I suppose it's just as well that we never really came up with a good name for the decade we'll be exiting in a few hours, because on a national or global level it's hard to imagine that anyone will want to revisit it. After the relative peace and prosperity (not to mention the great music) of the Nineties, I think we were all looking forward to seeing what the future would bring as the odometer rolled over to 2000. Instead, we got eight torturous years of Bush and Cheney—more torturous for some than for others, it should be pointed out—with nothing to show for it but two cluster-fuck wars, a busted housing bubble, and the Jonas Brothers. Given that, it's hardly surprising that many of us should be looking forward to the Teens, if for no other reason than that it can't possibly be worse than the decade we've just had.
Still, it wasn't a complete disaster, was it? We leave the 00s with a Democratic Congress and a Democratic President who attained office with a larger mandate than any President had received in 20 years. As critical as we can be here of both the President and Congress—and rightly so—it's important to maintain perspective: how much worse would things look if Republicans still controlled both branches? And as compromised and imperfect as the health care bill has become, it remains the single most significant piece of liberal legislation to pass both houses of Congress since the Great Society.
On a personal level, too, we're all ten years older and, I hope, healthier, wealthier, and wiser. As important as politics are, they pale in comparison to what goes on around us every day, in our families and jobs and lives. I got married this decade, I have a better job, and I can honestly say I'm a lot happier today than I was ten years ago. So I hope that when you look back on the decade you've had, you can call it a good one too.