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My predictions:
1) Iran will develop nuclear technology. They will be blasted by various leaders around the world and perhaps sanctions against them will be brought up. No military action as the US warns Israel that Iran has too many underground facilities and it will just enrage the region. Sanctions do no good and Iran develops its first nuclear weapon in 4 years.
2) North Korea continues to threaten to test its first nuclear bomb as a warning to the world that they are serious and will develop. The world continues its sanctions and no change is made. US troops begin leaving South Korea and Germany.
3) The US 2.5 years from now removes 100,000 troops from Iraq, leaving 50,000 to help protect the country and offer assistance. The iraqi people choose a new leader but it is seen as illegitimate by the Shiites. It takes over a year to quell the violence.
4) The US and EU reach tentitive agreements over their trade disputes, although Bush is still seen by the Europeans as hard headed. Steel is still a major concern for US trade.
5) Social Security will eventually have an option to be invested by the taxpayers in any way they see fit.
6) Healthcare will largely remain unchanged as the costs will be too high to start a government funded healthcare system. Drugs are still a big concern. The elderly will catch some prescription drug breaks but the large portion of the country sees no change or small increases.
7) The tax breaks are made permanent but in order to pass senate are at a lower level than they had hoped.
8) Arafat will die in the next 2 years, Bush will open new talks with the palestinians and the new leadership of the country who no longer feel burdened by arafat. Israelis leave the majority of the gaza strip in 2 years and bush hosts a meeting between sharon and the new leader in 3.5 years and they stike a tentative deal with an agreement to leave the west bank in 5 years, providing no terorist activity occurs. After 6 months of peace a suicide bomber blows up a bus derailing the peace process once again.
9) Afghanistan will still remain a wasteland under Karzai. Bush and NATO send another 25,000 troops after removing them from Iraq to Afghanistan to join the hunt for Bin Laden. Bin Laden isn't caught in the next 4 years and the opium trade continues to increase with no viable alternatives.
10) Stem cell research becomes an even more heated dispute as proof is found to have effects on cancer and alzheimers disease.
11) Gas takes a dip in the short term but again reaches another new high as demand increases in China but production doesn't increase. The US passes limited drilling in the wildlife refuge, environment friendly vehicles are still a conception, treehuggers unite worldwide and protest,
12) The deficit increases for the next 3 years but in the 4 year finally starts a small decrease as a hope for peace in the middle east finally emerges and military spending is cut dramatically after soldiers return home.
Jobs continue their gains, altbeit more slowly due to airline troubles, continuing tech woes, jobs lost overseas, and continuing production losses. It eventually reaches pre 9/11 levels.
13) No major terrorist operations occur in the continental US but others occur around the world including another in Europe. Bush claims his system is working but our ports and borders remain porous over the course of the presidency without adequate funding.
14) The patriots win the super bowl, the timberwolves beat the pistons for the NBA title, the red sox don't win again, and grand theft auto 4 becomes the #1 selling game of all time. The next star wars movie will still be seen as mediocre compared to the first 3 but better than the last 2 with more violence. The boxed set released 2 years later will set back the average person a day's salary. The final Lord of the Rings DVD becomes the #1 selling dvd of all time.
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