Utah SEO Consulting

I have a question.

If you used your blog to follow the example of newspapers in this country by endorsing a Democratic candidate and a Republican candidate, who would those candidates be and why?

This article about the mortgage industry is definitely worth reading.

1- The Market Composite Index of application activity increased 42.4% from July 07 to 01/25/08. MBA states that the current composite index reading is 70.7% higher than January 06. (People are filing mortgage applications like crazy. What the heavens are they filing for?)

2- The home purchase index is relatively flat for the last 6 months. (Doesn’t seem they are applying to buy more new or existing homes. What are they up to?)

3- The refinancing application index is up 66.2% since July. Most change occurred in January 08. (Yowsers! Refinance your home and not buy a new one?! How novel!)

4- The refinance applications “market share” has increased from 39.4% in July to 73% of last week’s applications. That is a 33.6% change or an 85.3% increase in refinancing applications that mortgage bankers are perusing over compared to July 07. (John Q Public is figuring out how to take advantage of the FED cut. “Moral hazard” – you say).

Read: What the Housing ‘Apocalypse’ Prophets Aren’t Revealing

If this isn’t one more reason to avoid John McCain and Mike Huckabee at all cost, I don’t know what is. The two bedfellows have been participating in secretive, political collusion, which is starting to rear its ugly head as shown in the West Virginia voting today.

Collusion is an agreement, usually secretive, which occurs between two or more persons to deceive, mislead, or defraud others of legal rights, or to obtain an objective forbidden by law typically involving fraud or gaining an unfair advantage and can involve “wage fixing, kickbacks, or misrepresenting the independence of the relationship between the colluding parties.”

via Wikipedia

The Republic party is killing itself from the inside out, and the Democrats are going to eat them alive come November because the GOP is leaving a massively growing trail of cannon fodder to be used come voting day. The Dems are much smarter with their political strategy, and it is showing as 2008 rolls on.

I’m glad we have a third choice . . . Ron Paul.

Looking at the media relations strategy of the Clinton campaign, they never cease to amaze with their skill.

Here’s the headline:
Clinton chairman: Obama would be good running mate

a) I think they really mean it.
b) It positions Hillary Clinton as the President, the winner and the “real” nominee for the Democratic party.
c) Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton would be a very strong ticket for their party, hence the friendlier tone between them during the past two weeks.
d) With the success of John McCain, Republicans are starting to lean toward voting for a Democrat instead.
d) I think they’ve grossly underestimated the Obama campaign.

The following is a list of the first General Conference talks given by last 11 prophets. It was each their first time addressing the church in the role of their new calling. If anyone knows where to find the rest, please feel free to share.

How to Put these on Your Blog
Just copy the code in the box (ctrl + a will highlight all the code) and then (ctrl + c to copy all of code) then (ctrl + v in your blog post or wherever else you want to put it to paste it.)

</p> <ul> <li>President Gordon B. Hinckley<br /> (<a href="http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=2b3843097758b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1">This is The Work of the Prophet</a>), April 1995</li> <li>President Howard W. Hunter<br /> (<a href="http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1994.htm/ensign%20november%201994.htm/exceeding%20great%20and%20precious%20promises.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0">Exceeding Great and Precious Promises</a>), October 1994</li> <li>President Ezra Taft Benson<br /> (<a href="http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1986.htm/ensign%20may%201986%20.htm/cleansing%20the%20inner%20vessel.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0">Cleansing the Inner Vessel</a>), April 1986</li> <li>Spencer W. Kimball,<br /> (<a href="http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1974.htm/ensign%20may%201974.htm/guidelines%20to%20carry%20forth%20the%20work%20of%20god%20in%20cleanliness.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0">Guidelines to Carry Forth the Work of God in Cleanliness</a>), April 1974</li> <li>Harold B. Lee<br /> (<a href="http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1973.htm/ensign%20january%201973.htm/may%20the%20kingdom%20of%20god%20go%20forth%20.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0">“May the Kingdom of God Go Forth”</a>) October 1972</li> <li>President Joseph Fielding Smith, (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/79298"><br /> April 1970 General Conference Talk</a>)</li> <li>David O. McKay - This one is a little tricky because President George Albert Smith died on April 4, 1951, and there was no official president called when General Conference began on April 6. Conference was a four day event at the time, so on April 9, 1951 David O. McKay was sustained as prophet. He then stood and said he felt prompted to say a few words about the policy of the Church in choosing counselors, so his actual first address was the following.<br /> (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/162616">President David O. McKay first address as prophet</a>)</li> <li>President George Albert Smith,<br /> (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/182167">October 1945 General Conference</a>)</li> <li>President Heber J. Grant,<br /> (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/251927">June 1919 General Conference</a>)</li> <li>President Joseph F. Smith, (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/277369">The course the Saints should pursue-Necessity of complete organization-The order and authority and functions of the Priesthood</a>, November 1901). This one is also interesting because Lorenzo Snow died right after the October 1901 General Conference, so the Church leadership called a special conference in November where Joseph F. Smith addressed the church for the first time as prophet.</li> <li>President Lorenzo Snow,<br /> (<a href="http://search.ldslibrary.com/article/view/281180">October 1898 General Conference</a>)</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.russpage.net/first-general-conference-talk-of-the-last-11-lds-prophets/">First General Conference talk of the last 11 LDS Prophets</a> via RussPage.net<br />

• President Gordon B. Hinckley
  (This is The Work of the Prophet), April 1995
• President Howard W. Hunter
  (Exceeding Great and Precious Promises), October 1994
• President Ezra Taft Benson
  (Cleansing the Inner Vessel), April 1986
• Spencer W. Kimball,
  (Guidelines to Carry Forth the Work of God in Cleanliness), April 1974
• Harold B. Lee
  (“May the Kingdom of God Go Forth”) October 1972
• President Joseph Fielding Smith, (
  April 1970 General Conference Talk)
• David O. McKay - This one is a little tricky because President George Albert Smith died on April 4, 1951, and there was no official president called when General Conference began on April 6. Conference was a four day event at the time, so on April 9, 1951 David O. McKay was sustained as prophet. He then stood and said he felt prompted to say a few words about the policy of the Church in choosing counselors, so his actual first address was the following.
  (President David O. McKay first address as prophet)
• President George Albert Smith,
  (October 1945 General Conference)
• President Heber J. Grant,
  (June 1919 General Conference)
• President Joseph F. Smith, (The course the Saints should pursue-Necessity of complete organization-The order and authority and functions of the Priesthood, November 1901). This one is also interesting because Lorenzo Snow died right after the October 1901 General Conference, so the Church leadership called a special conference in November where Joseph F. Smith addressed the church for the first time as prophet.
• President Lorenzo Snow,
  (October 1898 General Conference)

In an April 1995 General Conference address, the newly called President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Gordon B. Hinckley made a statement that I have pondered over some the past few days.

With President Hunter’s passing, the First Presidency was dissolved. Brother Monson and I, who had served as his counselors, took our places in the Quorum of the Twelve, which became the presiding authority of the Church.

Three weeks ago today all of the living ordained Apostles gathered in a spirit of fasting and prayer in the upper room of the temple. Here we sang a sacred hymn and prayed together. We partook of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, renewing in that sacred, symbolic testament our covenants and our relationship with Him who is our divine Redeemer.

The presidency was then reorganized, following a precedent well established through generations of the past.

There was no campaigning, no contest, no ambition for office. It was quiet, peaceful, simple, and sacred. It was done after the pattern which the Lord Himself had put in place.

Saturday during Gordon B. Hinckley’s funeral, Boyd K. Packer said the following:

Succession to the presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a remarkable process. Always the senior apostle becomes president, and the next senior apostle becomes the president of the Quorum of the twelve apostles. Outlined in the revelations are truths and instructions by which the brethren administer the church. Whatever the crisis or whatever the opportunity, the directions and guidance can be found in the verses of the scriptures. No one who has known the order of things speculates on who will be the next president of the Church. It has always been the pattern.

While on that note, I think it’s interesting to read a paragraph from the very first General Conference talk President Thomas S. Monson gave as an apostle. The year was 1963, and Monson was 36 years old.

I think of a little sister, a French-Canadian sister, whose life was changed by the missionaries as her spirit was touched as she said good-bye to me and my wife two years ago in Quebec [where Monson was a mission president]. She said, “President Monson, I may never see the prophet. I may never hear the prophet. But President, far better, now that I am a member of this Church, I can obey the prophet.”

The LDS Church is holding a press conference Monday February 4th, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. to officially announce the new first presidency. I am excited to be able to participate in the Solemn Assembly.

Reports are surfacing that Rudy Giuliani is going to drop out of the race for president and endorse John McCain.

If a McCain/Giuliani ticket isn’t obvious now, I don’t know what is.

“I also have great and tremendous regard for Mitt Romney . . .” This is too good to be true. Nope, it is true.