guest column by Steve Stone….

Dear Friends and Patriots,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We hear that greeting immediately after midnight each December 31 and constantly for days afterward. Most of the time we say it or repeat it back automatically. Perhaps it’s worth a minute to reflect on what might make for a happy 2016. What will make this a good year, and what might make it one we’d just as soon not think about.

Most of you are patriots of one stripe or another. Some of you are the ardent, flag-waving kind. Others are of the quieter, but equally as staunch brand. Still others might be very strong, but also very silent; sort of stealth patriots. I suspect I know what will stir most of you in 2016 and what you think will constitute a happy year.

We’ve all spent the past seven years in purgatory. We were put there by those who were more or less mindless, urged on by those whose agenda is quite unlike our own. We who believe in our nation’s greatness and incomparable place in human history have been insulted continuously during these past seven years. Not just insulted really, but assaulted in the figurative and sometimes even literal sense. Release from this purgatory – that will make 2016 a happy year. Release can only come one way. That way is through a total repudiation of the Democratic Party at the polls in November.

There are other things that could contribute to making 2016 a happy year. If we witness the death of ISIS, that will be a great thing. If the world’s economy rebounds and our own economy once again begins to roar along, that also will be great. If we don’t see any sign of a pandemic or other major international health crisis, we’ll all be relieved. If the Syrian civil war is settled and the multitudes of refugees now flooding all western societies return home to resume their lives in their own land, America and all of Europe will be far happier. If the flood of illegal immigration across the US southern border suddenly slows down to a trickle it will be wonderful news. If rogue nations like Iran and North Korea decide cooperative engagement with the world is better than their constant saber-rattling, most of the world will feel more secure. If China and Russia knock off their dumb muscle-flexing and attempts to increase their spheres of influence through coercion, most of the world will feel much more secure. Yes, these things and more would contribute a lot toward a happy 2016. But, for people like you and me, they are certainly not the dominant factor.

In truth, we all need to admit in the best case 2016 is not likely to be as happy a year as we’d like. There’s no possibility of a regime change in Washington until January of next year. So, while we look forward to an ecstatic, month-long celebration if the repudiation of Democrats actually occurs, no substantive change will take place until next year. Our ecstasy will be based on predictions of a far better future; a future filled with rejections of the current administration’s policies and regulations. We will look forward to seeing President Obama’s executive orders rescinded, countless departmental regulations rolled back, and Obamacare dismantled. We look forward to seeing meaningful tax reform and significant strides made in returning our nation to rule by Constitutional law. We look forward to the day when our national motto, “In God We Trust,” is no longer the subject of irrational litigation and debate and when belief in the Supreme Being is restored as the foundation of America’s national ethic. Yes, folks, we do look forward to these things, but they are not to be in 2016.

The best prediction for 2016 is a positive outcome in November. That is a long time to wait, and there’s certainly a lot of work to be done if we are to see the realization of that positive outcome. Nothing is certain. All we have at this point are goals and it’s completely up to us to achieve those goals.

Those other things mentioned above, those things that could contribute to 2016 being a good year; none of them are likely to occur. They’re each pretty much in the category of ‘wishful thinking.’ There’s nothing any of us can do to make a dent in those realities. But, when it comes to the national elections in November, that’s a different story. Each of us can make a significant difference, far more than just our own single vote. Each of us can influence others. Each of us can lend a hand. Each of us can leverage our own knowledge, assets and experiences in ways that can multiply our cumulative effect on this one aspect of our future.

Want a happy 2016? It’s up to us, isn’t it?

Steve Stone is a writer and libertarian activist in Mobile County, Alabama.