As I read this or that and watch the local or national evening news I can't help feeling pretty depressed about what is happening in this country and abroad. Is there any good news to report anymore? Iraq is a mess, the Middle East is a ticking time bomb, the national real estate market appears to positioning itself to crash and burn anytime soon, the national budget deficit is growing, and growing and growing while our political leaders remain asleep at the wheel, and the rising cost of medical services, gasoline, energy, etc., all add up to bad, bad, news.....and.....does anyone seriously think things are going to get better any time soon?....or even pretty soon?.......Bush's speeches ring hollow and his recent approval ratings reflect that no one is buying what he has to sell anymore except for the loyal diehards who no doubt will stand by their man no matter what....Just wish I could find something positive on the national or international scene to hang my hat on. Doom and gloom aside for a moment....I know there are individual stories out there about people who are making a difference in this world, locally, nationally, and internationally. Mother Teresa may no longer be with us but her legion of inspired disciples are alive and well in this country and abroad. I also know that before things can get better they may have to get worse. It's the nature of the beast or what some may call Murphy's Law...and a personal note.....Personally I can't and don't want to complain, except for my tax situation which I already vented about the other day. I have about a secure job as one can have and have been at it for almost 20 years now. Even got a nine percent raise just the other day. Have a roof over my head, good health, and family and freinds who love me. My car runs and hell I possess all the latest gadgets a middle class man could ever want. My housing situation ain't particulary ideal but I intend on buying up some nice forclosure property as soon as the real estate market hits rock bottom in a couple of years...wishful thinking.....back to doom and gloom....Hope I am wrong but do now strongly suspect we are in for some tough times on numerous fronts in the decade to come and am particularly concerned for the future of my children and all the folks who get caught in the middle of what I fear may be coming. Just hope we can avoid an international and national crisis like another World War and a full blown economic/energy crisis. And hope.....and hope.....we can begin to turn things around before we do too much more damage. Surely people can now see we have been headed down the wrong paths on numerous fronts. Don't want to blame it all on the politicians and surely there is enough blame to go around, for us all. The hour is late and we all need to wake up, move beyond denial, and do what we can in our own little place in the world and may we do so with courage, passion, and wisdom....The sun hasn't been out much in the last couple of weeks which is highly unusual for this time of the year and perhaps that is contributing to my sense of gloom and doom. Also concede I have a terrible pessimistic streak in me which rears it's ugly head from time to time....but.....I also suspect it ain't just all in my head. Too many bad indicators out there to at least make one take seriously the concerns that I and others are raising. We live in a great country in many regards and just hope and pray that we can again rise to meet the latest challenge that faces us all. The world is watching...and...our children and grandchildren deserve better....