Randy Smith
I agree with most people that 2016 was an awful year. My favorite singer of all-time, (Merle Haggard) passed away in April as did my blessed Mother at the age of 87. The woman that I admired as much or more than any other died in July, (Pat Summitt) and I could go on and on about the deaths of so many wonderful people. I've never seen a year when so many loved and treasured folks left us. In that particular category 2017 just has to be a lot better.
2016 was also a year that it became apparent that our country was as divided as its ever been.
People stopped thinking about "political correctness" and started to say and do things without a single concern for the feelings of others. Hate seemed to be the word that we heard mentioned time after time regarding relationships with other people. The Congress of the United States actually stopped working several years before but 2016 was a peak year for doing absolutely nothing on capital hill. I don't look for any of that to change at all, even with a new president going into office in a few weeks. In other words, the electoral college did exactly what it was supposed to prevent as the loser in the presidential election won close to three million votes more than the winner. That fact alone has also created a big divide in our country.
I feel that we are almost in a fog as 2017 begins. Nobody has any idea what to expect in the next 362 days. We can only hope and pray for the best. Those on the left, are all hoping that the many years of progress our country has seen in race relations and in women's rights does not disappear. Those on the right are all hoping for sweeping, radical change in the way our government operates. And to be perfectly honest some of that change is needed; just not at the expense of our nation's poor and unfortunate citizens.
2017 has a chance to be a much better year for us. It will be interesting to see what happens on the terror front and the United States dealings with ISIS. I really have a hard time remembering what it was like to board an airplane without having to go through the screening that is required today. I also have a hard time remembering what it was like to drive down the street in any section of town, with the windows down and having no fear whatsoever about the evil that could be lurking behind every corner. When I see crime statistics on the most dangerous cities in our country and see that Chattanooga is listed, it gives me a sickening feeling. Our city is a vibrant, beautiful city with so much to offer its citizens. We simply must find a way to make things better.
Will 2017 be a better year than 2016? Only time will tell. Hating and constant disagreements won't work and neither will partisan politics as usual, not only on the national front but locally as well. I sincerely hope that it will be a much better year for all of us but it will take a lot of work, prayer, patience and perseverance.
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Randy Smith has been covering sports on radio, television and print for the past 45 years. After leaving WRCB-TV in 2009, he has written two books, and has continued to free-lance as a play-by-play announcer. His career has included a 17-year stretch as host of the Kickoff Call In Show on the University of Tennessee’s prestigious Vol Network. He has been a member of the Vol Network staff for 30 years. He has done play-by-play on ESPN, ESPN II, CSS, and Fox SportSouth, totaling more than 500 games, and served as a well-known sports anchor on Chattanooga Television for more than a quarter-century. In 2003, he became the first television broadcaster to be inducted into the Greater Chattanooga Area Sports Hall of Fame. Randy and his wife Shelia reside in Hixson. They have two married children, (Christi and Chris Perry; Davey and Alison Smith.) They have five grandchildren, Coleman, Boone, Mattingly, DellaMae, and CoraLee.