A Real, Proper Farewell To 2023
A Letter of Appreciation to My Readers and A Taste of What's to Come in 2024.
Let’s wrap up 2023 with a real kickoff to 2024:
Check out this great recap of overlooked stories from 2023 by my older brother on his Salzillo’s Two Cents blog.
Be ready for much more to come on several events—from unearthing U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s problematic track record (reminder: next
Pension Commission meeting is on Wednesday 1/17/24), to the tragic decline of the old Democratic Party in 1992 & the renewed commitment to revive its ideals today, the corrosion of the Republican Party by Donald Trump, and the many other key political issues of the day.
To close it all off, a lot has gone on, with recent events often testing our resolve and our willpower. So I would like to end 2023 on some positive notes, both for the world and on a more personal level.
The spirit of hope remains alive in the United States and across the world. There is no question about it. But in 2024, let’s not just hope. Right now, we are in a time of great conflict—whether in Eastern Europe in the fight for sovereignty and independence against Putin’s aggression, or in the violence-stricken Middle East. But now is also the time to continually renew our commitment to fight against authoritarianism, and to fight on the side of freedom and peace.
Right now, we are in a time that tests how we can deal with other people. Too often, our American politics has become a dividing line between one camp and another. If you are not on one side as a friend, you must be a sworn enemy.
And certainly, many Trump followers and conservatives broadly have fallen under the spell of one man who has hardly ever received a rebuke even from those who should know better. And yes, Donald Trump and his most notable enablers in the Republican political establishment are our greatest threat to American democracy right now.
Having said that, in our everyday lives, we could use dialogue and deal with everyone else in a way that does not totally revolve around absolutes.
Personally-speaking, there are plenty of strong disagreements I have with conservatives on many issues. But there is also much room for agreement, as I have discovered.
This year, as I was taking a Research Methods class for Political Science, I met a classmate a year older than me. Even though I volunteered for the 2022 Seth Magaziner for Congress campaign, and he volunteered for Seth’s rival, GOP nominee Allan Fung, I actually found out we had much in common. Among other things, we shared a great enthusiasm for campaign work. In fact, we still regularly talk and text today; and often on the local political scene.
On a similar front, I have also built some relationships with several state Republicans with the help of my local mentors who serve in the General Assembly today, which has laid the foundations for lines of communication and cooperation by Rhode Island progressives and conservatives on issues like addressing Eleanor Slater Hospital’s conditions, and revamping the Providence Public Schools takeover away from what is apparently going to be the newly approved status quo of state government.
I have also continued to juggle college academics with family chores and caretaking for my 92-year-old grandfather, along with a whole variety of political projects And I am learning more about cooking over the Holidays. They say I make a mean mashed potatoes.
And rather remarkably, given the sheer number of new blogs here on the web today, I now have more than 2,750 free subscribers. If it was New Year’s Day 2023 and you told me that, I might not have believed you, so I am very grateful that you all have chosen to hang on and listen to what I have to say.
Maybe that number will grow even more with time to come, but it has been a worthwhile experience so far, especially in contrast to the more negative areas of social media on places like Twitter [not X], Facebook [not Meta], Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat.
Again, stay tuned for 2024. I have a feeling there will be a whole lot to cover.
Look at Dick Van Dyke still kicking, by the way.
And to close it all out, have a very Happy New Year!
MS
