As always, around this time of the year, we have no speakers over Christmas and New Years. That is not the entire story. The Rotary club meets and we have subjects to discuss and thoughts to be aired. Some are serious: We had a decreased membership the last two years. How many students can we support? What about other contributions to tornado victims, to drinkable water supplies to under developed areas in the world? The list goes on. We must support where ever we can and Rotary feels very strongly that somehow, we must find the funding to alleviate suffering. We have a custom of collecting what we call a happy buck at Rotary luncheons; telling our members what it is we are happy about. I thought of making a tongue in cheek prediction of happenings in 2014:
1 The Democrats and Republicans will agree on all issues in Congress as well as the Senate.
2 Our government will not commit errors in domestic affairs or decisions in foreign involvements.
3 Our astronomical national debt will drastically decline.
4 The Palestinians and Israelis will see the enormous advantages for both peoples and make a reasonable peace.
5 The Iranians will abandon their ambition to become a nuclear power.
6 The Europeans will wholeheartedly support our international designs.
7 The world will recognize our noble intentions in all our actions around the globe and change their anti-American feelings to approval of our involvements and we will be loved again.
8 We, as Americans, will stop smoking, using drugs and all of us will behave in a decent and acceptable manner.
9 Our students will seriously concentrate on their education instead of texting.
10 Corruption on all levels will be a bad habit of the past. There you have it. Ten hopes not commandments.