"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right, from the frame of their nature, to knowledge, as their great Creator, who does nothing in vain, has given them understandings, and a desire to know."

-John Adams

"You Raise Me Up"
By Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

< You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up: To more than I can be.

MARKET NEWS DIGEST

Fed hikes rates, worries about inflation -MW
FOMC says inflation pressures have picked up
By Greg Robb, MarketWatch
March 22, 2005

For the seventh straight meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee increased its target for overnight interest rates by a quarter-percentage point, this time to 2.75 percent.

But the big news was in the language of the statement. Read FED statement.

"Though longer-term inflationary expectations remain well contained, pressures on inflation have picked up in recent months and pricing power is more evident," the FOMC said.

Economists said the warning on inflation shows the Fed is a long ways from done in adjusting interest rates.

"The FOMC believes that it still has a considerable ways to go before reaching a neutral or modestly restrictive level for the Fed funds target," said Josh Shapiro, chief economist at MFR Inc.

Drew Matus, economist at Lehman Bros., said he was still expecting the Fed will move rates up to 3.75 percent by the end of the year, but "on the margin, this increases the risk of a higher Fed funds rate before year end.

The warning about inflation sent Treasury prices down, boosting yields. The stock indexes fell further. The U.S. dollar improved against both the euro and the yen.

"The rise in energy prices, however, has not notably fed through to consumer prices," the statement continued.

In the Fed's last statement on Feb. 2, the FOMC said both inflation and long-term inflation expectations "remain well contained."

In its statement released Tuesday, the FOMC repeated language that its monetary policy stance was "accommodative" and that this "accommodation" could be removed "at a pace that is likely to be measured."

The committee also tweaked its bias statement, saying that "with appropriate monetary policy action" risks should be kept roughly equal.

In its assessment of the economy, the FOMC said output was rising at a solid pace "despite the rise in energy prices." It also said that labor markets continue to improve "gradually." In February, the committee said output was rising at a moderate pace.

The vote of the 12-member FOMC to tighten policy and change the wording of the statement was unanimous.

The minutes of Tuesday's meeting will be released on April 12.

In a related action, the Fed policymakers voted to increase the discount rate to 3.75 percent from 3.5 percent.

The FOMC has now raised rates by 175 basis points, which matches the total tightening in the last cycle from June 1999 to May 2000. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The Fed raised rates by a total of 300 basis points in 1994-1995.

Economists are growing concerned that inflation is creeping higher.

http://www.marketwatch.com

Related Stories:
TOP INFLATION FIGHTER: TANGIBLES! -- USAToday 5-12-04 -- Is inflation lurking around the corner? Or is it already here? By Barbara Hagenbaugh, USA TODAY "Every time I go to the gas station, I'm shocked. Housing prices are insane. That's inflation, right?" ... INFLATION 101 ... Top Inflation Fighters by Linda Stern, Reuters; "Commodities. Gold, silver, copper...Jewelry, art and collectibles"

THE IN-CREDIBLE SHRINKING DOLLAR -- 2-22-05 - By Craig R. Smith, SATC -- The U.S. dollar has lost over 40% of it's buying power since 2001 -- and that's under Bush's "strong dollar" policy! Can you image what's ahead over the next four years for the heavily indebted dollar? I can: "Trouble!" A surging cost of living! 'We the People' are the ultimate victims of the shrinking dollar. Get ready for Phase II of the gold bull market!

Gold down, rate talk lifts dollar -Reuters
Mar 21, 2005

LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) - Gold prices slipped in Europe on Monday, pressured by a stronger dollar on expectations of speedier monetary tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Dealers said bullion trade was subdued, with relatively thin business conditions seen before public holidays on Friday.

Spot bullion fell to $435.10/435.80 an ounce by 1138 GMT from $439.00/439.70 late in New York on Friday.

Silver tracked back with gold to $7.25/7.28 from $7.36/7.39 on Friday in New York.

"The dollar has moved up against the euro and that is holding things back today, although support seems pretty good around the $435 area," one dealer said.

The dollar hit a two-week high against the euro on speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve might signal a quicker pace of interest rate rises on Tuesday.

Higher U.S. interest rates tend to raise demand for dollar deposits and slow that for metals denominated in the currency.

Dealers and analysts said bullion had largely factored in an expected quarter percentage point rise in U.S. rates, but a more aggressive tightening policy could spark sharp drops.

"Financial markets are braced for the decision...and more especially the language accompanying the U.S. Fed meetings tomorrow," UBS Investment Bank's John Reade said in a daily report.

He said UBS expected a 25 basis point rise in U.S. rates and and the term 'measured' to be removed from the accompanying statement.

"In any event we believe that the rally in the gold price has gone a little too far in the near term and favour modest downside from here," he said, leaving one- and three-month forecasts unchanged at $430 and $450 respectively.

http://www.reuters.com

Stock gauges slump, despite M&A -CNN
Market struggles as blue chips erode, investors eye oil prices near record high, gear up for Fed.
March 21, 2005

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Blue chips slumped Monday morning, dragging down the broader market, as investors eyed oil prices near a record high and geared up for an expected interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve.

The Dow Jones industrial average (down 19.87 to 10,609.80) and the broader Standard & Poor's 500 (down 2.52 to 1,187.13) index both fell modestly around 45 minutes into the session, while the Nasdaq composite (down 1.05 to 2,006.74) was little changed.

On Friday, the Nasdaq closed at a four-month low, at the end of a tough week for stocks in which oil prices hit new all-time highs.

Oil prices remained in focus on Monday. U.S. light crude oil for April delivery fell 22 cents to $56.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Friday, crude settled at $56.72, an all-time closing high.

Among stock movers, General Motors (down $0.55 to $28.07) fell 2 percent and weighed on the Dow. The automaker plans to cut its North American white-collar work force, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The report came less than a week after GM warned that 2005 earnings would miss forecasts.

Monday was heavy with merger news. In the biotech sector, Medicis Pharmaceutical (down $1.68 to $30.00), which makes drugs to treat skin ailments said it would buy Inamed (up $3.41 to $69.65), a maker of breast implants, for $2.8 billion in cash and stock.

Market breadth was negative. On the New York Stock Exchange, decliners beat advancers by nearly two to one on volume of 230 million shares. Losers edged winners seven to six on the Nasdaq, where 310 million shares changed hands.

Gearing up for the Fed

Worries about inflation and interest rates have kept a lid on stock gains all year, and in particular, have sent the major gauges lower for the last two weeks.

Jitters about these issues likely kept investors in check Monday, due to the heavy spate of activity on tap for Tuesday. The February report on producer prices is due in the morning, and earnings from Oracle are due after the bell.

During the day Tuesday, the Federal Reserve Board is meeting to discuss monetary policy, with a decision expected at around 2:15 p.m. ET.

http://www.cnnfn.com

Related Stories:
3-21-05 -- Survey: Deficits biggest threat -CNN ...Economists say the budget and trade gap are more of a problem for the economy than terrorism. -- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The budget deficit has overtaken terrorism as the greatest short-term risk to the U.S. economy, and concern about the current account gap is rising, a survey of American businesses released Monday showed.

Fed Reconsiders `Measured' Pace as Inflation Pressures Mount -BL

March 21 (Bloomberg) -- Tomorrow's meeting of the Federal Reserve's policy-setting Open Market Committee may be one of the last at which U.S. central bankers will say they're satisfied with how the fight to contain inflation is going.

Figures since the FOMC's last meeting show a surge in the prices of oil, commodities and imports, as well as accelerating job growth. Those trends are heightening economists' concerns about inflation and raising speculation the Fed may soon abandon what it calls its ``measured'' pace in raising interest rates and boost rates more quickly.

``That's a very close call,'' former Fed Governor Laurence H. Meyer said about prospects the FOMC might scrap the language in its post-meeting statement. ``Everybody appreciates that it's going to need to be removed at sometime soon. I would think it's not far'' off -- possibly at the May or June meeting, he said.

The 22 firms that trade government debt directly with the Fed increasingly share that view. Economists from 13 of the primary dealers say the FOMC will remove ``measured'' by June, including three who say the description may become history tomorrow, based on a Bloomberg News survey conducted March 17 and 18. The Fed will raise its benchmark interest rate by a quarter-point tomorrow to 2.75 percent, the seventh increase in a row, according to 93 of 101 economists in a separate poll.

Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, in four appearances before Congress since mid-February, didn't use ``measured'' to describe the expected rate of increases. Comments by other Fed members suggest they favor leaving the description intact. Each FOMC statement has used it since May.

FULL STORY

Related Story:
U.S. Treasuries Fall on Concern Pace of Inflation Quickening -BL

Bush studies $4 gallon 'nightmare' scenario -Drudge
Mar 20, 2005
**Exclusive**

President Bush's inner circle has become preoccupied with soaring gas prices and its toll on the economy, a well-placed White House source said over the weekend.

Bush has quietly asked for a review of any and all economic fallout on the nation if gas prices continuing racing up and over the psychological line of $3 a gallon, as they have in recent weeks in some locations, the source explains.

Bush's top economic advisers have conveyed to the president that a "nightmare" scenario of $4 a gallon is extremely unlikely in the short term.

"The seasonal run-up of gas prices has been tough this year, but like every year in the past two decades, we expect we will will see some easing," the source claims from Washington.

Developing... DrudgeFlash

Related Story:
3-21-05 -- Nation's Gas Prices Reach Record High -AP
$5 Gas Coming Soon?

'Atomic Iran' author on Farah show -WND
It's the book everyone's talking about – now talk to Jerome Corsi
March 21, 2005

The book everyone's talking about – "Atomic Iran" – is making its national debut today, and you have the chance to talk with its author, Jerome Corsi.

Corsi is making his national radio debut promoting the book as the guest today on "Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily RadioActive," the nationally syndicated talk program.

Subtitled "How the Terrorist Regime Bought the Bomb and American Politicians," the book exposes Tehran's desire to produce a nuclear bomb and reveals ties between pro-Iranian fund-raisers within the United States and American politicians.

Corsi will also be making appearances on a host of other programs, including "Hannity and Colmes" on the Fox News Channel.

Hear "Joseph Farah's WorldNetDaily Radioactive," the daily, nationally syndicated radio show featuring WND's founder. Farah's new network, Golden Broadcasters, has been formed with the live, three-hour, drive-time program as the flagship.

The new Dallas-based company will be a full-service network providing programming, radio production, Internet streaming, satellite delivery and sales and affiliate relations. Farah continues broadcasting from the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., as he has for the past two years.

The show airs Monday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern with a refeed from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. on ABC Starguide, Transponder 23, Satellite AMC-8.

The call-in number for the show is 1-877-232-4855. Golden Broadcasters can be reached at 972-871-8802.

http://www.wnd.com

Read "Atomic Iran" Preface

Bush decries Minutemen border project -WT
By James G. Lakely
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
March 24, 2005

WACO, Texas — President Bush yesterday said he opposes a civilian project to monitor illegal aliens crossing the border, characterizing them as "vigilantes."

He said he would pressure Congress to further loosen immigration law.

More than 1,000 people — including 30 pilots and their private planes — have volunteered for the Minuteman Project, beginning next month along the Arizona-Mexico border. Civilians will monitor the movement of illegal aliens for the month of April and report them to the Border Patrol.

Mr. Bush said after yesterday's continental summit, with Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin at Baylor University, that he finds such actions unacceptable.

"I'm against vigilantes in the United States of America," Mr. Bush said at a joint press conference. "I'm for enforcing the law in a rational way."

The Minuteman Project was born out of a long-held perception among many residents that more Border Patrol agents are needed to handle the flow of illegal immigrants.

Mr. Bush was criticized by both Republicans and Democrats earlier this month for failing to add 2,000 agents to the Border Patrol, as set out in the intelligence overhaul legislation he signed in December.

The president's 2006 budget allows enough money to add only 210 agents for the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico.

FULL STORY

COMMENTARY

MONEY THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE - Craig R. Smith, SATC
Kill my dollar, just let me compete!
May 10, 2004

SOUND AS A DOLLAR

There has been a huge shift in the way we view money in America, and many people have ignored these fundamental changes. For example, for over a century, the old saying was; "AS SOUND AS A DOLLAR."

Strength is good, right? The stronger the dollar, the better. The slogan created confidence, which is so important -- especially in today's substance-less money system.

If my paycheck, savings account, 401K account, and home value are all valued in dollars, it only stands to reason that the average American would want a strong dollar, right?

Not so fast, Skippy.

You see, while you and I benefit from a stronger dollar, a dollar that buys more and spends farther is not the desire of the U.S. government, or big businesses. Quite to the contrary, government and big businesses want the dollar to be weak.

What? You got it.

GOVERNMENT VS. THE DOLLAR

Governments want to keep their currencies low for one reason: to stay competitive.

-Let's not make a better product or increase efficiency.
-Let's just lower the value of the unit we use to exchange the item for.

Over the next two decades, world trade will be controlled by whomever keeps their curriency low in relative value, without destroying it's domestic economy. It won't be decided by whose currency is the strongest, but rather, by who can manipulate the value of their respective currency the best. With that in mind ...

* Have you prepared your finances to reflect the changing financial times in which we live?
* Does your portfolio reflect hopes for a stronger dollar in the future, or a weaker dollar?

If you plan for a stronger dollar and it remains weak, you may be flipping burgers at age 75 to make ends meet every month. Currency markets are the most difficult markets to understand or invest in.

The best way to avoid the pitfalls of currency fluctuation is to own the ultimate currency - gold - being the one constant, as the ultimate plumbline of true value over the long term. This fact is something on which the world universally agrees.

MONEY THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE

Be a 'value investor' and own gold today. This way you can compete with the BIG market makers; those who make the market work for them, not them working for the market.

Track an ounce of gold for any period of time in world history and see for yourself why gold is the ultimate store of value. Find out why gold is always ignored, even bad mouthed by the press and media. Why bankers cringe to hear people are buying gold.

Manipulation of markets have been around as long as civilized man has been on the earth. Find out why gold cannot be manipulated in the long term. Learn why every prepared portfolio should own gold.

All of our trading partners prefer gold to other currencies. Why? Because gold is money that will never change.

When you buy U.S. gold and silver coins, you are helping to restore the concept of "Sound as a Dollar" in your personal and family government, even if the U.S. government does the opposite by printing trillions of debt-backed paper "dollars."

A dollar must make a sound to be considered "sound" money. That is, the sound of a tangible, silver dollar clanking on a table top creates a confidence of true value, but the silent sound of a debt-backed paper "dollar" never can, because day by day it's true value is shrinking its way nearer to extinction.

READ MORE ABOUT SILVER DOLLARS ...
READ MORE ABOUT GOLD DOLLARS ...

Betting Against the Dollar (If You Dare)-WSJ
By CRAIG KARMIN, Wall Street Journal
March 20, 2005

With the U.S. dollar mired in a prolonged bear market, some small investors are seeking a way to bet directly that it will continue to decline.

EverBank World Markets (www.everbank.com) is one of the few places they can go. The online bank offers savings accounts in 20 foreign currencies -- including the euro, yen and even the Chinese yuan -- that can be opened with a minimum deposit of $2,500. Customers pay 0.75% to convert the dollars into a foreign currency. They can also buy certificates of deposit in any of the foreign currencies for a minimum of $10,000. EverBank says it has a total of more than 20,000 customers in all 50 states.

While these savings accounts pay no interest on deposits of less than $10,000, they represent a direct play on the movement of the dollar. If the dollar weakens, the value of an account in dollar terms will increase. (Conversely, a stronger U.S. currency means that these accounts will lose value in dollar terms.) The deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., though any losses from currency fluctuations aren't.

Some of the CDs, moreover, pay interest at rates higher than in the U.S. The New Zealand CD, for instance, pays a three-month CD rate of 5.46%, compared with a 2.82% rate for a three-month CD in dollars offered by EverBank.

Financial Planners Balk

Despite the dollar's recent woes, not everyone believes that betting on currency movements is wise. Many financial planners counsel against it, equating it to risky speculation because currency movements are hard to predict even for the experts.

The dollar zigzagged through more twists and turns last week, at one point approaching a 2˝-month low against the euro. In recent weeks, the dollar has tumbled on fears that central banks are becoming disenchanted with the dollar's long decline and are starting to diversify their reserves into other currencies, such as the euro.

"Diversification" has become a buzzword that the currency and stock traders tend to read as "dumping dollars." Bank or other government officials in South Korea, China, Japan and India have all given some indications this year that they plan to diversify their currency holdings.

Full Story

Related Stories: (By the SAME title ... who's reading who?)

3-21-05 -- The Incredible Shrinking Dollar -NEWSWEEK ... The significance of the dropping dollar is that it's actually a symptom of a larger and more troubling development. For 15 years the American economy has been the engine for the world economy through ever-increasing trade and current-account deficits (the current account includes other overseas payments like travel and tourism). In 2004, the U.S. current-account deficit is estimated to have reached $650 billion, a record 5.6 percent of the economy (GDP). [Ed. Note: This 8-page Newsweek spread lays out the problem nicely, but fails to mention one little four-letter word that is a major solution for investors ... GOLD! ... You must read our story below by the same title (originally published last fall, but updated regularly) for advice on tangible solutions!]

THE IN-CREDIBLE SHRINKING DOLLAR -- 2-22-05 - By Craig R. Smith, SATC -- The U.S. dollar has lost over 40% of it's buying power since 2001 -- and that's under Bush's "strong dollar" policy! Can you image what's ahead over the next four years for the heavily indebted dollar? I can: "Trouble!" A surging cost of living! 'We the People' are the ultimate victims of the shrinking dollar. Get ready for Phase II of the gold bull market!

The New Retirement Model -John Mauldin, FLT
March 18, 2005

Today's letter is in part a reflection of two very different items which reached my desk this week. The first is a rather interesting survey on retirement from Merrill Lynch. The second is a remarkable new book by my longtime friend Michael Masterson simply entitled "Automatic Wealth." Both of them got me to thinking about retirement (not mine, of course!), and how the coming wave of baby boomers entering their retirement years will have a massive effect on all aspects of American society.

Merrill Lynch released a new survey a few weeks ago called "the New Retirement Survey, wherein they polled 3,448 baby boomers, both from the general population and the more affluent segment about their views on retirement. I'm going to spend a few pages summarizing the survey, and highlighting some of the more interesting points. I should note that the survey was done for Merrill Lynch by gerontologist Dr. Ken Dychtwald, who is the president of Age Wave with the help of Harris Interactive. I must say that I thought it was a very thoughtful and well put together survey.

The survey reveals that baby boomers plan an unexpected approach to retirement in anticipation of increased life spans, labor demographics and (what I perceive as a lack of) financial preparedness. Interestingly less than 1/5 of baby boomers plan to stop working for pay. 40% expect to cycle between work and leisure; another 16% plan to work part-time and an energetic 13% plan to start their own business. 6% plan to continue to work full-time.

That is a long way from the model of our parents and grandparents, who more or less expected to retire from work. Interestingly, of those who expected to continue working, 56% of them said that they intended to pursue a different line of work.

Not having enough money was only fourth on a list of fears about the future. Number one on the list was being unable to afford health insurance, with over half of those responding worried about health insurance. Right after that was a major illness and going to a nursing home.

Money Can Buy Happiness

The survey broke the respondents into two groups. Those who were very or fairly well prepared for retirement and those who are somewhat or not prepared. Those who are more financially well-off were twice as likely to be looking forward to retirement, 70% more likely to be optimistic about the future and three times as likely to describe themselves as successful. Coincidentally, they expected to live longer, and were happier.

Those with less money were twice as likely to be stressed out; 50% more likely to worry about health care; much more worried about losing their sex drive and three times more worried about whether or not they would have enough money. Evidently, money can buy some relative amount of happiness, at least among the broad population.

The United States is currently in a great debate about Social Security. We are basically ignoring the far larger and more contentious issue of Medicare, and this survey tells us why. When asked the question, "Do you believe that you and every member of your generation are entitled to the full benefits of each of these programs?" 89% of boomers believe that they are entitled to Medicare. Social Security was only slightly less at 88% and senior discounts scored 85%. 78% believe that we are entitled to prescription drug coverage.

The Republicans have offered a plan whereby nothing changes for the baby boomer generation, recognizing that trying to change the benefits for those over 55 is a nonstarter politically. Given the serious anxiety about health care among the boomer generation, when we do get around to having to deal with Medicare the choices are going to be few and difficult. But there is some consensus about what those choices would and would not be.

72% of respondents favored reducing entitlement levels of those who are financially well-off. 63% opposed having everyone receive a little less in the way of entitlements and 65% opposed raising the age of eligibility to reflect higher life expectancies.

As an aside, I think this means we do relatively nothing about Medicare until there is indeed a crisis, forcing a solution. Given the above and some of the statistics below, I think it is highly likely that the "rich" are going to have to cough up (pardon the pun) more of their income for health care for everyone else.

Unrealistic Retirement Expectations

Those were pretty much the general conclusions. I've found some of the actual survey questions and responses to be very interesting. 42% of baby boomers do not know how much money they will need to be able to live comfortably in retirement. 60% had less then $100,000 of total savings other than their home, and 46% had less than 50,000. Of course 7% were not sure how much they had saved and 12% decline to answer, so it would be a reasonable assumption to think that 70% had less than $100,000.

26% felt they would need between $25,000 and $50,000 annual income to be comfortable in retirement, and another 27% would need as much as 75,000. (23% were not sure what they would need -- so much for financial planning.).

Let's look at that last group. To generate $75,000 of income, with a reasonable degree of safety and adding enough to principal to be able to take care of the effects of inflation, you need a portfolio worth about $1.5 million, give or take $100,000. Only 2% of the respondents said they had as much as one million. Only 3% had more than $500,000 with another 5% having more than $250,000. Less than 10% of the boomer generation had more than $250,000, yet 70% said they would need more than $25,000 annual income to live comfortably.

Even subtracting for Social Security and other pensions, there are going to be a lot of baby boomers who are going to be disappointed about their retirement if they have to live off their savings. To our credit, we seem to recognize that. Thus, less than 20% of us expect to be able to enter retirement without working for pay again.

Nevertheless, we are an optimistic lot.

We as boomers like to think of ourselves as a generation that defies categories, yet we sometimes fit into them so well. Dr. Ken Dychtwald broke the boomer generation into five clear "profiles of boomers and their likely retirement scenarios emerged. These profiles provided further insight as to what the "next stage" looks like for these boomer groupings; the personal, societal, workforce and economic implications of their perspective. The five distinct and different boomer segments are: the "Empowered Trailblazers," the "Wealth-Builders," the "Leisure Lifers," the "Anxious Idealists," and the "Stretched & Stressed."

The next few paragraphs are direct quotes and descriptions for these five groups from the survey. It might be interesting to see into which groups you fit.

"For the Empowered Trailblazers (18% of boomers), retirement will be a well- rounded, empowered and liberated period of their lives. Rather than spending their retirement in passive rest and relaxation, they will be traveling, exercising, taking educational classes, spending time with family and friends and embarking in new directions. Open to new ideas, retirement will provide an opportunity to widen, not narrow, their horizons. Generous with their resources, they plan on contributing time and money to social causes and charities. 68% are looking forward to next phase. More than half say 'self-confidence' and "open- mindedness" completely describes them. 90% aspire to work, 67% plan to volunteer, and 79% plan to travel.

"The Wealth Builders (31% of boomers) are fueled by their desire for material success and security. For them, retirement will center around continued work and the achievement (and enjoyment) of financial success and security. They are the most likely of all groups to define themselves as workaholics and are less likely to say they want to stop working for pay in the next phase. About half of this group would say they are primarily driven by their own personal financial gain, while the other half is working to achieve financial security and stability for their immediate family. In fact, they are the most likely of all boomers to describe themselves as family oriented, and in the next phase they plan to reap the benefits of their hard work by spending more with their spouse or partner, children, and grandchildren. 79% plan to work, but only 28% say a sense of self-worth or identity is a very important reason to keep working - it's the money that matters.

"Anxious Idealists (20% of Boomers) see their retirement years both as a time for new directions and better work/life balance and as an opportunity to give even more of their time, skills and money to worthwhile causes. They may not have a lot of assets, but they are the most likely to say it's important to them to leave a significant amount of money to their family and to charitable organizations. However, because throughout their lives, they have not tended to focus on practical matters, they realize that they haven't put away as much money as they should, and their lack of money is a serious and growing source of worry and fear. 85% believe that it costs too much to retire.

"When asked what they are looking forward to, the Leisure Lifers (13% of Boomers) are the most likely to list simplifying their lives and having years of full time relaxation and play among their top goals. Work is definitely not a priority for them - and a large percentage never enjoyed their careers or jobs. They are the most likely to look forward to stopping work for pay completely and permanently, and the sooner the better. They are more likely to say they will retire by their early 50s. In fact, half of them are retired already. With low levels of income and low levels of savings, if they were to anticipate serious financial difficulties in the next phase, they are the least likely to say they would go back to work to try to make up for the shortfall. Instead, they are counting on government entitlements and their savings to ensure a life of leisure in the next phase. 78% are looking forward to having more time for rest and relaxation, and 71% are looking forward to reducing stress. 94% feel that they and every member of their generation are entitled to full benefits from social security.

"The Stretched and Stressed (18% of Boomers) are the least likely to describe themselves as successful, self-empowered or optimistic about the future. They are on a bad path and they know it. During the next stage, they will continue to work, not because they want to, but because they will have to. Of all boomers, they have the highest unemployment levels, have earned the lowest levels of income throughout their lives and have taken least advantage of available guidance or pension opportunities. There isn't much they are looking forward to - they are least likely to look forward to spending time with their spouse, most likely to think financial issues and where to live will be major sources of disagreement, and most likely to think they and their spouses will be very unhappy in the next phase. Only 9% are looking forward to next phase, and they expect lowest levels of happiness (5.8 out of 10). They expect to live the shortest - only until age 77."

FULL STORY

FANNIE IS SCREAMING DANGER! -Rich Spohr, SATC
March 18, 2005

Interesting developments in the markets....The nation's largest mortgage player Fannie Mae (FNM) is now circling the drain. Over the last 6 months FNM has dropped over 31%. Thats a $23 Billion dollar LOSS.

Fannie is not merely the second largest financial entity in the country, after Citibank. Via her mortgage securitization, she's the engine of Real Estate Asset Inflation, the motor of Bubble II.

With a balance sheet larger than the Federal Reserve's, Fannie is arguably a larger creator of money and credit than the Fed itself.

Make no mistake: Fannie is a vital keystone of the US Ponzi Pyramid economy. If this Engine of Asset Inflation is shut down, the Fed will face grim choices in replacing Fannie's firehose-like credit creation.

But the Fannie collapse is only the beginning, not the end, of a dismal process.

Fannie is SCREAMING DANGER to anyone who will listen.

The warning is not just about FNM stock. It's about ALL paper securities, including the dollar.

The nation's largest insurer and Dow member (AIG) is under a major investigation with it's CEO forced to resign. AIG, formerly one of the largest manipulators of the Silver market has dropped 30% in the last 6 months alone, vaporising some $6 billion dollars in shareholder value.

The nation's largest employer, best-known company, major mortgage player and Dow member General Motors (GM) is also circling the drain. GM has given up 44% of it's value or $12.5 billion dollars recently. Today, 3-18-05, a prominent Bloomberg economist recommended GM file Chapter 11 Bankruptsy.

Our nation's largest bank and Dow member (Citibank) has been ordered by the Federal Reserve to halt acquisitions to get their financial and accounting house in order so as not to cause a derivitives meltdown.

The biggest players in our financial economy are teetering on the brink, yet the Dow is still less than 3% off recently set 3-year highs. Are all these problems fully offset by a 3% drop?

Quick Dow Jones Score Card:

* AIG is caving.
* GM is already Night of the Living Dead.
* Disney is hustling its CEO out the back door.
* Citigroup settles a lawsuit for 2.4 billion pesos (that could have been settled for 1.4 billion pesos).
* General Electric looks OK if you ignore the fact that they are a big loan sharking operation in a rising rate environment.
* Hewlett Packard just canned its CEO.
* Intel is in a industry with a 0.78 book-to-bill ratio.
* JP Morgan is exposed to all the derivatives in the universe
* Coke is at risk big-time if there is a global slowdown (according to my friend who is the Coke analyst at...JPM)
* McD's: They'll do fine because we are a bunch of fat swilling burgerheads.
* Altria will do fine because that addiction ain't going anywhere.
* Merck: Lost their biggest drug. Lost 2/3rds of their market cap. At least they are a "safe, must-hold" company.
* Microsoft: It's stuck. Period.
* Pfizer: See Merck above.
* Walmart: Depends on resilient consumers.
* Exxon Mobile: Work in progress. If they do well, the other 29 are toast.

The Obvious Conclusion...

Either there's an endless supply of "Greater Fools" stepping into this market or the dam is about to burst.

Read Rich's "SILVER BOAT ABOUT TO SAIL"

WILL THE COMING MONETARY CRISIS PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR REFORM?
Dr. Edwin Vieira, Jr., Ph.D., J.D.
March 21, 2005
NewsWithViews.com

Investment advisors often remind their clients that the Chinese character for "crisis" also means "opportunity". Similarly, many people argue, expect, and even hope that a severe crisis in America's monetary and banking systems will provide the necessary and sufficient opportunity for reform along free-market and constitutional lines.

According to this train of thought, the inevitable and unavoidable collapse of the Federal Reserve System is desirable:
first, completely to discredit fiat currency and fractional-reserve central banking;
second, to shock both people in general and politicians in particular into realizing that silver and gold must be reintroduced as media of exchange, central banking must be eliminated, and the incestuous economic and political coupling between the government and the banks must be permanently severed;
third, to provide the groundswell of public outrage necessary to force Congress and the President to act; and especially
fourth, to leave politicians with no alternative but to restructure the monetary and banking systems along free-market and constitutional lines.

Some exponents of this position go even further, contending that fundamental reform is actually impossible without such a collapse.

In fact, the exact opposite of this theory is far more likely to be correct:

A. Any regime of fiat currency and fractional-reserve central banking operates at base as a confidence game or Ponzi scheme. Therefore, its instability and the likelihood of its collapse depend, not only on hard and fast economic facts, but also on volatile public attitudes, emotions, and reactions; on the often inaccurate and even dishonest propaganda bankers and politicians put out; on sudden eruptions in foreign affairs; and on other usually unforeseen and often unforeseeable events and influences. For that reason, in such a regime the timing of any crisis is unpredictable. So planning for how to deal with a crisis becomes difficult, if not impossible. Thus, if a "crisis" truly merits that denotation, it will occur when this country is least prepared for it--economically, politically, and psychologically. An event with seriously destructive consequences which is unpredictable, and the victims of which are unprepared, is better characterized as a "disaster" than as an "opportunity".

B. A monetary and banking crisis will create circumstances conducive less to calm and rational thinking, and to social solidarity in mutual adversity, than to hysteria, demagoguery, class warfare, and mass political manipulation.

For example, in a depressionary crisis (such as occurred in the 1930s), people will be desperate to find quick and easy escapes from floods of bankruptcies and foreclosures, from mass unemployment, and from curtailment of essential public services. But, at least for common Americans, no panaceas will be discoverable. Impotence in the face of impoverishment--coupled with ignorance of its cause and inability to implement a solution--will engender desperation.

The courts, inundated with litigation brought by creditors against debtors, will enter one all-inclusive judgment: "Pay up!" Being lap dogs of the Establishment, judges will employ all of their well-honed skills of kangaroo jurisprudence to function as merciless collection agents for the banks, mortgagors, credit-card companies, and other voracious bloodsuckers to whom so many Americans are indebted beyond any hope of repayment. Mammoth redistribution of wealth will occur by judicial fiat. (Perhaps this is the subtext of the contemporary push for "bankruptcy reform".) But no one will be allowed to challenge the fundamental fraudulence of the system that encouraged and constructed such an unsustainable pyramid of debt in the first place.

To be sure, when Americans are told that "justice" and "the rule of law" require them to forfeit their accumulated savings and economic security to the very institutions and individuals who enticed them out on the financial limb that the Establishment then sawed off, justifiably violent animosities towards the powers that be will arise among some citizens. For most victimized Americans, though, politicians, bankers, high finance, big business, and the intelligentsiia will finger scapegoats on whom wrongly to pin the blame for the crisis and its aftermath. This will generate increased confusion, recriminations, conflicts, and social chaos; and further divide, disarm, and ultimately defeat the forces that, if united, might effectively oppose the Establishment.

In addition, rather than disseminating demands for sound money and honest banking in order to deal with the crisis, the controlled media will orchestrate calls for massive increases in the supply of fiat currency and credit, ostensibly in order to enable common people to pay their debts. Of course, this will necessitate the maintenance of fractional-reserve central banking to emit the new currency, as well as the creation of more, more, and even more debt to serve as "security" for these emissions--thereby perpetuating the cause of the crisis and ensuring that further crises will break out later on. In this way, credulous Americans will be duped into chaining themselves to new debts in order to pay off their old ones, rendering permanent their financial indentured servitude to the Establishment.

An event which triggers psycho-social destabilization and provides ammunition for the Establishment to wage psycho-political warfare is better characterized as a "source of social psychoses" than as an "opportunity". Indeed, people suffering from politically induced derangement can hardly be expected to recognize an "opportunity" at all, let alone to take advantage of it.

C. These socially destructive psycho-political effects will be intense, because economically the next major monetary and banking crisis will be far worse than any America has ever experienced.

FULL STORY

A FRESH GLOBAL PASSION RESURRECTED– David Bradshaw, Editor, RMP
Apr 5, 2004

"He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." -Isaiah 53:5

About three weeks ago I went with a friend to see The Passion of the Christ. Having heard all the controversy over the “excessive” violence and “anti-Semitism”, I was on the lookout to see if this was in fact true, or just sour grapes from anti-Christian reviewers, who were hell-bent on attempting to discredit the movie. (which has backfired!)

While I must confess the brutality was the strongest I've ever seen in an artistic rendition of Christ's Passion, overall the film did a magnificent job in it’s portrayal of the Jesus of the Bible. There were a few scenes that I found myself turning away, but it was with tears in my eyes as the film forced me to face the reality of Christ’s suffering in ways I never have before on an such an intense emotional level.

As a Christian of thirty-some years, I have read, watched and even performed in Passion Plays dozens of times, but never have I felt what the Apostle Paul refers to as “the fellowship of His suffering as I did watching this movie.

As for the accusations of “anti-Semitic” … this is not the impression that came across the screen to me. It would be the same as saying the movie was “anti-Roman” or “anti-democratic” for the movie correctly portrays the major role that both Pontius Pilate and the townspeople of Jerusalem played in condemning the Christ.

The most unusual and yet genuine aspect of the movie was the Aramaic sub-titles which remained true to Scripture in virtually every detail. As Dr. Gary North points out, the decision to use a dead language to communicate the gospel was a stroke of genius by Mel Gibson because it instantly makes the film international and universal – which is refreshing in a world that has grown callous to the American version of Jesus that until now has been all that Hollywood filmmakers have offered us.

I predict that The Passion will not only break all box office records for a “religious” film, but it may well launch a fresh global perspective of the universality of Christianity.

The second major credit to this movie is that I believe it leaves the believer with a fresh understanding and awareness that His suffering was the pathway to redemption and glory.

Isaiah. 26:9 states that, "When judgment comes it teaches people righteousness." I believe that as the intensity of spiritual, ideological, governmental and economic warfare accelerates in the 21st century, it is going to require more Christians that can pray, think and steward God's resources strategically, without collapsing under the pressure -- just like Jesus did.

This of course flies in the face of today’s America’s secular humanist driven culture (cult?) – which lives for comfort, convenience and even luxury entitlement -- None of which were the hallmarks of Christ or of the early church … nor will they be hallmarks of the fresh global renewal in today’s church.

The implicit message of The Passion is that it is time for Christians to grow up, face the hard truths of the gospel and move on into a deeper relationship with Him as an act of both duty and worship.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I become a man, I put away such things." -I Cur. 13:11

Scientists tell us that every cell in our body carries in it two DNA codes; one code to bring the cell to maturity and reproduction, and another code to bring the cell into harmony and integration with the entire organism. It's part of God's natural design.

So it is in the spiritual realm. God has placed within every member of the body of Christ an individual destiny of maturity and reproduction and a corporate destiny to integrate with the whole body. This organism, the body of Christ, is called to conform to the head, King Jesus Christ, and then to transform the world into the image of His Kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit living with each of us. (Perhaps this will be covered in The Passion, Pt. II)

Bottom line: Go see the film for yourself! –db

P.S. Braida, my 2-month old daughter is gearing up for her first Easter Celebration. Thankfully the Passion does not end at Calvary ... it did not even end with an empty tomb ... Christ's Passion lives on the hearts of 2 Billion Christians worldwide! Read more about the future role of the Church from the perspective of 65 top Christian leaders HERE.

Recommended Reviews:
Dr. Ted Baehr
Dr. Gary North

ECONOMIC EVANGELISM - From True-Wealth.com

WHAT IS ECONOMIC EVANGELISM? It is one of the greatest opportunities in the days ahead and the redemptive use of our resources to proclaim and advance the kingdom of God. The Bible is full of examples of godly men who used their wealth to spread the truth -- men like Joseph, Daniel, Solomon, David, and so on.

Businessmen and business women I want to speak to you directly. I believe that you are the key players in the next move of God. Not that pastors, or evangelists, teachers or prophets are any less important, but I'm convinced that the next revival will touch businessmen in a new and fresh way that will send our nation back to its knees seeking God. Here's why:

1. BUSINESSMEN HAVE OPPORTUNITIES. Increasingly, the church is facing the spirit of Antichrist and walls have gone up against traditional methods of preaching the gospel in the public arena. But not for businessmen. The world is now open to Christian businessmen who can use their influence and business contacts to reach out to the lost both here in the U.S. and abroad.

2. BUSINESSMEN UNDERSTAND EFFICIENCY. When it comes to maximizing results with minimal resources today's successful businessmen are true leaders. Remember the horror that faced the disciples right after the crucifixion of Jesus? It was a businessman, Joseph of Aramathea, who secured the tomb and took care of the details of Jesus burial (Matt. 27: 57-60).

3. BUSINESSMEN HAVE RESOURCES AT THEIR DISPOSAL. Joseph is a perfect example of a man with the resources, and the love of God who offered his services to help the struggling, leaderless church move to the next step. Today God is raising up an army of Joseph's who will help the church breakthrough to the next step.

Today there are thousands of opportunities to give to your church and advance the gospel ... but every one of them takes money. The Bible speaks of the spiritual gift of "giving" as every bit as valid as preaching or teaching. Businessmen, stop asking God for more gifts and start using the one that He has already given you. Only when we use what we have are we given more.

In my experience, I asked the LORD to give me a full time ministry of evangelism. I spent many hours ministering to Prison inmates with Mike Barber and others. This gives me great joy and fulfillment, but it is not my first calling. My first calling is to earn money to fund the kingdom of God. So once I received this revelation I began to give my business back to God so that He could use it as a fountainhead of financial blessing. And guess what? My business is now among the top in my industry with no end of His blessing in sight.

In conclusion, let's use our businesses to evangelize the world, starting in our local church. Businessmen, call your pastor today and tell him that you are ready to receive a new vision of what your business can do to help him share the gospel. Begin to give liberally from the gross income of your business and watch God enlarge your tent. We are on the threshold of a massive revival that will require more of each one of us. Are you ready? I sure am!

Read more about True-Wealth from Craig R. Smith
MORE on Joseph of Aramathea
Request a Free copy of "What's Your Worldview?" CD -HERE- ... OR, listen/download it -HERE-. Listen to the first 2:30 NOW.Please send your review of CD and we will post it on our sister site true-weatlh.com.
The State of Christianity in 2005

Welcome to the 21st century paradigm shift
-- from a "stock-driven era" to a new "commodity-driven era."
In "Economic Solutions for the 21st Century" you'll discover ...
* SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM ... A plan to unify America
* WHY YOU MUST OWN assets that offset a DECLINING DOLLAR
* WSJ SAYS: "You don't have to be rich to invest in COINS."
* WHY SILVER could rise to $50, $75 or even $100 per ounce.
* "ATOMIC IRAN" spells the beginning of a new U.S. "Dirty War"