It’s that time of year again. Time for me to make my predictions for the upcoming year. Some years my predictions are pretty much spot on. Other years, not so much. For example, if you go back to last year, I didn’t see COVID coming – (of course, no one else did either.)
So let’s get started, with Prediction #1: a really easy prediction – 2021 is going to be a much better year than 2020. Of course that’s an easy guesstimate. How could a year be much worse than 2020 was? The only one that comes close, in my 67 years of experience, is 1968. I was 15 years old, and a freshman in high school. 1968 saw the assassination of both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy. The Vietnam War was raging. The USS Pueblo was seized by North Korea. America’s cities were burning with race riots. College administration buildings were being taken over by radical student groups. The Democratic convention in Chicago saw clashes between the police and protesters. It felt like the country was literally being torn apart at the seams (sound familiar?) So 2021 has got to be better.
Prediction #2: the Georgia Senate runoff’s. Many political pundits are saying that because of the post-election turmoil there, with President Trump denouncing the Georgia Republican governor and top election official there (both of whom are Republicans), that what should be a safe Republican victory, is anything but. I believe Republicans will still win at least one, and hopefully both seats, and thus maintain control of the US Senate. If I’m wrong on this one, our country’s in for a world of hurt.
Prediction #3: the number of COVID deaths in the US will continue to be disturbingly high during early 2021, but will decrease substantially as the year progresses, due to multiple companies’ vaccines being administered to the American people. This should allow us to reach so-called herd immunity, and therefore finally be able to look at COVID in the rearview mirror.
Prediction #4: the mainstream press’s coverage of the White House’s handling of the pandemic, will be far more positive, hopeful, and complimentary than it has been over the past year. (I wonder why.)
Prediction #5: Nancy Pelosi will be sworn in as Speaker next week, despite political pundits predicting there may be enough Democrat defectors to necessitate the Democrats finding someone else for the job. Yes, there are more than enough Democrats who have CLAIMED they’d not vote for Pelosi for Speaker, but she knows how to twist arms, and make Democrats do what she wants. They’ll cave, and she will be Speaker again. Fortunately, this will be her last rodeo, because I predict Republicans take back the House next time.
Prediction Number #6: the economy will remain strong in 2021. One caveat – if I’m wrong about Prediction #2, and the Democrats win the Georgia Senate runoffs, they’ll control everything. There would be no check on their power. The liberal stuff they’d pass, would wreck the economy.
Prediction #7: Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea will continue their cyber attacks of the United States, hacking both our private and governmental sectors. Not only do we need to harden and make our networks less vulnerable to attack, but we need to start hitting back at their vulnerabilities – hard. Pleading for them to be more responsible, and even warning of consequences, haven’t worked. We need to be a lot tougher.
Prediction #8: this year, all across America, as a result of the census, states will be redrawing congressional district lines. No matter how they are drawn, Democrats and their liberal allies will scream “gerrymandering.” They always do.
And finally, Predictions #9 and #10: the REDS and the Bengals are going to win the World Series and the Super Bowl respectively. (As you know, I’m a big homer.) Maybe, to be more realistic, I ought to just predict that they’ll have much better seasons in 2021 than they did this year. After all, the Bengals in particular have looked much better the past two weeks, with victories over Pittsburgh (who saw that coming?) and Texas. So GO REDS! And Who-Dey!!
See you next year.