Happy New Year

I'd like to echo Philo's holiday specific comments. Happy New Year to our readers.

This year will be marked by another Easter, 4th of July and Christmas. Each of these holidays that allow us to remember our nation's (and the rest of the western world's) religious, philosophical and political heritage and evolution. As we celebrate them this year they will be accompanied by another celebration of the evolution of the western world, a good old fashioned political campaign.

Though I will not buy into the eventual hype and hyperbole that will come around as the campaign intensifies this is as critical a presidential election as any in recent memory. The ground between the major candidates in the two parties is not as great as they would all like us to believe but the differences are real enough in the areas of war and peace, trade, tax, health and on social issues of importance that the trend in the character of the nation will be impacted by the election.

So on to Iowa and Happy New Year - here's to good health and good cheer when it comes time to celebrate Christmas this year.