BigTrends

I usually avoid political topics as I think there's no need to argue about
idealogy, it's really about RESULTS ultimately.

But the big question on my mind is one we all have faced at one point or
another, and it's about EXECUTION:
why didn't Obama deliver in his first year on so much of the Change that he promised?

It's not all his fault, certainly, yet I know at least one thing is under his control
- where is his FOCUS? If anyone tries to do EVERYTHING well, they end up
doing NOTHING well. The President would do well to focus on the aspects
that improve recovery economically, and that's why I thought it was wise
when the early reports said he shifted his main topic to Jobs rather than
Health Care for the talk.

But the reality is that there's still a credibility gap that now has been created
due to the lack of accomplishments promised.  After President Obama's
speech last night, I think we saw our answer for whether the President was
going to show some ability to compromise, or whether he would pound his
agenda without listening to the voters, most recently in Massachusetts, as well
as Virginia and New Jersey, that people want to see our economy get back on
track without the excessive spending and meddling by big government.

And a cap on spending NEXT YEAR (it's always "Next Year" in Washington
DC, isn't it?) doesn't go us much good to cut the deficit when the spending
level has been massively ratcheted up last year and again this year, to leave us
wondering "when is the inflation coming?" It's a matter of when, not if, as the
government tries to dig out for a long time, and it's why I still think gold and
hard asset plays will be the long-term winners, while financial stocks will
remain under pressure here.

One great source of inspiration on the importance of focus, a burning desire
to succeed in a particular endeavor, and developing the specific plans to
execute effectively, is the work of Napoleon Hill. If you have not read Think
& Grow Rich, it's a must read on anyone's list who caes about reaching a goal,
whether it's personal, health, financial, or otherwise. Check out more at www.naphill.org