For most political columnists, it’s time for a “year in review,” so here’s my take on 2024, along with a recommendation for 2025. Opinion: Zero out of ten, I wouldn’t recommend. If you’re reading this in the year 2525 as you prepare to test a time machine and try to decide which past year you want to visit, avoid this one.

On a societal level, I can’t think of any major positive events – political or cultural – that would be worth your energy. No moments from Armistice Day, the Beatles over Ed Sullivan or the Man on the Moon come to mind (perhaps the Bob Dylan biography “A Complete Unknown” will help – it will be published on Christmas Day after this column goes to press) .

The year was equal parts anger, outrage, violence and boredom.

The US presidential election campaign was strange in some ways, but not in a way that would be particularly interesting unless dementia, opportunistic stair climbing and the Truth Social equivalent of “nasty tweets” happen to be your hobbies.

The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continued, but were more of a “major downer” than a “major development.” Many committees, not very many steps towards peace or even closure.

And so on and so forth. It just wasn’t a very good year.

Mind you, I’m not complaining on a PERSONAL level. I’m glad that my family made it through 2024 without any major medical or financial setbacks, and that I’ve become a little more adventurous as I approach my golden (gray?) years (namely because my actual nuclear family is dead and no longer able to do so). is). Worry about me or complain, I started riding a motorcycle). I hope your year was good too and suspect that it probably went better in inverse proportion to the attention you paid to politics and world affairs.

I also wish you and your loved ones happy, healthy and successful holidays and a new year.

That brings me to my recommendation to achieve this result NEXT year.

There should be a law. If you know me at all, you know I don’t say that very often.

But I really think this could be important. In bogus legalese, here is my suggestion: “No government employee, elected or appointed government official, or candidate for election or appointment to any government office shall make, express, or issue any public statement with respect to such positions between December 18, midnight.” current year and midnight on January 1st of the next year.”

No speeches. No press conferences. No press releases. No social media posts on “official” accounts. If you want to say “Merry Christmas” to family members in person, over the phone, on your personal social media accounts, etc., that’s fine. But none of this “my fellow Americans” stuff. If you don’t annoy or annoy your fellow Americans, you’re just boring us. So stop your barking for a few weeks and leave us alone.

I guess such a law would conflict with the First Amendment… but most of those affected don’t care about the First Amendment anyway, right? Happy holidays.

Thomas L. Knapp (X: @thomaslknapp | Bluesky: @knappster. bsky.social | Mastodon: @knappster) is director and senior news analyst at the William Lloyd Garrison Center for Libertarian Advocacy Journalism (thegarrisoncenter.org). He lives and works in north central Florida.