I dug for many years. I never found the pony and we are certainly very much worse off than we were when I started digging.
It is not optimism on my part. I am just stating the obvious in the prior and many other posts yesterday and today.
I have also been around for a long time. The difference is, I never expected a pony and I do not dig through manure trying to find one.
We are worse off because most expectations, like assumptions, are usually unreasonable. We take what is and deal with it as best we can. We are the ultimate sovereigns in this country. It is not an easy job. We simply have to prioritize and take the steps necessary to establish our sovereignty. It has been this way since the founding, which was not easy, unanimous or permanent.