William Hemmel: Not much promise that more sanity will be shown in 2023 than in '22

To The Daily Sun,

So 2022 was slightly better than 2021, as we were all able to resume somewhat more normal lives. 2023 promises to be surprising in many ways, yet very predictable in others. Here are a few of my new year predictions:

Fossil fuel and electric prices will continue to fall thanks to earlier actions by President Joe Biden. Inflation will drop as the economy returns to a more normal state. Stocks and 401(k)s will rise.

“Individual One” (Donald Trump) will face multiple indictments in multiple jurisdictions for multiple criminal acts. He will see this as an opportunity to fleece more cash from his cult members for his “legal fund” (a.k.a. bank account). Meanwhile, the Trump Organization will file for bankruptcy.

There will be dozens of new mass shootings and victims. Congress will do nothing, as usual.

Be forewarned: We will once again see rhetoric from all the usual suspects: “Chuckie B.,” Jim Mayotte, Bruce Jenket, Chuck McGee and a few other prolific writers. Together they will cling to the 2020 election fraud lie, lament the “unfair” punishments doled out the the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, and fixate on the “Russian Collusion Hoax,” Hunter Biden's laptop and even Hillary's emails (yawn). There will be claims that Jan. 6 was an FBI setup and that Dr. Fauci secretly invented COVID in China.

And we can always count on Steve Earle for even more terrifying conspiracy scenarios around imaginary taxes, governmental intrusion, media collusion and global cabals. (Maybe even Jewish space lasers?)

All of them will claim our country has “open” borders — which is far from the truth — while not offering a single suggestion as how to handle the thousands of daily migrant arrivals.

Yikes. I hope I'm wrong, and we have a more rational and sane 2023, but I doubt it. Happy New Year!

William Hemmel

Moultonborough