Fenestration hallucination: Political predictions for 2013

"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -Thomas Jefferson 

 I promise this is last political blog I’ll ever write.

These days, pundits and pollsters are in the prediction business.  This is mine: The Senate will continue to be split almost 50-50 but remain under Democratic leadership, and the House will remain under Republican control.

Consider what the next Congress faces after being sworn in January 2013:

• We face the largest national deficit in history.
• Most states face huge deficits.  Key states like Illinois and California might never be able to recover from their debt obligations.
• We face a slow, ongoing economic recovery with continuing high unemployment rates and a slowly recovering housing industry.
• The U.S. might be dragged into a war between Israel and Iran.  The world economy could be decimated and fuel prices could go sky high.  Even if that never happens, uncertainty in the Middle East will continue for some time to come and affect the world.
• No changes might be made to Obamacare.  Approaching 2014, we might all face complexity and cost no government, business or individual can contemplate.
• Public and private sector unfunded pension liability is the huge, ignored 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over all of our heads for the next decade or more.

Regardless of whoever wins the White House, our future will only improve when those in government at the federal, state and local levels find political courage, wisdom and the willingness to compromise.

May God help us all, because that seems unlikely. 

"The future ain't what it used to be." -Yogi Berra

Rod Van Buskirk is the third-generation owner of Bacon & Van Buskirk Glass Co., with locations in Champaign and Springfield, Ill. A past NGA Chairman, Rod looks quarterly at the industry from the middle of nowhere, steals ideas from anyone he can and pretends to know what he’s talking about. Rod invites your comments as you are certainly smarter than he is.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.