So here are my predictions for the upcoming year. But wait, you say. How’d I do with my predictions for the year that’s winding down. Alright let’s look back, one year ago, to my predictions for the year that’s ending. Here goes.
My first and second predictions last year were that the Bengals would win the Super Bowl, and the Reds the World Series, (I’m an incurable homer when it comes to both teams, so you should never listen to my predictions when it comes to them.) Anyway, one week after making my optimistic Bengals prediction, they lost to San Diego and were out of the playoffs. The Reds were only two games out at the All-Star break, but then they crashed and burned after that. So I failed miserably on both predictions.
My third prediction was that Obamacare would continue to be a nightmare. I got that one right.
Fourth, I said that unemployment, which was at the time 7%, would drift down to about 6%, and it currently sits at 5.8%, so I got the direction right, but I wasn’t quite optimistic enough. But pretty close.
Fifth, I said, “Barack Obama will continue to flaunt the law by ordering his federal bureaucracy to do what he wants, even if the law says otherwise.” Hit that one on the head.
Sixth, I said Republicans would hold the House (we did) and that my heart said we’d take the Senate, but my head said we’d find some way to blow a golden opportunity, as we’d done before. (I sort of wimped out.) But by the week before the election, I was predicting we’d hold the House and take back the Senate. And of course we did.
Seventh, I said China would continue to take advantage of the Obama Administration’s weak and indecisive foreign policy in southeast Asia. They have.
Eighth, I predicted that the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) trade deal with Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Chili, Malaysia, Vietnam, and others, would finally get the attention it deserved. It really didn’t. Most people still haven’t heard of it, even though it could mean tremendous job opportunities in the U.S. and in all those countries. Maybe this year.
Ninth, I was afraid that the persecution of Christians around the world would continue to be a woefully underreported story. Unfortunately, it has been (despite the rise of ISIS), a group that specializes in slaughtering Christians who refuse to convert to Islam.
And tenth, I predicted that the nuclear talks with Iran would continue to be unfruitful. Bull’s-eye.
Since I’ve spent so much time reviewing last year’s results, and taking into consideration your valuable time, I’ll cut my predictions this year in half, to just five.
First and second, Bengals win the Super Bowl, Reds win the Series. Can’t help myself. Okay, we won’t count these two.
Now for the real first; if the Obama Administration reaches a deal with Iran on their nuclear program, it will be a really bad one.
Second, the Obama Administration will leave more U.S. troops in Afghanistan than they originally planned. Although they won’t admit it, pulling all U.S. troops out of Iraq was such a disaster (the rise of ISIS, etc.), that they actually learned a lesson, the hard way.
Third, the U.S. economy will continue to improve, even though the political environment in Washington will continue to be toxic. President Obama and the new Republican Congress will find a few things to agree on, but they’ll disagree on far more.
Fourth, Republicans will push even harder for approval of the Keystone Pipeline. Unfortunately Barack Obama will continue to bow to his radical environmental base, and block it. I hope I’m wrong on this one.
And fifth, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Rick Perry, and a slew of other candidates enter the Republican Presidential primary process, and most, if not all, violate Ronald Reagan’s 11th Amendment about not speaking ill of other Republicans. Hillary also finally announces her candidacy, and even though she has a significant challenge from her left, will be the Democrat Presidential nominee. As to who ultimately wins the big prize, stay tuned for my predictions next year. (I know you can’t wait.)
So there you have it, my predictions for 2015. However they turn out, I hope the upcoming year is good to you and your loved ones.
