2010 Predictions

10. Sometime in the first half of the year, the stock market will outrun the current irrational exuberance and sharply tumble back below 10,000.

9. At the end of the year, unemployment will remain above 9%.

8. At least one nation will default or nearly default on its debt.

7. A promising Green Bay Packer season will be derailed by injuries.

6. Democrats will avoid provoking controversy via legislation just enough to lose fewer seats than anticipated in the off-year election.

5. The newspaper industry will continue to disintegrate as at least two more papers halt their print editions.

4. Al Gore will pontificate about global warming during an unseasonable cold snap/blizzard (this should be a gimme).

3. Tiger Woods will return from hiatus before the majors begin.

2. There will be a significant terrorist attack on American interests.

1. President Obama's approval rating will end the year marginally higher than they begin the year. Marginally.

Go Bears

It is quite possible you will never see me write that anywhere ever again.

Blogging...

...I think I may just jump into this new fangled communications device in 2010.

Murder in Jefferson, Wisconsin

This weekend, an off duty police officer from Oconomowoc, and what appears to be her boyfriend, lost their lives to a gunman in the little town of Jefferson, Wisconsin. To their families, I cannot convey the depths of my sympathy. Their loss is tragic, and all the more so given the Christmas season.

At the same time, I hope that Jefferson Mayor Gary Myers retracts his statement on local TV broadcasts that Jefferson has not seen something on this scale since Dillinger. I don't enjoy the fact that I have to remind him that his is the city of Diane Borchardt. While Borchardt was only responsible for the death of one person, hers was such a sordid tale that it has been the inspiration of movies both factional and fictional. For him to erase that history with his statement is a disgrace to the family and friends of Ruben Borchardt.

Nagging Discomfort About the Afghanistan Plan

This is really eating at me. In Iraq, we attempted a "surge" and it worked quite well. As Afghanistan has deteriorated, President Obama has seemingly come to the conclusion that another similar "surge" (albeit with many fewer troops) is just what the doctor ordered. Unfortunately, Afghanistan isn't very similar to Iraq. Iraq was downright civilized in comparison to Afghanistan. While I think history has shown that massive (and 80,000 troops doesn't count as massive) buildups in Afghanistan do not work, I'm also quite skeptical that aping the Iraq strategy in smaller scale is going to accomplish anything but unecessary American deaths. I find this president quite lacking in military curiosity when it comes to this decision.