Tom Suozzi

It’s a new year, so let’s get started

Posted

Twenty-sixteen is a new year full of possibilities. We have a lot to do. Is it just me, or do people seem worried?

People are trying to kill each other all over the world. Terrorists and jihadists don’t show any signs of stopping their murderous ways, and trying to kill them before they kill others seems to be the primary strategy.

Here in America, gun violence seems to dominate the headlines every few weeks. People with mental illnesses or who are disaffected in some way have ready access to guns, and without warning they are killing others in schools, in shopping centers or somewhere it is least expected. Leaders have been fighting over gun control for decades, but not much seems to be getting done to solve the problem.

Disturbing weather events seem more common. Droughts or floods, extreme heat or cold, warmer weather when it’s supposed to be cold, or just something out of the ordinary seems to be the new normal. Yet the debate about climate change, which started about 30 years ago, seems like it remains unresolved.

The federal deficit isn’t talked about as much as it once was, but it sure is high. America owes over $18 trillion. While our economy has done better than most of the world since the 2008 worldwide economic collapse, what happens if it stalls again with all of that debt outstanding? With less tax revenue coming in and continued spending on essentials like Social Security, Medicaid and the military, we could be in big trouble.

If the stock market collapses again, everyone’s retirement savings will be hit, but obvious solutions, like reducing corporate taxes on money sheltered offshore, seem like topics leaders talk about, but never seem to come together on.

Many recent college graduates seem to have a tough time finding jobs. People willing to work hard find it more difficult to move up from living paycheck-to-paycheck to economic security. The middle class is shrinking, income inequality is growing and the American dream of home ownership, funding your children’s college education, good health insurance and retiring in security seems more and more out of reach. What’s the answer to these and many other questions causing anxiety?

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