Lets find out

So today is the day. We are either going to wake up tomorrow with a hope that things have a chance of getting better or we are going to wake up to the fact that our country is in for the longest four years its ever seen. Please pray that voters make the right decision. Why cant the American people understand that if Obama wins that this will end up being the second term that Jimmy Carter never got. Here is my opinion on what will happen if we elect the wrong person.

1. Taxes will increase. Obama has stated that he will not raise taxes except for those who make more than $250,000 per year. This is completely false since it is on record that since 1932 no democrat has ever not raised taxes. So expect a tax increase on everyone.

2. Your healthcare costs will rise. Obama is wanting a national health care plan. This will force people to get healthcare when in fact they dont even want it. And who is going to pay for this, the people who are currently paying there policies.

3. The welfare system will increase. This is the one that drives me crazy. I heard a 7 year old girl on tv explain it best. She said "democrats believe that you can feed a person by giving them a fish a day, however you have to keep them a fish a day. But a Republican believes that you give a person a fishing pole they can go catch there own fish." How priceless is this. And coming from a 7 year old.

4. We will be attacked by terrorists. If we withdrawl our troops from Iraq then the Iranians and other terrorist groupls will view this war as a victory. They will have free reign in the Middle East and we will do nothing about it. How long would it be before they are coming for us again. Im a big believer that the current war is necesary. My theory is, fight them there or here.

5. Last and most importantly. We will see the greatest decline in morals that our nation has ever seen.

So with that said. lets just pray that the outcome turns out for the best. Go McCain and Palin

Here we go again

Its October 25th, 2008. In Southwest Virginia the average gallon of gas will run around $2.50. Not bad considering where it was only a month ago. However, lets look for these gas prices to change once again. For those who dont know, OPEC pretty much controls the production of oil throughout the world. OPEC is primarily controlled my Islamic lunatics who want to rule the world in my opinion. I think its funny that the one country who used the most oil doesnt even have a "seat at the table." Thats right, the U.S. doesnt have a say in what OPEC does. Its primarily run by people from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and even the ridiculous country of Venezuala. The same countries that pretty much hate America are the ones who are controlling the production throughout the middle east.

To get back to my point, OPEC decided this week to cut production of 1.5 million barrells of oil per day. They said this was to help with costs since the price of gasoline has dropped so drasctically in one month. Im sorry, they might have only profited 1 billion last month instead of 2. How awful for them. I will not be surprised if we see in the next few weeks that OPEC decides to cut productio even more. Since they announced that they were lowering production the price of gas has still gone down. That has to be a big slap in the face of the powers to be at OPEC.

I think that the leaders of OPEC need to get serious and realize what they are doing. We all know they hate America but what other country doesnt. We are the most hated country in the world, of course I think its just pure jealousy. Anyways, you may want to fill up your car now because it looks like this might the be the best price for gas in a while. OPEC will make sure of that. I just wonder what would happen if we could get an American on the OPEC board to give our opinion. Oh wait, Im sure we probably do. Its probably some nut from the Trilateral Commission who wants to rule the world for himself. I'll leave that story for another day.

This is ridiculous

Considering the world that we live in, I find it harder and harder for things to shock me. However, what I saw on the 700 club just totally frustrated me. I know that it would be foolish to believe that everyone thinks the same way I do and has the same morals that I do but when you see things that just go beyond the boundaries of normalcy then something needs to be said. The story begins of course in San Francisco. Where else could things like this happen. Anyways, an elementary school teacher, who just so happens to be gay, took her class to her own wedding. She told her students that the reason she wanted them to come was to show them that gay marriage was something that should be acceptable. Now, what is getting to me the most is that the childrens parents said nothing about this. As far as I know only one parent would not allow there child to attend this disgusting act. There is such a double standard in our school system these days. We can talk all we want about homosexuality and evolution and all other kinds of ridiculous things but anything that has to do with Christianity is considered wrong. I may have to stop before I start ranting and raving again. I think my IQ drops every time I have to watch something like this or read about these things.

Not to get ahead of myself

This will be short and quick. What in the world is going on with the UVA football team. We get beat to death by Puke sorry I mean Duke, next we absolutely demolish Maryland 31-0 and now we are beating East Carolina at halftime 28-6. This game isnt over yet but goodness gracious. Of course, next week is the key game of the season. The one game I want to win more than any other. Yes Pastor Neal, its the North Carolina game. This game is even bigger than the VT(VThug) game. Lets go watch the second half and see what happens.

Dont be afraid

One final thought. Dont be afraid to keep investing your money. I by no means am an Investment Counselor but this is not the time to hide your money in shoe boxes or under the bed. The market is prime time to buy. Just do your research first. Also, the FDIC is a good thing. The way an account is titled is key in finding the loopholes set through the FDIC. I know many of us dont have enough liquid cash to worry about this but at least know your options:

1. Joint accounts

2. Individual accounts

3. Trust account/POD accounts (Payable On Death)


Remember, this is just a down time. Rules and regulations are in place so that we will have a greater chance for the economy to get back to normal. It looks bleak now but it will all work out. Also, if you are Christian and tithe your 10%(or more) then why worry. Does God not promise to take care of those who trusts in Him. I know its hard to say but its not OUR money anyways. Its all Gods money that he just lets us use.

Goodbye Wachovia

If you havent heard already, Citigroup bought out Wachovia. It wasnt exactly a complete buyout, they did however buy the banking assets and left sides of the company like Securities. Basically, all I can say is, What was Citigroup thinking? In the past six months Wachovia(or as I call them, Walkoverya) has taken a major turn for the worse. This company really made some bad executive decisions which in turn ruined the whole company which was one of the largest and most powerful banks in the world. Wachovia was at the forefront of the subprime lending market. They would also allow you to "Pick your own payment." Now, how absurd is this. I have read some of the details of these loans and payments and how in the world would anyone think this would work. I would like to think that Im a pretty bright guy. I have a college degree in business and have been around the banking industry my whole life due to the fact that my father has been doing it for almost thirty years. Now what gets me is that I could see the problems that could come of this, but how in the world could these supposed geniuses at the ELITE level of a major company come to pass some of these decisions. As you can see, this is the final result of those decisions. Wachovia has totally fallen apart in the past few months with the stock going from the mid 30's down to under a $1 as of Monday. For those of you that know stocks, the divident went down to a messly .20. That is only 5 cents per share each quarter.

All I can say now is that when you see the commercials for Walkoverya you need to turn the channel as quickly as possible. Dont fall for the high interest rates on deposit products because the company is desperate to bring in new money so they are trying to buy deposits and buy market share by giving high rates. Oh I forget, if you do fall for this you wont become a Wachovia client, even though the bank may still have the name on the building, but know that you will now be a client of Citigroup. How sad.

Good response

I recieved an email from a friend with this comment about the Presidential race. A republican spokesman was asked if he had any comments on the fact that when NObama had speaking engagements he had crowds around 25-30 thousand show up. However, McCain only had around 10-15 thousand show up for his speeches. The republican spokesman said "Well, the McCain supporters are at work."

Nothing else needs to be said. Lets leave it at that.

UVA v/s Duke

UVA faces the Dukkies this Saturday. Duke has lost over 20 straight ACC Conference games. This is also the first time in years that Duke has been favored to win any game in the past three seasons. I must say that as a Virginia fan this is going to be a very long season. Flat out, we are just terrible this year. Too many injuries and too many players kicked off the team for things where if they were at any other school they wouldnt have even missed practice. Like Virginia Tech for example. Sorry folks, but they are known for bending the rules from time to time. Anyways, my prediction is Duke 24 Virginia 13. I hate to say it but I will be very surprised if we win another game this year. Im just glad that Virginia Tech is terrible in everything else but football. There are pretty good at intramural fly fishing though.

My favorite

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

Hello

I want to say hello to the new people who read. Hello to

Greg, Debbie, and Kellie.

The changing of the seasons

I love this time of year. Football season just started; there goes my Saturdays. It also means that Basketball season is almost here. It also means Im going to be putting a lot of miles on my car from driving to Hooville for all the home games. Yes thats right, Im a season ticket holder for UVA football, have been for years and probably will be until Im no longer alive. Sorry, I got off the subject. Anyways, my favorite part of this time of year is the change in the weather. Most people dont know that my first love is the weather. I have always enjoyed watched the seasons change and how it brings new forms of weather in each season. I loved it so much that when I first went to college my original major was in environment science. I was then going to get my masters in weather forecasting. Thats right folks, I was gonna be a weather man. Of course then I realized just how little money they made and I quickly changed my mind.

Even today, I still find myself waking up in the middle of the night to watch a good Thunderstorm. Five minutes usually turns into an hour which in turn leads to a day of being to worn out to want to do anything. Im rambling again, sorry. Anyways, I believe that one of the main reasons I love weather and the changing of the seasons is that it brings an end to one time and the beginning of another. Just think about it, the end of one season brings the newness of another.

You may be going through a season of heartache or trouble or doubt. Only God can really know just what is going on in a persons life at any given point in time. However, we can always be assured that a new season is coming. A new season that can bring great change to someones life. The trials and troubles you are dealing with can turn to triumph and victory in the season to come. Just think, all seasons have a beginning and an end, if you are feeling like you are in a season of defeat then dont look back to the difficulties you have been through but look forward to the victory that is coming in the season to come. God allows things to happen that are beyond our understanding, but trust Him that He will use this season in your life to change you for the best and to strenghten you for the seasons to come. I personally am going through a hard season in my life but I know in my heart that I will be strengthened in the end.

Have a great weekend.

In Christ,
Matt

I love my job

First off, I dont want people to think that I am using this blog to push employeer down other peoples vote. However, I must say how proud I am to be an employee of BB&T. It gives me a great sense of pride and comfort when I see just how well my company is doing in this failing economy we have now. Not only are we not failing but we are strengthening. Our stock is going through the roof and we are one of the only financially strong companies in the U.S. It all starts with the core beliefs of our company with starts with an extremely conservative executive team. We didnt jump into the subprime lending game when all other banks decided to give loans to people who couldnt afford them. We have even gone as far as saying that we dont do business with anyone who has anything to do with eminent domain. Bb&T has even gone as far as closing multi million dollar accounts of clients because they didnt believe that these companies had the values that our company has. I must say that I am extremely proud to be part of a company who puts the client first and itself second. Again, this is not a plug, Im just proud of who I work for.

If Democrats were smart

There is a book out now that is titled, If Democrats are smart they would be Republicans. Only a Republican could come up with something like this. I look forward to reading this book even though I really consider myself more of a Conservative than a true Republican. However, I always vote Republican because the majority of beliefs are the same as mine. I say all this to come to my point. As a Conservative Christian I have to wonder how any proclaiming Christian could ever vote Democrat. Could you say its an oxy-moron to say the words evangelical democrat. dont get me wrong, there are some things I can agree with with the Democratic party. However, its theP difference in moral values between the two parties that make the difference for me. Not to get to far into this, because I could write all night about this, there are a couple of things that are so clear cut between the parties that I am amazed at how Christians could vote Democrat.

1. Pro-life. One clear belief of the Republican party is that every life matters. Conception is the beginning of life and that life is important.

2. Marriage is between one MAN and one WOMAN. Do I even need to go further.

Im not even going to get into the rest because it will just make me upset but look at these two beliefs and what each party thinks. Republicans as a whole believes in these two areas, and as a whole the Democratic party doesnt. What else needs be said.

How much will you give?

One question that I have been asking myself and others lately is How much are you willing to give your government? By this I dont mean physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. What I want to know is, how much are you willing to give them financially? I was watching the Bill O'reilly interview with that Obama guy. I found myself yelling at the TV everytime Bill got a good shot at Obama where O didnt have an answer to a specific question. One moment in particular really sent me flying. The two were having a discussion on success and Billy boy flat out asked Obama if he wanted Americans to be successful. (To help this story make sense let me add that Obama really wants to raise taxes by an extinsive amount). Obama replied back that he wanted nothing more than to see the American population succeed. In return, O'reilly came back with one of the greatest comebacks I've ever heard. He asked Obama if he was planning on keeping 50% of that success. Seriously people, find this on Youtube and watch it. It will make your month if you are against what Obama believes.

Bank of America did what!

I dont know if its just me but did anyone see Bank of America buying out Merrill Lynch. They must be looking at this for the long term because this sure isnt going to help them in the short. I used to work for BofA and I do know for a fact that they were looking to get a little more market share on the Investment side of banking. However, why did they go and buy a company that was struggling as much as Merrill Lynch. I was with BofA when they bought out CountryWide. I was completely shocked at that buyout as I am with this one. It seems that BofA is just looking to grow to quickly. I believe they need to take a more conservative view of things and look more at quality instead of quantity. I'll do some more research and try to get some details on this sale. I hope it works out for them, even though I am with a competitor who is blowing the doors down on there company right now.

Next, I wasnt going to talk much tonight but I saw a picture on a friend of mines blog. (Thanks Ron). Oh by the way Ron, Hillsong is the best. Lets go see them in Australia sometime. Anyways, back to my rant. The picture in question is of a certain presidential candidate of whom I will not mention his name because he doesnt deserve it. Lets just say it wasnt the Republican candidate. What I saw really just stuck with me. It showed this certain person standing in front of an American flag during the national anthem. Everyone else has there hand over there heart except this one certain person. If you really look at the picture and the body language, you can tell that this person does not even want to be on stage at that specific time. How can we vote for a man who does not respect the flag. Maybe it would have been different if it was the flag of any European country. We need to check his pockets for euros anyways. I hope the people of this country really take to heart what is going on with this election. I have never been nervous about an election before but this one has me terrified that our country is going to make a huge mistake. Thats it for now, have a great day.

And remember, trust the Lord with all your heart and he will guide your way.

Go Hoos

Oh my goodness

Week 3 of the football season has just ended and all I can say is Wow. I say this for a number of reasons. First off, I can't believe just how good the USC Trojans are. Guys, I dont see this team losing a game all season. Go ahead and put them in the BCS Championship game; against whom, well we will see. Second, I think I just saw the best player in the country and it's not who you might expect. Im not even going to name names, you can do the research but all I can say is he isnt 6'5" 220lb and doesnt have a rocket for an arm. Whats funny is that this certain players team didnt even win the game. However, I saw something that just shocked me. This kid just got it done. If you want to know who it is then go look at the Kansas Jayhawks football squad. Take a look at the quarterback and see what you think.

Next, when I look the the UVA football team I saw Wow for another reason altogether. I didnt realize just how bad we are going to be this year. We are real young this year but that is no excuse. I also am tired of hearing our coach talking about another rebuilding year. Do we have to rebuild every other season.

Finally, the only good thing that has come of all this in the first three weeks. We dont have to listen to Virginia Tech fans talk about a National Championship anymore. That discussion stopped after week 1. Anyways, lets see what happens next weekend against Duke. Lets go Hoos.

First blog

Welcome everyone. This is the first blog in which I hope turns to many. I have started this blog because I have two great loves in my life which I share with many other people. Those two loves are Jesus Christ and the University of Virginia. I will get further in specifics with future blogs. For now I just want to give a description of what to expect if you come across my site. I will also be giving my own thoughts and comments on things such as politics, finances, and just anything else that perks my interest at the moment. I hope you enjoy and I look forward to any comments that might come my way. Have a great day.