It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the …
Well, actually, no. Although the year 2010 probably wasn’t the worst of times – for instance, it wasn’t as bad as 1348, when the Black Death was ravaging Europe – there’s no way to pretend it was the best of times, or even one of the almost-pretty-good times.
How did 2010 suck? Let us count the ways. Or at least some of the ways, because we don’t have room for all of them.
Although the actions of President Obama and Congress in 2008 and 2009 appear to have prevented a total economic meltdown, America remained bogged in the Great Recession. The official unemployment rate nationwide was edging toward 10%. In Oregon it went over 12%, and in Deschutes County it came close to 17%.
Bend clung to its dubious distinction of Bubble-and-Bust Capital of America. Foreclosure notices continued to sprout, and officials continued to scrounge for enough money to keep the lights on in City Hall.
For Wall Street banksters, though, it was a very good year: After sucking up billions in federal bailout money, they gave themselves multimillion-dollar year-end bonuses.
When we turned our eyes away from the economic horrors, the scenery wasn’t any better elsewhere.
The American penal colony at Guantanamo remains open, despite Obama’s solemn campaign promise to close it. American troops are still in Iraq. The quagmire in Afghanistan looks as mucky as ever, and the administration shows no sign that it’s serious about extricating us from it.
In April one of BP’s deepwater drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico blew up, spewing millions of gallons of crude and inflicting environmental damage that may last for generations.
In another event whose damage may last for generations, American voters in November gave the House of Representatives back to the Republican Party, apparently on the theory that because the Democrats didn’t get the economic bus out of the ditch fast enough, the smart move was to give the keys back to the people who drove the bus into the ditch.
And then in the waning days of the lame-duck Congress, Obama the Origami Master did one of his patented folding maneuvers and worked out a deal to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for billionaires.
Altogether, 2010 was a fitting climax to a decade of horrors that began with George W. Bush sneaking into the White House through the cellar door and went on to give us 9/11, the trumped-up Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina and the real estate collapse of ’08, to name just a few little treats.
A handful of good things happened in 2010: The military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy was repealed, a health care reform bill was passed (a feeble one, but it’s something), a nuclear arms limitation treaty was approved. And the Ducks made it to the BCS Championship game.
Take it all in all, though, 2010 was a near-total loss. We’re overjoyed to see it go, and to speed it on its way we’re giving it THE BOOT.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2010 – Jan 5, 2011.
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Basically this article sums everything that’s wrong with the source.
Your top priorities are worrying about terrorits rotting in gitmo, or wishing that our taxes went up? And you believe that the health care bill was feeble?
Thankfully most people fall somewhere in the middle of the Rush Limbaugh and The Source spectrum of liberal/conservative radicalism.
Wow! So, you apparently just wasted a year of your life. Your misery will not get my company. May I remind you of some of the things positive about 2010? While unemployment remains nationally ~10%, that means there is an “employment” rate of 90%! And, the economy is showing signs of growth for the first time in several years. While you declare the mid-term election results a loss (all in your perspective), keep in mind that some semblance of balance between the House and Senate majorities has to be healthy. Our government tends to be healthier when there is a balance of power. Isn’t that what our forefathers had in mind? We had smashing success in town with cycling events that shed a positive light on our humble town with the USA National Cycling Road Championships and the recent USA Cyclocross National Championships. Those brought tourism and their dollars with them with minimal negative impact. Most importantly, USA Cycling has fallen in love with Bend and central Oregon and promises to bring more events to Bend in the future. Bend Parks and Rec. acquired a wonderful piece of riverfront property across from MacKay Park in Bend, the Pine Nursery Park is underway, the mountain biking trail system just keeps growing and getting better thanks to the efforts of the Central Oregon Trail Alliance, the cross country ski trails (free!) have expanded and improved at Virginia Meissner due to the efforts of the Tumalo Langlauf Club, and the art community in central Oregon continues to thrive in spite of decreasing support from the state and national governments. There has been an increasing number of the super wealthy embarking on philanthropic work, following the lead of Bill and Melinda Gates. NPR and OPB continue to thrive with a record number of listeners and private contributors. Juniper Fitness Center continues to set the standard for local health clubs and family participation in swimming and sports. The business sector is seeing a quite positive year with the US Broad Markets improving about 15% on the year. Locally businesses have closed and businesses have opened… “with crisis comes opportunity”. Unfortunately, some businesses have not been able to sustain themselves in this tough market, but the entrepeneurial spirit thrives in downtown Bend. We are off to a stellar snow year, Central Oregon Community College has a record numbers of students, our medical community is getting stronger all the time with the advent of the Physician Health Alliance and those Oregon Ducks have a shot at a national championship. C’mon Source, stop bashing all of those around you, get some counseling for your ongoing depression, splash some water on your face and get out and get some sun and fresh air. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and all you seem to be able to do is find fault in your surroundings. You don’t need rose tinted glasses to see all of the great people and things around you. But, you have to look!