United Liberty

John Killian

National
* Barack Obama will realize that Congress is not ready to go along with his progressive agenda. Many Southern and rural Midwestern Democrats were elected as pro-life conservative Democrats. Hence, his Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) will never see the light of day.
* With nervousness on the economy, Obama will not push for Nationalized Health Care. You will see some adding around the edges, but no major increases in federal programs. Obama’s advisers will warn him about the effect of more spending and especially, more taxes on our fragile economy.
* Furthermore, Obama will be slow to remove troops from Iraq. Actually, one will see little difference in the foreign policy of an Obama Administration and the previous administration.
* Justice Stevens will retire from the US Supreme Court and President Obama will select a liberal, but not one that draws immediate fire. The nominee will pass the Senate overwhelmingly. Only a few staunch conservatives will vote to reject the nominee.
*The Republican National Committee will elect Saul Anuzis of Michigan as RNC Chair. This is a good move for tax-cutting conservatives and pro-lifers.
*New Jersey will re-elect Jon Corzine as Governor this November.
*Virginia will elect a Democratic Governor, but that Governor will not be former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe.

United Kingdom
In Scotland, Labour will regain seats previously won by the Scottish National Party. While the Conservative party will gain ground, the gains will be neglible.
In Wales, the Conservative Party will gain ground. However, an increase in Conservative vote may split the Unionist vote with Labour and allow modest gains by the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru.
In Northern Ireland, the new marriage between the Conservative Party and the Ulster Unionists may gain some support for the UUP. This gain, plus the entry of candidates from the new Traditionalist Unionist Party, will force a three-way split in the Unionist community. This split will hurt the major Unionist Party, the Democratic Unionist Party. The nationalist community will continue to unite behind Sinn Fein and the result could be that Sinn Fein gains ground in Northern Ireland.
In England, the Conservatives will gain seats. However, Gordon Brown is deliberately delaying the election and will call an election when conditions are best for Labour. For that reason, I predict that Gordon Brown will remain Prime Minister of Great Britain. While Brown is a good Scot, a Presbyterian laymen (son of a Pastor), and a Unionist, I feel that the United Kingdom will miss a grand opportunity to elect a dynamic advocate for less government and lower taxes in David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party.

Rick Fisk

GOP will make Blago-gate Obama’s “WhiteWater” for most of 2009.

Liberals including Al Franken will start sounding like Bill Kristol and Max Boot in order to defend Obama’s foreign policy.

Afghanistan and Pakistan will explode.

Congress will attempt a draft.

Gold 1500 by end of 2009.

Dow, 6000 by end of 2009.

Charles Kennedy

Current downward economic treands will continue: unemployment will rise, corporations, banks, and other institutions will fail. The “Big 3” of the auto industry will be faced with insolvency yet again, shortly after January 20. There will be pressure to pass yet another “bailout” of the auto industry, either separately or as part of a large “stimulus” package. It will likely pass, but if it does not, the administration will find some way around it. We can also expect to see the nationalization of the auto industry, which will not be allowed to fail. Even so, thousands of auto workers will be laid off, and the unions will likely prevail in their political pressures upon the new administration.

The economic “stimulus” plan will likely pass, and will probably cost more than what is proposed by the administration (at least $850 billion). In spite of this, all the negative economic trends will continue unabated. In response, the Fed will inflate the money supply even further, and may even try negative interest rates to stimulate borrowing. By the year’s end, one could expect to see inflation re-emerge, this time in the double digits, but at unprecidentedly high rates, as the new money finally begins to make its way into general circulation. Prior to that, we can expect to see desparate attempts to prop up prices all over the place, especially in housing and agriculture.

In the world arena, we can expect to see a rise in violence in the Middle East, especially in Israel and Palestine. Little will change in Iraq, while there will be a considerable military escalation (Surge II) in Afghanistan. This will almost certainly spill over into Pakistan, and be made all the more complicated by an increase in tensions between India and Pakistan. We will probably end up trying to play on both sides of their conflict in an effort to aid our own war in Afghanistan. The end result will be an increase in terrorist attacks against American and British citizens and soldiers abroad, especially in India and Pakistan, and also in Britain itself. There could be attacks in our own country, depending on what unfolds.

In spite of the magical rhetoric of the new administration, it doesn’t seem likely that the U.S. standing in the world will improve much, if at all, at least for the first several months. At the same time, we can expect to see an increase in police state measures here at home, especially if there are terrorist attacks on our own soil (or even the threat of such), but also in response to the unrest that is likely to grow out of increasing economic problems (especially if we see hyperinflation, shortages, and rationing). However, once the fiscal problems explode with hyperinflation, it is quite possible we will see a major reassessment of worldwide committments, and possibly a pull-back of U.S. troops and a move towards less intervention.

Many of Obama’s most fervent supporters will become very disillusioned by the year’s end, especially those who had hopes for a more peaceful foreign policy. There will be the perception of betrayal by having “moved to the center”, the center being made up of the new neo-conservatives, i.e., the “progessives” who happen to be pro-war and pro-police state. At the same time, some “conservatives” will begin to take a serious look at libertarian ideas, and will pay more attention to the man they dismissed during the 2008 election season, namely, Ron Paul. The Campaign For Liberty and other such groups will become better organized and will gain more traction as the year unfolds.

I hope that much of what I’ve said doesn’t come to pass, but I suspect that much of it will.

Michael Powell

Bobby Jindal - This Republican governor from Louisiana will become more of a power player. Despite his claims that he has no interest in running for president (a claim that Obama also made in 2004), it’s very likely that someone will talk him into running in 2012. He’s far stronger than Sarah Palin and, being Indian American, will help to make the Republican Party appear ethnically inclusive.

Scott Morris

More people will flee the dollar as it hyper-inflates Weimar style.  People will seek to invest their stored value in commodities rather than the increasingly dangerous fiat currencies which dominate the currency market and as common mediums of exchange across the globe.  The Free Lakota Bank and their silver backed currency should benefit from the failure of the dollar.  More crap from big government, and more betrayal by our leaders, per expectations.

Andrew Ward

I think we’ll see an interesting first 100 days, much like FDR’s first hundred days.  The worsening recession will give the Obama administration the ability to push for universal health insurance among all the public works (they won’t get it til later).  It will be a more populist spin on bailouts, we’ll see more bailing out of the poor and working class.  The Republicans will cry foul and Rush Limbaugh’s career will come back blazing… but they will compromise as always with window dressing additions to horrible bills.  We’ll focus more on Afghanistan but keep forces in Iraq.  It’s possible we will aid Israel in Iran, but I’m not holding my breath on that.  I think we’d provide funding and arms, but I don’t think we can go in.  I’m buying an assault rifle this Friday.  I think there will be a new assault rifle ban soon.  And much more ridiculous environmental stuff.  Lots of poor, our of work Americans.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas… I don’t anticipate 2009 to be a very happy year…

Luke Brady

The global crisis continues to snowball while our leaders listen to and implement the ideas of those who got us into this mess instead of those who saw it coming.  More and more money will be waisted trying to save a system of banking and manufacturing that people have already decided does not work.  It’s time to buy silver/gold and wait this thing out, it will be the only way to protect your wealth.

Matt Wittlief

Austin Wilkes