I don’t know about you but I’ll be glad to see the back of 2008. In fact, I think we should slam the door shut right now – a few days ahead of schedule. Tomorrow can simply be December 27, 0000. Perhaps that will make you feel better but not me –and this from an optimist who always sees the glass as half-full rather than half-empty.
The year has been a disaster. I’m not a seer but I think future historians will view 2008 as among the worst ever. Here are just a few of the horrors:
The unspeakable misery that is Zimbabwe in Africa: wide-spread starvation, hyper-inflation at 12,875% per year and now the rapidly spreading cholera epidemic. All this is the clever doing of one man, Robert Mugabe.
Continued random terrorism (Mumbai ~ hundreds dead and wounded) carried out by small groups with solely political purposes.
And worst of all – greed in America – and here are just a few examples:
$6 trillion wiped off the value of US housing (and much more around the world)
$2.5 trillion wiped off the savings of Americans (and much more around the world)
$50 billion wiped off the map by one scheming individual, Bernie “the ponzi” Madoff.
To put $50 billion ~ that's billions, friends ~ into perspective, a person earning $40,000 per year would have to work 1,250,000 years to get that amount back – before taxes. Pity the educational institutions, foundations, hospitals and charities that were ripped off. Nice job, Bernie.
I suggest we establish a National Hall of Shame to identify those individuals and institutions that put themselves above others and tried to defy the laws of capitalism and common sense. Above the front entrance a sign will read:
“Remember 2008 when so much was undone by so few”
The year has been a disaster. I’m not a seer but I think future historians will view 2008 as among the worst ever. Here are just a few of the horrors:
The unspeakable misery that is Zimbabwe in Africa: wide-spread starvation, hyper-inflation at 12,875% per year and now the rapidly spreading cholera epidemic. All this is the clever doing of one man, Robert Mugabe.
Continued random terrorism (Mumbai ~ hundreds dead and wounded) carried out by small groups with solely political purposes.
And worst of all – greed in America – and here are just a few examples:
$6 trillion wiped off the value of US housing (and much more around the world)
$2.5 trillion wiped off the savings of Americans (and much more around the world)
$50 billion wiped off the map by one scheming individual, Bernie “the ponzi” Madoff.
To put $50 billion ~ that's billions, friends ~ into perspective, a person earning $40,000 per year would have to work 1,250,000 years to get that amount back – before taxes. Pity the educational institutions, foundations, hospitals and charities that were ripped off. Nice job, Bernie.
I suggest we establish a National Hall of Shame to identify those individuals and institutions that put themselves above others and tried to defy the laws of capitalism and common sense. Above the front entrance a sign will read:
“Remember 2008 when so much was undone by so few”
