2021 can’t come soon enough

There are only 112 days remaining in 2020. Many can’t wait.

Pending something catastrophic or a dramatic resurgence of COVID-19, the New Year, 2021, will be a true time of celebration. Needless to say, 2020 has been a nightmarish year for most folks in Minnesota and Dodge County, specifically.

No one suspected that the celebration at midnight January 1, 2020 would bring with it a worldwide pandemic, a presidential election in which our nation would be more divided than at any time since the Civil War.

But here we are just 54 days until we go to the polls to elect our next president of the United States, all of the Minnesota House of Representatives delegation and a U.S. Senator, state house and senators, a mayor and a host of other candidates wanting to be public servants.

Campaigning has turned from a cordial interaction of party plans in a platform into a contentious and often riotous confrontation with people on both sides causing death, injury and more division.

It’s clear that there is no love lost between the two parties. However, the hatred that is manifesting itself on our nation’s streets is nothing short of insurrection with the intent to overthrow our great Republic.

Police officers have become an enemy for ANTIFA and BLM leaders. Why? Yes, George Floyd was killed by an officer placing his knee on the neck of Floyd, who according to official records, died due to a fentanyl overdose. However, those former officers are being prosecuted for Mr. Floyd’s death. So, the idea is that all cops are bad.

That kind of logic has caused uproars in Minneapolis, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Chicago, LA, St. Louis, and for more than 100 days in Portland, Oregon.

Our schools have been able to develop plans that will allow area students to begin the school year in person for the most part. Some schools have opted for a hybrid model, that is, where some students attend two days in person and the remaining days via digital learning.

This year continues to be one of absolute confusion for many.

Just last week the Center for Disease Control issued a statement than only 6 percent of the deaths in the United States during the pandemic were directly caused by the coronavirus. That means that every other death had underlying causes that led to death.

That means that of September 1, when the number of deaths attributed to COVID-19, only 6 percent of deaths in the U.S. were directly tied to the virus. That’s 11,282 COVID-19 deaths. Why the huge discrepancy? Was the CDC lying to U.S. all along, or was it just an honest mistake? Each of us will have to decide for ourselves.

Let’s face it – 2020 has not been one of our best years and we still have 112 days before we view this year in our rearview mirror. It can’t come soon enough.