Not that you asked

When you look back at 2015 with an unbiased eye you have to say that it was a good year for liberals and a not so good one for conservatives. Actually, it was a pretty good year for all of us, but that was because the attempt by conservatives to turn America into a theocracy with leaders who believe that the best way to advance Christianity is to nuke non-Christians didn't come to pass.

Why do I say it was a good year? For one thing, look at the economy. The stock market continues to go up, and unemployment is down to 5 percent, the same as when the sainted Ronald Reagan was in office. We continue to see more jobs created each month, and Walmart decided to raise the base pay of its associates. As the year ends, the FED has raised interest rates, which most experts say is proof that the economy has completely recovered from the near collapse in September of 2008. If, as some conservatives say, Obama is secretly trying to destroy America, he's doing a lousy job of it.

During the summer, the Supreme Court ruled again that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, which is good news for everybody, even those who don't realize it. Today more people are able to get healthcare, and hospitals are not having to provide as much free care; that was one of the reasons healthcare costs were rising. In Arkansas, the private option hybrid of the ACA that uses federal money to buy private insurance for low income people has allowed over 200,000 people to afford healthcare. Also, since those people have private insurance instead of enrolling in Medicaid, the state will save millions of dollars on that program. Gov. Hutchinson knows this, so he's going to try to save the program, mainly by changing its name, and adding some new requirements to it.

Also during the summer, the Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is legal. While that didn't really change the country for good or bad, it has been fun watching conservatives and the religious right going nuts over it. As I noted at the time, the same people that are now ranting about the Supreme Court thwarting the will of the people were all silent in 2000 when the Court virtually named George W. Bush as President even though Al Gore won the popular vote. The Bush Presidency did far more damage to the country than any gay marriage will.

Of course, for us political junkies, 2015 was the start of the presidential election. Thanks to Donald Trump, this is one of the most entertaining political races ever. He's the political equivalent of the Energizer Bunny. No matter what he says or does, nothing stops him. He keeps on going. As repugnant as he is, he does manage to say something that appeals to everybody. Some love it when he promises to ban Muslims and build a wall in Texas. Some love the fact that he doesn't take donations. I like the fact that he refuses to be politically correct.

What I really love about his candidacy is that it is the best chance for a Democratic victory in November. If he isn't the Republican nominee, he'll run as a third party candidate, claiming that the Republicans weren't fair to him so he doesn't have to honor the pledge he signed. Either way he runs, it looks like Hillary Clinton will become our first woman President.

All in all 2015 has been a good year. Gas prices continue to drop, and despite having a President who is a secret Muslim, there have been no acts of terror committed by Muslims in this country this year. Except for the weekly mass killing by a crazy person with a gun, things aren't bad. Maybe in 2016 people will finally realize that a background check to make sure you aren't insane or a terrorist before you buy a gun is no worse than practically being strip-searched before you get on a plane.