Fearless Forecasts for 2007

How time flies when we’re having fun, and even when we’re not. Here it is mid-February, and I still haven’t posted my “Fearless Forecasts” for 2007. These were completed during the first week of January. I do these every year to prove that psychics are no better prognosticators than the average person. (See the entry for January 5, 2007 for how this New Year’s tradition began.) They are in no particular order. So, here goes:


1. Mayor John Peyton will win re-election as Mayor of Jacksonville (FL) handily.

2. Now that Saddam Hussein is dead, things will start to settle down in Iraq. However, U.S. troops will not be withdrawn.

3. We will be engaged militarily with Iran to prevent their further development of nuclear weapons and to keep Israel from acting on it.

4. Osama bin Laden will be captured alive.

5. California, especially San Francisco, will have a very damaging earthquake.

6. Jacksonville (FL) will continue to be hurricane-free. El Nino will continue to suppress hurricane activity, although not as well as in 2006.

7. An F3 or stronger tornado will hit a major American city’s central or downtown area.

8. At least one new case of Mad Cow disease will surface in the U.S.

9. The Jacksonville Jaguars will replace both its head coach and quarterback.

10. There will be a major announcement of a new recreational or tourist attraction, possibly an aquarium or amusement park, for Jacksonville (FL).

11. Construction of the new courthouse in Jacksonville (FL) will still be stalled.

12. With Democrats in charge of revenues and spending, the economy will flat-line unless President Bush finds his veto pen. This year will be the prelude to a recession in 2008.

13. After brief stabilization, housing prices will continue down as unemployment heads up.

14. Nancy Pelosi will find it difficult to manage upstart congressmen with more conservative positions. The Democratic caucus will be more divided than most expected.

15. There will be an accident of some kind (car, plane, something or someone falling) that will really rattle everyone in the White House. It will involve or affect the President, Vice President, or members of their immediate family or closest staffers. No one will be killed or seriously hurt, however.

16. The St. Louis Cardinals will disappoint me this year. (Of course, anything less than another World Championship will disappoint.)