The Official Unlikely (…or maybe not so…) Predictions for 2018, and Beyond…

Happy New Year.

For the third consecutive eve of the coming new year, this offers a list of unlikely, or maybe not so unlikely, predictions for the coming new year. If nothing else, might it and may it bring a smile to your face as we all bid 2017, “adieu…”

–  Allegations of sexual misconduct amongst current and former House and Senate legislators grow to a point where both houses of congress pass emergency legislation to stop any and all further allegations from being made “until such time as the appropriate ethics committees can investigate all those claims having already been alleged.” It is the first time that President Trump vetoes legislation approved by both houses of congress.

–  During an unfortunate “hot mic” moment, Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) is heard describing a rival Republican candidate by using the “n-word.” In response to news reports about the incident, she charges that the recording itself is racist because it was recorded on equipment manufactured in Japan, and because Japanese corporations have no African-American board members, “they must be inherently racist,” says Jackson-Lee.

–  Following the coldest winter in seventy-eight years, President Trump tweets, “fake news reports that our pulling out of the unfair Paris climate agreement has already resulted in increased global warming- more fake news- worst winter ever.” Trump’s use of the word “ever” in the tweet prompts calls for new investigations into Trump’s tweets by congress, to see if that, in and of itself, could be cause for impeachment, since other attempts have thus far proved futile.

–  Democrats, the mainstream media, the few NeverTrump Republicans left- meaning retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)- all claim that President Donald Trump colluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin to shift the arctic air masses towards the United States during the winter of 2018, just so he could then call into question global warming dogma and try to justify his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. Democrats call for special counsel investigations into “climate collusion,” as it has come to be referred.

–  In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court rules that the section of the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017, which rescinds the individual mandate in ObamaCare, is well within the constitutional purview of both congress and the president. In their dissent, Justices Ruth Bader-Ginsberg, Elena Kagan, Sonya Sotomayor and Steven Breyer sided with the overturned Ninth Circuit Court ruling that stated “ObamaCare is established law, that neither congress nor the president have the authority to alter or change its requirements, until such time as Democrats hold both houses of congress, as well as the White House.”

–  In the first full season of NFL football since the controversy of national anthem kneeling erupted in 2017, overall disenchantment with pro football by fans who choose not to renew their season tickets has also resulted in the “fire sale” of permanent seat licenses (PSLs) in all NFL stadiums where such licenses exist. Once valued in some cases at $15,000 per seat, and up, PSLs in prime seating locations are now going for $500. Television networks are demanding contract renegotiations for game coverage at season’s end, while NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has appealed to congress for legislation guaranteeing home attendance sellouts, to which President Trump tweets, “Fat chance to Goodell and failing NFL- No Fan League- stand for the anthem, or stands will empty.”

–  As construction begins on the U.S./Mexico border wall, which is part of the $ 2.9 trillion Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2018, a lawsuit by the National Endowment for the Arts to halt construction is entered into the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco. The initial injunction cites the lack of space on the wall for graffiti (due to its design and engineering) infringes on the right of both Mexicans and U.S. citizens to express themselves, thus violating their first amendment rights. A subsequent 5-4 ruling by the Supreme Court then clears way for continued construction of the wall.

–  The long-awaited report by Robert Mueller’s independent counsel investigation, into charges that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to rig the election against Hillary Clinton, states that “while there is no evidence that the Trump campaign ever colluded with the Russians during or after the 2016 election, the independent counsel finds that the president used bad manners in his public statements, and in various forms of social media, and should be shamed for doing so.” At an overall cost of $ 27.5 million, your taxpayers’ money at work.

– In the first open-enrollment period since the Tax Cut and Jobs act of 2017 was passed (which eliminated the individual mandate to purchase health insurance), Bronze plans cost an average of $20,000. per individual, $40,000. per couple, and $65,000. per family. With dwindling enrollees as the result of such rate hikes, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) say, in a joint statement, “You see?… We told you so… President Trump’s insistence that the individual mandate be removed has once again made healthcare unaffordable to middle class citizens, forcing many of them to seek out alternative forms of insurance not covered under the Affordable Care Act.” In response to Pelosi and Schumer, President Trump tweets, “Chuck and Nancy…ya’ think? …beautiful health care reform in 2019.”

– On the eve of the mid-term elections of 2018, national polls predict that Republicans “have no road” to retain control of either the House or the Senate. On election night, the president tweets, “Fake polls in 2016…more fake polls in 2018…failing fake news…America is winning, again.” In a surprise result, Republicans actually increase their majority in both houses of congress, and talking heads across the mainstream media say that Trump has now spread his Russian collusion into the House and Senate races, and is now trying to take over the country.

 

With that, a happy and blessed New Year to all !

 

-Drew Nickell, 29 December 2017

 

© 2017 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.
author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”
now available at Amazon

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