Patriots: For over 26 years, your generosity has made it possible to offer The Patriot Post without a subscription fee to military personnel, students, and those with limited means. Please support the 2024 Year-End Campaign today.

December 4, 2008

What Happened to Optimism?

During the Great Depression and World War II, truly challenging times, there were songs that boosted the spirits of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. “There’ll Be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover” was one; “Look for the Silver Lining,” was another. More recently, the Broadway musical “Annie” lifted theatergoers out of what Jimmy Carter, in 1979, called our “malaise” with the song “Tomorrow” –  "The sun’ll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun…“

Where is that optimism today in the midst of the sharp economic downturn? One doesn’t hear much of it from politicians and especially not from the media, which trades exclusively in gloom and doom. President Bush has said he believes things will get better. That’s not exactly a rousing sentiment. Barack Obama hasn’t displayed much optimism, other than his campaign rhetoric for undefined "change.” OK, so the economy is weak. Who thinks this is a permanent condition? Americans have always been optimists. Where is that optimism when we need it most?

Ric Edelman, the best-selling author of money management books, in his online newsletter (www.ricedelman.com), reminds me of some things that ought to increase our optimism and keep us from judging the future by the current condition of our anemic retirement accounts.

Edelman notes that the United States remains the largest, most powerful economy in the world. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 95 percent of the consumers of American goods live outside the United States. According to Ambassador Susan C. Schwab, U.S. Trade Representative, in the first seven months of 2008, U.S. exports of goods and services “were 18.3 percent higher than in the same period in 2007.” Schwab added, “The United States remains a global leader in manufacturing, services and agriculture.” The U.S. produces nearly one-fourth of the world’s industrial output, making it the world’s largest manufacturer. And, most importantly, significant growth is projected for many sectors of the economy. One example: employment in computer systems design and related services, according to the Department of Labor’s Outlook Handbook, is projected to grow nearly 40 percent by 2016. Jobs in education services are expected to increase by 11 percent by 2016; health care service

employment is projected to grow by 22 percent. Other sectors also expect sizeable job growth, such as energy, insurance and professional services.

You say that’s not much solace to someone who has just been laid-off? Maybe not if that person sits at home waiting for opportunity to knock. But maybe so, if that person leaves the house and starts banging on opportunity’s door.

There’s plenty more cause for optimism. Listen up you laid-off autoworkers. Nissan, BMW’s Mini and Audi will introduce electric cars in the next few years. They all have plants in America. The electric Mini is scheduled to reach showrooms next year. The future is not petroleum addiction, but alternative energy. In Bahrain, a new skyscraper, the Bahrain World Trade Center, features three wind turbines that supply 11 percent to 15 percent of the building’s electricity needs. Floating, moveable wind turbines are being developed for ocean use as well, which will allow for large wind farms at sea.

Yes, we can free ourselves from the religious nuts that sell us oil and use the profits to underwrite terrorism.

Want more? Scientists have just announced a cure for Type-1 diabetes in lab mice. This breakthrough could mean a cure within a few years for more than 1 million American children who suffer from Type-1 diabetes, also called juvenile diabetes.

Pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies are testing a record 633 new biotech medicines, which could lead to better treatments and, eventually, to cures for cancer and infectious, autoimmune and cardiovascular disease.

While the stock market suffers from what history teaches will be a temporary setback, these other advances will have a permanent and positive effect on our country and the world.

So come on everybody (harmony!):

“The sun’ll come out tomorrow, so ya gotta hang on ‘til tomorrow, come what may. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya tomorrow, you’re always a day away.”

© 2008 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

Who We Are

The Patriot Post is a highly acclaimed weekday digest of news analysis, policy and opinion written from the heartland — as opposed to the MSM’s ubiquitous Beltway echo chambers — for grassroots leaders nationwide. More

What We Offer

On the Web

We provide solid conservative perspective on the most important issues, including analysis, opinion columns, headline summaries, memes, cartoons and much more.

Via Email

Choose our full-length Digest or our quick-reading Snapshot for a summary of important news. We also offer Cartoons & Memes on Monday and Alexander’s column on Wednesday.

Our Mission

The Patriot Post is steadfast in our mission to extend the endowment of Liberty to the next generation by advocating for individual rights and responsibilities, supporting the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and promoting free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. We are a rock-solid conservative touchstone for the expanding ranks of grassroots Americans Patriots from all walks of life. Our mission and operation budgets are not financed by any political or special interest groups, and to protect our editorial integrity, we accept no advertising. We are sustained solely by you. Please support The Patriot Fund today!


The Patriot Post and Patriot Foundation Trust, in keeping with our Military Mission of Service to our uniformed service members and veterans, are proud to support and promote the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, both the Honoring the Sacrifice and Warrior Freedom Service Dogs aiding wounded veterans, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the National Veterans Entrepreneurship Program, the Folds of Honor outreach, and Officer Christian Fellowship, the Air University Foundation, and Naval War College Foundation, and the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation. "Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)

★ PUBLIUS ★

“Our cause is noble; it is the cause of mankind!” —George Washington

Please join us in prayer for our nation — that righteous leaders would rise and prevail and we would be united as Americans. Pray also for the protection of our Military Patriots, Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Please lift up your Patriot team and our mission to support and defend our Republic's Founding Principle of Liberty, that the fires of freedom would be ignited in the hearts and minds of our countrymen.

The Patriot Post is protected speech, as enumerated in the First Amendment and enforced by the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, in accordance with the endowed and unalienable Rights of All Mankind.

Copyright © 2024 The Patriot Post. All Rights Reserved.

The Patriot Post does not support Internet Explorer. We recommend installing the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome.