This year I decided to forego my own New Year’s Resolutions and instead suggest some that others might make for the new year. The idea is that the possibility of many making promises – rather than my often failed attempts – just might bring about some good for more of us.
Americans might want to resolve:
1. to take a page from psychology 101 before blurting out
insults and partisan dribble and ask themselves what
they hope to gain by saying these things.
2. to cast votes on more than just economic
issues as democratic and constitutional
principles might prove to be more important
in the long run.
3. to eschew peer pressure and think for themselves
rather than simply go along to get along no matter
how unpleasant it might be.
4. to spend at least some time studying the issues, pro
and con, to make informed decisions
5. to avoid being fanatically partisan, understanding that
we are all citizens and want only the best for the
country.
6. to understand that we are all entitled to an
opinion, but some opinions are better than others.
7. to take time to fully understand what fascism,
communism and socialism really are before hurling
them as insults and indictments at our opponents.
8. to take time to understand what “conservative” and
“liberal” have meant historically and what they mean
today.
9. to honestly consider the possibility that moderate is
preferable to reactionary or radical.
10. to give serious thought to the fact that United
States success is predicated on the moderate path
it has chosen despite the many opportunities to
do otherwise.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!