The year 2012 is coming to a conclusion today. I am sure that we all faced plenty of challenges, but I am also convinced that there were plenty of successes along the way. Thus is the ebb and flow of life.

As we count down the minutes to 2013, there is no better way to put the year in perspective than to compile a Top 20 list. One of my primary goals this year was to write more consistently. Mission accomplished – with 172 posts over 365 days. They have generated many thought-provoking comments. Thank you to everyone that has contributed to the discussions.

Pulling together a “Best of 2012” list isn’t easy. I don’t necessarily believe that the posts with the most traffic are my best posts, but it provides a good starting point. So without further ado, here are my Top 20 posts of 2012. Count them down, and enjoy!

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Kansas State University has our number these days. The Longhorns have lost to the Wildcats four straight times now after this past weekend’s 17 – 13 thriller. Coach Bill Snyder should be getting a Coach Of The Year award with his AARP benefits program and Family Stadium named after him. Collin Klein has moments when he looks like Tim Tebow revisited, without the fanaticism and Heisman.

Oh, wait. This post isn’t about the Wildcats – it is about the Longhorns. Unfortunately, the news hasn’t changed much around the Forty Acres over the past few weeks. But there are some very intriguing plot lines developing.

If your defense holds a team to 17 points, especially if that team is #16 in the country, then you have done your job. Two weeks in a row now, that has happened. The Longhorns defense has been dominant.

The Longhorns offense, on the other hand, is in neutral.

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Ask any auto racer or motorcycle racer and they will tell you that to be fast, you have to be on the edge. Racing fast is all about being on that fine razor’s edge of adhesion, or power, or control.

Pushing 200 mph is no place for irresponsibility or silliness. Forget that – pushing 150 mph is no place for it. It doesn’t matter if the car is open wheeled or not, though the ramifications of two (or more) open wheeled cars coming together can create some serious drama quickly. Just reflect on the sad events that took place in Las Vegas recently when Dan Wheldon was killed in a horrific multi-car accident.

Racers will tell you that accidents are a part of their sport. Every racer will tell you that. The teams and series organizers do what they can to remove as much danger as possible and to keep the drivers out of harm’s way.

But racing fast also requires some level of responsibility, to yourself and to your fellow drivers. Which brings me to the saga of Kyle Busch.

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Health care reform appears to be stumbling and bumbling its way along these days. Many of the solutions proposed are much like putting a band-aid on a gaping flesh wound. It might provide a short term fix, but the long-term solution is lacking.

We have a lot of smart people in this country who could provide us with many solutions for health care reform. What is perhaps more important is that most of them are not directly a part of the monolithic medical machine and all of its raging tentacles. There are a lot of great ideas out there that could serve as the foundation for truly epic and effective health care reform.

Here are five books for those who are looking for solutions to the health care dilemma.

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