The Big Question Now Is...

With the election only days away, the big question now is, well, there are a few big questions, starting with who will win. But that's not one of the questions.

The real question is will the counting be concluded on Election Day or even close to it. 

You'd think that with early voting, there would be no question of having results in hand by Tuesday evening. Simple logic, isn't it. Makes a lot of sense. But since when did government make real sense. And how long has it been since our elections made real sense? 

Sure, we can turn back to all those elections that we know were fiddled with - and there have been more than a few. These days, most folks know how the Kennedy clan fiddled with the votes in Illinois to swing that critical state Jack's way. Some folks may remember that the 2nd George Bush term was tainted with charges of election fraud. And it wasn't only those famous "chads." It included charges of software hacking/manipulation of machines that relied on computerized voting.

Which leads right into Trump's failed re-election effort. He won't let go of the belief that he was cheated. And there remain a solid block of voters who agree with him.

Frankly, voting with computerized systems does seem an easy target to enterprising political cheats, doesn't it? Having voted in our district with such a system, the thought does pop up in recent years - including this year.

Still, how might it be possible that with all the early votes and with technology in abundance, we'd not have a result - even if it was fiddled with?

We'll see.

But another Big Question looms: Are government economic statistics really real? And, of course, this dovetails with the Election. Economics almost always sways voters. And this go-round is not exception.

So the government's claims of a healthy economy, rising wages, low unemployment, etc. would serve to sway voters to the camp that claims credit - the current gang. But what if these stats are far from real? It must have crossed your mind, no?

Indeed, the claim that government stats are not simply off, but frequently way off isn't new. But what may be relatively new is the number of folks that now hold this view. We found a good article that's not too long and that summarizes the salient points about all this. (Click HERE or cut and paste the website if you don't like links: 

https://www.zerohedge.com/personal-finance/heres-why-cpi-doesnt-fully-reflect-economic-pain

You really can't help but think that the stats we're fed are manipulated (to put it mildly), can you?

If these stats are "off," it explains a lot. Perhaps your life is just floating along in space without a care in the world. But many of us have been squeezed by higher prices, some outright crushed. Lots of folks don't have single jobs that produce enough to live decently, so they work more than one job. Others keep looking for full-time work and come up short time and again - and this in the face of the supposedly strong job numbers.

When things don't add up, they don't add up.

Maybe the BIG Big Question is: What do we expect to happen after the Election? Will either side - whichever loses - accept the loss? If not, will there be demonstrations - or worse - protesting what will be presented as election fraud? 

More so, will the victor actually be sworn in - especially if that victor is the big guy? That may be a bit out there, but it's been brought up more than once. After all, he's been subjected to law suits that one could not fathom as being possible were one to consider these in any kind of rational light. 

(And this coming from a decidedly non-fan of this guy.)

Oh, and one final Big Question: Whatever the result and its aftermath, will the country continue to unravel or will people somehow wake up and get a hold of themselves and return to some sense of normality and decency? 

It's a question that begs for a happier answer than seems likely right now.

As for the question of what markets will do if she or he wins, it's really not so important in light of all this, is it?

Meanwhile, it's All Saints' Day - a holy day that Catholics have observed for centuries, one that recalls all those happy souls who have passed through this Vale of Tears and now enjoy eternal happiness in the Presence of God. 

Just had to end with a more upbeat thought.