The Biggest Winners of 2015

It’s time to spotlight 2015’s biggest winners, though not necessarily in the conventional sense:

Nurses. Usung heroes for 2015, nurses are on the frontline in the war against pain and suffering. They are our constant companions in good times and bad, keeping a watchful eye on those needing care. But infinitely more important — as this writer knows firsthand, because the nurse he knew best was his mother. Nurses offer something more: unrestrained love and kindness. From a reassuring look to both patient and family, to holding a scared child’s hand from beginning to end, they are the humanity and light in an otherwise sterile and jargon-filled world. In an age where not getting personal with your patient seems to be standard operating procedure, nurses gleefully break that rule.

And for some, a smiling nurse’s face is the last thing they will see in this world. If you have to go, there isn’t a better way. Thank you to those who heal not just our ailments, but our spirits.


Kate and William. More than anyone else, the Royal Couple hold the key to leading the West out of its literal death spiral. The negative birthrates of Europe, Japan, and yes, America, have placed them on a course to end the most benevolent civilizations the world has ever known. Because of ill-advised cultural, economic and political decisions, birthrates have been plummeting, and all have fallen below the 2.1 children per family threshold necessary just to achieve zero population growth.

This, while the threat in the East continues to rise, as enemies sworn to oppose freedom multiply by the millions, menacing what is left of the West.

So Duchess, congratulations on Charlotte Elizabeth! Thank you for your example, and please keep them coming! Or else.  . . . 

Ahmed the Clockboy. It’s apparently acceptable to “build” your own alarm clock (a beeping device with timer, protruding wires and electronic circuitry) and bring it to class. And shame on teachers, administrators, and law enforcement who thought it might have been a bomb and acted accordingly. After all, it’s not like we’re at war with terrorists, or that we’ve been attacked here.

Because Ahmed was “wronged,” he was invited to the White House and became the celebrity du jour. But despite all that, the disenfranchisement was just “too much” and he moved to Qatar.

So the blueprint for becoming a winner in today’s America is to cry foul every time someone legitimately calls you out on something, assert racial bigotry, play up the victim role ad nauseam, and, of course, sue. What a country!

Donald Trump: Love him or hate him, Donald is the ultimate showman. He has blown up an incredibly boring GOP field, and entertained the world with his off-the-cuff remarks.

Will he win the nomination? No. And he’ll blame everyone but himself (sometimes life isn’t “fair,” even to a multi-billionaire). But if you think he was restrained even a tiny bit, just wait until we see Trump unleashed as a “commentator.” The word’s biggest ego needs to be fed, and there’s no better time than during a presidential election. Since addressing serious issues is a thing of the past, replaced by our insatiable desire to be entertained 24/7, Trump is in the right place, at the right time.

The Pope. The Pontiff is masterfully bringing issues to the forefront in a way no one has done in decades. Basic human rights; climate change; eradicating poverty; and advocating tolerance and compassion. The debate should be about the best approaches to solving our problems, but, too often, it devolves into politics of derision.

Yet the Pope keeps forging ahead with his unprecedented salt-of-the-earth touch, and the contagious energy of someone half his age. Thank you, Your Holiness, for being a beacon of light.

Big Oil. America has finally begun its reawakening by responsibly drilling its way towards energy independence, accomplishing a triumvirate: extricating ourselves from the Middle East quagmire, pumping money into the economy (the average household saved $1,100 last year in gasoline costs), and revitalizing our moribund manufacturing base.

Anytime we aren’t bent over a Middle Eastern oil barrel makes for a very good year. "Drill baby drill!"

Pharma. Advances made by our pharmaceutical companies last year were simply mindboggling. From drugs that are combatting melanoma to injecting biologics into DNA that repair mutated (and cancer-causing) strands, pharma is quickly marching towards the day when diseases that have taken so many of our loved ones prematurely will be eradicated. Shame on those so quick to criticize these companies as the Evil Empire, when there isn’t a single American whose life, or someone’s they know, hasn’t been made better, lengthened, or saved, by the work of the smartest people on Earth. Pharma research is America’s best medicine. Keep it up!

Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, Freindly Fire Zone Media. Read more reports from Chris Freind — Click Here Now.