Last year on this date I wrote a column featuring "10 wishes for2010." It was sweet, but with the exception of our unexpectedlyglorious New England summer, few of my wishes (comity in Washington,peace on earth, etc.) came true. Sad to say, it's a lot easier tofind things we wish not to happen. Herewith, my admittedly quirkylist of 11 things we can do without in 2011. Feel free to suggestyour own:
1) More casino capitalism. This month we heard about a group ofhedge fund investors trading in a hot new commodity: claimsettlements for victims of Bernard Madoff's massive fraud. TheseWall Street sharpies are offering pennies on the dollar forclaimants who want a guaranteed payout. What's next - pooling thepayments and then dicing them into derivatives? Did we learn nothingfrom the financial collapse?
2) Another seance with the founders. Coming soon, a heated debateabout the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution - the one thatdefends the citizenship status of children born to illegalimmigrants. Like the debate over the "real" meaning of the 2ndAmendment, both sides of the issue will claim to know the one trueintent of the authors, 144 years ago. And like the 2nd Amendmentdebate and gun violence, the fight over the 14th will only distractfrom legitimate problems with immigration.
3) "Actually." This filler adverb - the new "really" - issuddenly being misused everywhere. "She's not actually in rightnow." "We're actually closed Sunday." Arrgh! The word grates on theinner ear like aural sandpaper.
4) Gridlock, secret holds, filibuster threats, and other abusesof the US Senate. When even the winner of the Nobel Prize ineconomics can have his appointment to the Federal Reserve blocked bya single disgruntled senator, something is seriously amiss in theworld's greatest deliberative body.
5) Noise escalation. The modern world has become so clamorousthat Congress just passed legislation requiring that engine soundsbe added in to silent hybrid cars for safety purposes. With snowblowers in winter, lawnmowers in spring, weed whackers in thesummertime, and leaf blowers in the fall, quiet has become a too-precious commodity: exclusive, expensive - and exquisite.
8) Faux populism. From Bristol Palin besting the judges'preferred dancers on reality TV to complaints that the Supreme Courtis top-heavy with Ivy League graduates, expertise is under attack.The rage is all for outsiders and autodidacts - a trend escalatedby the Internet, where anyone can diagnose their own illness or fixtheir own car. Unfortunately, not all opinions are created equal.
9) The sulfurous tone of online comments. We hard-bittenjournalists can take it, but the vile insults hurled at the subjectsof news stories - or by the posters at each other - drive away allbut the extremists and coarsen the debate. The Internet's greatpromise is its democratizing effect: a place where everyone can beheard. But not when they're drowned out by screaming schoolyardbullies.
8) Mayoral jockeying. Word is that Boston City Councilor SteveMurphy is everyone's choice for council president because he is theone member not expected to use the post as a springboard to run formayor. With homicides up steeply over 2009 and chronically failingschools, the city has too many real problems to be obsessed withwho's got the advantage in the 2013 race to succeed Tom Menino.
9) Restocking charges. Sure, people sometimes abuse returnpolicies, but a 15 percent fee for taking back an unwanted orimperfect holiday gift seems excessive. Best Buy backed off thepractice this season, but other retailers still claim they need tobe reimbursed for elaborate packaging. How about reducing thepackaging instead?
10) Generational warfare. With heightened fears about the federaldebt, the fate of Social Security is sure to be on the griddle in2011. This will surely spark more grousing about entitled eldersprotecting their benefits while child care and education go begging.But why choose? With a progressive tax policy, serious cuts inmilitary spending, and real reforms in health care delivery, thereshould be enough funding for everybody.
11) Arrogant, smug, know-it-all columnists. (Note to onlinecommenters: Beat you to it!)
Renee Loth's column appears regularly in the Globe.
01loth.ART
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