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Every year I sit down and read or watch some version of the Year in Review, whether from Dave Barry, CNN, or whomever. It’s valuable to look back and get some perspective on where we’ve been, but today I feel like looking ahead and thinking about 2023—what will happen in the next 12 months. Where are we going, I prefer to ask, more than where have we been.
So rather than a Year-in-Review let me offer my Year-in-Preview. I do so with one major, major caveat, however. My preview of what is to occur in the next 365 days (actually 364 since it’s already Jan 2) is told from the point of view of the OPTIMIST. My look into the crystal ball is done with the aid of rose-colored glasses, so to be really honest, perhaps you should look upon this not as a preview of what is actually likely to happen, but what I’d like to think might happen. Think of it as my wish list for 2023, five occurrences, some more important and consequential than others.
- COVID 19 declared no longer a public health hazard. It’s over, apparently as a result of a pair of unlikely developments. First, scientists at Johns Hopkins finally found and tested a vaccine that treats immunity through a unique immunologic mechanism that bypasses the need to anticipate or combat endless variants of the virus. And then, once it was unable to create variations that defeated the immune system, the virus somehow gave up and stopped evolving. People celebrated wildly in the streets when the announcement was made on, appropriately, July 4. The only downside of this is that those who had invested heavily in surgical masks went broke.
- Donald Trump is dumped by virtually everyone. The critical event, on March 17, is the announcement by Melania Trump that a) she was asking for a divorce from her husband, and b) that her memoir “My Marriage to a Loser” is to be published in August. Apparently something in Donald’s now-public taxes indicated to Melania’s lawyers that the pre-nup would never stand up in court, at which point she decided to rid herself of her horrible hubby. “He not very good in bed,” she told Oprah. “Never was.” Ivanka also chimed in, telling Anderson Cooper that he never was much of a dad either, and even Don Jr, like a rat escaping a sinking ship, told Tucker Carlson, “I backed the old guy as much as I could, but, you know, he really is a total jerk.”
- The passing of Mike Lindell. Mike Lindell of My Pillow fame died, fittingly, on April 1. Although not ill, it was reported that Lindell passed away quietly in his sleep. Some believe, however, that he was smothered by political enemies using a pillow. Tucker Carlson noted, “”You know, some brands are very good for that sort of thing.”
- Vladimir Putin passes away. On May 8, the Russian leader dies of a massive heart attack. Not realizing he was on a hot mike, Joe Biden was heard saying, ”You know, that was the last way that I ever thought he would die. Who knew that that the old bastard actually had a heart?”
- Peace in Ukraine. After the passing of Putin, a massive power struggle occurs in Russia, with the new regime taking over in Moscow apparently deciding that the only way to survive was to find a way out of the Ukrainian mess. Although reluctant to make the concession, Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to recognize permanently that Crimea was an official part of Russia. In return the Russians agreed to withdraw all its forces and to publicly declare that the rest of Ukraine is sovereign territory separate from Russia, to be respected in perpetuity. Last, the invaders agreed to pay reparations to Ukraine for the destruction done.
2023: Not a bad year overall. Maybe some of this will really happen(!?)
