Whether or not you think 2010 is the start of a new decade, one thing that we can agree on is the explosion of editorials proclaiming that the last decade has been the ‘Worst. Decade. Ever.’
And I admit that there was a lot to be depressed about: 9/11 and the ensuing loss of civil liberties, Guantanamo Bay, Iraq & Afghanistan wars and general TSA nonsense.
The ever escalating War on Drugs and the militarization of the police.
Bush. Medicare part D. Exploding deficits. TARP. NCLB.
Obama. TARP. Exploding deficits. Basically Bush Part II, only more so.
Kelo and continued erosion of property rights.
Yet in spite of the constant encroachment of government into every aspect of our lives are lives have gotten immeasurably better.
The explosion of digital media: iPods, Netflix, streaming video, Kindle.
Ubiquitous cellular service and smart phones so that we can be connected everywhere all the time (unless, of course, you are an AT&T customer).
Social networks allowing us to keep in contact with those that we care about all the time.
Blogs – which for me, has given me a far better education that anything I have gotten in formal schooling.
Hybrid cars, long last batteries, $300 computers, high speed internet, HDTV, game consoles, self-checkout, Bluetooth, cheap storage, the emergence of Google, the re-emergence of Apple, medical advances too numerous to mention.
The list really just goes on and on. So the next time you read one of those stories telling you how crappy the last ten years has been ask yourself – do you really want to go back and live with the stuff that was available in 2000?
I know that my answer is a resounding ‘No!
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