You will carry a place in history that will probably never be shared.  The circumstances that led to your being President without being elected to either of the top spots was amazing.

And yet, you were the right man for the job.  A decent man.  Not a great President by a long shot, but a calm hand at the wheel while the turbulence was at a peak even higher than the Vietnam War years.

Your Presidency restored some faith in the Republican party - undoing some of the extensive damage of the Nixon Presidency.  Your pardon of Nixon kept America from going through a spectacle of carnivorous bitterness and allowed us to move on.  It also cost you a full term.  But it was the right thing to do.

Price controls, detente, "Whip Inflation Now" - none of these will resonate throughout history or (hopefully) ever be repeated.  But the terrible stagflation was not our biggest problem.  Removing the stain was.  It took one more sacrfice in 1976 to cleanse the sin - and you gave it.

Goodbye President Ford.  And God Bless.

sharp

We continue to see strong economic reports. The old saying that doomsayers have predicted 12 of the last 3 recessions is timely and appropriate right now.

The real kicker will be 4th Quarter GDP and deficit numbers.  If we continue to see strong growth in payroll taxes that means that jobs are growing (typically far faster than the employment report shows) and corporate tax growth means the future for job growth continues very strong.  Both of these fueled a $200 billion reduction in last years deficit vs. forecasts and I look for the deficit to fall below $200 billion to an historically small percentage of GDP.

Fuel cost declines will spike corporate profits since many companies have taken price increases based on projected huge increases in fuel costs.

This economy, boosted by tax cuts, continues to perform very, very well.  And shows all the signs of continuing that, despite the lamentations of paid professionals.

sharp

I got up at 5:30 to study and I plan to work out tonight.

How many times have I done this and quit within two weeks?

I'll chronicle it a little bit right here.  I hope you're doing well so far.

sharp

Here's to a happy, safe and blessed new year.

My resolutions?

• Do fewer things I'll regret
• Regret fewer things I've done
• Get in shape
• Learn and become a better person

sharp

...it isn't Michigan against Ohio State for the National (Big Ten) championship. From the looks of it, the Big 10 was the soft 10 with an 0-3 record in bowls so far. We'll know more Monday when Tennessee takes on Penn State and Arkansas battles Wisconsin.

If the SEC wins those two matchups to move to 5-1 in bowls vs. 0-5 for the Big 10, I'll expect a Florida national championship.

SEC 3-1

Pac-10  2-3 (barely)

Big 10  0-3

But you never know.  Still, so far it's all SEC.

sharp