Another year has come and gone. Twenty-eighteen is in the rear-view mirror and the history book is closed.

To the untrained eye it seems to me that 2019 sure looks a lot like 2018 — and even worse 2017.

We still have a dysfunctional Congress, we still have a government shutdown. We still have no healthcare plan to speak of, no wall.

The Democrats take over the House of Representatives in January.

Sears, JC Penny and General Electric are going down in flames. Facebook is about as private as an outhouse with no door.

Little movement in the improvement of the middle class. Mueller is still going strong.

We have a flat stock market, tariffs and the threat of a presidential impeachment. So, what exactly are we celebrating as we tear the wrapping off 2019?

Some Improvements

We do have lower taxes that should be reflected in our April 15^th returns. We’re slowly pulling troops out of the Middle East.

Rocket Man has stopped firing missiles at Guam and Japan.

Gas prices made Christmas a little easier as we move into the gloom of January to March

So, I guess from that standpoint there are some bright spots as we move into the new year.

Some Final Thoughts

It still looks like 2016, 2017 and 2018 were just one really long year. Thirty-six months of stalemate between Congress and the President.

While unemployment numbers are down the workforce participation rate has hardly moved.

While we may feel a little better it still seems like some of Mom’s chicken soup would help.

I’m doing my best to look at 2019 with a positive attitude but that only works till I turn on some news.

Then all three years become one big blur.