Congratulations. If you are reading this, you’ve somehow managed to survive the garbage festival that was 2021 and lived to see the dawn of 2022. I long ago gave up making resolutions for the new year, but if that’s a tradition that you still embrace, I wish you the best of luck with them. Before we launch into another year of news and analysis, I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued visits to our site and your engagement on issues vital to our country. I also wanted to touch on a few of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2021 as we welcome the new year ahead of us.

One of the saddest bits of news arrived less than 24 hours ago. Only a few weeks before her 100th birthday and just hours before the calendar flipped its last page, Betty White departed this world. I had honestly reached the point where I believed that she might be immortal, given how long she was with us and how ubiquitous she was in entertainment and charitable work. It’s a terrible loss, but she leaves behind an incredible legacy. Hopefully, she’s back in the arms of her beloved husband, Allen Ludden as she frequently said she hoped would happen one day.

Looking back at the most frequently used tags over the past year, it’s unfortunate that the biggest story of 2021 was “the C-word” that I’d prefer not to utter in the first post of the year. But there was plenty of other news that managed to find space on the front page here. Unfortunately, not very much of it was good. The botched withdrawal from Afghanistan was also near the top of the list and more than four months later there are still people stuck in that country after being left behind. China’s toxic influence on the world continues to expand, having eradicated democracy in Hong Kong while threatening to do the same to Taiwan. If there is one lesson I hope America and our allies manage to take away from 2020 it would be the realization that allowing the Chinese Communist Party to take over and dominate the global supply chain was one of the greatest blunders we have ever collectively committed. Correcting that error will be a lengthy and painful process if it’s even possible at all.

Russia continued its own resurgence in 2021 while demonstrating that Moscow’s hostility toward the west remains unabated and their desire for advanced weaponry seems to be pushing us closer and closer to another cold war. Back on the home front, the culture wars have shown no signs of slowing down and the nation appears to be as divided as I’ve ever seen it in my lifetime.

I hope that we somehow find a way to turn things around in 2022. After all, the new year is traditionally the time for new beginnings. The midterm elections are less than a year away and it’s possible that we may restore some level of balance and sanity to the government. New figures will be taking the stage as we move forward and the optimists among us can hold on to the hope that improvements are possible. Speaking of which, New York City always seems to find a way to be the first place to generate breaking news. That tradition continued last night when Eric Adams was sworn in as the next Mayor of Gotham only moments after the ball dropped. After eight long, disastrous years under the thumb of Bill de Blasio, perhaps this retired police officer will produce some results. I’ll have my fingers crossed for him.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday weekend and start off 2022 on a positive note. The Lord knows we could all use some good news after the year we just finished.

UPDATE: (Jazz) The name of Betty White’s last husband was referenced incorrectly. That has been corrected.