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Commentary Predictions that we didn't make
by Robert Falcione December 31, 2006 — A black governor elected in 2006, the first ever in Massachusetts, Democrat Duval Patrick, would never had been on anyone's predictions list. And if he had lost the race, the governor-elect would be the first female elected governor of the state. The Big Dig fiasco, a manifestation of the reason why some people take the stairs, was not on anyone's list. A woman died as a result of a cement ceiling panel crushing the car in which she was riding in a tunnel that was built as part of the Big Dig. It also led to the push from power of Matt Amorello by fellow Republican, Governor Mitt Romney, who had been calling for the head of the head of the Turnpike Authority for a long while. Health Care for everyone mandated by a Republican Governor, Mitt Romney, took a lot of people by surprise. Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy has been proposing some sort of universal health care ever since he was a young man, and seems no closer for the effort. But at first glance the new proposal appears to be simply a means to extract some money from people who can't afford conventional insurance, but would qualify for Free Care if a serious illness befell them. It looks a little like mandatory automobile insurance, but for human bodies instead. Next there'll be UPC codes on people's foreheads that get scanned for up-to-date insurance when you pass a police officer. And the "sticker" on the windshield will actually be whether you've had a physical exam in a particular year. "Excuse me, but I see you haven't had a checkup this year," says the police officer to the citizen. "Do you know how much it costs when you let things go. I see you have a record. Last year you were also cited for not having a physical, and you ended up having having a stroke, which could have been prevented if you had gone for an exam. Your high blood pressure would have been treated, thereby preventing the more costly treatment. This costs everyone money. You are under arrest for not having a physical during the prescribed time." The Democrats taking over Congress. Not until a 17 year-old made some instant messages public did this seem possible. Still in Iraq. In retrospect, perhaps we can agree that we won the war, but find the peace tough to manage. Perhaps the US shouldn't have dismantled the Iraqi Army and destroyed the infrastructure of the country. Perhaps the troops will be in another Middle East country in 2007. Or even home. Newspaper circulation continued to decline in 2006, a trend that started with the advent of Cable news and continues perhaps at a more rapid speed today because of the internet. YouTube sold for $1.65 billion to Google. Did Andy Warhol get lucky on this prediction? Regular HopNews readers may have noticed that in the last two days, HopNews videos are now being presented on YouTube. We'll see how it goes.
The Hopkinton News stories for 2007 No one could have predicted the meteoric rise of HopNews.com in 2006, or the double murder that fueled it. The story of Rachel and Lillian Rose Entwistle being shot in their home, and Rachel's husband Neil returning to England following his discovery of the bodies, and his subsequent arrest, made the town of Hopkinton the center of local, regional, national and international news stories. It was the top story of the year. Relive it here. |
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