Our Shared Deficit

While a somewhat popular topic in terms of importance or when discussing threats to our nation, I believe that the national debt does not get the attention it deserves. To put it starkly, debt payments on our shared national debt is over 1 trillion, that is T for trillion, dollars a year. This expense is quickly becoming the biggest line item on the debit side of our national ledger, Trump's ridiculous statements that he wants to spend $1.5 trillion next year on defense aside.

First, I commented on this subject way back in early 2011. In that post I attempted to explain the research and information I had encountered before composing my commentary. In essence, I related that, at the time, 40% of the debt was owned by one United States Government agency over another, that, in essence we owed ourselves 40% of the debt. As an example, I had cited the accumulation of monies paid into Social Security that hadn't been paid out to beneficiaries yet.

The other 60% was held by various banks in America and around the globe. Upon learning this I commented that perhaps the prospect of those banks "calling our loans" was preposterous considering that bankrupting the United States would do great damage to the world economy as well.

Here is a link to that post.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2011/02/deficit-components.html 

Sadly, perhaps our politicians believed that as well, as, even though I go on to say that we need to begin having serious discussions about the trend that had added an average of $1 trillion each year to the overall debt from 2002 to that year 2011, (the national debt in 2002 was a bit over $6 trillion, 9 years later in 2011, it was close to $15 trillion), the trend has only worsened since.

Here is a link to a chart that I found which goes to 2023.   

https://www.thebalancemoney.com/national-debt-by-year-compared-to-gdp-and-major-events-3306287

It is startling! 

From 2011 to 2023, 12 years of budgets, the debt increased by over $19 trillion, an average of over $1.5 trillion each year. The chart also provides a column detailing the major event that may partially or primarily have caused the debt increase. Another column of this chart compares the ratio of national debt to GDP. Again very interesting data.

The last link I will supply is to access the current US debt clock. It is a real time estimate of our overall debt, with the last few days, increase or decrease, and the current number, in a clock type of format. As you will see, it is now about $38.6 trillion, another $4 trillion in the last 2+ fiscal budgets. (The fiscal year starts in October, so fiscal year 2026 is only 3 months old). 

https://www.us-debt-clock.com/ 

OK, so let's talk numbers.

Here is a current breakdown of who owns our debt. I am not sure where I got this data as I found it a few weeks ago, but I do remember thinking that it was relatively current as of fiscal year 2025. It appears that even more of the debt is held by America, less by foreign entities, and that Japan is the foreign country holder of the most debt, not China as some people might think. 

Breaking Down US Debt Ownership:

• 40% - US investors and institutions

• 20% - Social Security, Medicare, and other US agencies

• 13% - The Federal Reserve

• 25% - Foreign investors (only!)

• 3-4% - China (much less than most people think!)

 

Returning to that year by year debt chart, I especially focused on the debt to GDP ratio. As you see, this number doubled during WW2, surpassing the 100% mark in 1945 through 1947. At that point, even though the debt continues to increase, it does so very slowly. It stays below $300 billion, that is B for billion, from the mid 1940's all the way until 1963, then takes another 9 years, until 1972, to get to $400 billion. And, even though the debt does start to rise more quickly, reaching just short of $1 trillion by 1981, the debt to GDP ratio continued to drop. Remember, it was over 100% in 1947, but fell steadily through the 50's, 60's, and 70's to a low of 31% in that same 1981.

We wouldn't sniff such a low ratio ever again.

I have often commented that supply side economics was the beginning of the end for middle class buying power. While cause and effect are certainly hard to prove, it was during the Reagan presidency that this economic philosophy took hold. Remember, until the tax cuts that went along with supply side economics, the idea being to give the rich more money which would "trickle down" to the income classes below, tax rates for the rich were 50, 60, even 70%. 

In other words, the monies paid in taxes by the wealthy all during the 50's, 60's and 70's, trickled down much more efficiently through massive public work projects like the interstate highway system, and by keeping taxes for the not so rich reasonable, not to mention that the corporate structure did not exist yet, a system that has encouraged large amounts of money to be hidden in offshore accounts, untaxable. 

By the time Reagan left office in 1988, our national debt had doubled plus, from just under $1 trillion to over $2.6 trillion, but worse, the debt to GDP ratio had risen from that low of 31% to 50%.

Four years of Bush 1 added another $1.5 trillion to the debt while the ratio hit 61%.

Clinton's terms were better, adding another $1.5 trillion but over 8 years, while that ever important ratio dropped back into the mid 50% range.

Under Bush 2, the debt soared due to the War on Terror after the horrific attacks on 9/11. This is when we began our debt increase average of over $1 trillion per year. Remember, it took until 1981, over 200 years, to get to that first trillion dollar debt mark.

Bush 2 added $4.5 trillion in 8 years, ratio climbed to 68%. Then came the economic meltdown of 2008 which caused Obama's numbers to be even worse.

During Obama's 8 years, the national debt increased another $9 trillion and the debt to GDP ratio broke the 100% mark in 2014, staying over 100% ever since.

Trump's first term added another $8 trillion to the debt, COVID being the leading cause, then almost $7 trillion more in the first 3 years of Biden's term, also partly due to COVID. There were also stimulus packages under Trump and Biden that contributed to the now over $2 trillion, per year increase in the debt, with the debt to GDP ratio now over 120%.

So, what is the solution.

Well, first, we have to stop blaming our elected officials. We elected them, so if we really wanted national debt reduction, we would not reelect people who do not deliver. 

But, it is also possible that electing people who were serious about reducing the debt, won't work either. In the case of the current administration that has talked about a balanced budget, and has slowed the pace of debt increase a bit through the chaotic tariff policies (never mind if you think the American businesses and citizens shouldn't be paying more money as tariffs are a tax). Although, slowed is defined as only $500 billion dollar deficit in the first quarter of the new fiscal year, down from $600 billion for the same quarter last year. 

That still equates to over $2 trillion in new debt if we match that number, and may well be worse if Trump actually sends checks to 50 or 100 million Americans this summer, thereby negating the increase in tariff revenue. Again, in this isn't just a knock on Trump, but give the people money in an election year seems a far more compelling strategy for politicians of all stripes.

I have said repeatedly that income inequality, the fact that the richest in America own a disproportionate percentage of the wealth, while the bottom 50% own very little is a serious threat to America. And, while it is clear that the GOP advocates for policies that do nothing to reduce this situation, the fact remains that the rich have gotten richer under every administration, Democratic or Republican, since supply side economics has become our guiding principle.

So, yes, while many trillions of dollars of our national debt were the result of the economic meltdown of 2008 and the COVID pandemic, both of which resulted in massive amounts of money distributed to both save our large financial institutions, and to assist everyday people to pay their bills, the simple fact is that far too many people live on the edge, financially, so any disruption pushes millions of Americans towards food insecurity, bankruptcy, etc. 

Add to that the fact that we still, nationally speaking, have our heads up our communal asses in our resistance to create a universal health care program, which would provide basic health care to all Americans while also eliminating the really grotesque fact that each year far too many Americans find themselves claiming bankruptcy for medical bills, and it is clear that we choose to tolerate the causes of our soaring national debt by not addressing them.

One of the truly paradoxical features of the rise of Trumpism is that it is a populist movement. The very problems that I detail above resulted in millions of middle class, working people to reject Hillary who was effectively linked to the elite, a group who have been so effective in diverting resources upwards to the higher income brackets. The angst was real and Trump took advantage of it while the Dems ignored it, and/or were ineffective when they were in power to stop it.

Take the recent proposal to cap credit card debt at 10%. That is something that the left has been pushing for years, hence Elizabeth Warren's enthusiastic endorsement of the proposal. Of course, the powers in charge, the large financial institutions and the legislators that they own, have pushed back, claiming with straight faces that such a low rate would result in some people not having access to credit.

While this may be true, it is also true that the 25, 28 even 30% interest rates that are being charged to consumers with low credit scores or limited credit history, would make the loan sharks of the past quiver in ecstasy, and perhaps jealousy, that such usury rates are legal.

The simple fact is that interest rates that high only create debt that makes it very difficult to be free from. 

But again, we all must look in our collective mirrors and take some blame for this as well. Not being able to afford something should be a reason not to buy it. But since we all must have what we want, now, there are plenty of unsavory financial institutions that will loan us the money, turning a $2000 purchase into a $4000 payment over time.

Which circles us back to the fact that too many Americans live on the edge, financially, because we allow the rich to drive the narrative about all things income related.

Higher minimum wages? Can't have that, it would cause inflation, so they say, even though CEO pay has skyrocketed in the last 30 years, as has the pay for athletes, Wall street executives, movie stars, hedge fund managers, health insurance brokers and executives, the list goes on and on. 

But never retail workers, bus drivers, day care workers, sanitation workers, even police and firemen. Real income for the people who do the real work in our country has not kept pace so we feel it necessary to charge our way to comfort, a situation which big banks are all too eager to take advantage of.

But I digress.

The deficit will eventually lead to a financial reckoning. We can't continue to spend a trillion, even 2 trillion dollars a year more than we collect in revenue and taxes. It is unsustainable as any family who has faced unending escalation of their debt knows.

The rich must pay higher taxes, the working poor must receive livable wages, the middle class must prioritize where they spend their resources while avoiding the pitfalls of wanting everything new. Remember, supply and demand has two portions, so, while Trump's call for austerity by buying less pencils (who buys pencils?) seems to put all the blame on the working classes, he is right that we can be more discerning, more aware of wants as opposed to needs.

I called this post Our Shared Deficit because there are some Americans who choose to blame our elected officials or the Washington bureaucracies or, of course, immigrants. 

And that is the main problem. We, the people, are the problem and the fact that we can't or won't acknowledge that is what will doom our country more than anything else.  

  

   

 

 

 

The Sestercentennial

As 2026 progresses, celebrations, documentaries, and various other commemorations concerning the 250 year anniversary of our founding will be ubiquitous. 

Towards this tremendous milestone, the Atlantic devoted its entire November edition to the subject.

First, a note.

I want to express my gratitude to Pete Hegseth and Donald Trump for this, my first year of reading the Atlantic. You see, it was the SignalGate controversy that cemented my desire to obtain a subscription to this wonderful magazine. While I had occasionally read some articles in the year preceding that event, it was Hegseth's avoidance of responsibility for including an editor of a magazine, let alone one with a history of negative articles about the current administration, in his communication chain about an ongoing military action, as well as his assertions that this breach of secrecy did not reveal any classified information. 

And, if that wasn't bad enough, after the revelation of this incompetence, rather than being held responsible, the president instead attacked the magazine itself, calling it a failed entity and ridiculing both the person who was included in the breach, and the magazine, even though the Atlantic did not publish anything until after the strike. That they, in fact, were more responsible in withholding possible info that might have put our soldiers in harms way than the head of the Department of Defense himself. (No, I won't call it the Department of War!)

Since my subscription began in April of last year, I have not only been exposed to amazing online articles and news, but a monthly magazine filled with wonderful writing, relevant news, and insightful analysis of these dark times.

In addition, and unexpectedly, the Atlantic has introduced me, and inspired me to read a number of books by authors that either I had never heard of or whom I had never read despite knowing of their importance. From current writers like Ann Applebaum, Elaine Pagels and David Graeber to authors who have departed mortal soil such as Toni Morrison, James Baldwin and Kurt Vonnegut, the Atlantic has rekindled my love for reading, as well as discovering the perspectives of people different from myself. You know, learning about diversity, equity and inclusion, those three great traits that have contributed to the amazing history of our country.

Anyway, back to the November edition of the Atlantic which was titled The Unfinished Revolution and featured a flip out picture of 23 people, some famous, some infamous, and some unknown but just as important in our shared history.

The articles within the edition touched on topics as varied as our history itself, broken into five chapters, Defiance, Conflict, Independence, Memory and Crisis. Like the Ken Burns 12 hour documentary (I have seen the first two episodes), there is a lot of information about the years preceding the signing of the Declaration and the War for Independence, details that provide substance and background for the hows and whys that led to our eventual decision to seek separation from England.

So many details which, I am ashamed to say, were frequently unknown to me as the version of our history has been so often altered to present positive spins on dreadful situations or simply pretend they didn't happen. 

One of the many things I have learned is that the English openly and successfully recruited African Americans to fight against the colonists, offering freedom from enslavement as a reward. Sadly, our Independence resulted in many of those men, women and their families being chased down and returned to their former masters, or forced them to flee to Canada, some Caribbean Islands or even back to Africa.

Of course, for every black mark that was true of those times, for every hypocrisy that was revealed by the men who claimed that all men are created equal yet did not include women, Blacks or even the poor white people of the day, there are stories of inspiration, true belief in self governance as opposed to the divine rights of a king, and all sorts of sacrifices, cooperation and even compromises among the colonists despite their differences.

America is certainly a conundrum, if nothing else.

Which makes it all the more sad to see how some people seem obsessed with whitewashing our history, pretending that within all the good there weren't times when we have fallen very far short of the ideals of our founding documents.

Not to mention our seeming fascination, even acceptance by some to allow one man the power of a king, or autocrat. 

Anyway, if you see the November edition of the Atlantic, perhaps at your local library or at a friend's home or maybe even at a store that sells magazines, I heartily recommend you borrow or buy it.

You will be enlightened, perhaps even more proud of America since you will know more of the full story, not just the one which pretends that manifest destiny is real and that nothing bad ever happened here. That despite the flaws of our founders and the ways in which we have come up short to their ideals, we are part and parcel to a wonderful experiment in self governance, and in the attempt to assist all people in their efforts to seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, even when they live, love and identify their gender in unique ways.

Frankly, and despite my recent reduction in optimism, perhaps reading articles such as those included in The Unfinished Revolution and viewing Ken Burns' American Revolution documentary, the veil will be lifted from the eyes of my fellow Americans and the majority will reject the cruelty, the xenophobia, the bigotry, and the corruption of our current president, and seek to make the ideal that all men are created equal a reality.  

More on Christian Discrimination

A few months ago, my nephew recommended a book for me to read, one he had just finished himself; "Separation of Church and Hate" by John Fugelsang.

I located it within the library system from which I am now actively borrowing books, rather than purchasing them, and found that they had a number of copies, but 45 holds already placed. I added my name to the hold list, and checked every week or so to see how I was progressing in getting to the front of the line. 

It took a while, owing to the topic and the skill of the the writer to discuss it, I presume.

Finally, last week, I received a notice that the book had been transferred to my local branch and I quickly drove there to retrieve it.

As a quick summary, Fugelsang is the child of two people who had chosen to devote their lives to Christ, one was a nun the other a brother. But fate had different plans for them (can one say God rather than fate?), when they met one day when he was sent to the hospital for tuberculosis treatment, the hospital where she was working.

They became friends at first, out of respect for their divine choice, but as time went by and they continued that friendship through a copious amount of letters, they eventually broke their respective promises to God, and married.

I recount this so you know that Fugelsang was raised by two very strict Catholic parents who believed deeply in the teachings of Christ and the true meaning of Christianity.

The subtitle to Fugelsang's book is "A Sane Person's Guide to Taking Back the Bible from Fundamentalists, Fascists, and Flock-Fleecing Frauds". Fugelsang makes his case, not by attacking the bible, but by quoting it, as only someone who has been taught it's words, but more importantly, it's spirit, by two people who had spent a number of years in dedication to the life of their savior, Jesus Christ.

The good news is that the book is not preachy as is so often the case when someone who "has read the bible" proselytizes. 

It is a great read, whether you have a Christian background or not, but especially so if you sense the hypocrisy of the mega church evangelists who seem extremely rich, or the man made rules of the Catholic Church which seem to hold more importance than the spiritual meaning of Jesus's teachings.

My own opus along these lines was written early in my blogging career. Here is a link to An Atheist For Christ, written in 2012, then revised, a bit, and posted in April of 2024.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/04/an-atheist-for-christ.html

I also recently posted a review of another wonderful book, concerning the history of Christianity, The Gnostic Gospels, by Elaine Pagels.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2025/07/gnostic-gospels.html

Also, as is my usual process, I reviewed some of my previous posts, in this case, concerning the topic of Separation of Church and State. One from June of 2024, discussed the recent decision by Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. I actually agree with the basic concept of the idea, to provide moral guidance to our youth, but with a few additions, and a picture of someone high in government who has routinely violated those ten commandments, a visual warning of how not to behave.

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-ten-commandments.html  

Another post about this topic is from 2012 about a Puritan minister who actively fought to keep religion out of government, believing that one's religious affiliation was a personal matter, not for government to dictate. While he was ultimately unsuccessful in his endeavors, in fact was ostracized from his community, his book "The Bloody Tenet of Persecution" influenced John Locke, whose work was instrumental in inspiring the founders when they created the great documents of our nation. I reference him in my discussion of the mandate within the ACA that required birth control to be provided for all health plans but was challenged by various religious groups. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2012/02/contraception-controversy.html 

Finally, a link to my original discussion of discrimination in a Christian nation, from 2016.  

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2016/04/discrimination-in-christian-nation.html 

Whether through Fugelsang's book, or Pagels, or from the many other comments about using Christianity to create laws, including my posts, it is clear that like all religions based on rules created by men, (and I mean men as there are very few which were established by women), there is hypocrisy galore, as well as excellent lessons and guidelines to help us live moral, positive, humane lives.

Which path we take, personally as well as nationally, is a reflection of whether we choose to honor the universal axiom which transcends culture and creed, do unto others as you would have done to you, or its negative injunction, don't do to others what you would not want done to you.

Perhaps then, phrases like Christian discrimination would fade away, and that acts which harm Christians for their faith, and those which some Christians advocate, Christians in name only, who use man made dogma to harm others, would fade with it. 

 

The Underdog and The Bully

Yesterday I watched Rocky. It had been quite a while since I viewed this movie, perhaps decades, to be honest. And, to be even more forthcoming, I have lost a bit of admiration for Sylvester Stallone, although certainly admire his tenacity and persistence in creating, not only the Rocky character, but his other successful iconic characters. 

It has been calculated that with a $1 million budget, the original Rocky movie grossed $225 million worldwide in box office revenue. A rags to riches story about a boxer conceived by a rags to riches actor/neighborhood club fighter. It is no wonder that his statue stands proudly on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, and that his famous run up those steps is reenacted, probably daily, by tourists, native Philadelphians, and Americans from around the country. 

Coincidentally, Rocky was released fifty years ago. I say coincidentally, because 1976 was also the year I graduated high school. 

I remember seeing the movie that year, tearing up when he finally made it to the top of the Art Museum steps, feeling every hit as Apollo Creed relentlessly pummeled him, then cheering when he came to his feet after being knocked down in the 14th round. It all came back to me as I watched again yesterday, especially his calls to Adrian as he awaited the decision, a decision, it seemed to me as I experienced the film all these years later, that didn't really matter to him. Even though he had admitted that he didn't think he could win, and that he just wanted to last fifteen rounds, I guess I missed that part when I first watched the movie. I expect I was disappointed when he didn't win in 1976, but understood far better in 2026 why it didn't matter. 

Why he was a winner none the less.

I mentioned in my last post that I often wonder how much of my waning optimism in America is related to my own personal aging. Certainly in 1976, having my whole life ahead of me, I was far more optimistic about my future, far more likely to identify with a rags to riches story and the idea that something similar could happen to me. Whether that is also part and parcel to my reduced hopefulness, that, in fact, nothing similar has occurred in my life, at least not in terms of recognition on a large scale, is debatable, and not entirely unlikely.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, America was the underdog of the world, taking on the biggest, most powerful military of the day. It is easy to understand why we identify with characters like Rocky as we see our own national origin story as a rags to riches epic journey. 

Which makes it all the more sad that America has become the bully that we always cheered against in movies, and life. 

Don't get me wrong, even in 1976 when I was in the full bloom of my youth, America had already belittled the accomplishment of defeating Hitler's attempt to rule by intimidation and violence, when we secretly but actively deposed the leaders of other countries, in addition to actually invading foreign lands, Korea and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, to mention the worst debacles.

But now we have a leader who not only stands with bullies like Putin and Netanyahu, but has remade America into a country that has no qualms about invading another nation to take its resources, oil in this case. At least now we know that all that talk about drugs was just a line of bullshit, oil being the ultimate goal all along.

What makes me laugh, truly, in spite of the decline that this invasion marks, is that we have thrown away our reputation for decency, for democracy, and especially for being a Christian nation, for a natural resource that represents the past, not the future. 

No surprise considering that our president wishes to return America to the Gilded Age, but you would think that the masses, the people who do all the work, all the living and dying in this country (to quote "It's a Wonderful Life") would turn their collective backs on the outdated concept that fossil fuel extraction is our future. 

They say that those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it. For a man who has criticized our history of foreign entanglements, you would think that he would know that invading another country, generally unites that country against the invader, and rarely leads to the population of said country lining the streets in gratitude.

If Afghanistan didn't teach us just that one lesson after both Russia and the United States invaded it, the two most powerful nations in the past 75 years, trying, and failing, then I guess we deserve whatever comes from this atrocity. 

Somehow Trump thinks that he "holds all the cards" as he is prone to tell Zelensky when using Putin's talking points to convince him to give up parts of his country to an invading force. 

He has learned nothing from the past even though he lives there. 

Venezuela's recent leaders have done a piss poor job of running that country, as is reflected by the contested elections in the last decade, and the failing economy. But nothing unites a country quicker that an invading force. Just as the colonies were able to put aside their differences, differences that simmered below the surface and eventually exploded into the Civil War, it should come as no surprise if the Venezuelan people reject our notion of who should run their country, just as the majority of peoples do when invaded by a hostile enemy.

Bullies do well, sometimes for quite a while. But eventually, a bigger bully comes along, or perhaps tens of thousands of regular people who band together to fight, as occurred 250 years ago.

Perhaps when the first American soldier, or construction worker, or oil executive is killed on Venezuelan soil, the American voter might look up from their 72" TV's and their cell phones, and realize that we are just another bad guy country, no longer the underdog to be proud of and to cheer for. Maybe...

And so the decline continues.

 

Some Optimism, to start the New Year

I have not made it a secret that I am far less hopeful for humanity, in general, and America specifically, than when I began this blog fifteen years ago. I have also mused about how the mere fact that I am aging, in the last few decades (at least, hopefully) of my life, might be a factor in that loss of hopefulness. Yet it is also true that when I began this blog, I was already in my early fifties, not necessarily a time of life associated with the bloom of youthful optimism.

All that being said, I include a link to a post that I wrote in 2023 that touched on this topic, while also providing a few links to other posts which were also along the same vein. 

https://wurdsfromtheburbs.blogspot.com/2023/08/on-more-positive-note.html 

So, optimism. What still provides me with hope for the future?

On a personal level, my wife and I spent a very enjoyable five days with our children and their partners, at our home. We shared fabulous meals (thank you Nora), lots of laughs, and innumerable pleasant experiences. As I have said a few times in various posts, it is truly satisfying and heart warming to get to know our kids as people. And sure, while they will always be our babies, it is very rewarding to see them happy in their lives, but just as importantly, to have developed into good, kind, caring people. Who actually want to spend time with us!

Also, if it matters, and I guess it does if I am mentioning it, activity on my blog increased dramatically this past year. While my stats are minuscule when compared to the most popular influencers of the day, I have accumulated over 300,000 hits since the inception of this blog. Of those, just about 88,000 have occurred this past year with 59,000 in the last six months including a whopping 34,000 in August, my most active month, by far, ever.

To say that it is gratifying, and perhaps even a bit of an ego boost would not be an exaggeration, especially when considering that I have had many months where less than 1000 people accessed my blog yet have now experienced single days with 1500, 1800, even 2000 hits. 

The mere fact that I can sit at my desk in Pottstown and have my words read by people in such far flung countries as Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Gabon, Moldova and Tunisia seems as improbable as it does complimentary. In fact, my records show (yes, my numbers OCD strikes again) that I have had "hits" from 127 different countries to date, 20 new sources just this past year.

Of course, I have long since accepted that I may never achieve my personal 15 minutes of fame, let alone be a popular source for commentary, but I am satisfied to think that there are people I have never met, and will never meet, who have read a post or two of mine, not because they know or are related to me, but because they find something interesting, perhaps, dare I say it, inspirational, whether from my opinion pieces or stories.

As I continue to tell people, my current mantra is, global anxiety, which means being aware of the backwards trends that are occurring all around us, but also personal happiness, translated as appreciating the love in one's life, and the good times which come along, or are sought out and realized.

In other words, having the ability to have two thoughts in one's head at once, but not allowing one to dominate the other.

Finally, as I have mentioned multiple times in the past, I continue to read the Smithsonian Magazine which is often a source of positive articles.

The December issue featured two articles that inspired me to think more hopefully of the future, although one was about something that, while is still exists today, was built over 100 years ago.

In 1902 there was a horrific train crash on Manhattan Island which killed 17 people. From that horrible event, a man named William J Wilgus, a self taught engineer at that, would design the Grand Central Terminal, a building that catapulted the transportation industry into the future. His vision eliminated the steam driven trains that polluted the air while creating safety hazards, replacing them with electric trains, in addition to sinking all the train tracks below the surface while creating two levels, one for commuter trains, one for longer distance travel.

His concept was as revolutionary as it was costly. But here, again, he solved it with out of the box thinking by proposing the utilization of the concept known as "air" rights, which stated that whomever owns the soil, owns the air above it. As the railroad company owned all the land already, and since Wilgus's proposed design of underground rail lines included being covered with heavily reinforced girders and pavement, the resulting real estate above the structure could be leased to developers, reaping millions of dollars, in perpetuity.

Wilgus not only solved the challenge of completely re-imagining urban train travel, he solved the even more difficult question of funding.

So why does this inspire hope for the future? Because perhaps such grand ideas, which can occur at any time, anywhere are lurking in the ether, just awaiting to occur. Some soon to be "flash of light" as Wilgus described the genesis of his idea. An inspiration that will help us address climate change, or poverty, or income inequality, or any of the myriad problems that we face, personally, nationally, globally.

The other December article described the efforts being made to save and help regenerate kelp forests. I know, kelp isn't very sexy. Not like saving whales or leopards, or even the rain forests. But if you were to read the article, "The Kelp Comeback", you will understand that our neglect of the ocean is as critical an error as our profit driven attacks on land. 

The hope comes from the people, indigenous as well as non-indigenous, who are working tirelessly to restore kelp forests off the coast of California, as well as along other coasts across the globe. The article, like other such excellent reporting on recognizing the importance of respecting the interactions of nature, and the harm we do when we ignore that interconnectedness, also provides possible solutions to problems ranging from the acidification of the oceans to reducing the use of pesticides to grow our food to preserving sea animal diversity from which the next great medicine may be discovered. 

All in all, I begin 2026 on a positive note, notwithstanding the obvious threats that are on display every day. Whether this touch of optimism lasts a few days, weeks or months, Happy New Year. I hope you had a memorable holiday these past few weeks, and that 2026 brings happiness and health to you and your families.