As we hope for a bright 2012, it behooves us to reflect on the triumphs and difficulties of the year that just ended.
The American people rejoiced a few days ago as the final U.S. troops pulled out of Iraq, following a nine-year war there that cost more than 4,000 of our soldiers their lives but gave the Iraqis their first shot at liberty in decades. We welcome our troops home and humbly thank them for their sacrifice in the long and painful Iraq War.
U.S. involvement in Afghanistan -- which we invaded because it was harboring the terrorists who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001 -- continues. The radical Muslim Taliban that harbored the al-Qaida terrorists remain a threat, and our nation certainly does not want Afghanistan to slip back under Taliban control. It was a victory in 2011 when U.S. forces located and killed Osama bin Laden, but it was troubling that he was hiding in Pakistan -- possibly with the knowledge of high-level Pakistani government officials.
Domestically, the presidential race began shaping up late in 2011. While it is uncertain which Republican will challenge President Barack Obama in November's election, the field has narrowed. With the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses just two days from today, the front-runners appear to be former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.
Each of the GOP candidates has strengths and weaknesses, but we hope that by the time the general election rolls around, it will be apparent to most Americans that Obama does not deserve four more years in office.
That raises the most painful domestic issue of the current president's term, which is the weakness of our economy.
The $862 billion federal "stimulus" passed by congressional Democrats in 2009 has been an overwhelming failure. Unemployment today is far higher than it was projected by the Obama administration to be if the stimulus passed, and the chance of significantly reduced unemployment in the near future seems slim. Moreover, subsidies for everything from electric cars to the housing market have not had the promised positive effects, but they have boosted our catastrophically high $15 trillion debt.
To make that all worse, the costly rules of ObamaCare socialized medicine are being imposed bit by bit, putting heavier burdens on the very businesses that our country is relying on to create jobs and economic growth. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule sometime in 2012 on whether key provisions of ObamaCare are constitutional. We do not believe it is constitutional to force the American people to buy government-approved medical insurance, as ObamaCare does. But unless the high court overturns it, the only (slim) prospect for repealing it will be if Republicans keep control of the House in the 2012 elections and gain strong control of the Senate -- and if a Republican president is elected.
Locally, 2011 was a year of happiness and heartache alike. The Chattanooga area continued to do better economically than much of the nation is doing, with ramped-up production at the Volkswagen plant at Enterprise South industrial park, as well as hiring at online retailer Amazon's facilities in Hamilton and Bradley counties and at some other companies.
We suffered a tragic blow in April, however, as tornadoes struck our region, killing scores across Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. Commendably, many of our residents pitched in to help those who were affected.
What is in store for 2012? No one can know for sure. But all of us can do our best to make it a fruitful, happy year -- in our region, our nation and around the world.
Happy New Year!