The Naughties Were Plenty Nice

Political pundits across America seem committed to the notion that our just-concluded decade deserves the moniker "worst ever," with the formulations ranging from Time's demonic "decade from hell" to Paul Krugman's self-flagellating "Big Zero." But if Krugman could call it "a decade in which nothing good happened," much of the planet might find our myopic bitterness a bit much -- as if the entire world should stop spinning just because the Dow Jones Industrial Average forgot to exit the decade higher than when it entered.

Continue reading this week's New Rules column at WPR.

Comments

[Elmer Humes]

Great summary & perspective of the decade! I look forward to the February Esquire article.

[Ted O'Connor]

There have been times when the fate of the nation was truly uncertain. General Washington and the Continental Army freezing and starving in winter quarters, awaiting a spring that would bring renewed battles with the most powerful military in the world. Bobby Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia threatening to break apart the union and change the course of history. Those were dangerous and hard times. The anthem asks "Does that banner still wave....." And the answer is yes. It still waves. God bless us all in 2010 and beyond. We are not finished yet.

[OregonGuy]

You've probably seen this article:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ef8f012-f969-11de-8085-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1

It does raise some questions about a certain thesis.