2016 - It's Already Started

Happy New Year my friends!

We're only a few days into 2016 and already we've lost the unforgettable Natalie Cole and actor Wayne Rogers who played Trapper John on the TV show "MASH." We're wondering who is next since we all know celebrities go in threes. The Republican-led Congress wants to begin its session trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and we in Chicago are hoping Rahm Emanuel leaves office quickly and quietly since he's been under fire since last month. The Midwest is in the grip of arctic temperatures while the South is battling floods. Oprah's partnership with Weight Watchers has sent WW's stock soaring. Awards season is officially underway. And we are now in the throes of presidential campaigns and primaries. Can you believe it's only January 3rd?

It's hard to know where to focus when so much is going on in so little time. Fortunately, we don't have to deal with it all right now or deal with any of it at all. We can't bring back the dead although we can surely mourn their passing. We certainly can't do anything about the weather so the best we can do is deal with it. Unless you're planning on joining Weight Watchers or you own stock in the company, Oprah partnering with them is good for her and for them but it doesn't mean a thing to the rest of the world (unless shadowing Oprah is part of your life). Awards shows are fun to watch but there's only one I watch religiously and that's the Oscars. That leaves the ever present, totally distasteful and reprehensible government posturing.

There's been a lot written about the Republican candidates for president. There is the very visible and vocal Donald Trump, the unpredictable underdog Dr. Ben Carson, the legacy candidate Jeb Bush, the underrated Ted Cruz and the establishment favorite Marco Rubio. There are other Republican candidates but these seem to be the current front runners going into the February primaries. The Democratic field is much less crowded with only two recognized candidates, Hilary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I don't know about you but I feel the pickings are slim. There's no candidate I'm impressed with. There's no candidate saying what I need to hear. There's no candidate who seems to care about the issues that are important to me. I'm as disheartened as I've ever been in a presidential election year. What scares me is that I'm not alone. There are millions who feel as I do. That bodes badly for the primaries and is downright scary when it comes to November's general election. Voter turnout has been low in recent years. In addition to apathy, there is the feeling that our votes don't count. However the most discouraging reason for low voter turnout is the poor selection of candidates we have to pick. People who need to run for office don't because it's become too expensive, media scrutiny has become intrusive and too much attention is spent on hype instead of substance. Could you imagine someone like Harry Truman being elected today? Not hardly. His plain spoken manner, his directness, his lack of a college education would make him undesirable in today's classist, racist, highly scrutinized world. Yet he has been widely recognized as one of our great presidents. It's a damn shame that we will not elect the president we deserve in November. Then again, maybe one of these wretches is precisely what we deserve.

Chicago has been making news year after year because of gun violence. However in addition to Chicago joining other cities in the total disregard for the lives of its Black citizens, scandal after scandal involving our police department made 2015 a banner year for horrendous headlines. Early this year, the Guardian, a British newspaper, broke a story about a secret warehouse that has been used as a secret detention center for Black Chicagoans. In late fall, a video was released showing a police officer gunning down an unarmed Black man in the street. 2015 ended with two people being shot in a domestic disturbance. The 55 year old grandmother was "accidentally" shot through the door just as she was about to open the door to admit the police. The second victim was a mentally ill 19 year old college student. Police Superintendent Gary McCarthy resigned amid protests by many are asking for the resignations of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and States Attorney Anita Alvarez. The U.S. Justice has begun an inquiry into the police department and Illinois state legislators are considering allowing recall attempts of the mayor. Politics in Chicago - you gotta love it.

Recently I heard tv talk show host Michael Strahan say he was taught to be a "when" guy and not an "if" guy be his father. Therefore in that spirit, I'd like to be a "when" woman and have high hopes for 2016. I expressed my doubt in the political process and what we have to look forward to in our presidential election. I'm clearly jaded about justice finding its way to Chicago. But hope springs eternal and I'm going to be that "when" woman. When we find that candidate who unites us all, when we find that person who embodies a real spirit of inclusivity, when Rahm Emanuel is gone and we get a mayor who believes in justice for every Chicagoan and not just those who live north of Cermak, when we learn that it doesn't hurt to treat each other with respect and not distain, what a wonderful world this will be.

May 2016 be your best year yet!