A New Year is upon us and with it will bring a wealth of political events for us to ponder and debate. How do most Americans feel about the New Year? A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Thursday found 69 percent of Americans hopeful for their future, and 51 percent hopeful for the world. This is a significant contrat from the way Americans felt 10 years ago in 1999. A similar poll at that time showed that 85 percent of Americans were hopeful for themselves, while 68 percent were hopeful for the world. Are you in the hopeful category or in the not so much percentage?

President Obama weighed in before he left for vaction with this video on his outlook for the future:

“This is always a hopeful time, as we celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another,” Obama said. “And while 2009 was difficult for many Americans, we must also look back on this year with the knowledge that brighter days are ahead of us – that although our challenges are great, each of us has the courage and determination to rise up and meet them.”

I hope it is a good year for you and for us and for the world!