Happy New Year America!
As we venture into a new year much has changed in America. For the better? Some things. Some things have gotten worse.

Banking: It's better for the bankers and worse for the consumers. You can only get a home equity loan now for up to 70 percent of the value of your home. Translation, all our real estate values have been lowered by 30 percent. Small businesses can't get loans. But the large banks were bailed out by the taxpayer so money would be freed up. It was; FOR THEM AND NOT US! The banks have made it much more expensive to have a credit card. They have drastically reduced consumer credit limits and raised interest rates and fees to cover all their "costs of doing business". The pendulum has really swung way too far in the other direction. My hope is that this will level out in time. My hope is that interest rates won't skyrocket next year as it did during the Carter presidency. Keep hope alive!

Terrorism: Our government no longer calls them that. They are now "extremists". There is no longer a "war on Terrorists" it is now called "A Man Made Disaster". When an Alchieda trained terrorist goes on a plane and almost blows up 300 Americans he is called by our President "A Lone Extremist". I like President Obama and pray for him daily, but to pretend we are not at war is dangerous and naive. This Nigerian terrorist was talking and telling us about the operation until the attorney general Eric Holder decided to try him as a civilian in US Court and gave him a lawyer. Now he is not talking because his lawyer told him not too. The actionable intelligence he could have provided about other bombers who may attempt to kill us is now lost. The administrations says he "may open up" later to "plea bargain". So he will talk in a year or two so he can get a lower sentence? This is insane! This is very dangerous!

Jobs: Americans have now achieved double digit unemployment. The policies in place that are going to impose huge health care costs on employers, raise taxes on them and make getting loans almost impossible will all work together to keep that unemployment rate high and jobs low for the foreseeable future. I wish we could hope for a better outcome, but the rules of economics don't change just because you talk a lot about how much compassion you have for the unemployed. The "evil rich" are the ones who create the jobs for the workers in our country. As long as one party rams legislation through with Zero minority support, you can expect unemployment to stay high. Will our politicians ever "get it"? Will the days where they work together for the good of the nation ever return? Is the only way to hope for the change you all wanted for the better to happen to throw them all out and start over?

Religion: It seems that Hollywood is now enamored with "All Things Mayan". The Tree of Life dominates their religion so Hollywood is now reading their prophecies and make the Sacred Tree a theme. The trees are not God! The Creator who made them is! Pantheism is alive and well in Hollywood today! The Christian Church is being attacked on all sides and anything Muslim or Mayan is wonderful! They love to portray Christians in almost every production as bigots who are ignorant and evil and yet are very reverent toward any religion that isn't Judeo-Christian in nature. Remember the bible people in the last days believing "fables". One thing you can count on this year; The Bible! Read it, and try to apply it in your own life. Build your life upon it! Don't pay attention to the Hollywood fables they are peddling. Build your house on the solid rock of God's Word. It's more important to be biblically correct than politically correct! The bible tells us that evil men will wax worse and worse, and that this world is passing away. Don't look to the world for your answers, look to God! If Jesus comes this year, and you have a relationship with him, THAT WOULD BE THE BEST CHANGE OF ALL!