A Big Reason For the Market Decline

The stock market continues to plummet almost daily. Five percent drops, almost unthinkable a month ago, now occur two or three times a week. Weren't these drops the main reason Congress crammed through a bailout bill of $700 billion? Wasn’t this going to stop the sky from falling and Armageddon from happening? Isn't this the same reason the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates by 1/2 a point the other day? How come this hasn't stemmed the tide? The S&P 500 is down almost 20% in the LAST TEN DAYS. People have lost a combined $2.5 trillion dollars in wealth.

There are many reasons behind a market's rise or fall. It is much too big a phenomenon to explain by simply one thing. Fear and greed always swing the pendulum too far in one direction or the other. I suspect this major drop is long overdue but shouldn't be quite as deep or have occurred quite as fast as it has.

The market is a forward looking indicator. The "people in the know" about future profits (institutional investors) take positions in the market for a profession. Their livelihood is looking at companies all day long. Their success depends on being right about the direction of the market more times than not. These investors talk to professionals all day long. So, despite the bailout and global interest rate cuts, why is the market still tanking? I believe there is one big reason right now. Investors are discounting a Barack Obama presidency. It is becoming ever clearer Mr. Obama is going to win the election. Our economy is struggling right now and the market sees Barack’s ideas as a death blow to corporations’ ability to make money and create jobs. One need only look at a few top line bullet points from his speeches to figure out why people are beginning to hide money in their mattresses.

*Barack’s sidekick believes taxes are “patriotic.” To an investor patriotic taxpayers cause very upset stomachs. I actually believe this comment was the precipice for the decline. Since Sept. 19th when he said it, the S&P 500 is down more than 30%. In only three weeks.

*Universal health care for all including the 12-20 million illegal aliens here. Why do I say this? You say “it can’t be Mr. Conservative in Ohio.” Well, Barack continually cites the 47 million uninsured he is going to take care of. Illegals are included in this number, so either he is going to insure them, or his rhetoric is a bit off. Either way, assuming he is lying about the number and subtracting them out, free health care for another 30-35 million folks has got to be paid for somewhere. This somewhere is all the rest of us.

*He is going to substantially increase taxes on “the rich.” While this sounds nice, they are the ones creating jobs. Would you invest in companies soon closing up shop rather than giving half their earnings over to the government? How about investing in companies moving offshore to avoid the excessive taxation? Or companies laying off workers because they had to raise their prices to cover the increased taxes?

*Mr. Obama has this very nice sounding rhetoric about our “shared responsibility” as a nation. This just seems so nice and fuzzy, but when you pick it apart, it really means those at the top of anything in society need to care about others through the use of government force. Forced caring is socialism and is what has put Europe on the back burner for a very long time (at least economically).

*An additional $1 trillion dollar government spending spree is the cure for what ails us according to Dr. Obama. Granted, Republicans have been no better for the last ten years on this issue, but digging the ditch deeper to, in essence, buy votes is sickening.

I have no proof that my theory is correct. Maybe the sky is falling? Maybe the market isn’t sure who is going to win the election or what their real policies will be?

All I know is the market looks ahead, and with 27 days until the vote, this issue is front and center in the minds of everyone. It sure seems like more than a coincidence to me. If you care about the next four years, please discuss this issue with everyone you know. It is too important to ignore.

It's Not the Economy, Stupid

This whole election cycle comes down to our economy. Most folks have one eye on the stock market and one hand clenching their wallet. Case in point, much of last night's debate centered on our 'dismal' economy and what each candidate will do to avoid the Great Depression Two. Most of the questions during the first hour were all basically the same, "How are you going to fix my wallet"?

Don't get me wrong, the reasons behind Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac's demise are important, but are they any more important than who the next Supreme Court nominee will be? People defaulting on their mortgage payments is very troubling, but is it as troubling as the imminent legalization of marriage for a lifestyle choice abhorrent to God? Is it more important than approving behavior which has been the downfall of every civilization in history?

People losing jobs is some serious stuff, but is it any more serious then finding out why one of the candidates regularly associates with an unrepentant terrorist? A candidate who pledges to keep us safe from these same terrorists?? BTW, thank you Sean Hannity for talking about this every day for the last year until finally the NY Times brought it up last weekend. Folks defaulting on credit card bills is devastating, but is it more devastating than securing our borders from nuts trying to get in here and kill us all?

Many in our own churches often criticize Christians as being focused exclusively on abortion and homosexuality as campaign issues. I would counter the general public is focused almost exclusively on their wallets and as a campaign issue.

Allow me to elaborate on just one of these important 'other issues.' There is an excellent chance our next leader could permanently alter the balance of power in the Supreme Court for the next thirty years. This same Court just spent the LAST thirty years largely making up law to suit their social engineering goals. The result? Abortion on demand. Prayer taken out of school. Our Judeo-Christian framework torn down every chance they get. Liberal policies are hailed as landmark judgments and progressive. Conservative policies are struck down as judgmental and restrictive. Often times, the victims have more rights than the accused. The Court has long held speech is free as long as this speech agrees with the current liberal think tanks. Clearly, if Mr. Obama is elected and an existing member of the Court steps down, the most liberal nominee possible will be nominated.

We don't have another thirty years to wait. The country will continue to slide morally, ethically, and spiritually. I know, I know, "you can't legislate morality" is often uttered by liberal atheists and liberal Christians alike. My concern is no longer "legislating morality", it is being in such a minority that anyone who doesn't agree with the present radical leadership will be censored. All countries have a framework for their laws. The question is not "if" but "what" do these laws get tied back to? Up until recently our framework, while not perfect, gave religious freedom for all. The government has never forced us to believe anything. But the buzzards are circling, and what liberals really want is religious freedom for all except Christians who they want to shut up.

Economic cycles come and go but a nation's soul continues to hang in the balance.

VP Debate winner?

Conventional wisdom around conservative airwaves concludes Sarah Palin was wonderful last night. The base appears mostly ecstatic over her performance. Many pundits said she spoke in language everyday folks appreciated and was definitely the winner based on likability. Most admit she appeared nervous (especially at first) and did not give the breadth and depth of answers Joe Biden did, but it does not matter because of her "wow" factor. "Say it ain't so, Joe" seems to be popular today along with "she held her own" and "she did well for only being five weeks into things."

Today's water cooler conversations with some male colleagues of mine were not as favorable to Palin. We all agree Palin is intelligent and has done a lot for Alaska. She threw in some good one liners last night but outside of energy policy, she didn't talk many details. Liberals (with big time help from the media) created a debate climate where fact spewing Biden appeared knowledgeable just by reciting endless statistics- many of which were untrue. Where Palin failed, in my view, was not being able to go two and three answers deep on a topic. On almost everything Palin threw Biden's way, he had an immediate answer back (albeit answers filled with half-truths), and then back again. After her first response, answers seemed shallow and responses sometimes convoluted.

Barring something unforeseen, this election comes down to economics. The media, as usual have shaped the debate into the haves and have-nots. In order to win, we have to speak clearly on the folly of liberal economic policies. What did I want Palin to say last night? Try these on for size.

*How can 95% of folks get a tax cut when, depending on the year cited, 30%-48% of all individual taxpayers owe no tax in a given year?

*When the bottom 50% of taxpayers' tax receipts are 2.9% of the total, how much more do you want the upper 50% to pay?

*When the top 10% pay 70% of the taxes, how is the Bush/McCain administrations giving tax cuts for the rich? The rich are the ones paying the taxes now.

*When Barack Obama says we need to build the economy from the bottom up, how does this work when the folks with money are the ones creating the jobs?

*If universal health care is so dandy, why do people from countries such as Canada still come to the US for the really serious surgeries they need performed?

*Mr. Biden, how do you explain the Democrats denial of problems with Fannie & Freddie back in 2005 when Republicans like John McCain were warning about big problems? Wouldn't this make Democrats more culpable then Republicans for at least not doing anything about this mess before it was too late?

*Please explain if tax cuts are so damaging to our economy why they generate increasing revenue every time they are enacted?

*Companies would stop trying to evade the US tax code, as you cite so often, if our tax rate wasn't the third highest in the industrialized world. Drop the tax rate and see a jobs boom.

Finally, how about a foreign policy diddy: *Mr. Biden, what is the first thing you would say to the leaders of Iran when you sat down to discuss their hatred for Israel and America?

If Palin would've challenged Mr. Biden on these topics, she would've wowed those who loved her big smile and also wowed those of us looking for a beating on substance. Instead the politics of class envy appear to doom us to at least four years of patriotic tax increases, big government spending, and a further shift towards European elitism.

Sarah Palin vs. Joe Biden

Is anyone else looking forward to Thursday night's debate between Palin and Biden? Would anyone else like to see Palin take a swing at him? Just one big swing. I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I'm just so frustrated by the media bashing in her direction. It is one thing to thoroughly scrutinize a candidate, it is another to scrutinize one candidate and give the other a free pass. Feminists are upset over Palin pursuing a career while having a family, but they don't mind Barack Obama associating with a known terrorist (Bill Ayers) or a bigoted pastor (Rev. Wright). Sickening, isn't it??

Liberals can hardly wait for Sarah to make some 'critical' mistake proving she is stupid and inexperienced. Of course the definition of 'critical' is in the eye of the beholder. Not knowing every piece of legislation John McCain supported the last 30 years doesn't count as something a stupid person would do. Our media wants to turn this into the whole Dan Quayle 'potatoe' incident all over again. Whenever liberals attack conservatives it is on the basis of our supposed stupidity. We couldn't possibly vote for George Bush unless we are dumbos. Never mind that SNL hasn't done a Joe Biden "FDR was president in 1929 and he spoke on television" skit.

Conservatives are awaiting a pick-me-up after a very lackluster 1st debate from John McCain. I was a bit disappointed. I expected McCain to pick apart Barack's lies with force. He did stand up to Obama, but I think he let him get away with too many unfounded statements without showing the silliness of his arguments.

We are desperately hoping Palin will stand up to Mr. Biden the way she stood up to corrupt Republican and Democratic legislators in Alaska. I don't want Sarah to be argumentative with Joe Biden, but I want her to expose the lies when they spew out of his mouth. I want her to speak with forcefulness but not go into Ann Coulter territory. No pandering to the hate speech of the left. I want to see Sarah's faith in action. The faith Sarah speaks of guiding her daily decisions. If the public sees this, I think we still have a chance to pull out the election. Authenticity is still appreciated in our country. In fact, I think we are clamoring for just one politician to practice 'no spin' communication.

I'm aware of the conventional wisdom that nobody votes for President based on the VP pick. Personally, I think this is the one election where a good showing by Sarah Palin could turn the theory on its head. Conservatives like me are aching for a reason to vote McCain. Preventing socialist Obama from becoming President is important, but having someone representing us who shares most of our views is what generates excitement.

Which Palin will show up Thursday night? I hope the spunky Palin shows up instead of the defensive one. It will be a long eight years if she plays it safe Thursday night.

Will America survive another 100 years?

America is drunk with gluttony. In my opinion, we've nearly completed the civilization "life cycle." We've gone the way of many prosperous nations before us. Nothing is good enough for us. The next car, boat, yacht, or home are never good enough. The more things we have, the less happy we are, so we must find bigger things to take their place. When that isn't enough, we just steal from folks. We are a people largely free from persecution and largely independent with no need for others. We certainly don't need God. We are too smart for God. We have God figured out. If he doesn't do things the way we expect him to, then he must not exist. After all, we can't see him, so he doesn't exist. Of course, I couldn't see the wind from hurricane Ike last night, but the dilapidated tree in my yard sure knew the wind was there. Everything can be proven by science. If it can't be explained by science, then it must be false.

Sound familiar to anyone? The Greeks maybe? How about the Romans, Persians, and Egyptians? They all succumbed to flat out greed. They watched their civilizations fall in stature under the weight of narcissism, hedonism, and open disobedience to God. They all were downgraded in importance at the time and choosing of an omnipotent God who allows disobedience for a season but not permanently.

Seems a lot like America 2008. Babies are murdered so a woman has a "choice." The caribou and whales are celebrated, but our older generation mothers and fathers made to feel unwanted. Save the ants but ignore your neighbor in pain down the street. Rampant sex everywhere. Deviant sex everywhere. More marriages ending in divorce than ever before. Petty theft becoming common and not really considered that big of a deal anymore. People protesting the death penalty for criminals but condoning partial birth abortion for the innocent. The environment almost worshipped like it is a God. Good being called evil and evil good. These are the times when persecution comes knocking.

There are many fine folks left in our country. We are still the most generous people on the planet. Over $300 billion in GIVING last year alone. We still have some members of the WW II generation with us. They remember the danger and suffering caused by evil left unchecked. But, alas, we have a new generation that largely has everything. They don't seem to need anything. We're becoming more and more isolationist. If we bury our heads in the sand far enough, nothing can happen to us. When this happens there is almost nothing that wakes us from the slumber except persecution. It is only then that we begin to realize we need God. We need each other. The things we once thought to be so important are now trivial. I pray it is not to late for us. I pray we take stock in the things which are actually important before they are taken from us and we are left with nothing. A nation with such riches can give abundantly and be trusted with more wealth, or they can be greedy and have it all taken away. Which path will your decisions take us towards?

If you agree with this, pass along the comments in an email to someone. I don't care who takes credit for the sentiments, but maybe folks will wake up while we still have a chance. God Bless the U.S.A.