[Bob]

Preemptive strike: Yes, I know that it should be "its" & not "it's", but I'm not the cartoonist :-(

Actually, the "It's 2005." is correct. As a contraction for "It is 2005.", the apostrophe is needed.

The possessive form, such as "Washington state had its own election debacle this year.", doesn't use the apostrophe.

[SubMareener]

Also, remember that to use the possessive case as the object of a gerund, as in: "our helping you just comes naturally." Keep the gerund alive!

[alwaysconservative]

Pookie was talking about the "it's disappointments" part, not the contraction. I saw an even better one a few days ago, when the cartoonist used the word "diety" rather than "deity". I kept saying out loud in a questioning voice: "Diet-y? Diet-Y? What's that?" (LOL!) It took me awhile to figure out it was a typo.

Thanks for the ping, Pookie, you perform a marvelous service for us all! Have a Happy New Year, and blessings to you.