I seldom make New Years Resolutions. Basically it's like going to confession and saying "I'm not gonna..(fill in the blank) anymore and then, after doing a few hail Mary's, you go back and do it again. Resolutions are admitting faults and saying you're gonna stop doing it. Usually they revolve around smoking, drinking, and eating. Maybe once in awhile a "I'm not gonna cheat on my wife anymore" creeps in but otherwise, Resolutions are an attempt to make restitution for the lack of willpower the previous year. And resolutions this year are probably the same ones you made last year and will make again next year.
I don't make resolutions because I know I will break them before New Years Day is over. I have tried the quit smoking resolution and that failed. Thankfully I don't have to worry about the drinking one. I did modify my eating habits somewhat, not by resolution but by the knowledge that carbs are bad and I've reached the age where Big Mac's can kill. Other than that, I have nothing I need to change. I try to treat my wife with the love and respect she not only deserves, but commands. I have always been and advocate against domestic violence and still can't understand why a husband would abuse his wife, and stranger still, why they stay. Over they years I've covered dozens of homicides that were the result of domestic disputes.
We all want the New Year to be better than the last, and for many, 2010 was the worst year of their lives. Millions suddenly lost their homes because they could buy a home they couldn't afford and the banks gave them the money anyway. People were afraid that their last paycheck was, in fact, their last. The comfort employees had with their health insurance plans became less secure as companies tried to find ways to keep the premiums low had to resort to eroding benefits and escalating co-pays.
2011 will be worse. Gas prices are climbing and could reach 5 dollars a gallon if some experts in the industry are to be believed. That will lead to inflation at best, hyper-inflation at worst. Many will have surprises when the next phase of "Health Care Reform" hits. No more free scooter from Medicare, no more woman in a scooter twirling around. Now they have to lease it for 13 months before Medicare will give them one. The donut hole for Medicare still remains and the new benefit is a slightly smaller donut hole but recipients will get a 50 percent discount on medication when they're in the donut hold. Many newer drugs for serious conditions can cost as much as 4,000 dollars a month so Medicare recipients will be in the hole the first month and the discount still makes those drugs unaffordable even if it is "only 2,000 a month. And none of the medicare advantage plans cover any of that. In time, many companies will decide to pay a rather nominal fine and tell their employees to go find their own health care. And rather than making health care more affordable, it will drive up the cost and limit choices. Many doctors are already leaving the medical profession for jobs in research. Malpractice insurance costs are being driven higher and higher, and in many cases, medical offices have more support staff to file claims and do billing than they have doctors.
So eat, drink, and be merry tonight. 2011 could be a wild ride.
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