RICHARDSON: Looking back to see forward
The new year is three days old, but I think it's too early to slam the file cabinet shut on 2015. Any year we survive is a good year. We all have friends and family who will not be with us this year. However, like angel dust, they left parts of themselves behind in the things they touched and the lives they led. We can lean on those memories to get us through the tough times ahead.
My inventory of 2015 is one of gratitude to a host of people, including good friends who took care of me when I didn't have the sense to take care of myself during a bout with pneumonia. All of a sudden, having a Level 1 trauma center down the street is really important to me and will become more so as the digits of my age, with any luck, advance.
I really hadn't given much thought to where I would land when and if I retired, but I know it's going to be somewhere, maybe right here, with great health care available. While I still believe I've got an "S" on my chest, I see the reality when I look in the mirror.
While I can't thank everyone who's on my 2015 impact list, I can't leave one someone out: Andy Watson. He's a friend in so many ways. Professionally, he's given me peace of mind. I won't end up having to be a greeter at Wal-Mart. No offense to Wal-Mart greeters, but that's a job you should want to do, not have to do.
Andy and I are also members of the Downtown Rotary Club, and our club is a hands-on organization that gets things done. We're proud of that. Most of all, when Andy says he's praying for you, he means it. He prays for me a lot.
I'm thankful for my in-laws, Joe and Kay. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary last year. What an example they've set. I don't know if I'll make it to No. 60 (I'd be 104) but you never know, eh?
Then there are people I we didn't see all that often, but I felt better knowing they were part of our community. They're gone now: Bill Odom Jr., Damon King, Ken Jones, Lee Robinson, George Saunders, Ann Fugate and my old colleague R.L. Day. This is not an exhaustive list. There are so many more than I can mention here.
I'm also thankful for the hundreds of letters I get to read and edit each week. These are people who aren't afraid to put their names, addresses and phone numbers behind their words. They don't hide behind anonymous comment curtains. They put themselves out there for all to see — and for all to judge.
Do I agree with everything on my pages? Of course not. My pages reflect the diverse opinions of Middle Georgia — left, right and in the middle. I know some of you are breaking down in uncontrollable laughter right now. Remember, bias is generally in the eye of the beholder. If you lean in a particular direction, you're likely to see bias in anything that leans in the opposite direction. I think it helpful if you judge these pages over a week's time to see if the cartoons, letters and columns actually do lean more one way or the other.
So what will this new year bring? I'm just going to be honest. On the political side it's going to be pure hell. It's going to heat up quickly. Frankly, I couldn't care less what happens in Iowa and New Hampshire, but Super Tuesday is a different story with primaries in nine states and caucuses in four others on March 1. By March 15, another 13 states will have chimed in. We'll see which candidates really have legs.
Locally? Oh boy. Almost everybody is up for re-election, so hold on to your hats. Here's my wish for 2016. It's really a simple wish. It doesn't cost money. What would happen if the midstate electorate had a turnout in each of the elections — local, state and federal — of above 50 percent? Do you think that would catch a few folks' attention?
Such a turnout would spoil the plans of a particular class of people who believe they know better than the unwashed masses and are willing to buy the elections to prove it. But a turnout above 50 percent throws a big, shiny monkey wrench into those plans. I'm up for it. How 'bout you?
Charles E. Richardson is The Telegraph's editorial page editor. He can be reached at 478-744-4342.
This story was originally published January 2, 2016 at 7:39 PM with the headline "RICHARDSON: Looking back to see forward ."