A few fearless predictions for 2012
Well the new year is finally here and with it brings that certain level of excitement or anticipation about what the year 2012 will bring. There are many big story lines and questions coming up this year. Will Obama get re-elected? Will the Packers repeat as Super Bowl champions? How will the economy do and will gas prices hit 5 dollars a gallon? And the biggest question might be whether yours truly can finally rediscover my jump shot on the basketball court!! Well not really! So without any further delays, let me give you some of the my predictions for the upcoming year.
1. Presidential election. Hard to believe that it was just 4 years ago when a glitzy politician named Barack Obama became the first African-American president of this country. Now 4 years later, he faces a very difficult re-election campaign and I believe it will be a huge upset if he gets elected again. I didn’t vote for him back then and certainly will not this time either. The candidates for the Republican field are have issues too but I feel Mitt Romney will get the party’s nomination and eventually beat Obama in November. It will be hard for Obama to get re-elected with his record and total lack of leadership.
2. The economy. There are certainly signs out there that the economy is getting better, however, it is progressing at a snail’s pace. Those dropping unemployment numbers are somewhat encouraging but the number of foreclosures are not and the housing situation remains a big issue. I believe the economy will pretty much stay the same for the next year. I can’t see the unemployment rate really changing much at all. There is way too much uncertainty out there in the business world both domestically and world-wide for companies to start hiring people. Employers are being cautious and rightly should be.
3. The Super Bowl. Probably the most difficult thing to pick in pro sports is the Super Bowl champ. The last 3 champs basically came out of nowhere and won the title. This year, I believe it will be the New Orleans Saints. After beating the Green Bay Packers in an epic overtime battle in the NFC title game, the Saints will defeat the Baltimore Ravens for the title. They are the hottest team in football right now.
4. Lebron finally gets his ring. There have been stories about Lebron James getting engaged during the past week. But come June, Lebron and the Miami Heat will win the NBA title over the San Antonio Spurs and LBJ will finally get what should be the first of a few NBA championship rings.
5. The weather. Last October, several brilliant long-range forecasters predicated a harsh winter for us folks in Minnesota. Funny but during Christmas, I had thoughts of getting in some winter time golf . Florida you ask? No right here in Minnesota!! It has been a strange weather year but I will go out on a limb and say we will get above average snow in March and umm, do I dare say, April? I’m no weather guy but things always seem to balance out every year.
6. Gas prices. Gas prices have dropped quite a bit during the past year. The other day, I filled up at $3.19 a gallon. I’m probably paying about 50 dollars per month less than last summer. Now that is a real stimulus! Will it last? I doubt it. I can see sometime in the this year when conflicts errupts in the middle east and gas goes up to $4.50 a gallon. Of course it will probably happen in July when many others and myself do a lot of traveling.
