Asking questions isn’t a bad thing.
Sometimes the most interesting people are the most questioning; those who have the most of offer are often those most curious of others.
But too many questions can be a negative, and can lead to uncertainty, lost confidence and hesitation.
So here we are, about to start the last year of the first decade of a new century.
And boy, do we have questions.
How long will it last?
The “hunker down” mentality of business, particularly banks, is a worrisome sign that the economic downtown will have legs through the first half of the New Year.
That affects everybody through lost jobs, tight credit and flat line growth.
One of the biggest questions of 2009 is just how long the pain continues.
Can Obama really “change” Washington?
The Clintons were the last young energetic movement to promise change in Washington, only to run into the brick wall called “same old same old.”
Barack Obama is already working on a different line than predecessors by reaching out to both sides of the aisle for help with his administration.
Liberals are already grumbling that Obama appears ready to use the support of the left to govern from the middle.
But can the new President implement truly new policy in face of entrenched power?
Or will he be pushed back into the same well worn ruts of bitter two party politics?
Will federal spending move the economy in the long run?
Obama is promising federal dollars to rebuild roads and bridges and for other domestic incentives after years of overseas spending.
Will that create jobs short term?
It certainly should, but the bigger question is if that spark can help jump start the real generator of the economy which is private investment.
Will the American footprint be reduced in Afghanistan and Iraq?
We tend to treat federal dollars like Monopoly money, like somehow because the government is involved that the money isn’t real.
The truth is that many local programs have suffered as dollars have been diverted to the war effort.
Reducing America’s presence in those regions has not only human value, but also eases the pressure on American coffers.
But if Obama keeps many of the same military advisors, won’t the advice be the same?
Without question the uncertainty of 2008 is spilling over onto the blank canvas of a New Year.
Will we survive what 2009 has in store?
I’m hopeful.
But as we stand at the front door, it’s the not knowing that’s the hardest part.