Hundreds of billions of dollars of our money is being spent to “bail out” big financial institutions. You’d think that would entitle taxpayers to know at least something about who’s getting the money and how it is being spent.

Gasoline prices have come down in recent months. Locally, they’re below $1.80 per gallon for unleaded regular. Although prices are still higher than what we’d like to see, most of us view the drop as a way to free up money for other necessities.

CHEERS — To the Second Annual Polar Plunge. Although the sun was bright over Caroga Lake, the temperature was somewhere around 8 degrees on New Year’s Day.

Islamic terrorists have not been able to carry out a single major attack in our country since Sept. 11, 2001. That is a credit to the nation’s homeland security program.

Many people undoubtedly are happy to see 2008 come to an end. Financially and economically, it was a terrible year. Unemployment rose, housing prices fell, foreclosures soared, the stock market tanked, 401(k)s plummeted, people’s investments soured.