We all want to look into the New Year and predict what will happen.  There are countless who make their predictions public at the beginning of the year but few who step up to the evaluation plate at year’s end.  Not one to back away from an opportunity, I offer the following predictions on which you can bet the farm.

Financial.……Those who permit their out go to exceed their income will eventually see their upkeep be their downfall….regardless of what Obama promised and our legislators believe.

Diet.….As my sister Margaret says, the only diet that will work is to spit it out if it tastes good.  You can believe her, she’s a nurse

Habits…..Practice will continue to make permanent…….not perfect.

Foreign Aid.….Our country will continue to increase its giving to every third rate country and crooked government in the world and they will hate us all the more.

Government.…The majority of political candidates will continue to promise whatever it takes to get elected and then do whatever serves their personal interest.

Prayer.….As long as there are math tests, prayer in schools will never be eliminated.

Mathematics….Two times two will continue to be four, regardless of what the politically correct educators say.

Crooks….Locks will continue to keep honest people honest, but not prevent theft by crooks.

Children…..Trophies for participation and games where no one loses will prevent kids from learning the realities of life.

Child Rearing….Children will continue to thrive and mature where love is blended with limitations, responsibilities and consequences.

Excellence.…Mediocrity will continue to be excellence to the mediocre.

Truth….Truth will remain absolute and immutable.

Jesus….Jesus will continue to be the answer.

God…..God will remain on the throne.

Brilliant stupiity….how can that be?  Sounds oxymoronic to me!  I don’t know about the oxy,  but those involved in Ponzi schemes sure are moronic….on both sides of the equation.   It’s natural to ask how anyone could get caught up in such a scam.  The answer is that it is quite easy. The more pertinent question is, how do you keep from being caught?  Those  normally entrapped by such a scheme are not ignorant and certainly not financially un-successful.  Those perpetrating them are, likewise, not ignorant but like the unsuspecting person who uses drugs for the first time, they think they will never get caught.

Italian immigrant and history’s best known schemer,  Charles Ponzi, died in 1949 at age 67.  The Ponzi scheme carries his name because of the scam he carried out in the early 1900′s that initially netted him a small fortune.  A Ponzi scheme  involves gathering money from investing victims with the promise of an outlandish return over a short period of time from an investment in a scheme designed by the perpetrator.  Let’s say that the promised return is 50% in 90 days.    The money collected later in the scheme is used to pay off the initial investors, who are thrilled at their good fortune and vocal in telling their friends about it.  This third party advertising produces additional investors anxious to ante up.   This success also emboldens the original investors, making them anxious to invest even more in the next deal.  The next deal gathers more money which pays off earlier investors and the scheme continues until the plan fails because of the schemer’s inability to gather assets to pay off previous investors.

The most recent, and probably the largest Ponzi schemes in history is the one involving Bernie Madoff, investment manager to many high rollers and Jewish philanthropic institutions around the world.  Early indications are that this scheme began in the late 1970′s and continued until its collapse earlier this month (December 2008).  It is reported that Madoff scammed as much a $50 billion from his investors.   The list of participants includes;  a long time US Senator, an owner of the New York Mets as well as many highly respected and well heeled investors in New York, Palm Beach and, of late,  the Royal family of Saudi Arabia who invested $400 million with Madoff.  It’s interesting that Bernie’s name is pronounced “MAY-doff”,  which is exactly what he did…..made off with their wealth, self respect, confidence and willingness to trust.  In a few cases he, in effect, made off with his investor’s lives as they committed suicide in the aftermath.  None of these people were ignorant and all were wealthy by any standards.  But they did fall prey to one of the oldest schemes around.

These schemes are not uncommon and are indiscriminate in the types of people caught in their snare.  There was one in Knoxville Tennessee in the mid 60′s that caught Doug Dickey, then the head football coach and later the Athletic Director at the University of Tennessee. Many were hurt and some wiped out by the scam.

Another Ponzi schemer wrecked havoc in the Christian and philanthropic community in the early 1990′s.  John C. Bennett, through the “Foundation For  New Era Philanthropy”, victimized 180 organizations and 150 of the most financially-savy philanthropists in America between 1989 and 1995.  Bennett solicited investments for his “plan” to double a donor’s gift through an un-named person who would match all investments in New Era.  Unknown to the investors,  Bennett used the initial money to back a loan from Prudential Insurance Company he used for his own benefit and to satisfy early investors. These early investors saw their faith rewarded, but later investors were not able to realize the doubling of their faith based gifts as the $400 mullion scheme collapsed.  In this scheme, political officials, trusting philanthropists, Christian leaders and major corporations were caught in the web.  At that time  I was on the board of two Christian missionary organizations who considered investing with New Era, but, after much discussion,  the board determined it was   “too good to be true”….and it proved to be just that.

Much more will come out about the Madoff scandal.  It’s hard to believe that there will not be more and maybe many more who are found complicit in the scam….employees, family, accountants, partners, brokers….who knows.  There are two obtuse but quite poignant components to this issue that have struck me.

First,  his sons, brother and/or wife may not have known about Madoff’s misdeeds.   If this is the case, he was willing to take his scamming to his grave and leave the clean up to his family, principally his sons.  This is unconscionable!  How could a man be so narcissistic, self centered, gutless and self serving to foist this mess on those he purported to love and who placed their trust in him.  The sneering smile on his face in the film clips shown on TV punctuate this sociopath’s distorted worldview

Secondly,  Madoff was suspected to be crooked by many in the investment community for over a decade.  No one could figure out how someone could produce the returns he reported year after year.  especially given the volatility of all markets during recent years.  This was reported to the Securities And Exchange Commission (SEC)  but the allegations were nominally investigated if they were investigated at all.  As a matter of fact, during this time he was Chairman of the NASDAQ, the over the counter trading market and selected to help authorities create systems designed to prevent fraud in securities trading.  Talk about letting the fox in the hen house.  This is our brilliant and efficient government at work again.  There are many who are now saying that they were not unsuspecting of Bernie’s misdeeds.   They “knew” Madoff was crooked but  suspected that illegal insider trading not a Ponzi Scheme was the reason he was able to consistently outperform his peers.  None the less, they wanted to participate in his “ingenious” plan regardless of its illegality and therefore invested with him.

All investors want the the greatest possible return with the least amount of risk.  High return with low risk is tough to achieve.  As the gap between the two widens….higher return and lower risk….the greed factor often takes over and caution is thrown to the wind.  In situations such as this, brilliant people become stupid and the Ponzi Schemer sells his snake oil to the unsuspecting victim.   Often the victim is the agressor in pursuing the Ponzi perpertrator.  No one thinks they will be caught up in such a hoax….but many will.  Don’t be one of them.  If it seems to good to be true……….!

As we boarded the bus in Krakow, numerous conversations in a half a dozen languages created a cacophony of sound punctuated with laughter.  Within a few minutes after the bus departed the hotel,  a video tape began to introduce us to the sights we were about to see and the history they reflected.  The conversations immediately stopped and an eerie silence filled the cabin, interrupted only by the descriptive comments emanating from the video tape.  My close friend and business associate Richard and I had begun a week long whirlwind trip through Eastern Europe which began with our visit to Auschwitz, the German concentration and death camp outside the Polish city of Oswiecim 50 kilometers West of Krakow.  Five years before, I had spent a sobering day at Dachau, the concentration camp outside Munich, Germany, where in excess of 30,000 were murdered during WWII.  To say that Dachau was sobering would be accurate.  To say that Auschwitz was chilling would be a gross understatement!  More than a million were housed and executed at the three camps that make up Auschwitz.

WWII and its encircling history have always had a mysterious hold on me.  The intrigue of the global chess game is a fascinating anthology of the battle between what good comes from some men, like Raul Wallenberg and Oscar Schindler and what epitomizes the demonic depravity and separation from God found in Adolph Hitler and his henchmen.  Seeing this site, his “killing field”, in person was something I simply had to do.

During our guided tours of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, the larger camp where the vast majority of the exterminations occurred, there was a rapt silence broken only by the reverent whispers of the guides and the irreverent giggles of a few rowdy teens who didn’t have the foggiest clue about the solemnity of what they were being exposed to.  The chill of the sub freezing temperatures and blowing snow was only exceeded by the more biting chill of the experience that was ours.  Richard and I agreed that being there on a day with such harsh weather was a blessing although an uncomfortable one.  Knowing that millions spent harsh Winters under these conditions with little clothing, less food and almost no hope added unforgettable depth to our experience.

There were as many as 42 known accounts of individuals and groups trying in vain to do what Hitler, the architect of the death camps and the “Final Solution”, himself accomplished on April 30, 1945 when, in the elaborate bunker designed to protect him,  the world’s most prolific killing despot took his own life.  On November 8, 1939 German cabinetmaker,  Johann Georg Elser made an unsuccessful attempt on Hitler’s life with an elaborate bomb timed to detonate while the Fuerer was making a speech at a beer hall.  Elser was caught and later executed at Dachau.  On March 13, 1943 Henning von Tresckow inserted a plastic explosive into what was purported to be a package of liquor.  Called the “Brandy Bomb, it was designed to explode mid flight, taking Hitler down with the plane in which he was flying.  It did not detonate.  Colonel Rudolph  von Gersdorff followed by hiding a similar explosive in his over coat and getting close enough to blow both himself and Hitler up.  It too failed.

Claus Graff Schenk von Stauffenberg, Hitler’s Chief of Staff, made the most famous of all attempts when on July 20, 1944 he used a plastic explosive in a leather briefcase to try to take his hated boss out at his famous bunker the Wolf’s Lair.  It too failed, but Hitler was severely injured.  A movie of this attempt entitled Valkyrie is being released in the US on December 25, 2008.  The last living witness to this attempt on Hitler’s life, Philipp von Boeselager died this year on May 2, 2008 at age 90.

The course of human history would have been drastically changed had any of these assassination attempts been successful.  During the almost two years between this plot and Hitler’s suicide in April of 1945, it is estimated that as many as 12 million people died at the hands of this tyrant.  The Godly man I revered and for whom I was named, my “Uncle Bud”was one of the victims during this period.  The World would have been different had von Stauffenberg succeeded, as would have been mine and Uncle Bud’s daughter’s.

Are you wondering where I’ve been? Thank you, it makes me feel very special indeed. . .even if you wondered just a little bit. Well, I’ve been the same place I have every year at this time. Shopping, returning, more shopping, and then I go shopping. My best friend Sally knows how much I HATE shopping. Just ask her. I’m talking, hate. I’m using the word ‘hate’ about shopping, and mean every letter with great intensity. And I can’t be alone. I’ve seen that far-away zombie look in the eyes as I pass. . .

Every year it’s the same thing, I see an advertisement for a great sale on whatever item is ‘just perfect’, gird my loins, grab my piggy bank and lean into the gale-force winds of the local market. Only to find that every other sucker between California and Maine saw the same ad, only earlier than I did. As a general rule I find myself at the end of the day angry, exhausted, aching feet, flaring sciatica and a voice whispering “You’re doomed, everyone but you has already found the perfect gift because they love to shop. You must train yourself to love it, or you are forever cursed. . .try again tomorrow“. . . So I try again, only to fail again. But after weeks of this vicious cycle, I decide I’ve been going at it all wrong! I re-strategize that I will ‘stroll’ through the mall rather than target shoot particular stores for specific items. So it’s off to the cold, ant-hill-like commercial complex so I can be accosted by every non-English speaking riffraff that could afford a kiosk. Curses, foiled again.

I don’t know how, but in the midst of this whirlwind, by some miracle, 2 days out, we are almost through with even the last minute stuff. That is of course, unless my husband does the same thing he forgets and does EVERY year. I can feel it in my bones. It is my destiny.  Of course, it’s only part of his gentle, friendly nature to do it again this year, even though (unbeknownst to him) it torments me. I can see it coming, but you just can’t stop a train wreck. Just before bedtime on Christmas Eve, he will ask our five children “What do you hope Santa brings this year?” . . . . Inevitably, at least 3 out of the five will mention something that has never been mentioned before. Dear wonderful, loving, husband . . . you cannot un-ring a bell. Please, on Christmas Eve after closing time, try not to speak.

Somehow, we will get through the next few days. And at sometime we will remember the real reason we love Christmas so much:

. . .That unto us a Child is born. . .

Nothing else matters. Merry Christmas!

Amidst all this chaos . . . God loves me . . .

I feel like an impostor.  I thought I was the only one who felt this way, but admission of my malady to many friends and family have disabused me of this view.    My body, gray hair, aches and pains and the fact that I have 3 grown, mature, responsible and successful children and 8 grandchildren confirm that I am an adult…or at least that I am old enough to be one.  But, sometimes I just can’t convince myself that I am equal to the challenge.  It’s hard to explain but easy to feel.

I once saw a picture in Sports Illustrated  of a man who was very overweight.  He said that he had the heart of a racehorse but it was housed in the body of a pachyderm.  I sometimes feel the same way….a little kid housed in the body of an old man.  My mind is stuck at a level half my age but my body keeps racing toward the junk heap.

Years ago I came home from a tough day at work that had capped off an even tougher week.  My wife informed me that the drain in our sons’ bathroom was stopped up.  Reluctantly I got my pipe wrench, inherited from my Father’s tool box, and proceeded to take apart the pipe and expose the grease trap, the presumed source of the problem.  As I attempted to break free the rusted pipe connection, the wrench slipped and my hand struck another pipe, ripping my knuckles open.  I winced, thought bad thoughts, tightened the wrench and tried again.  The pipe broke free, but the previously clogged pipe opened up, dumping water and the source of the blocked pipe in my face.  I immediately said, “I’m not sure I want to be the Daddy anymore.”  I certainly didn’t mean what I said but I felt it at the time.

I guess I’m saying that regardless of age, real or perceived maturity level or degree of capability,  I or we, if you want to join me in an honest revelation,  often feel inadequate to the task at hand.  There is probably a great application to today’s economic difficulties faced by our nation in these thoughts.  There is probably even a pretty good life lesson or sermon here also.  But, I will choose to forgo pursuing either for now.  I simply will say that I already feel better and more mature for having gotten this off my aged and sagging chest.

Politicians are nothing if not predictable and Illinois politicians have consistently been at the top of the predictably crooked list.  Governor Richard J. Daley, “served” as Mayor of Chicago from 4/20/55 to 12/20/76.  It was “Hizzoner” as he was affectionately known,  who said, “vote early and often.”  After a 13 year lapse following Daley’s death, his son Richard M. Daley took the same office, and holds it to this day.  Chicago has had a Daley as Mayor for 40 of the last 53 years.   The rough and tumble crooked politics of this city are well known and documented.

Now Illinois Governor, Rod Blagojevich is accused of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by President elect Barack Obama.  Is he guilty?  The tapes of his pertinent conversations  are fairly clear on this specific matter and crystal clear on another.  It is fairly clear, contrary to his glib assertions delivered with his ever present smirk, that he had every intention of profiting from appointing someone to the Senate seat, possibly to the highest bidder.  Will he be convicted?  Who knows!  Remember, this is Illinois.  It is crystal clear that collectively “Blago” and his wife Mrs. Blago, herself a product of Illinois politics as the daughter of an Alderman, set a world record for using the “f-bomb” as more parts of speech than any other human being in recorded history.  As a verb…yes!  As a noun, adjective, adverb, object of a preposition, direct object and indirect object…yes to all.  Did I miss any?  I probably did.

Don’t forget that Mr Blago is only the latest of an ever increasing list of Illinois Governors who served time in the Big House.  His predecessor, George H. Ryan, is in the hoosegow, serving a six and a half year sentence for racketeering and money laundering.  Ryan was the third Illinois Governor to serve time in Federal Prison since 1968.   Governors Dan Walker and Otto Kerner went to jail before them,  thus paving the way for Ryan and the upstart Rod Blog.

Our government is replete with scurrilous characters.   Currently the U.S. House Ethics Committee has Charlie Rangel (D-NY),  under investigation for tax evasion and improper use of campaign funds.  Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) was not only found guilty in Federal Court of failure to disclose gifts,  but was also given the boot from the Senate job to which he felt he had a legacy ownership.  U.S. House Member William Jefferson (D-LA) hid $90,000 in his freezer,  next to the shrimp etouffee, no doubt.  It is part of the evidence in the 16 count indictment against him for giving and taking bribes and for which his constituents chose to soundly reject his re-election attempt.

Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) should be investigated for diverting $10 million to his and his family’s use, but probably will not be.  Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Chris Dodd and Barney Frank ought to be investigated for their part in the Freddie and Fannie fiasco.  And  Chris Cox should be investigated for extreme stupidity for not following up on the accusations of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme that have been running through the investment community for a decade.

To stoke the fire a little bit let’s not forget Bill Clinton, of  “I did not have…….” you know the rest.  Then there was Florida Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) the campaigner for family values who was caught illicitly pursuing young boys for his dastardly pleasure, Ted Haggard, the Colorado minister who resigned for reasons of homosexual impropriety, Congressman Larry Craig (R-ID) who couldn’t keep his feet in his own bathroom stall,  Elliott Spitzer (R-NY), the New York Governor turned lothario who used taxpayer money to commit illicit acts with a prostitute in DC and New Jersey Governor James McGrevey (D-NJ), who masqueraded as a happily married man while carrying on an illicit homosexual affair.  Oh yes, Florida Congressman Connie Mack (R-FL), distant kin of the baseball great of the same name, left his wife and family to marry Congresswoman Mary Bono (R-CA), wife of Sonny Bono, deceased Congressman whose seat she was appointed to,  and former partner of Cher.  When you think about how bad our leadership could have been, think of John Edwards (D-NC), the ambulance chasing pretty boy who masqueraded as a protector of family values while cheating on his cancer ridden wife with a campaign consultant.    And finally. but not all inclusively, there is Florida Congressman Tim Mahoney (D-FL), who was just defeated in his run for the US House, after an affair was exposed.  Are you dizzy yet?  There will doubtless be more.

Pitch a tent over this circus, double lock the steel doors of the bastille, get the young boys and girls into  the safety of the house, move the married men off the infield and grab what little money you have left.  Are we safe from anyone?  You can’t make this up folks…if you did,  no one would believe it.

Few if any have or will come to the aid of Bernie Madoff, the accused perpetrator of the worlds largest Ponzi Scheme ever, so don’t misconstrue the following as being in defense of Madoff’s abuse or trust and outright theft.  I do, however, want to make sure we all know who is speaking when Madoff is skewered.  It struck me as the epitome of gall when I heard Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, (D-PA) waxing eloquent and holier than thou when he told what the Congress was going to do to protect “the American People”.from the likes of Madoff….sic.  Protect us from whom?  Protect me from Kanjorski first.  He should share a jail cell with one Bernie Madoff.  Maybe they can have a three man abode with OJ.

Before reporting on Kanjorski’s bellicose rantings let me remind you of something I wrote months ago following a FOX expose on elected officials who have been feeding at or stealing from the public trough….all in the name of protecting us.  Consider the following account reported by FOX:

The second exposed lawmaker is House Democrat Paul Kanjorski, (D-PA) who added earmarks to bills which directly deposited in excess of $10 million into a shell company, Cornerstone Technologies, owned by and supporting Kanjorski’s family. This came after Joe Yudichak, President of non-profit Regional Equipment Company, which Kanjorski had originally setup for the purpose of “taking care of his family” refused to transfer the earmarked money to the Congressman’s shell company. Harold Shobert of Penn State University’s Energy Institute and noted expert on anthricite coal, the work supposedly done by Cornerstone, said that the Kanjorski family knew nothing about what they were doing in the business of the company. Cornerstone is now bankrupt, with the $10 million neatly ensconced in the accounts of the Kanjorski family and additional millions of debt to suppliers down the tubes by virtue of the bankruptcy.

This is the same Kanjorski who released the following comments about his committee’s probe into the Madoff scheme.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski (PA-11), the Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises, today announced that he will convene a congressional inquiry in early January to examine the $50 billion investment swindle allegedly committed by Mr. Bernard L. Madoff.  The proceedings of the Capital Markets Subcommittee will help to guide the work of the House Financial Services Committee in undertaking the most substantial rewrite of the laws governing the U.S. financial markets since the Great Depression.

“The news reports in recent days that Mr. Madoff stands at the center of a $50 billion Ponzi scheme are deeply disturbing.  Unfortunately, these events have only further weakened already-battered investor confidence in our securities markets, and they have raised even more troubling questions about the effectiveness of our regulatory system,” said Chairman Kanjorski.  “These matters therefore demand expeditious and careful review by the Capital Markets Subcommittee.  I have consistently stressed the need for pursuing comprehensive regulatory reform since 2000, and I have held hearings on the need to address this important issue.  But, before we act on legislation in the 111th Congress to restructure the regulatory system for the financial services industry and enhance investor protection, we need to understand how Mr. Madoff organized his many business operations and how he perpetrated these frauds.“

Chairman Kanjorski added, “We must also understand why the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, other regulators, and additional participants in the securities markets failed to detect these substantial evasions before innocent investors and charitable organizations were substantially harmed.  The answers to these questions will inform the work of the House Financial Services Committee as it works next year to craft a strong, effective, modern regulatory system for the financial services industry.”

Is it any wonder that “the American People” (how many times do we hear that hackneyed phrase from those in power?) have so much distrust for politicians, corporate executives, financial dealers and yes, TV evangelists?

Tallulah Gorge, formed in part by years of rushing water of the Tallulah River in scenic North Georgia, is a marvel of God’s creation.  As we strolled the 600 feet or so that separate the canyon’s South rim from the State Park Visitors Center, my wife and I reflected on the historic traverse of the gorge on a high wire by the Great Karl Wallenda almost 40 years earlier.  On July 18, 1970 at age 65, amidst tremendous fanfare and expansive press coverage Wallenda walked the 1200 feet between two concrete piers supporting the one inch cable, stopping two times during the journey to perform head stands.  Only 8 years earlier, he had been the central performer in an unsuccessful attempt by 7 members of the Wallenda family to walk the high wire as a three level pyramid group.  The fall they took that day killed two family members, severely injured Karl and rendered his son, Mario, paralyzed from the waist down.  Less than eight years, after his successful high wire walk before 30,000 in Georgia, Karl Wallenda fell to his death in San Juan, Puerto Rico, attempting to walk a wire between two towers of a hotel 121 feet above the ground without a net, as was always his modis operandi.

Upon reaching the gorge we saw a fallen, or pushed over, concrete pier that held one end of the wire on which Wallenda walked on that hot July day.  It served as a monument to the great accomplishment, but was also an eerie reminder of the fate that befell him on March 22, 1978 in Puerto Rico.  His family contends that his death was not caused by inexperience, advanced age, diminished physical ability or the 30 mph winds that swirled around him, but by the improperly attached connection of three guy ropes critical to providing stability to the main wire.

As we stood on the platform that allowed us to see the rushing stream 1000 feet below and the fallen pier over our shoulder,  we reflected on that day, 38 years ago, and its connection, albeit obtuse, to our economic plight of 2008 and beyond.  Today, our Nation is walking an economic high wire.  It’s hard to say how far across it we are, how deep is the chasm below, how stiff the winds are blowing and how skillful those are who are guiding our journey.  Sometimes it seems as though they are blindfolded and have forgotten the balance pole so necessary to maintaining stability against all the forces that work against the success of the mission.

We do know that through pervasive stupidity, unquestionable non-feasance, probable malfeasance, unmitigated hubris and personal greed many of our elected officials have sold us down the financial river.  Many of them rightfully reside in or are on the fast track to the pokey.  Many corporate bigwigs have used company funds for their own personal gain and mismanaged the company treasury.  Some, like Bernie Madoff,  have committed outright fraud and massive deception.  And finally,  individuals have borrowed and spent like drunken sailors in a port of call after 2 years at sea.  Many who have been frugal, managed well and are not drowning in a sea of credit are left to bail out those who threw caution to the wind and spent theirs and other’s resources.  That said, we are all still collectively in a mess!

On a high wire the goal is to know what is below, balance yourself while walking steadfastly toward the goal and pray that you do not fall off on either side.  Economically we have the same objective.  If we fall of on one side of this financial high wire the result is a severe and probably prolonged depression.  If we fall of on the other side the result is runaway inflation.  The trick is to navigate between the two.  Big challenge!  The struggle today is whether or not to let the free market system work through these problems, taking the scrapes, broken bones, black eyes and blood shed necessary to wind our way through them or to “stimulate” the economy by throwing massive amounts of money at it…..can you say trillions without fainting?  The first attempt was to release $350 billion which was gobbled up quickly and hoarded…..no help.  Now we are debating whether or not to keep afloat three car makers who probably make pretty good cars but are so bloated with the spoils of union thuggery and corporate acquiesance that they lose $1000 every time they sell a car.  Their structure and game plan hasn’t changed since the time when our nation bought 17 million cars a year not the 10 million, and declining,  purchased in the US today.   And we have yet to deal with credit card debt, declining business growth and other debt hiding in the weeds.

Where does this money come from?  Not from bond sales.  The current short term rate of return on government debt is zippo, that would be “no percent”.  The money comes from the government printing presses….where their black and green ink combine to cause red ink to wash over our national, corporate and personal books.  At the other end of this massive printing process, assuming it works and we do not fall into a 1929 depression or worse, is massive inflation.  That’s not pretty either.   Inflation causes money to decline in purchasing power, the greater the rate, the faster the speed of decline.

How do we protect ourselves against this dual headed dragon?  De-leveraging is taking place in our economy at a rapid rate.  It is a good idea to mitigate personal financial risk by reducing our own personal leverage or debt.  It is also a good idea to accumulate some cash.  Historically,  precious metals have been a pretty good capital preservation tool under inflationary times when the value of paper or fiat currency is declining, so that might be something to also consider.  But don’t forget the misconnected guy ropes that caused the death of Karl Wallenda in San Juan.  WIthout the moorings provided by integrity, frugality and faith none of the strategic or tactical solutions will work.  Tough times have a tendency to make us see these values more clearly and want them more strongly.

I pray Wallenda’s fate in Puerto Rico in 1978 does not befall our nation.  Rather I pray that we will be granted a reprieve to get our financial and spiritual houses in order and in so doing land successfully on the other side of this dangerous high wire walk.

I don’t abide small talk very well and would rather watch paint dry than be involved in inane conversation or activities that I would categorize in a similar manner.   On the other hand, I have a propensity to an almost fanatical commitment to the things I enjoy.   Preparing, growing, cutting and tending to my lawn is one of those fanatical attachments that I have.  Before you label me as crazy as an outhouse rat, give me a chance to explain.  It’s sort of a family disease. My Dad was inflicted with the malady and I caught it from him. My brother did too.   And now my sons and son-in-law have submitted to my diagnosis and have been found similarly sick and probably contagious.

In addition to a manicured and vibrant visual image there are significant life lessons to be learned from the care and nurture of a lawn.  I am particularly drawn to the fine blade southern grasses like Zoysia and Bermuda.  Keeping each of these grass types in peak condition requires specific, timely and careful attention.   Each spring I scalp the lawn, cutting it to the level of the soil in which it grows.  Then I top dress it with a mixture of sand and topsoil to make it as level as a table top.  Fertilizer, water, pH control and sunshine are the final ingredients that ultimately produce a beautiful lawn.  Then cut it every three days to a height of three eights of an inch with a reel mower and…voila, you can sit back and enjoy…for three days, then it is time to cut again.  Be prepared that for two weeks after the initial scalping,  your neighbors will talk about how you have killed your lawn.  Later, when the fruits of this pruning are clearly visible, they will beg you for advice as though you are the guru of grass

Sometime around the last of October each year the lawn begins to turn brown, beginning the period of dormancy these grasses go through when the temperature is not above 70 degrees each day.  This would lead one to believe that there is nothing to do again until March.  Not so!  Care and feeding is required even during the period of dormancy.

Fertilizer used on lawns is identified by a three number code.  The numbers really refer to the purpose for each numerical segment.  A simple way to remember the significance of the numbers is that they refer to…”up-down-all around”.  The fertilizer used on the grass in the spring should have a high nitrogen content to make the grass grow and stay a vibrant green.  A 34-0-0 fertilizer represents one with a high nitrogen content indicated by the number 34.  This is a spring or summer fertilizer, it gives the grass rapid growth and a lush green color.  A fertilizer good for fall and winter has a large middle number defining that it will help downward or root growth…ie. 10-34-10.  Many fail to use this treatment because it’s value is not as visible as is the spring application.  It has, however, immeasurable value because it causes roots to grow deep, providing tolerance and resistance to heat and drought that Summer often brings.

Our country and the entire global community is facing what could be tremendous drought, heat, famine, want, etc……financial and otherwise.  The degree of what faces us or even if we will be faced with some of the perils we hear discussed is unknown.  I personally believe we will face significant financial challenges in the months immediately ahead.  Financial challenges invariably lead to other difficulties which eventually lead to a spiritual crisis.  I have a sneaking suspicion that this is what we are in for.

What is the spiritual food that builds those deep roots?  I believe it is principally The Word, hidden deeply in our heart.  God also gives us a mind and spirit with which to pursue wisdom.  I believe God will lead people to prepare in different ways.  The one way that I believe He will lead all believers is the ingestion and hiding of God’s Word in our hearts.  When you see brown grass, know it is reaping the benefit of deep roots grown during the winter.  When the grass is brown in winter, question whether it has been fed in such a way as to build deep roots.  Remember…roots grow deep in winter and winter is coming.  I challenge myself and you to feed accordingly.

GM to American car buyers: Golly gee wilikers! We didn’t know you wanted the cars to WORK! No wonder you’re sore. Jiminey crickets…sorry.