“We are living through the greatest improvement in human living standards in history.” Science writer and British House of Lords voting member Matt Ridley

Today’s read is from Michael Barone, the senior political analyst for the Washington Examiner and a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who writes:

Of course bad things can happen in even the best of times, and a minor cloudburst can spoil a bright summer day. But at year’s and decade’s end, our grumbling society is closer to the best than to the worst of times.

Read the entire column here.