Will between 4-5 million people show up for Barack Obama’s inauguration Jan. 20, as the mayor of Washington and other officials have predicted?

Maybe not necesarily that many, but it will be the largest group ever for any Inauguaration. Look for the neo-cons and their fellow travellers say that because it wasn’t as large as predicted, it was “small”.

Will new President Barack Obama’s honeymoon with the news media will last long into 2009, adding credence to the suggestion that press was biased toward him all along?

I give it until March when the hard decisions made earlier start bearing fruit. I predict that Bill Kristol and the Washington Times will not like much of what President Obama will have to do.

Will new president Barack Obama make good on his threat to “throw his weight around” and force major college football to have a real national championship playoff?

I hope not. Of course if this does come to pass, UCLA and USC (California) will probably beat the pants off of all others.

Will Missouri’s senior politician, U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, decide next year near the end of his fourth Senate term not to seek re-election in 2010?

They’ll have to pry his seat from his cold dead hand.

Will Congress take up serious climate change legislation will pass before health-care reforms?

We can only hope. Look for Senator McConnell and his tribe to block any significant reforms citing some pseudo-science that says these problems can be solved by the “marketplace”.

Will Congress pass a massive stimulus package authorizing more than $800 billion to repair the economy and put people to work?

Yes, but only after every pissant little state has laid claim to as much “pork” as it can. Look for an attempt at “faith-based” roadways.

Will the recession end in 2009?

No, not because it cannot, but because Paulson’s cronies want to make sure they have squirreled away all of the monies given them this past fall.

Will gasoline prices remain below $1.50 a gallon?

Let’s hope they stay around $2.

Will we experience deflation in 2009?

Let us pray not.

Will unemployment be higher a year from now?

Will we have higher than 7% - 8%, you better hope not.

Will the Rams re-hire Jim Haslett as head coach?

When have the Rams had a Head Coach in recent years?

Will Tiger Woods return to his old dominant form in 2009 after knee surgery cut short his ‘08 season?

He did it with a bad knee. He could probably do it with one leg.

Will the New York Yankees buy themselves a World Series title?

They’ll try. They need to stop being stars and start playing ball. But then I guess that applies to all teams.

I predict Slugger and Garrison will continue to blame any and all issues, no matter how trivial or non-existent, on some conspiracy combining two or more of the following: the Republican Party, George W Bush, organized religion, the Pro-Life movement, pharmaceutical companies, the Fed, Tony LaRussa, and the 2nd Amendment. They will also co-author a new text entitled “The Post-Dispatch Blog Manifesto”.

Have a nice year.

My prediction is that Carolyn Kennedy will take up flying lessons.

What a fun exercise! Here’s my list:

1) Shocked reporters provide breathless coverage of wildfires in southern California (Oct 2009)
2) Global cooling to continue: http://anhonestclimatedebate.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/news-reports-for-october-indicate-global-cooling/ (throughout 2009)
3) Wider awareness that conservatives are actually more charitable than liberals. (N. Kristof NYT 12/21/2008)
4) Iraq continues trajectory toward self sufficiency after her government holds another parliamentary election (late 2009)
5) Kim Jong-il will again do something irrational while the North Korean folks continue to enjoy a diet of rationed stone paste and fly larvae (Spring 2009)
6) UN will concoct a resolution condemning Israel after the pile of rubble, once known as Gaza, is processed into smaller chunks of rubble by precision weaponry (Feb 2009)
7) Israel will take action against Iranian nukes. More UN outrage and condemnation (Summer 2009)
Popular music will begin to re-incorporate melody and depth in lyrics. Politeness and manners will receive focus by the media. Reality TV will feature themes of personal character (slim chance 2009).
9) We will gain the capacity to recognize the heroes in the Iraq war. The ‘victim soldier’ will become unfashionable. Example: Battle of Fllujah (Movies will be funded in 2009 and released in 2010).
10) President Obama will not raise taxes. Though the first year of a presidency is the one where the big MO enables a change agenda to sail through Congress, President Obama will carefully choose his battles for the more liberal aspects of his agenda, perhaps saving them for 2010. Maybe limited socialization of health care in 2009?
11) Housing and the auto industry will show signs of recovery. Union clout will show significant erosion. (August 2009)
12) More licenses granted for nuclear power plants (throughout 2009)
13) Successful Ares 1-X test flight, a precursor to our next man-rated launch vehicle ( delyayed 1 mothn to Nov 2009)
14) Large Hadron Collider will go back online. After a successful full power event, analysis of the data will indicate the presence of the Higgs boson…the particle that gives mass to matter. This will be huge but the public will yawn. (Summer 2009)
15) Wooly Mammoth will be cloned: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/20/genetics-zoology . Public will anti-yawn. (Winter 2009)
16) Many newspapers will file for bankruptcy (throughout 2009)
17) Private colleges and universities will begin to cut tuition due to flagging enrollments and competition from quality public institutions (throughout 2009)
18) Advanced astronomical techniques will reveal the first habitable planet orbiting a star other than our Sun. Habitable = water, oxygen, tolerable gravity. Big public yawn for now, but tremendous import for 1000 years from now (2009?)

Okay kind friends in the web-o-sphere..time to hurl the insults.

The sorry leadership and majority in congress will continue to do nothing…

My guess is Fidel Castro passes and the oil companies jump to start drilling for oil in Cuba; gas goes back up to between $3 and $4 a gallon; O.J.’s case gets overturned on appeal; `American Idol’ again entrances the comatosed; the Russians reassert their claim to oil in the Arctic; India starts putting Asian elephants into orbit in a bid to close the space race gap with China; D.B. Cooper still remains on the lam; the Rams announce they’re moving back to Los Angeles; and Playboy magazine ceases publication.

The PD will ask for bailout money. They will use it to give all editors a $500,000 bonus.(A POSITIVE)

The chicken Little’s will be proven right, the sky is really falling. (A NEGATIVE)

Bartering will replace money to obtain goods and services. (A POSITIVE)

Obama will appoint Blago as Ambassador to Mexico. (A POSITIVE)

Indiana will pardon 1000 criminals and send them to Illinois. That will give Illinois voters more of a choice of criminals to vote for. (A POSITIVE)

GM and Chrysler will take bankruptcy. (A POSITIVE)

Unemployment will reach 10 percent because the Government will support those who do not want to work. (A POSITIVE)

Roman Gabriel will come out of retirement to Quarterback the Rams (A POSITIVE)

Israel will dust the sand in Iran with powdered paint. Then they will convert the sand to glass and make it suitable for stained glass windows. (A POSITIVE)

Yep the is going to be the best year since the Republic was formed.

THINK POSITIVE!

1. The United States will collapse

2. Civil war will break out and the USA will break apart

3. The regular bloggers here will suit up to fight the ”boogeymen” the govt tells them are behind it all

4. The regular bloggers here will do whatever Israel and its supporters asks of them (as always)

…………..I think Carolyn Kennedy will get the NY Senate job. She is Obama inner circle, and probably is the most “bang for the buck” NY residents ccould hope for. (Don’t get me wrong….I don’t like political families and am not endorsing that dynasty BS)

I think Blagojevich has a decent chance of beating his rap.

I’ll predict this as far as gas prices go….If the government issues stimulus checks to the general population, gas prices will go back up as soon as those checks get mailed, just like they did last time.

I predict Sarah Palin will wink and the patriotards will go wild!

I predict Hilliary will wear a blue dress tonight…and get somestains on it (wink)

………………Not really a prediction, but more of something to watch.

Will Bernard Madoff’s well-heeled victims get a government bailout?

I’ve said before that if Madoff had only stolen from ordinary Americans he would be safe in the Cayman Islands now.

But he chose to also bamboozle the “Americans that matter”, and it will be interesting to see how that plays out.

crash - I’m glad you brought up Madoff - he looted the Democrats actually who looked the otherway and allowed him free reign. And shame on the press for treating this so differently than the Enron scandal that started off the Bush administration. That was peanuts compared to this one, yet no one is pointing fingers at Schumer and other Democrat Senators. The government will by law bailout those hurt up to $500,000.

As far my predictions: Blogo will remain in office until his term expires - don’t forget he is a Democrat - they can do that. But Rezko may start singing to get out of solitary sooner.

And most importantly, although I had hoped that the PD would change its biased agenda, I predict that the print edition won’t see the Spring. I don’t like reading my news on-line. Don’t know what I’ll do without a newspaper.

TIM……you said it right again!

Will between 4-5 million people show up for Barack Obama’s inauguration Jan. 20, as the mayor of Washington and other officials have predicted?matbe many just siad they would.

Will new President Barack Obama’s honeymoon with the news media will last long into 2009, adding credence to the suggestion that press was biased toward him all along? untill there is something else.

Will new president Barack Obama make good on his threat to “throw his weight around” and force major college football to have a real national championship playoff? has any president keep good faith.

Will Missouri’s senior politician, U.S. Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, decide next year near the end of his fourth Senate term not to seek re-election in 2010?hope so.

Will Congress take up serious climate change legislation will pass before health-care reforms?thats funny……

Will Congress pass a massive stimulus package authorizing more than $800 billion to repair the economy and put people to work? whos gonna pay for this.

Will the recession end in 2009? man quit making me laugh!

Will gasoline prices remain below $1.50 a gallon? i havent seen any pigs flying.

Will we experience deflation in 2009? maybe in our wiast sizes.

Will unemployment be higher a year from now?thatsa given.

Will the Rams re-hire Jim Haslett as head coach?NOPLEASE NO!

Will Tiger Woods return to his old dominant form in 2009 after knee surgery cut short his ‘08 season? it depends on him i hope so its fun to watch him cream the other golfers.

Will the New York Yankees buy themselves a World Series title? lets see how much they are willing to spend divided by how many team players they have……

My thoughts on 2009:

This year, George Clooney will come to St. Louis to film a movie. We will meet, he sweeps me off my feet, and he will give up his vow to never marry again.

Wait? You wanted predictions, not just my wishes/fantasies..

For 2009, I predict Carson Daly will come out of the closet.

Some news really can be predicted. Here’s my list of guaranteed news stories for 2009 (and beyond):

The conflict in the Middle East will continue. Arabs will still hate Jews, and vice versa. There will be talk about peace but the reality on the ground will be the same: constant low level war, punctuated with brief bursts of severe violence. Blame will be be plentiful, and the news will report on all aspects of it as it occurs.

Free Marketeers will continue to bleat about how Globalization is a tide that raises all ships, while the truth is becoming all too clear: Wealth flows into nations that produce more than they consume, and Wealth flows out of nations that consume more than they produce. This truth will be the reason nations continue to negotiate trade agreements that open foreign markets to their goods, while protecting their own markets with things like tariffs, taxes, subsidies, bailouts, etc. Trade agreements, and the continuing struggle to secure resources and raw materials, will be the driving force between most international relations. News will report on every ebb and flow between the nations.

The world will still be subject to bad weather – and in all the usual places. States bordering the Atlantic will get Hurricanes, the Midwest will get floods and tornadoes, the West Coast will get mud slides and firestorms. On a larger scale, the monsoons will still come, earthquakes will shake up some areas, and general weather related calamities will still befall the usual suspects. Of course, the regularity of these occurrences won’t prevent the news from breathlessly reporting on every incident that ends in death or destruction.

Movies will come out, and some will be blockbusters, while others flop. The stars of these movies will see their fortunes rise and fall with these successes or failures, and people will continue to watch the whole process obsessively. All the media attention will cause “scandals” that prove that the rich and famous are subject to the same temptations as the rest of us – greed, lust, pride, etc. The consequences of their bad decisions will fuel hundreds of news articles – and keep an entire industry of tabloid reporters in business.

Sports teams will play their seasons, and some will win while others loose. The stars of these teams will see their fortunes rise and fall with these successes or failures, and people will continue to watch the whole process obsessively. All the media attention will cause “scandals” that prove that sports heroes are subject to the same temptations as the rest of us – greed, lust, pride, etc. The consequences of their bad decisions will fuel hundreds of news articles – and keep an entire industry of sports reporters in business.

That pretty much fills in the news –International, Weather, Entertainment, and Sports. The names and specifics may change, but the stories are as predictable as the sunrise.

Obama’s inauguration will not be as big as they say. There is no room for that many people

Obama’s honeymoon with the media will be short lived. You can’t forget he is like all people. He will have problems. Someone will slip.

Obama has no weight to throw around and he has more important things to do than get involved with college sports.

Kit Bond will run as long as he can breath.

Congress will probably pass the 800 million $ plan, but it will not do much to put anyone to work.

The recession will not end in 2009. You don’t get out of a mess so fast that it took years to get into.

Gas will go up as soon as the oil companies find a way to do it.

Whats deflation??? Is that a new word???

unemployment will remain about the same as it is now for quite some time.

Don’t know about Haslett.

Don’t know about Woods.

The Yankees will try with all of their heart and money.

One thing for sure, I hope Tim stays on this blog because he and I tend to agree. He really had a good one today.

Obama will turn the recession into a depression.

Gasoline prices will go over $2.00 a gallon — thanks to an Obama fuel tax.

Inflation will run rampant.

Jimmy Carter will look like a genius when we see the Obama unemployment figures.

Who cares about the Rams. They are sold and moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Tiger will return and be great.

The Yankees will steal another title.

Eventually, Obama’s birthplace in Kenya will be confirmed. He will be removed from office and Biden will slouch in the oval office, drooling.

I predict that the attempts by politicians to fix the economy will fail, and that hyperinflation will result after throwing trillions of dollars at this economic hydra.

We’re gonna party like its 1929.

Hmm, this is a good question with many possible answers. Last year gas was so high & all of these experts predicted the worst was yet to come. Then all of a sudden gas started dropping in August and now it’s around $1.39 or so!

In 2009 I predict a few short things. 1, Mr. Obama is going to show his inability to really guide this country in international matters especially. His inexperience will show brightly and alot of his supporters will come to not like him so much. Obama may even shift more to the right in my opinion with so much pressure going on in the “kitchen”.

2, I believe gas prices will stay down or keep going down for awhile. I do believe unemployment will continue to increase although certain industries such as government, military, aerospace, healthcare will see large increases in employment. 3, I think that social unrest will become more of a reality in America and less of a illusion. I think that our government is readying themselves to begin martial law at some point if things get too far out of hand. Look at how they’re using the Marines in actual American cities for urban training. 4, I think that religions will become more impure & that people will look for more hope when there is none. Churches will be burned down, crimes will go up, hate crimes will go up and patience for our government to “fix” all our problems will be fruitless.

5, liberals & conservatives will hate each other more. People in politics who claim they really care for the people are liars. 98% of them anyways. I predict that the American people will suffer a major terrorist attack after Obama takes office soon. I believe that our enemies around the world will try to exploit this new President and somehow succeed although not many agree with that. Overall I think 2009 will being positive changes but more negative ones as our economy worsens and people become more desperate.

I predict:
With all those Air Pirates gathered in one place on Jan. 20th,

It will be difficult to breathe in D.C.

I predict record numbers of natural disasters, an increase in family members killing each other. I predict a loaf of bread will be difficult and our rights will be taken away more because the “reason” for the new law always seems like necessity behind the disguise. I predict people will have to depend on the labor of the their hands more and grow their own food and hang the clothes on the line to dry. I’m pretty sure the lazy kids that have grown up during the credit card days of “gimme gimme this and gimme gimme that” will become our young leaders and people will faint from fear over it. I’m optimistic that sports, Hollywood, global warming and whiners who want bailed out will take a back seat to real issues like making people accountible for their actions such as sex offenders, meth heads, health insurance, gainful employment and making welfare only for those who can’t work because of unforseen catastrophic disability and not for lazy people and those who chose drugs for a way of life. And I hope those who work hard in school can go to college free of charge and that we start rewarding good behavior and not the bad.