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Some Perspective to Help You Through 2017



Does the thought of what the new year will bring got you down, Bunky? Feeling like the country is heading in the wrong direction? That it could, in fact, be the end of America?  Well buck up, I solved your solstice sorrows and I have the cure for this malady too!

We've seen this movie before - Please read on to see how other years started and then answer the simple question at the end. (All info from various sources, Wikipedia.)

Jan 1918 - the first wave of the great flu pandemic was winding down in the US, finally dying out completely in April. Estimates say that between 50 and 100 million people were killed world-wide, more than the Black Death plague. In the U.S. about 28% of the population became infected; 500,000 to 675,000 killed over 12 months - that would be over 29 MILLION dead today. On top of this WWI was still going strong. We lived through it.

Jan 1932 - the country was mired in the depths of the Great Depression with 13-15 million people unemployed or more than 20 percent of the U.S. population at the time - that would be over 65 million unemployed today. The depression went on for another 9 years until WWII started, leaving many people in the country suffering including my parents and grandparents. We lived through it.

Jan 1945 - the US and allies were finally pushing the Germans back after the Battle of the Bulge and by the end of the month, had them on the run. According to the US Dep’t of Defense, however, American forces suffered 89,500 casualties including 19,000 killed, 47,500 wounded and 23,000 missing. The Battle of the Bulge was the bloodiest battle for the U.S. Forces in WW II. We lived through it. 

Jan 1951 - The US and Allies had just finished the horrific battle at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea that had raged for over two weeks in temperatures down to 35 below zero. We were pushed all the way back south and we suffered casualties of 4,385 from the US Marines, 3,163 from the US Army and 2,812 South Koreans attached to American formations. The 1st Marine Division also reported 7,338 non-battle casualties due to the cold weather. The war ended a little over 2 bloody years later. We lived through it.  

Jan 1973 (a personal favorite of mine) - the US and North Vietnam sign the Paris Peace Accords, essentially ending the Vietnamese war. After 8 years and over 58,000 American deaths, hundreds of thousands of wounded Americans and dead Vietnamese – and a trillion dollars spent - the war was coming to an end. We lived through it.

And that’s just the 20th century.

Now, what are the chances that we won't live through the next four years with our new Ocher Faced President? Or forty years? Or 100 years? Exactement - nil! So come on people, lighten up and have a great New Year!

 U2 New Years Day
(The song has more meaning than just the title . . .)

Signed,
Dr. D Roger Pangloss  


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