The coming year promises to be very interesting. And while red teaming really isn’t about predicting the future, we’re still interested in hearing what you think. Are any RTJ readers willing to go out on a limb and forecast the watershed trends or events of the coming year?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Starbuck 12.31.09 at 12:06 pm
I predict that the Chicago Cubs will not, I repeat will not, win the World Series this year.
Deus ex machina 12.31.09 at 1:45 pm
Here’s an easy one (almost as easy as the Cubs prediction) … You’d have to be a fool to continue to buy American debt. American politicians have played the “too big to fail” and “we gotta spend money to get out of this hole” one too many times. The game’s up. The U.S. is effectively bankrupt. It only becomes more obvious in 2010.
Paul 01.02.10 at 11:20 pm
Deus: Sorry, I think you’re going to lose on that one. Right now, the total debt of the United States is around 70% of GDP. After WWII, it was over 100%. Japan’s total debt currently is 150% of GDP and going up yet they have no trouble borrowing. This canard has been around for a long time. When W was in office (particularly in his first four years), it was the Dems spouting this nonsense. Now, it’s the Repubs. As a matter of fact, I can remember the same prediction being made as far back as the Johnson administration (which should give you a rough idea of how old I am). Instead of listening to the pundits and politicians, most of whom probably didn’t even take Econ 101, and ALL of whom have a preconceived agenda, check this kind of stuff out yourself. You’ll find that 95% of what anyone with an agenda says is BS.
OK, I’ll go out on a limb here:
1. Unemployment will decrease in 2010. If no additional stimulus is passed, it’ll be around 9% at year-end. If a new stimulus bill is passed, it’ll be around 7.5 to 8 percent.
2. No new stimulus bill will be passed.
3. By the end of 2010, health care reform, which will pass early in 2010, will be just a dim memory and no one will remember what the big fuss was all about.
4. Sarah Palin will still not have retracted her “death panels” accusation.
5. The Democrats will retain control in both the House and the Senate, though with smaller margins in each.
6. Sen. Chris Dodd will lose. If he decides to retire instead, the Democratic candidate will win in a squeaker.
7. We all have a list of congressmen that we hope fervently will lose in the next election. All of them (Repubs and Dems) will win.
8. We’ll still be running a trillion dollar deficit in 2010.
9. Social conservatives will still be firmly in control of the ever-shrinking Republican Party.
10. The Catholic Church will still be deeply mired in child abuse scandals and will still not have turned over to the Irish Government the large volume of documents relating to physical and sexual abuse of children which the Irish bishops sent to the Vatican for safe keeping. (Historical note: Ireland requested these documents well over two years ago. So far, the Vatican has not even responded to the now-multiple requests.)
11. The State of California will declare bankruptcy.
12. Things will not have improved in Afghanistan and Iraq will continue to unravel.
13. We will see a record high number of suicide bombings and a record number of casualties from them throughout the world.
14. Our politicians, pundits and generals will tell us how much things have improved in Afghanistan. This will provide a political fig leaf to allow us to begin a withdrawal.
And, finally:
15. The stock market will have one or more downward adjustments during 2010 but will end the year higher than it was at the beginning.