Many people I speak to are disappointed with President Obama, and I can understand it, I have had my moments of downright anger. I believe that the biggest reason for this is not that he did this or didn’t do that, but that we have not seen any change. Unlike Congress, he does not owe the corporate lobbyists for his election, he owes the people. The funny thing is that the founding fathers gave Congress only two year terms to guarantee that they would not be in office long enough to corrupt the government. They believed that the people would catch on quickly to any corruption and those who were partial to special interests would not have enough time to do any real damage. Little did the founding fathers know, that because they only had two years, they would have little time to do anything for the people because they had to guarantee that the corporations that paid for their campaigns, would pay for the next. So their allegiance is to the money and not the people. However, the President’s campaign was paid for by the people, and he has only three years to secure their support.

I have peeked over the shoulders of the Fates, and seen the path ahead of us, so I was not expecting him to fix the economy, or put an end to war. I was hoping for mind blowing, never saw that coming CHANGE. I was hoping for something like an executive order putting a moratorium on foreclosures, I was hoping for a change, like attacking the problem from the bottom up, instead of the same ole, same ole trickle down method, which never quite ends up actually trickling down. I was not hoping for a solution, as I was hoping for a new paradigm in the way the government goes about seeking solutions. I was hoping for a change. Now, I know that most of the Republicans in Congress have no intention of doing anything except protecting the interests of the corporations that keep them in office. And many others have the singular goal of making sure that anything that could keep President Obama in office, fails. Yet, I hoped that in this unprecedented time of suffering for the citizens of the United States, he could declare a state of emergency and by executive order, do something wild and outside of the box to help the people. That would be a change, one not seen since FDR. I really feel that the only thing that that can lead us at least in the direction of better is different.

As we face 2012 with understandable trepidations, and as we Astrologers face a configuration that is very difficult to gloss over because it has never passed without notice. The last time we saw this set up was the great depression and WWII. I have been saying to people that there was not going to be some devastating event. But I am not too sure anymore. We are facing a minefield, one in which we would be well served to revisit the history of that last time we saw this lineup. It would do well to revisit Germany, because they were experiencing a terrible depression. People were going through exactly what we are experiencing today an environment of fear and helplessness. Then a man came from obscurity to power, a man named Adolf Hitler.

Sadly, when people lose hope, they seem to find solace in being given someone to blame, someone to punish – because it is something that they can do to relieve their helplessness, and even shame. Find a bad guy, eliminate the bad guy, and live happily ever after. So, regardless of what is happening in the televised economy, the people are living in a growing climate of joblessness, homelessness, and increasing hopelessness. If something drastic is not done soon to effect the lives of those Americans who once lived in homes along Main Street, but now are living on the sidewalks, in parks and cars along Main Street, there is no telling what will happen. However, history tells us that those ingredients have always made a volatile cocktail.

The thing that scares me is that 2012 is an election year. Whom we elect could be the spark that ignites the fire. It will depend entirely on whether or not President Obama can justify the hope that he gave us, in exchange for our votes. Because I fear, it was all the hope that we had left. If he cannot deliver for the people, if he cannot deliver a reason for our hope, then I am very much concerned that whoever runs against him in the next election, as in Nazi Germany, will deliver a scapegoat for our rage.