A bright and shiny new year always brings with it the promise that this time we — both as a nation and as individuals — can finally get it right.

And while there are no guarantees that we'll succeed on either level, the hope that we can transcend our problems and become better people and a better nation reawakens our optimism and enthusiasm for life.

The year ahead can be a time of great change or rededication to the political philosophies we already have in place, depending on the mood of the electorate and what direction we take at the polls. Nationally, we face fiscal issues on a level not seen in decades, with health care, taxes, immigration, Social Security, Medicare and many domestic concerns expected to be debated, legislated, voted upon and brought before the courts in the next 12 months.

On an international level, Americans have a ringside seat to global financial ills, the winding down of a long and draining war and unrest, upheaval and hope in the Middle East.

State governments also face unprecedented challenges. State governors and General Assemblies have the tough jobs of balancing the budget against the needs and wants of the electorate. It's a difficult undertaking that ultimately lands on the shoulders of the taxpayers. It will take wisdom, dedication, impartiality and selflessness to keep the state solvent and everyone may have to give a little in order to keep things on an even keel.

On the local and county level, boards of commissioners tussle with keeping their budgets in line with uncertain revenues and, in many parts of the country, aging infrastructure, a populace weary of escalating taxes, eroding property values and rising costs.

For both the public and private sectors, the uncertainty of tomorrow can make it difficult to plan for today.

A new year, a chance to start over and fix the things that are broken, should be a good thing, but in these times that can seem a daunting task. Planning when no one knows what tomorrow holds can feel like a huge leap of faith, but what it really takes is a commitment toward working together for the common good, as well as the realization that we're not in this alone.

We will do what we always do: stand and fall together, as cities, counties, states and a nation. And together we will solve the problems that are before us.

REPRINTED FROM THE KINSTON (NC) FREE PRESS