Every year about this time, I feel an urge to reflect upon my accomplishments and privately rank them for their impact on my life.

This year, Gentle Reader, I really don’t have much to rate unless you consider simply staying alive and maintaining a comfortable lifestyle an accomplishment.

It is, I suppose, especially from the national and global perspective. Many people will be reflecting on 2008 with disdain of one sort or another.

But a bunch of things did go right. The liquor stayed nicely stocked, and the cat I ordered was delivered in plenty of time for the holiday festivities.

Just kidding about the cat, folks. Pat claims this one, and she helps with shipping. (Anyone find a chewed up plastic mouse in the box with your dirty movies? We’re missing one!)

But this pic goes a long way to explaining how I’ve felt this year. I’ve felt like a cat playing with a cardboard box. Sure, I can claim it and defend it in the short term - but I know damn well it could get whisked away from under me on a whim, like most of my 401(K for Krash!) was.

Yes, 2008 has certainly been a year for living with your nuts within the jaws of the pliers, waiting for someone to squeeze…

Or merely squeeze a little harder.

Hopefully all this is about to change, or at least start changing.

The reason we’re in the pickle we’re in is basically lousy management. As a country, we went into a common-sense coma for a while and hired a nice mix of footpads, cutpurses, confidence men, fascists, liars, hit men and just plain drooling village idiots to run things for us and they have, right into the damn ground.

I’m going to rant for a moment about the Detroit 3, and the jist of my rant is this: Why do our elected leaders want our car makers to match the wages paid by Japanese companies?

Isn’t it enough that we practically gave these guys blowjobs inviting them over to compete against our own plants and workers? Is there some reason that we don’t want American companies making cars and paying decent wages?

But, like I said - change is in the wind. We have a new president coming online shortly, and I truly feel things will get much better.

Obama has at least as much common sense and compassion as Granny, which puts him leaps and bounds ahead of the footpads, cutpurses, confidence men, fascists, liars, hit men and just plain drooling village idiots who are, so thankfully, on their way out. It’s going to be a nice change.

~ pagemonkey