Th*nk*ng Change

Fred Cederholm

I’ve been thinking about change Actually I’ve been thinking about where we are in August 2012, the coming conventions, the presumed candidates, the economy, the money crisis/ deficits debt, the equity markets, unemployment, and are we better off than we were four years ago? “Change” is such a simple word. It means (at its core) simply a difference. Change can be good… and change can be bad… In uncertain economic/financial times, it can be linked to another frequently used buzz word “hope.” The presumption is that things cannot continue as they are presently… and “that prosperity is just around the corner.” How often have we heard those words? How often will we hear them in the coming two and a half months? Just wait…

You see in every election cycle, we get the re-packaging of the old standby concepts — hope, reform, “new” ideas, and of course, change. Well, hope springs eternal… and the American psyche has emerged optimistic from the coldest nights of the winter at Valley Forge at the beginning of our nation through the trials of the war between the states through the deepest and darkest days of the Great Depression and on to the attack(s) on September eleventh. We unite as a people in the heavy times like right after the “day that will live in infamy” (the attack on Pearl Harbor), or more recently like after the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9-11. Nothing prompts change like shock and those were perhaps two of the biggest shocks in our history. We as a people (and a nation) only seem to experience revolutionary change (as opposed to the slower evolutionary change) when we get hit with something big!

Once again we find ourselves in the final legs of an election cycle. We will be choosing a President, a new Congress, and one third of the Senate on November 6^th. There will be countless elections in all 50 states and at the county and local levels as well. Many elected officials will be newbie’s, many will merely be re-packaged, and a vastly large number will (unfortunately) stay the same.The coming political conventions — Republicans in Tampa/ Democrats in Charlotte — will loudly evoke a message of “change,” or “change you can believe in.” While the party platforms will resound with differences, I don’t honestly expect much to change in our daily lives (or government policies) over the near term of the next four yearswithout a major blow up.

Don’t get me wrong… Romney/ Ryan and Obama/ Biden could NOT be more different! But… they sadly are NOT the real players here. The political rhetoric and (mud slinging) will once again prove so much hokum, or as the great bard Shakespeare wrote: “full of sound and fury signifying nothing.” Why do I say this… well, the Romney camp presently has about 2 BILLION in the political coffers and the Obama team has about a BILLION and half. This is unheard of in even US Presidential politics. Such kingly sums are not Dona, or free gifts. They come with numerous strings which are in the hands of the real puppet masters — the banking/ financial interests, the medical/ pharmaceutical/ insurance cabals, the armaments/ military groupings, and the oil/ energy/ utility players. These groups will expect their paybacks to commence on January 20^th when these candidates take office. “Of the people, by the people, for the people…” only rings in the sound bites, and really carries little true clout. Our popular votes are but a hollow ratification of the continued “inevitable.”

We are deep in the midst of serious times for the economy, the US Dollar, growing debt/ deficits, the equity markets, and the very nature of national sovereignty! World peace is now only a dream on the far distant horizon. Any one of these could blow up before our very eyes and bring down the systems as we presently TH*NK we understand them. It is most unfortunate that we will not see ONE of them hit us (at worst possible time). The coming collapses will fall like dominoes and will be a real call to action by the American people and the people worldwide… Main street revolts ill commence against the cumulative global puppet masters. “He” (who has the gold) will no longer make the rules. We will be amazed at how the political chameleons in our governments will “suddenly” rally to the will of the people. This will come not from seeing the light, but from political self preservation. This has been the common rallying point behind all the critical points of history. Change comes not from political promises, but from dour necessity!

The most recent national poll shows that 56% feel they are worse off than they were a short four years ago. This is not a big enough grouping to necessitate the systemic changes that I feel are necessary. I am convinced this discomfort index will only continue to grow… Do you feel that you are better, or worse off than you were four years ago? I know what my answer would be… I’m Fred Cederholm and I’ve been thinking. You should be thinking, too.

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