Crappy New Year

**An old CS friend left me a voicemail as I napped with the phone on Do Not Disturb mode. My reply, by email: Hey, thanks for the phone message. My New Year will be more or less "happy" until January 20. Then it will be a full of struggle as Putin's Poodle takes the reins of government. Will nuclear war come this year? Or next? Will I get another year of Social Security? Or not? Will I have to go fishing for health care coverage with a meager voucher, or will that not come until 2018? This may be a good year to die.

Yes, I'm certainly pessimistic about the coming year(s). I've read quite a bit about how Hitler came to power, and it was through democratic means. Shame on us for abandoning our ideals. May we not sink into the comfort of normalization as the Hunger Games begin.

I'm pretty sure you disagree with me but that's OK. We'll all have to brave the shitstorm that’s coming. Some more than others.