Astroworld

With the steadily mounting financial woes of the Federal and State governments, many local communities, cities and regions will find themselves increasingly on their own in terms of government financing and support in 2006. This will mean deep and deeper cuts to public services, police, fire, education, etc, and loss of employment for many people in these areas.

In economically troubled regions, particularly in the older cities of the Midwest, the pinch will be felt even more severly than in the booming "Sunbelt" cities of the South and Southwest. But only at first. In a number of cases, central cities and their suburbs will be forced to seriously examine, if not take action to consolidate and "regionalize" aforementioned services, up to and possibly including administrative functions on a regional level. This will be particularly true in struggling city-regions like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Cincinnati who have been more seriously examining regioning plans over the past few years. Eventually, the trend will spread to metro regions throughout the U.S. and 2006 will see them take the first big steps to that end.

The end result in about 10 to 15, (or 2015 to 2020) years could very well be a number of tenacious and thriving multi-county, "neo-city-state" governments scattered around the country whose primary raison d'etre will be based around resource management. Proper food, water and energy attention and management will be key to their survival. As a result, state boundaries may merge, change or be eliminated entirely where common interests supercede traditional political boundaries. For instance, Cleveland and Pittsburgh have much more in common than Pittsburgh and Philadelphia do as cities of PA, or Cleveland and Cincinnati for that matter, as far as cities of Ohio stand. Entirely new political entities could eventually emerge along new, more practical lines from the ashes of dramatically weakened, bankrupt state and federal governments. The seeds of much of this, however, may be planted this year.

Other predictions:

-Gas prices will climb nationally to new, sustained highs,($4.00+ per gallon) raising anew old concerns about our energy policy, along with Americans' blood pressure at the pump. The mainstream American public will learn of successful efforts towards establishing energy independence in countries such as Germany, France and China, and will finally (and very angrily) demand those changes be made here in the US. The GOP-led Congress, however, will mostly pretend that it isn't hearing what it is hearing, to its' own peril in November, if not shortly thereafter.

-Speaking of energy independence, the rest of the Western World (and many parts of the East) will collectively make huge strides forward in energy efficiency this year, dramatically reducing their dependency on Oil by better than expected margins. While the US, dominated by desperately corrupt Oil, Auto and Energy industries, lags woefully behind, and in fact only increases its' dependancy on Oil. There will be major breakthroughs in gas mileage efficiency, electrical storage capacity, hydrogen power and solar power, and the EU, China, Japan, Indonesia and newly ascendant South and Central Americas will be the major beneficiaries of those.

-Bird Flu won't bite this year, but another dreaded disease, possibly mosquito-borne, may sweep through the South/Southeastern US, in some way related to or originating from New Orleans. Florida may see particular problems with this.

-On the subject of New Orleans, there won't be quite as many hurricanes this year as there were last year, not enough to breach the Greek Alphabet as we did this year up to Zeta. Nevertheless, there will still be plenty, and they will achieve Category 3 or 4 status on a regular basis. New Orleans will be spared, but the Carolinas will be hit by a high-level Category 3 in late summer. Florida will be pounded by at least 2 or 3 Category 5s, one of which could do severe damage to Miami. A stray storm moving up into the Gulf of Mexico will give Houston another brief scare.

-Dick Cheney will be gone from power, and gone from this existence before the end of this year, fully aware of his imminent departure on both fronts, but stubbornly resisting his end to the very last of his energy. Rather than repent for his dark, destructive path, during his last days, he'll lapse into increasing delusional ruminations about how he should have ordered tactical nukes dropped on Baghdad at the outset of the war, and had Saddam tortured. He will be forced out of power by a shocking revelation of the hand he played in manipulating the events of 9/11.

-A scandal will envelop Rumsfeld's tenure at the Pentagon and may force him into resignation to join his buddy Cheney in retirement. If the scandal unfolds before November and Rumsfeld resigns, his replacement will be temporary until after the elections. Rumsfeld's permanent replacement for Secretary of Defense will be the unlikely choice of post-election defeated Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman.

-Another scandal will emerge surrounding Colin Powell, tarnishing his reputation in the eyes of Americans, if not further in the eyes of the world itself. He may also let publicly slip more revelations about his opposition to and disdain for Cheney and the NeoCons.

-Condi Rice will be given a chance to prove her best qualities before the American people, but will come off looking quite confused and unprepared in the eyes of many. She'll have several opportunities to do this, but each one will be a rather abysmal repeat performance of the last, leading many to see her as out of touch and sloppy at best, or incompetent and clueless at worst.

-Former President Ford will pass away this year. His funeral will be rather quiet and serene -- a non-state funeral. Poppy Bush will suffer a debilitating stroke, but will somehow manage to survive and make somewhat of a recovery. It won't be publically revealed, but he will suddenly become very fearful of his own mortality, and seek some sort of path to eternal life, not necessarily a Christian path, however. Dark, disturbing and even disgusting secrets about the Bush Family and their legacy will finally begin to see the light of day about this time.

-Revelations about deep-rooted corruption in Ohio will emerge in March, and will be tied to the Abramoff-DeLay machine scandal. One shocking revelation will tie Abramoff with the 2004 Election results and money handled by California Gov. Schwarzenegger, among countless others. Gov. Taft will be indicted and will be forced to resign. Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Attorney General Jim Petro and State Auditor Betty Montgomery will also have their connections revealed, will be forced to resign from their respective offices, and have their gubernatorial asperations destroyed. Blackwell sees prison time. The Ohio GOP will be decimated, and Ohio's state government will be shaken to its foundation.

Posted by: NEOBuckeye on January 2, 2006 03:31 AM

No solid predictions from me yet. Still think that the congress will go Democrat. Then the stuff hits the fan for sure. The wire tapping story will not go away and will contribute to GWB going down early 2007 if not before.

I think Cheney was done for the minute Pluto Progressed hit his MC and opposed his something or other in the 6th. That's when I alerted Astroworld to start counting. It was last summer I think. I also think his health will be very much involved. He is so worried that his games will be found out. Bound to bring on the ultimate coronary.

I also think we are going to hear big time from Fitzgerald again. When Uranus hits his natal stellium in Virgo by opposition. Either that, or he'll explode from within from over charged nerve endings.

The Abramoff hearings will bring down this Congress. And Delay may finally be brought up for crimes worse than money laundering and illegal redistricting schemes. Murder may be whispered in the Washington winds...that he was instrumental in arranging a murder...mob style.

I think Bush will go. Not early, but I think he will go. By 2007 the wheels will be grinding him down. As I said, that Congress is key. I sincerely believe that this drama will play out until the very words fundamentalist and Republican will send shivers down all out spines. Neptune dissolves that which has crystalized (Saturn). And Saturn will not tolerate illusion (Neptune).

We will be more hated. And the country that likes to compare itself to the shinning beacon upon a hill and all that rot will be finally labeled - out loud and the greatest exercise in hypocracy (s.?) ever sold. What do you expect when you have Jupiter conjunct the Sun. Big ego. Big, big inflated ego. The US has Jupiter conjunct the Sun in the 7th house. For the Greeks, one of the greatest of sins was Hubris.

Best to all this New Year.
My mother will turn 100 in 27 days! Man, is she pissed!

Yet there are heros amongst us. There really are. And by the way, has anybody seen Good Night and Good Luck?

Posted by: Beasley on January 2, 2006 05:41 AM

-Another for the Fall -- Ohio Congressman Sherrod Brown wins a decisive victory over Senator Mike DeWine, who is indirectly tarred and feathered by the numerous scandals enveloping the Republican Party. DeWine won't be linked directly to Abramoff, but he'll still pay dearly in the fallout.

-On a similar note, former Marine Paul Hackett won't win the Senate race vs. Brown, but he will see an increase in popularity/notoriety, and may receive some attention and support in some form or another from Howard Dean. He'll have another chance to run against mean Jean Schmidt in a year, but may find an even better opportunity and a door opening for him.

-A certain white-hatted Akron-based Business Tycoon will be revealed to be the "Abramoff" of Ohio. With the revelation will come exposure of an elaborate money-laundering scheme operating through his multi-state network of for-profit charter schools.

-Back to Dean, if he is forced from DNC Chair, it will be to the ultimate, possibly fatal detriment of the Democratic Party, and he will leave the Dems if they don't want him. Dean still has his Democracy for America infrastructure in place, however (now headed by his brother). He will refocus his efforts under DFA, and it could become the foundation of a genuine moderate-left, third party and an increasingly crucial player in 2008 and beyond. He may or may not seek office in 2008 (there may not be much of a Presidency left to seek), but Dean will be a very influential figure in politics.

Long Range Forecast: (beyond 2006)
Here's a URL: http://www.iwtnews.com/
Remember it, support it, watch it when it hits the airwaves, and tell your friends about it. It's not much now, but it will become the "Air America" of TV/Cable news, and a breath of fresh air for anyone who can't stomach even a split second of Faux News. A genuine "fair and balanced" news network alone won't save this country, but it certainly won't hurt it, either.

Posted by: NEOBuckeye on January 2, 2006 06:56 AM

More on predictions:
I just peered into Shrubs future by looking at his Solar Return for 2006. It don't look pretty my churlish friends, not pretty at all. The chart was cast for his birthday in Washington DC. His ascendent for the solar year is Sag. with good old Pluto at 24Sag50 conjunct the Asc. Add to that the Lunar eclipse we will have in March at 24 Virgo 21. The chart itself has a nice conjunction on Moon/Jupiter in his Solar Return 10th at 8 and 9 Scorpio making a tight square with Saturn at 10 Leo which falls in his 8th house this year. Squares are not easy for unconscious people and Jupiter is not playing well for Shrub since he doesn't know how to handle it except by being grand, posturing, loud and intractable. The Moon next to Jupiter there in Scorpio is certainly going to put him in full view of the whole world. And thwarted by Saturn. Maybe no more money, maybe no more "other people's money. Heh, heh, heh. The dispositors of that Scorpio conjunction are Mars at 19 Leo in the 8th which will be opposed by Neptune in the 2nd in Aquarius. No more money, again. Whatever violence he intends will end up in a soggy, oily mess. And he won't get away with it. Pluto, the other dispositor, is positioned in semi square to the Moon and Jupiter. And if we do a little 90 dial stuff, we know that is not a comfortable position for the Moon or Jupiter. That's putting it mildly. And to make the story more compelling with the 90 degree dial, Pluto is 135 degrees from Saturn. Ouch! And more joy, more joy, Saturn opposes Chiron. Rather than go into each meaning specifically ( I'm sure y'all can do that yourselves) this chart tells me his soul will be up for grabs. He will fight back viciously, but to no avail. And the populace (us) will not let him get away with Sh@@@. He will try to appeal to his old base, the crazies, but even they will reject him. I'm not sure all his trines and sextiles are working for him anymore. The chart shows a grand water trine Uranus/Moon.Jupiter/Sun. But grand water trines involving Uranus can be unpredictable.

The Sun which falls in his 7th house of partners and enemies is of course in Cancer...ruled by the Moon. The Moon's dance is with Jupiter this year squared by Saturn. And if the 7th house is also one's enemies...it's trine to the Moon/Jupiter doesn't necessarily mean great good fortune, but could be a signal that his enemies find it easy to nail him this year.

I have found trines and sextiles just make it easier for energy to pass from one conduit to another. And this energy ain't good energy.

Posted by: Beasley on January 4, 2006 06:02 AM

MORE

For all presidents assinated including Harden ( he was either sick or
murdered) on either the spring (when Sun goes into Aries) or the closer
to the deah of one of them the Mars in the spring chart or closest like
Fall for Kennedy is then set off by either Uranus or Mars at death by a
conjunction or 8H transit. Interesting stuff.

My predictions, of course I have been predicting Bush going down about
once a month since he got in office. I think that wild Winter chart
tells it all. This first one I have been seeing this young woman for
some time now. Just don't know what she does.
----------------------------------------------------

A young woman will bring down Bush probably sooner than later. It will
be someone that no one has ever heard about as far as the news goes and
she wears a dark blue uniform.with gold buttons, petite, quite
attractive.

Unfortunately we will not have a chance to impeach him. But the threat
will be part of the bringing him down. We are going to be quite
surprized.

We may find that the Bundy murders are mixed up in some of the many
scandels (anyone got a large blackboard and chaulk). OJ knows what this
is about and biding his time for it to come out and then he can say "I
told you so." He has always known more than he has said in public,

Sharon was just rushed to the hospital again with probably a massive
stroke. What I see is people in Isreal not knowing what to do know and
basically running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

There is a scandle to come that no one anticipates. It will just blow
all of a sudden like a volcano with no warning. It will jar the people
of the US to their roots. I don't know what the heck it is, but it is
disgusting. It is like turning over a rock and finding maggots crawling.
It will hit people who we will be very surprized about.

The major scandles will hit both parties but primarily the republicans.
But some major democrates will go down.

Chaney and Hastard have their 15 min. but then just fade to footnotes in
history, and very quickly.

After the smoke clears, we will find that Russia really holds the power
in the world.

Dean is looked to, to save the country and no one will be laughting
then. He will act as the organizer and pull people together and keep
his head when others loose theirs. He will be the rock.

I am not that hot on these kind of predictions, just wrote them down as
they came to me.
JEAN