2017: Top Ten Predictions

1. The term "fake news" goes mainstream as partisans and others label various deserving and undeserving news sources.

2.  President Trump continues trend of using social media to communicate directly to the populace, further minimizing an already shrinking role of the traditional press.

3.  Fissures within the Republican and Democrat parties continue to grow, with the Democrats now facing many of the internal battles that the Republicans have faced since the rise of the Tea Party.

4.  Terrorist activities get worse before they get better.

5.  Advocacy groups continue to manipulate tragic events.

6.  Sales of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medication rise.

7.  The demand for undergraduate degrees continues to shrink; a reduction in supply follows.

8.  Interest rates rise; the stock market corrects; housing prices drop.

9. The following technologies make significant advances into the mainstream:  voice-first devices like the Amazon Echo; self-serve kiosks at fast food restaurants; and drones in a myriad of commercial industries.

10.  Most bold prediction:  the size and scope of government actually shrinks.