Watching the stock market these days, it’s easy to see by the fluctuations in the market that an SEC investigation into those large corporations manipulating the market with computer buying and selling should be due. These practices will not encourage Joe or Mary citizen to participate. I am amazed by how they take the same factors to say it’s time to buy, then shortly afterward the same factor appears and they say “It’s time to sell.” Exploiting of the economy for their greed should be a matter of great concern to the SEC. If you were a conspiracy theorist, you might say the SEC is in league with them or taking a few bribes, and if they are participating in buying and selling stocks, they should be prosecuted. The manipulating of the oil futures should also be investigated.

With the ethanol fiasco, I can imagine what the manipulations of corn, wheat, and soybean futures will do to the cost of food in the coming months. Beef, pork, lamb, and chicken meats will reach much higher prices. Milk, eggs, and cheese and all products in which they will be used will increase in price. I wonder if they might consider putting the cost of food back in the inflation index. Is it any wonder that they took the cost of food out of the inflation index?

Like everyone else, I have been watching the election and the polls. There is only one thing I will say for sure - if Huckabee gets the nomination, I will stay home for the first time since voting for Eisenhower in 1956. I would also stay home if Ron Paul got the nomination, which is highly unlikely. The Democrats have been using hate Bush, fear, and doom and gloom in their messages to their voters. As a party, they have always been the party of pessimism and despair.

Here we all are on pins and needles waiting for the outcome of this fake election in Iowa. I know it wasn’t Hillary that crossed the picket line to appear on a late night show - it was the Huckster on Jay Leno. I guess he don’t think social Conservatives or evangelists belong to unions. I think he has put the evangelists in Iowa on the same par as the Arkansas evangelists. I hope they prove him wrong. Arkansas, especially Hope, Arkansas, must have a training program for slick politicians. First there was Slick Willy, now there is Slick Huckster.

They talk about Hillary’s negatives. Huckabee’s are going to be a lot worse if he wins the nomination - God help the nation!

I have been through many political campaigns, and this has had the most hoopla of any campaign we ever had in my long tenure in watching elections. Also, this election media coverage has been on trying to have the candidates skewer themselves on their own petards. I think, therefore, the media has lost its way - what else is new?

I sorta wonder about John McCain. Seems the Democrats and media like him to an inordinate amount. This disturbs me in no small way, being complicit with Kennedy and Feingold being against Bush’s tax cuts and holding hands, in many cases, with Democrats helping them to further their aims. The Democrats wanted to give amnesty to illegal immigrants. They also wanted campaign finance. Now we have all those 527s, and they are working against Republicans in most cases except that McCain has one work for him.

This election would make more sense if it were a poker game with the pot being the nomination. It couldn’t be any worse than this caucus in Iowa.

May God continue to bless the USA.