What Will 2009 Bring?

2008 turned out to be a turbulent year. It was a year marked by many new buzz words.  Change and bailout made that list.  But if there is one word that was overlooked that best describes 2008, I would have to pick the word low.  Not a very profound word, but it seems to me, a very appropriate word.  From weather temperatures falling to all-time lows around the country, to stock markets taking the lowest dive since the Great Depression, to interest rates falling to a new record low, to housing prices declining and continuing to fall, to the sitting president’s approval rating.  Well, you get the picture.  It seems like nothing was left untouched by low.  When we celebrated the count down to 2008, little did we expect that it would be a year of this bottomless, un-ending ride downhill.  We partied like it was 2008, made resolutions we knew we wouldn’t keep, and cheered in that new year with the usual innocent glee and optimism that welcomes each new year, totally unaware of what was in store for us as the year progressed.

So, here we are again, the beginning of a new year, wanting change more than ever and wondering what  2009 will bring in the wake of 2008.  For some Americans, the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency offers a ray of hope, but the needs and problems he will face seem immense.  Even under a best-case scenario, it will take time for the economy to recover and the global situation to stabilize. Unemployment will continue to decline, more businesses will close and more houses wil go into foreclosure.  Right after Obama was elected, we began to hear him change his tune from change and hope to talk about lowered expectations (Yes my friends, another low for 2008). About all it seems we can hope for in 2009 is that things don’t get any worse. If we don’t expect much from 2009, maybe we will end up being pleasantly surprised.

And, when it comes to the stock market, according to MarketBeat, expectations run the gambit from  a 45% turn around to another dreary year of grinding losses.  Some of the positive impacts on the market will be the Federal Reserve’s considerable efforts to pump money back into the economy, along with an expectation of a massive stimulus package from the government that focuses on tax cuts and infrastructure improvement.  But some analysts believe that this will only help for the first half of the year, and that increasing protectionism, declining profits, and a loss of confidence in U.S. assets by foreigners will bring the economy tumbling back down in the second half.  We also have to keep in mind that this recession is a world event and what our government does will only impact change just so much.

We begin this new year with the lowest expectations most of us have ever been witness to.  In light of these uncertain times, Iet us not forget to appreciate what we still have, and hope that the human condition will improve around the world and that peace will prevail over war in the year to come.  We all know that year 2009 will be one of personal challenges for many Americans, as well as others around the world, and  the adversity that comes with the upcoming year will surely put our character and faith to the test.  But let us not forget that no  one is in this alone.  Reach out to your neighbors, friends, family and others in your community and lend a helping hand where you can.  If we all pitch in and help a little we can make a big difference in the outcome of 2009.’; //leave this line

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