If President Obama and Nancy Pelosi have their way, Americans are going to get healthcare reform regardless of whether we need it, want it, or can afford it. As if the massive government expansion in the last six months has not been enough, liberal politicians are convinced that more government control, regulation, and oversight is what this country needs.

John Browne wrote this week, “Despite growing concerns about the growth in Federal spending, voiced this week by none other than Warren Buffett, Washington seems determined to keep its foot on the money pumping accelerator for as long as it can. But even though Washington continues to ignore the realities, alarm bells are beginning to ring at town halls across the country.

A key element of the Obama Administration is its 1,000-page health care reform bill. Despite the impossibility of reading, let alone understanding, the legislative behemoth, Obama tried forcefully to push it through Congress in just two weeks. And, despite the clear failure of government healthcare in many parts of the world, including domestically in Massachusetts, the Administration is still looking to move ahead with a public option plan.

The public is not yet willing to play ball. While much of the biased media paint the rowdy town hall meetings across the country as merely the clumsy machinations of the Republican Party, the events are revealing the deep misgivings average Americans have about the growth of government. If this movement spreads, it could have a dramatic and healthy effect on the American economy in the long-term.”¹

If there was ever a time for “WE THE PEOPLE” to make our voices heard loud and clear, this is that time. If politicians want healthcare reform…start at the top. YOU GO FIRST! Make Presidents, senators, representatives, and czars lead the way by giving up their government health plans and be the first in line to sign up for the same public health program they want the rest of Americans to have.

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will not pass a healthcare overhaul bill that doesn't include a new public insurance plan, according to a report by The Associated Press. There’s no way I can pass a bill in the House of Representatives without a public option,” the California Democrat said. "Unless someone comes up with a better idea, that's how we're going forth in the House."²

I have a better idea: keep your nose out of it. When did healthcare become a right guaranteed by the Constitution? It wasn’t too many years ago that families took care of families. Churches and other non-profits stepped in as needed to help the poor. Once the government gets involved, the costs will go up and the quality will go down.

Americans are starting to see the BIG picture of BIG government: “President Obama, once considered as politically agile and deft as a gazelle, is now looking increasingly like a deer caught in the headlights.

His poll numbers on everything from job approval to his handling of the economy, health care, taxes and bailouts are dropping faster than a cement shoe in the Hudson River. Perhaps even more worrisome, Rasmussen Reports shows that fewer Americans consider him "trustworthy."³

Americans should be very concerned about the spread of the H1N1 virus…not only from the disease, but also from government’s response to it. Rumors are already spreading about mandatory vaccinations, forced closures, and bank holidays…all to contain the spread of the disease.

“‘The global spread of swine flu will endanger more lives as it speeds up in coming months and governments must boost preparations for a swift response,’ the World Health Organization said Friday.

‘There will soon be a period of further global spread of the virus, and most countries may see swine flu cases double every three to four days for several months until peak transmission is reached,’ said WHO's Western Pacific director, Shin Young-soo.

‘At a certain point, there will seem to be an explosion in case numbers,’ Shin told a symposium of health officials and experts in Beijing. ‘It is certain there will be more cases and more deaths.’

WHO earlier estimated that as many as 2 billion people could become infected over the next two years — nearly one-third of the world's population.”⁴

Iran’s Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called on Muslims in neighboring countries this week to intensify preparations for the coming of the Islamic Messiah known as the Mahdi or the “Twelfth Imam.” He specifically urged Muslims to mobilize forces to defeat the United States and Israel.

Joel Rosenberg commented on this story by saying, “It strikes me as less likely than ever that the leaders of Iran intend to give up their feverish bid to build, buy or steal nuclear weapons. To the contrary, they are beginning to publicly mobilize their neighbors to join them in defeating the U.S. and Israel and ushering in the “second coming” of the Islamic messiah. This makes the prospect of a cataclysmic war in the epicenter even more likely.”

We’ll discuss these latest developments and how followers of Jesus Christ can and should respond during the National Town Hall meeting we are preparing for Friday night, September 11th. More than 308 churches have signed on to show the webcast. More details about the event — and the release of the Inside The Revolution documentary film on 9/11 — can be found at www.insidetherevolution.org.⁵

First Baptist Church of Marco Island will be showing the live webcast on September 11, 2009, 7:00-9:00 PM. All are invited to attend.

Stocks took advantage of option expiration and low volume to race to new recovery highs. Most of the traders are vacationing in the Hamptons and leaving specific instructions to the junior executives to keep the market up until they get back. Am I cynical? Yes.

The market also benefited from Bernanke's statement that the U.S. is on the cusp of a possible recovery. Isn't this the same guy who has been repeating that for the last 18 months and who also told us that the credit problem was small and contained? Amazing....I wonder if he'd be interested in some ocean front property I have for sale in South Dakota?

My sole purpose is to give you the facts as I see them and not some dangerous propaganda that will lead you to the poor house. The market has climbed into our previously cited range and I remain extremely defensive as I see lower prices coming this fall and eventually a new low. That goes for all world markets as well.

If things were so rosy, would international trade be down 35%? The dog days of summer are almost over and in my opinion, so is the stock market rally. Valuations are stretched just like the consumer.

The treasury market rose to a new recovery high Friday before reversing hard into the close. China sold a large chunk of treasuries in June, it was reported. In the months ahead that will be the norm as people rush out of U.S. government treasuries. Why (you may ask)? The simple answer is because we are broke and there is little prospect of us repaying our debts with fully valued dollars. Would you buy anything that might be revalued down 50% in the next few years? Long-term treasuries are an investment to avoid for the foreseeable future.

The dollar index retreated this week after a spike up on Monday. It spent the rest of the week in down mode. The dollar reacted negatively to the report that China was a large net seller of its U.S. Treasury holdings. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I remain long-term bearish on the buck.

Gold and silver sold off very hard on Monday then came roaring back. Gold closed up for the week while silver was down. These markets run inverse to the dollar, so all eyes will be on the dollar as we enter the dangerous fall season. I remain extremely bullish over the long-term as the money printing will eventually cause massive inflation.

The crash that has occurred (so far) has laid bare many unpleasant truths about the United States. One of the most alarming, says a former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund, is that the finance industry has effectively captured our government—a state of affairs that more typically describes emerging markets, and is at the center of many emerging-market crises.

If the IMF’s staff could speak freely about the U.S., it would tell us what it tells all countries in this situation: recovery will fail unless we break the financial oligarchy that is blocking essential reform. And, if we are to prevent a true depression, we’re running out of time.

Can we expect the Obama team to do a U-turn?  It's hard to say what they'll do, but to reverse course is not one of their options. The American people must wake up and realize that a representative government must represent the will of the people. We cannot sit quietly by as our country skips socialism and dives headfirst into fascism.

How does God want us to face the future? Does He want us to be afraid? Does He want us to be worried or feel threatened by it?

God doesn’t want us to be fearful about the future. In fact, the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but power and love and a sound mind.”

Please understand this, though, God doesn’t want you to deny reality and pretend that “everything will just work out in the end.” He wants you to use your head and your good common sense to prepare for the future.

One of my favorite poems is: Our ends are joined with a common link…with one we sit and with one we think. Success depends on which we choose…heads you win, tails you lose.” Use your head…prepare for the worst, pray for the best.

“A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.” Prov. 22:3

Holly Drennan Deyo, Author of Dare To Prepare, reminds us that, “Three days' supplies are NOT enough.” Finally, even the government has officially changed its tune:

"Assemble and maintain a disaster supplies kit with food, water, medications, fuel and personal items adequate for up to 2 weeks - the more the better." —Are You Ready: A Guide to Citizen Preparedness, 2002, FEMA page 91

"Additionally, you may want to consider having supplies for sheltering for up to two weeks." —Are You Ready: A Guide to Citizen Preparedness, 2004, FEMA page 32

"During periods of increased threat increase your disaster supplies to be adequate for up to two weeks. —Are You Ready: A Guide to Citizen Preparedness, 2004, FEMA page 166⁶

Editor’s note: Check out the Global Perspectives web site and see the new features, polls, news links, and past issues of the GPUpdate. (www.globalperspectives.info)

¹http://www.europac.net/externalframeset.asp?from=home&id=17043&type=browne

²http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/pelosi_healthcare/2009/08/21/250766.html

³http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/19/slipping-into-quicksand/?feat=article_top10_read

⁴http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gGBK5q0LgRNjBQCvYaHi4SlH0RwgD9A75RKG0

⁵http://flashtrafficblog.wordpress.com/

⁶http://standeyo.com/News_Files/Hollys.html

⁷Market commentary is provided by Mr. Steve Meyers of Grainbelt Commodities, Marco Island, FL