Ring in a New Year filled with new hope and promise
To the Times:
We all know it, but it’s worth repeating -the year 2020 was a horrible, miserable year for virtually every American. All of us have suffered through the economic and human devastation wrought by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
As the year ends, almost 350,000 have died from the virus and the death rate is still climbing and shows no signs of leveling off, let alone dropping.
This brings us to the other big story of 2020 and that is how President Donald Trump made things so much worse. While it may not have been his intention, his willful downplaying of the unfolding COVID-19 crisis and his failure to boldly and decisively issue a federal mandate for all Americans to wear face masks, has caused many thousands (upward of 150,000) unnecessary deaths. Not everyone believes this, but, of course, in the conspiracy filled environment of 2020, there are still people who do not even believe the crisis is real, even now.
Additionally, while our democratic institutions and our Constitution did not “die” in 2020, they were also both under direct assault by a President flailing about wildly to preserve his power and his bid for re-election. In the end, the president failed himself as he did the American people.
To 2020, we can all agree and echo a common refrain, “goodbye and good riddance.” We welcome 2021 with a mixture hope and expectation fueled by the fundamental core of optimism that has made this country great and sustained our vibrancy and growth for almost 250 years. 2021 promises to be the year that vaccines help us to vanquish the coronavirus and relegate it to being a manageable threat, not an existential challenge.
And, the year that Joe Biden, whether or not you voted for him, or, to re-elect Donald Trump, will bring us much less melodrama, chaos and mendacity than the Trump years. This should be welcome to all.
So tonight, New Year’s Eve, let us all raise a glass and bid 2020 a very well-deserved goodbye and usher in 2021, a new year that promises in so many ways to be better (and let’s face it, how could it not be).