Some Reasons to be Optimistic Entering a New Year

Fueling the joy that accompanies the beginning of a new year is a perhaps naive optimism that the troubles of the previous twelve months are being left behind, as if the clock striking 12 on January 1 is a catharsis  rather than just a simple flip of a calendar page. Were it only so; with jobless numbers still hitting double digits in the US and the repercussions of the financial crisis still reverberating through both the halls of Congress and the alleys of downtown Manhattan, many hesitate to embrace hopes that 2010 will indeed signal a fresh start.

However, despite these concerns and its practice of taking a daily serving of realism, BlawgConomics sees reasons to join the optimistic camp on the first day of this year. We at the site have a lot to be thankful for on a personal level. For example, this contribution represents the milestone 100th posting since the site began in September. Additionally, the site has been recognized as a top blawg in both student and legal theory categories by the folks at Justia.com and has had stories picked up by other blogs and websites all over the world. We have also had the great pleasure of posting fantastic contributions by very smart people tackling some very difficult topics, and have been thrilled to see the insightful comments made by followers of the site (excluding of course the advertisements in Mandarin for x-rated movies in November.)

In addition to what are admittedly personal signs of hope are some more broadly consequential current news items adding to a sense of hope. Among these are included the rally of US equities during the year, the declining rate of jobless claims over the past few weeks, and perhaps the most heartwarming news of all; the elimination of combat deaths of American troops in Iraq during the month of December. Though good news in its own right, the statistic is hardly a blip, for troop deaths have been on the decline since the first half of 2009. Whatever side of the Iraq debate one finds themselves, that is surely encouraging. Here's hoping that the noted trends continue and lead to even greater news in the coming year. If so, 2010 could truly be a year worthy of kicking off a new decade.