polls closing june 3, 2008

On politics. It looks like the Democrat’s nominee is Obama. I say “looks like” because I’ll not count Hillary out until the conventions is over. I still do not believe (completely anyway) that she will not still steal the nomination. It just seems so Clintonesque to steal things. It will be a long campaign season listening to McCain and looking at his silly smile. Obama is no better. His accent it very Midwestern although, I hear it here in Illinois, but he manages to exaggerate it somehow that makes it hard to listen to. Then we will have to listen to one of them for four more years. (Not that Hillary is easy on the ears.)

On books. I am currently reading The Forgotten Man by Amity Shales. It is a frightening book on the Great Depression. It is frightening because of what a loose cannon FDR was and how some of the things he did are the very things that the current presidential candidates are purposing. FDR tried to tax excessive profits. He tinkered with the value of the dollar (ok, that’s the Fed today). But from his inaugration in March until October he took the United States off the gold standard and tried to expand the money supply by buying back gold, but it was never enough to really inject enough money back in to the economy. When he returned the U.S. to the gold standard and set the price of gold at tirty-fve dollars, bussiness knew what the rules were and things began to improve. It was a happy accident that at just this time Hitler was making France and other European countries nervous and they were happy to send their gold back to the United States for safety. Gold poured in the the country and the money supply expanded.
He tried many things just to appear to be doing something, anything without regard for any unintended consequences. If one thing did not work, he just tried something else until something seemed to work. He did not let the markets find their natural rhythms and do what markets do. No, he tinkered. And the more he tinkered the worse things got.

On politics again. This is a great book to be reading right now because we are going to have to elect a candidate that is going to say then do many of the same things FDR did, and he had it all wrong. So do Obama and McCain. Unfortunately, I do not believe enough of the American public has a firm enough grasp of economics nor a great enough knowledge of history to allow them to make the right choice. Most are going to feel like there is no choice and throw up their hands and stay home. We cannot do that. There is a choice to be made even if it is for the lesser of two evil. (Heard that before? Tired of that yet?) I think I know what that choice must be, but I probably will not be sure until I see what Hillary can pull off. So I’ll talk about that later.

Finally, on religion. Psalm 66:16 “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” What a beautiful thought, “what he hath done for my soul.” Truly He has done much for my soul. He brings me comfort, He forgives me, He keeps me safe in the palm of His hand. He is growing me in ways that I had not noticed and still cannot quite articulate. But it is a good place to be. And I am thankful.