My look back at the good and bad of 2009
Thumbs Up:
1) Pilot Sully Sullenberger for his heroic effort in landing a plane full of passengers and crew on the Hudson River.
2) The inauguration of a black president. A huge step forward for our country whether you voted for him or not.
3) Like it or not, the bailout to the financial industry that kept us from spiraling into a depression that would have devastated our country.
4) An initial bill to overhaul health care and provide it for millions of Americans who are not now insured. Far from perfect, but a start.
5) The continuing efforts of individuals and organizations to rebuild New Orleans and other communities destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Better late than never.
Thumbs Down:
1) The bailout of General Motors. Like any other business in America, if you can’t compete, you fail and there are no safety nets for the thousands of businesses that go under each year. Does being big make a difference? Shouldn’t. And there are plenty of other car companies who can keep us supplied with vehicles that aren’t getting government handouts.
2) The fiasco surrounding the shooting at Fort Hood and the attempt to blow up a Northwest plane at Christmas as it made its descent to the Detroit airport. Both acts could have been avoided if warning signs had not been dismissed. The passengers on Northwest flight were fortunate that the explosive failed to ignite properly. Not so at Fort Hood where the gunman, an Army major stationed at the base killed 13. Both men charged in the incidents were Muslim terrorists. Time to start racial profiling.
3) The polarization of Congress. We should toss them all out next election or support Independent candidates.
4) The polarization of Americans. We bitch. We gripe. But are we doing anything to change things?
5) The unspent billions of dollars from the stimulus package that were supposed to be used to help get people back to work. Nothing short of criminal.