.S. senators it took to blow up the public option in health care reform.

60: the number of votes needed to move legislation in the U.S. Senate.

13,930: the estimated high-end number of H1N1-related deaths between April 2009 and November 2009.

2.9: the number of percentage points unemployment jumped between November 2008 (6.5 percent) and November 2009 (9.4 percent).

5.7 million: the number of people working part-time because they could not find a full-time job in 2008.

9.1 million: the number of people working part-time for the same reason in 2009.

119,874: the number of personal bankruptcy filings in 2009, as of this column.

358,471: the number of home foreclosures from September 2008 to August 2009.

$3.65: the average price for a gallon of gas in September 2008.

$2.59: the average price for a gallon of gas in September 2009.

$99,000 (give or take): the price for one share of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway as of this writing.

5.07 percent: the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage in 2009.

155: the number of lives saved by pilot Capt. Chesley Sullenberger's ability to land U.S. Airways Flight 1549 on - not in - the Hudson River.

41: the percentage of Americans in a recent NBC/WSJ poll who feel either very or somewhat positive about the Tea Party movement.

700,000: the number of cars sold under the "Cash for Clunkers" program.

$22,000: the median debt faced by recent college graduates in 2009.

1,100: the total square footage of the new White House vegetable garden planted by Michelle Obama and 23 fifth-graders from Bancroft Elementary School.

$439 million: the average amount districts held by Democrats received in federal stimulus money.

$232 million: the average amount districts held by Republicans received in federal stimulus money.

20: the number of city blocks between the former World Trade Center site and the federal courthouse where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the accused masterminds of 9/11, will be tried.

Had enough? Well, me, too. But here's one more:

7: The number of weeks New Orleanians will pray that the Saints make it to Super Bowl XLIV. Who 'dat? My hometown team!

I'd like to end 2009 with my own version of New Orleans' famous gospel hymn and funeral march. Raise a glass of cheer and sing along with me:

"Here come the Saints, go marching in

Super Bowl Saints, will march on in!

Lord, how I want them to be number one

'cause the Saints will never reign again!"

Happy New Year!

DONNA BRAZILE IS A POLITICAL COMMENTATOR ON CNN, ABC AND NPR; CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST TO ROLL CALL, THE NEWSPAPER OF CAPITOL HILL; AND FORMER CAMPAIGN MANAGER FOR AL GORE

11 posted on 01/03/2010 9:53:51 AM PST by Chi-townChief
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

Wrong from sentence one on. Debt multiplied repeatedly in 2009. With luck the editor-author will see the problem just before the rubble eliminates his vision, eyes, and life.


12 posted on 01/03/2010 10:25:38 AM PST by JohnQ1 ("(BHO) can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." - A Lincoln)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Chi-townChief

Is this one of those inspirational e-mails that I am supposed to forward to everyone in my address book? It sure reads like one. The biggest piece of bullcrap is the part that it was not as bad as 2008. Maybe to the writer, but there are boatloads of people who lost their jobs in 2009, way more than in 2008. And mortgages forclosed on, I think 2009 beat 2008, because 2008 is when the TARP thing happened. And lots of bondholders had their notes reneged upon by the US government in 2009. God only knows how many cash for clunkers were never paid for by the program, but we never hear about that. A whole bunch of people in Texas got shot up in the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11/2001, and nothing like that happened in 2008. And as for all the other platitudinous examples of how 2009 was a great year, I am sure that nearly equal numbers of people found new favorite songs, or got married, or had sex for the first time. So no, 2009 was not better than 2008.


13 posted on 01/03/2010 8:28:05 PM PST by webheart (I am a Sarah fan.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson