1. War: President Obama’s popularity will plummet precipitously, causing him to declare partial victory and begin the rhetoric of troop withdrawal. (Yes, the decision will be made for political reasons.) If I’m wrong about 2010, then it’ll certainly happen before the presidential election of 2012.

2. Healthcare: Nullification movements in various states will fail, though they’ll strengthen the organization of the liberty movement in general and embolden widespread discontent.

Now that our overlords have put themselves in charge of our health, politicians will begin to play with their newly created political footballs: should we pay for abortions? should we pay for prayer therapy? lets get those smokers/elderly/fat people.

There will be fiascoes and scandals, similar to what followed the bank bailouts, as the many crooks involved compete for government privilege.

3. Politics: Despite intense propaganda in the media and fund raising by establishment organizations, at least one hardcore fiscal conservative (Schiff and/or Paul) will be elected to the Senate. Many Republicans will jump on the liberty bandwagon causing them to gain ground in both houses of Congress, winning back one of them.

4. Economy: I’ve been surprised by our economy’s resilience thus far. Perhaps 2008/2009 will be remembered like 1930/1931, as recovery years. By the end of 2010, the wheels will begin to fall off this tortured bus. Freedom will be blamed and more government will be proposed.

5. State’s rights: States in the U.S. as well as in Europe will grow increasingly disenchanted with their government’s incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility. Look for issues of union, cession, sovereignty, nullification to gain increased significance.

(6. This blog will begin a YouTube Channel. :) )

See Also:

Five Predictions for 2009
Five Predictions for 2008

The wider public might view investment bankers as ‘vampire squid’, as one commentator put it, but the newspaper of the business world has made him its ‘person of the year’

. . . .

In the parallel universe inhabited by the FT, Blankfein is a hero – a “master of risk”. The FT accepts that Blankfein has struggled to find an effective rebuttal of a deluge of public criticism unleashed on his bank.

But it says the former gold trader from the Bronx has “steered Goldman adeptly through the crisis, betting correctly that the global investment banks would survive the turmoil (with government help) and not be dismantled by regulators”.

The FT’s John Gapper continues: “The bank has stuck to its strengths, unashamedly taking advantage of the low interest rates and diminished competition resulting from the crisis to make big trading profits.”

How charitable. This is the bank that intends to distribute about $22bn in remuneration to its employees this year – more than $700,000 each – at the height of the worst recession since the war. Money, of course, partly earned through government support of the US banking sector paid for with taxpayers’ funds. (Read more from guardian.co.uk)

See Also:

Goldman Head on report White House visitors

Following the failed terror attack aboard a Northwest Airlines Detroit-bound flight on Christmas day, Napolitano has changed her tune from: Once the incident occurred, the system worked, to Our system did not work in this instance. (Read more from ostroyreport.com)

We are in goooooood hands, people. </sarcasm>

Taking off your shoes at the airport. Bloated no-fly lists. Random screenings and searches. Little plastic bags full of 3-ounce liquid containers. All of these measures were reactionary responses to terrorism on airlines. None of it works.

All of this, however, is the definition of security theater:

Security theater consists of security countermeasures intended to provide the feeling of improved security while doing little or nothing to actually improve security. The term was coined by Bruce Schneier for his book Beyond Fear, but has gained currency in security circles, particularly for describing airport security measures. It is also used by some experts such as Edward Felten to describe the airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks. Security theater gains importance both by satisfying and exploiting the gap between perceived risk and actual risk.

Taking off your shoes at the airport does nothing to prevent terrorist attacks on airlines. The shoe-bomber plot was foiled, and that particular technique is unlikely to be tried again. Instead, we’ll get new methods, like the most recent over Christmas in Detroit, with condoms full of explosives taped to legs.

What’s next in this game of whack-a-mole? We’re already hearing of new restrictions aimed at thwarting this latest incident, which is unlikely to be repeated:

According to a statement posted Saturday morning on Air Canada’s Web site, the Transportation Security Administration will severely limit the behavior of both passengers and crew during flights in United States airspace — restricting movement in the final hour of flight. Late Saturday morning, the T.S.A. had not yet included this new information on its own Web site.

“Among other things,” the statement in Air Canada’s Web site read, “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.”

What’s next, flying without pants? How about the logical extreme, flying naked?

Republicans (and Joe Lieberman) are already up in arms about how the “system” didn’t work and how we’ve got to launch another invasion. Of course the system didn’t work! It’s not designed to work. The airline security system is designed to give scared Americans a feeling of security, right down to National Guard troops in airports with huge machine guns that contain no bullets. Meanwhile, as Schneier and others point out, security theater has real costs. The screening technology at airports cost money. The embarrassing screening procedures take time. Garbage-in, garbage-out no-fly lists erode our civil liberties and privacy.

(Read more from seminal.firedoglake.com)

Chechen terrorists did it in 2004. I said this in an interview with then TSA head Kip Hawley in 2007:

I don’t want to even think about how much C4 I can strap to my legs and walk through your magnetometers.

And what sort of magical thinking is behind the rumored TSA rule about keeping passengers seated during the last hour of flight? Do we really think the terrorist won’t think of blowing up their improvised explosive devices during the first hour of flight?
From schneier.com:

For years I’ve been saying this:

Only two things have made flying safer [since 9/11]: the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.

This week, the second one worked over Detroit. Security succeeded.

EDITED TO ADD (12/26): Only one carry on? No electronics for the first hour of flight? I wish that, just once, some terrorist would try something that you can only foil by upgrading the passengers to first class and giving them free drinks.

the reinforcement of cockpit doors, and the fact that passengers know now to resist hijackers.

My title for this story would be: Nobel Peace Laureate Obama orders bombing of Yemen. 49 civilians killed, including 17 women and 23 children.

Following a military operation in Yemen targeting suspected al Qa’eda militants, a local official said on Sunday that 49 civilians, among them 23 children and 17 women, were killed in air strikes which he said were carried out “indiscriminately,” Agence France Presse reported.

Earlier it had been reported by ABC News that on orders from the US President Barack Obama, the US military had launched cruise missiles in the attacks.

The National said that thousands of people took to the streets of southern Yemen on Saturday to denounce the military action and ensuing deaths of innocent civilians. (Read more from thenational.ae)

Ron Paul on Terrorism, our government’s incompetence and private security:

President Barack Obama called for a major new burst of federal spending Tuesday, perhaps $150 billion or more, aiming to jolt the wobbly economy into a stronger recovery and reduce painfully persistent double-digit unemployment.

Despite Republican criticism concerning record federal deficits, Obama said the U.S. has had to “spend our way out of this recession.” (Read more from news.yahoo.com)

A recent remark by the head of the U.S. administration’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Hannah Rosenthal, has sparked a wave of harsh criticism in Jerusalem.

Rosenthal told Haaretz earlier this week that comments made by Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren, against the liberal Jewish lobby J Street were “most unfortunate.”

Senior government officials told Haaretz on Friday that “We were surprised at Ms. Rosenthal’s remarks, as reported in Haaretz.” The officials stressed that he comments “don’t reflect the nature of the relations between Israel and the U.S., nor do they reflect the great respect and appreciation of the ambassador and his staff felt both in Jerusalem and in Washington.”

J Street was established a few years ago as a new pro-Israel lobby to counterbalance the strong, veteran group AIPAC, considered to be toeing a more right-wing conservative line. Under the motto “pro-Israel, pro-peace,” J Street began to promote issues like a freeze on settlement construction and a two-state solution. (Read more from haaretz.com)

Notice this article refers to the “U.S. administration’s Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.” I also know of the White House Liaison to the Jewish Community. Do other communities enjoy this privilege?

Running for U.S. Congress in Wisconsin’s 2nd district.

My name is Tim Nerenz, and I want to be your Congressman.

Not your mommy. Not your daddy. Not your doctor, banker, car salesman, teacher, pastor, union steward, or weather forecaster.

. . . .

Less government and more choices: that’s my answer, what is your question?

Visit TimNerenz.com

This isn’t my district (or state), but I sent him a modest donation. Hope you do the same.

The survey showed Rand at 44% and Kentucky Secretary of State Grayson at 25%.

This has got to be devastaing for Trey Grayson, whose funding sources must be drying up now like mad. This will also hurt Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel’s status since he twisted arms for donations to his darling Trey. (Read more from dailypaul.com)

Banks whose executives served on Federal Reserve boards were more likely to receive government bailout funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, according to the study from Ran Duchin and Denis Sosyura, professors at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

Banks with headquarters in the district of a U.S. House of Representatives member who serves on a committee or subcommittee relating to TARP also received more funds.

Political influence was most helpful for poorly performing banks, the study found. (Read more from reuters.com)

There are over 34,000 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C. Movements to restrict the actions of lobbyists are very popular, but they are treating the symptom (not to mention possibly violating the 1st Amendment), not the disease. When every aspect of American life and prosperity is dictated by Washington D.C. people MUST lobby — it’s the only way we can get some of our money back. Even businesses who have no interest in gaining an unfair advantage through the forceful hand of government must lobby or be plundered.

“The more numerous the laws, the more corrupt the government.” ~Tacitus (ca. 56–ca. 117)

1. Forces people to pay for care they don’t need/want.
2. Taxes start now. Benefits start 2014.
3. Grants Monopolies to drug companies. Prevents generics.
4. Healthcare costs will skyrocket.
5. Unconstitutional. Our overlords see no limits to their authority.