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Worn Out
Oct 6, 2008 | 8:39 PM PST
Category:
News
Maybe it's just me, but I am tired of the news. I am tired of this feeling of impending doom, which frankly someone must consider a winning programming policy because just about every single outlet is trying to out do the others on their dire predictions. Frankly, I am tired of trying to tell people of the very serious problems that exist, because it's becoming increasingly clear that we are headed to an Idiocracy-where the stupidest people have more sway over those who actually do things like READ! WRITE! and THINK! This campaign has been far too long and its length has done more to divide this country than unite it. The players are just that, players pretending that if they nudge this issue one way or the other that they can win the entire enchilada. They are playing at what is known as brinksmanship, with the American public being the sole commodity at stake. Aren't you guys tired of it? Aren't you tired of the arguing, the bickering, the false accusations that permeate every single blog? I think the stock market drop after the bailout/pork barrel is largely due to the continued haranging on the part of the press. Stop it. Leave us alone. We need facts, not your opinions!
The DWI Laws Aren't Working
Oct 5, 2008 | 1:20 PM PST
Category:
News
As someone who has lost a family member to a DWI accident, I know what the implications are down the road for the suvivors. It's something that they live with the rest of their lives. I get online at 3:00 and find two definite manslaughter deaths attributed to DWI and two other fatality accidents that can probably be attributed to alcohol or drug abuse. First, we have to make the laws harder on first time offenders. No more "you can drive to work or school" nonsense. They can learn to use public transit or walk or ride a bike. Maybe by having their wings clipped they will stay out of trouble. Secondly, given the numerous young people that drive without licenses but with their parents negligent approval, we must raise the legal driving age. I hate to say this, but I see and hear about kids driving to places that their parents would be appalled. You cannot monitor your underage child if you don't know where they are or who they are with. Sure, I know the story about "my kid has to work." My kids had to work too, and when they didn't drive, I took them there or they found a ride. It's not easy, but it is doable. Too many parents use a driver's license as a carrot and stick that they can use for leverage. Frankly, many of them use it because they also don't want to be bother taking their kids places. It's a dirty little secret, but a reality. I know of kids who are palling around with older kids who go to clubs and places that really are not safe for young teens. But parents don't want to know this. Heck, I can even go to downtown Denton and see very young kids hanging out in clubs until the wee hours of the morning. It's time to start taking back responsibility. And if people won't do it on their own, then it's up to the law and courts to make that happen, no matter what it takes.
Nanci Pelosi, liberal Democrat and head of the Congress from San Francisco, has no common sense. Here we have a crucial vote on a major economic bailout and instead of coaxing the opposing team to her side through logic and persuasion, she take a moment on the floor prior to the vote to blame every economic ill on the Republican party. She kind of glossed over the attempts in 2003 and 2005 to get better oversight on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. And do you want me to believe that only Republicans were making hay while the sun shined on a booming market? Many of the problems coming to fruition are the result of policies starting back as early as 1996. What I find odd is how a bill that was three pages last Thursday can suddenly swell to 101 pages today. Does the word "earmarks" ring a bell?
For every expenditure passed by the Congress there have been countless earmarks riding along like the bloodsucking parasites that wrote them on bills that needed to be passed. Frankly, while the party may be over, I don't think Pelosi realizes that the party may be over for everyone. There were just as many Democrats that reneged on that vote as Republicans. And as I recall, the Democrats hold the majority in the House. So whose fault is it that they didn't fall in lockstep with this legislation? Or are there hidden clauses and earmarks that may come back and sting like hell when outed in the media? This was the result of middle America making their preferences known. For too long the government has been run by many for the benefit of a few. That's backasswards. It's time that Congress learns who is boss. And the way to do that is to note how YOUR representatives votes, to note if they have stood up for YOU. If not, they aren't your creature anymore and you owe them no loyalty. Remember that come November.
Bailouts-Who Will Be Helped
Sep 27, 2008 | 3:27 PM PST
Category:
News
People, people, people
For as long as Congress has been working, they hardly ever push through any legislation without added perq's for the people that lobby them. So it should be no surprise that the rush to approval for the bailout bill had lovely little hidden clauses for the benefit of some of the same groups that helped create this crisis. Through incessant lobbying to allow people without the credit backgrounds to have mortgages, Congress and its various secret constituents have managed to create an economic situation where those of us who DO pay our bills and DO keep our budgets will be paying for years to get us out of this economic hole."...Bush told the country that we are in an economic crisis and his
Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, came up with an idea that would, it
is claimed, end up actually making money for the U.S. Treasury
in the long run. That's all well and good, but the Democrats already
have a plan to siphon off any repayment of the people's money back to
the treasury by adding one little line to the agreement that would end
up stealing money from any repayments and giving it to left-wing
political advocacy groups like ACORN, the National Urban League and the
Hispanic group La Raza. Instead of trying to help the economy, the
Democrats just want more money for their left-wing political
constituents. It's business as usual for the Democrats, of course, but
a bigger question is will the media let them get away with it?..."
Link to article here
Bailout Blues: Sing Along!
Sep 26, 2008 | 5:54 PM PST
Category:
News
Bailout (sung to the tune of Amy Winehouse' "Rehab")-written by me for me and I would appreciate if you would at least reference me when you send it out-and you know you will....ELK 2008
They tried to make me pay for bailouts but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've been in the black but when I'm back you'll know know know
I ain't got the time and if my broker thinks I'm fine
They tried to make me go bankrupt but I won't go go go
I'd rather sit at home than pay
I don't want to work all day
Cause there's nothing
There's nothing you can teach me
That I can't learn from Mr Hathaway
I don't know a lot from econ. class
But I know money don't come in a shot glass
They tried to make me pay for bailouts but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've in black before but not now you know know know
I ain't got the cash and if the Congress thinks I'm fine
They tried to make me go bankrupt but I won't go go go
The man said 'why do you think you here'
I said 'I got no idea
I'm gonna, I think, lose my 401K
so I always keep a bottle near'
He said 'I just think you're depressed,
this me, yeah baby, and the rest'
They tried to make me pay for bailouts but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've been in the black but when I come back you'll know know know
I won't ever spend again
I just ooh I just need a friend
I'm not gonna spend thousands
have everyone think I'm on the mend
It's not just my pride
It's just 'til these tears have dried
They tried to make me pay for bailouts but I said 'no, no, no'
Yes I've been in the black but when I come back you'll know know know
I ain't got the time and if the Congress thinks I'm fine
They tried to make me pay for bailouts but I won't so so so....
Rotten Roots: Economic History
Sep 25, 2008 | 7:51 PM PST
Category:
News
So you want to know where this problem came from? Especially take note of the dates of origination of the programs known as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Then go on to take note of the date of the article. And finally, notice the people who seemed content that this shifting of financial burden of subprime mortgages to these entities were no big deal Read on:
"...The plan is an acknowledgment by the administration that oversight of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- which together have issued more than $1.5
trillion in outstanding debt -- is broken. A report by outside
investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its
accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does
not adequately hedge against rising interest rates...."
"...The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, which is part of
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was created by
Congress in 1992 after the bailout of the savings and loan industry and
concerns about regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy
mortgages from lenders and repackage them as securities or hold them in
their own portfolios..."
"...''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing
any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of
Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services
Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more
pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of
affordable housing.''...
"..."...Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed.
''I
don't see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something
from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining
power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,''
Mr. Watt said. "
New York Times, 2003
There are lots of folks who want to place blame on just the CEO's or just the corporations or just the mortgage brokers for our current financial mess. But this problem didn't start yesterday. It began with gross consumption and the escalation of mortgages to people that could not qualify for conventional mortgages under the existing terms. The pressure from Congress to open this financial pipeline, even in the risk of losing assets, was created to massage Democrat contributors from such now well known names as Countrywide, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. So while it's really easy to point fingers, to paraphrase an old cartoon "We have seen the enemy and he is us!" Our societal greed, our blindness to the limits of our income and our incessant need to have the latest toys has driven us to the brink of economic disaster. Those of us who didn't take advantage of sweetheart deals, who have paid our bills and who pay our taxes will get screwed again supporting the countless deadbeats who signed mortgages papers without reading them. It's there to read in black and white. And you are supposed to be adults! Anyway-here's a view from Ottawa-hardly a bastion of liberalism:
"...And finally, appalled by the media and chattering heads calling the
whole mess a "crisis of capitalism" when the plain facts show the
opposite. The whole "subprime mortgage" instrument was invented by
bankers specifically to assuage heavy-handed Congressional demands to
swell the number of minority and low-income homeowners, 20 years ago.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were already bloated quasi-government
bureaucracies, dangerously freed from many conventional market
disciplines. And among the chief beneficiaries of the current bailout
are the most extravagant contributors to the Democrat Party...."
Whole story here
Where is the FBI?
Sep 24, 2008 | 5:16 PM PST
Category:
News
Why isn't there a criminal investigation here? Is it because the school board for DISD refuses to accept that there is probably criminal negligence at the very least in the mysterious "accounting error" at DISD? And by the way, thank GOD the whole Cesar Chavez/Ross Ave name change didn't go down because noting those big cast aluminum letters on the front of the Ross Avenue home of the DISD, they wouldn't be able to afford to replace them now. (Although noting the demographics of the DISD now, it sort of fits.....)
Why Unions Happen
Sep 19, 2008 | 5:09 PM PST
Category:
News
I've never been a proponent of unions. Especially not for public servants such as teachers. BUT....consider this. Teachers in the DISD are under contracts that they cannot break except for health, transfer of a spouse or military deployment. They must give notice of resignation prior to 45 of the start of the school year or they risk losing their certification. Teachers work very hard and quite often do not get the same consideration as employees at your local Kinko's. Too many times site based management causes draconian fixes to be applied to the problems largely initiated and perpetrated by students and their parents' lack of responsibility. And yet, every year teachers show up, they try their best to teach every kid that comes through the door. Even the kids who don't speak the language, even the kids who haven't been to school in over a year, even the kids who don't want to be there. Teachers show up, not in spite of those situations, but because of them.
So here I am, a teacher. Here I am a conservative. Here I am an opponent of unions. But I will tell you that what the DISD has perpetrated is criminally and ethically bankrupt. How many new teachers are going to default on student loans? How many young couples will find themselves living back at home? And why? Because the people at DISD treat standard business practices as some sort of gentle suggestion rather than a legal rule.
How is it that SIXTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS goes missing and there's not a criminal investigation?
I know districts where if you don't have your receipt from Walmart for a graduation cake then you had better be willing to explain or fork over the money. Heads should roll on this issue. And frankly, while Dr. Hinojosa may not be directly criminally at fault, this occurred on his watch and he had to sign the budget as approved. For that matter, every member of the school board should be removed by law if necessary. These financial records are part of public record. They had to see and sign off on the budget. So who dropped the ball? Who are they protecting and why? What's more, who made money on this deal? We already know of sweetheart deals with contractors to the district, so it's not a huge leap of faith to think that someone, somewhere is now sixty four million dollars richer. And the result is our kids and our teachers are the losers.
Somewhere at the lowest depths of hell there's a place for people who condone this and go on as if it's just another day. These are people's lives. Shame on all of them.
Politics Of Greed
Sep 17, 2008 | 5:02 PM PST
Category:
News
A few years back, on most local channels, there were paid infomercials that had as a main topic how you, an average person, could be come *rich* beyond your wildest dreams by buying property in fashionable areas, waiting a few months and then selling for a higher price. On the surface, this is certainly feasible. But what happened is that many people got greedy. While Congress pushed lenders and mortgage companies to open up markets to lower income people, they also made it difficult to require the normal documentation in order to fund such loans. Of this debacle, no doc loans were born. And then the havoc and chaos commenced. People who absolutely would not have qualified for jumbo loans under the older rules suddenly found themselves able to borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many of these mortgages were set up at unrealistically low starting payments with the assumption that incomes would rise down the road. What was never taken into account was the fact that if you have a middle aged person who is working a middle income job, short of winning the lottery, their income isn't really going to rise all that much. But people got into loans that were far beyond a reasonable amount. Mortgage brokers share a great deal of blame for this because they were paid on the amount of the final loan. So in that regard, brokers wanted borrowers to get the most money possible in the loan. So here we are five or six years down the road. The middle income people who bought expensive new homes are faced with either enormous balloon payments or bankruptcy.
It's easy to feel sorry for people, but at the same time, if you sign a contract that says you will pay back money, then you do have a legal obligation to do so. Many of these people don't seem to think that's the case. They think they can walk away or blame someone else. I know people like this. There's a couple we know who bought a very VERY costly home five years ago after their youngest child graduated from high school. They used an interest only loan with the idea of selling this expensive home in a very desirable neighborhood for far more than what they paid. Guess what-it's five years later. Nobody wants the home because they can't afford the asking price. Prices in the neighborhood have dropped and with some foreclosures, the couple can't get what they paid for it. Add to that a balloon which has escalated their mortgage payment from $1200 per month to $3750 per month since all they were paying on the first five years was the interest. While I hate it that they are in that situation, they put themselves there for the single goal of personal greed. And that is what has fueled much of this meltdown.
A great number of the stocks being sold off were bought as short term investments. Any decent stock broker will tell you that the stock market is based on long term slow growth. Buying and selling on whims may make short term profits, but it can also cause losses down the line. Right now people are panicking, but they refuse to give up their greed. I know normal people who buy into the Oprah best of everything mentality. Young teachers just out of college think they need brand new cars, big new houses and all the accouterments of upscale living. Look at any bride magazine and see what passes for normal these days in terms of expectations. The goals of family and home ownership which were something to be worked for over years in previous generations are demanded immediately now. Anything worth having is worth working for. And also, anything worth having is worth waiting for. Too many people are in the habit of demanding immediate response to every whim. That has to change. And until it does, our culture, our economy and much of what we are undergoing as a nation will stay the same no matter who is elected.
So from Katrina we learned that there are people so complacent that even when faced with the potential of death, they won't leave. You would think the devastation of New Orleans would be a pretty good object lesson in that regard. Many people blamed "the system" saying that they weren't provided with enough a. notice b. transportation c. places for family pets. So in the face of criticism, some deserved, some not, FEMA and local and state emergency officials created countless safety measures ranging from contraflow traffic out of danger zones to a channeling system for evacuees that registers and tracks people, pets and on top of that provides decent basic shelter and food for people that cannot afford to pay for it.
So what happens. In the case of Gustav a couple of weeks ago, we get people arriving with hands out, refusing to use the shelters already funded by taxpayers. Instead they use their money to go to hotels, and expect to be paid back. For what? For saving their skins? On top of this, since Gustav wasn't as bad as expected, countless people came here complaining about the food and saying that next time they would just stay home. Complacency and an overblown sense of self-importance are twin towers easily toppled.
Which brings me to the current situation. We have lots of shelters here in the DFW area. By and large, the people that have come here seem grateful, happy and well provisioned. There are beds, recreation areas, food and entertainment. Good stuff and I don't regret any of it. What bothers me no end is hearing the governor, who repeatedly warned people in Galveston, High Island and other low lying target area to leave, saying that we (meaning the people of Texas) would be launching what may be the largest (and most costly) search and rescue program in history. And this is because there are people who are so cussedly stubborn, stupid or foolhardy that they think it's nifty to stay through a hurricane. Hurricanes are nothing to mess with. You can't go high and escape the water or the winds get you. You can't go low and escape the wind or the water gets you. Historically, Galveston has been wrecked countless times by such storms. The 1900 storm completely submerged the island for a time leaving behind thousands dead and almost total destruction of what was then the largest city in Texas.
Why should National Guard troops or First Responders be asked to repeatedly put their lives on the line for people without enough sense to get out before a hurricane hits. What about the duty to those brave servants' families? It's not like a tornado where you have virtually no warning? I have heard that in Cuba, people who refuse to get out when told are arrested. Maybe that's what needs to happen. Property rights are one thing, but I don't think taxpayers should tolerate supporting stupidity.
Price Gouging and Panic Buying
Sep 13, 2008 | 5:29 AM PST
Category:
News
Price gouging for gas, goods or services in the pathway of an advancing storm is a pretty low thing to do. While oil companies are a sitting duck target, much of the blame can be laid squarely on the shoulders of retailers who own their businesses and who set the prices based on what they pay. We have no way, as consumers, of knowing what the corner gas station pays for gas, but they know a good opportunity when they see it. So as another hurricane heads up from the Gulf, retailers are hiking prices in anticipation of shortages that may or may not be realized for a couple of weeks. In this regard, the media shares some of the blame for creating a panic mentality wherein even people who don't really need to fill up, rush to the stations to top of their tanks. This isn't too far removed from parents who pay top dollar for the latest and greatest video gaming system a week before Christmas, only to see prices drop precipitously after the holiday. So to boil it down-yes, some retailers are scurvy dogs and will hike prices on a whim. But that is their right, if you don't like the price, go somewhere else. And, additionally, while everyone should be prepared, being prepared means planning well in advance of a catastrophe-like when the weather is clear and no storm is on the horizon. Panic buying at the last minute whether its in advance of a hurricane or the perpetual winter storms where people seem to need bread and milk-is NOT being prepared. It's simply buying into a panic mindset. "Fear is the mindkiller...."
PS. Will someone PLEASE explain to me the need for milk during an ice storm? Frankly, when I am cold, I am not seeking a big cold glass of milk...explain....
The $64Million Dollar Question
Sep 10, 2008 | 8:15 PM PST
Category:
News
I've lost many things in my life. My car keys, my glasses, my purse. Losing things is pretty much a normal occurrence for busy people. But I can honestly say I have never lost my kid, my dog or my mind. So how in the world can Superintendent Hinojosa justify "losing" $64 MILLION DOLLARS of taxpayer money. It was pretty evident that business procedures were played fast and loose with the scandal over the district's credit card problems, but now there was supposed to be oversight, there was supposed to be accountability. So who should be held responsible for this shortfall? And frankly, how in the world do you explain what is happening to the DISD and then have the gall to say that taxpayers aren't paying enough in taxes?
Story here....
Creeped Out
Sep 9, 2008 | 7:13 PM PST
Category:
News
I live in the northern/northwestern suburbs that were the locations of the gruesome murder and various campsites by the alleged murderer, Winder. I have seen the occasional homeless person wandering along the railroad tracks or delivering handbills to houses. Yesterday, my husband found a crack pipe right beside our back fence, which goes along a large greenbelt park. This park ends in a couple of wilderness type areas, where there have been many illicit parties and quite a few homeless campsites. For everyone that likes to consider homeless people harmless, please, consider that man of these people live like this because for some reason they cannot fit into society. They can't hold jobs, they can't stay off of drugs or alcohol. The often act out in very unsociable ways. Some are actively dodging criminal investigations. I can't think of anyone who would willingly stay homeless if there were other alternatives.
While I can't blame the entire murder, or alleged murder, on the situation of being homeless, I do know that many homeless people have serious disorders which can cause them to harm others. This is why having places where homeless people congregate or camp near residential areas can be a very serious problem. Considering the closeness of the various sites in this crime and the fact that I have seen several men who appear homeless around our housing development, color me creeped out.
Contrary to the nice face put out for the public at the Democrat National Convention, there were people who had the intent of disruption. While the DNC hid their protesters away from cameras, the RNC didn't have the same type of convenient cooperation with the powers that be in their city of choice. Isn't it interesting that NONE of the events listed below were even covered much less shown in prime time like the marchers in the RNC rally. Think back, were there any conservative protesters disrupting speeches at the DNC? But at the RNC, that's okay because they are "evil" according to the prevailing media hype of the day. So read it and weep, or laugh----it seems that not all was hunky dory in Denver....."
It almost did get ugly in Denver at the DNC
September 5th, 2008, 3:01 pm posted by Mark Landsbaum
Before the Democrats’ convention two weeks ago, we noted this:
“Denver’s hometown Rocky Mountain News reported that,
‘With DNC in Mind, City Bans Carrying Urine, Feces,’ which was the city
fathers’ way of disarming protesters, who might resort to flinging the
stuff when scattered by police. It could be ugly to watch.”
We were on the lookout during our five days in Denver, but didn’t
see or smell anything untoward. Well, at least anything untoward of that nature.
But as it turns out it, things nearly did get ugly, according to the Denver Post:
“Among the items police seized during the Democratic
convention were bags of feces stockpiled in LoDo (lower downtown) and
an estimated 200 bottles of urine in a vacant house, Denver Mayor John
Hickenlooper’s office revealed today.
“In a prepared statement, the mayor praised Denver police and public-works officials for their work at the convention.
“Our police and public-works crews engineered an extraordinary
behind-the-scenes collaboration preceding and during the Democratic
National Convention, which thwarted plans of those intent on disrupting
our city,” Hickenlooper said.
“Training manuals posted online by some
protest groups, alerted city officials to the potential that protesters
might use human waste and stockpiles of bricks and rocks, as well as
other tactics, to disrupt the convention, the mayor said.
“Public works responded to 54 specific locations around the city
where materials were stored, and some of the items had identifying
graffiti.
“The mayor said that a stockpile of pipe was found close to police
headquarters and that a bag of quick-connect brass fittings for propane
bottles and 6- to 8-foot heavy-duty chain also was seized. PVC pipe was
found in an alley in LoDo. Nails and screws were found scattered in
LoDo streets. In another incident, two propane tanks were found chained
to a fence in a LoDo parking lot.
“The city also found material for a ’sleeping dragon,’ which
protesters form by using PVC pipe and chains to link themselves
together, the mayor said.
“On Aug. 24, police found ‘multiple bags of feces,’ the mayor’s
statement said. And on Aug. 26, a vacant house containing an estimated
200 bottles of urine was found.
“We had a lot of eyes and ears looking for this stuff, and they knew what to look for,” said Sue Cobb, the mayor’s spokesperson.
“Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for the Denver Police Department, said
more than 150 individuals had been arrested during the convention, but
he was unsure whether any of those had been arrested in connection with
the items that were seized.
“Basically, through good police work and officers scouring the area, we found this stuff,” Jackson said."
PS. Honestly, I do not understand the mentality of people who think throwing urine and feces is a legitimate form of social protest. Do these people not have it in their personality to write a letter, promote a law change or are they simply so drug addled that this seems like a logical way to change things. What is more worrisome is that these are the ultimate voters Obama seems to seek out. Is this what he means by "change>"
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