ECONOMY HITS HOME
I’ve been debating on whether or not I should post this very personal story on the LAL blog, but decided today I would.
I’ve been feeling the pains of the economy for a while now. As a self employed marketing and advertising consultant and producer, I specialized in working with two industries hit hard by the economic downturn, real estate and automobile dealers. Last year I finally reached the point where I had to go to work for someone to make ends meet. After 3 weeks of training and a month of fairly successful sales in my new job, I got laid off, along with 56 other people. Some new hires, some who had been there for a while. That was Thanksgiving of last year.
With the help of family and friends, and a little bit of contract work, my family made it through December and January, barely. I got behind on my lease payment, but my landlord didn’t seem to mind to much because he was already filing for bankruptcy and in the process of turning over his three investment properties to the bank. After sending out dozens of resumes I finally got hired for another job, which I started in mid-February and started seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
About the same time, In February, the bank president contacted me, and in the friendliest manner, assured me that the bank would be willing to work with me and give me some time to get out, but that they didn’t want to be a landlord. They wanted to sell the property. The next day I received a notice from the banks attorney that I had two weeks to get out.
Now the problem with me getting out in two weeks is that my adult daughter who has a 1 year-old child, my adult son, who lost his job and is going through a divorce both live with me, my wife and a foster daughter that we took in last August. Finding a rental or a lease for such a large family is not the easiest thing in the world and it’s pretty expensive. I asked the bank if they would help me financially. There response was to file suit against me for rent and possession of the property. Nice. They’ve never asked for rent. They’ve never said we’ll let you stay for 30 days if you pay us for rent. The bank president knows exactly what my situation is, but doesn’t care.
Now I know my conservative friends, especially those who own rental properties might say. The bank owns the property, they have every legal right to get you out so they can sell it and recoup some of their losses. I don’t disagree. I just don’t have the money saved up to get move on their time table.
What gets under my skin even more is that the bank also took possession of the two houses next door. One of those are vacant and the other is about to be and they are virtually identical to the house I am in. But those houses don’t have signs in the yard. Mine does. I’ve actually even shown the house, for the bank. They had a prospective buyer want to view the property. The real estate agent couldn’t meet them there so I showed the house and extolled all the virtues of what a great place it was to live, etc.
The banks response was get out or we’ll file a judgement against you.
We’ll I’m trying to get out. If I had the money I would be gone already. Which brings me to my closing point. I’m not asking for pity, only patience. I’m not asking the bank for charity, only for a mutually beneficial investment on their part of a less money they they are paying their lawyer. And my question is, if your tax dollars and my tax dollars are being given to this bank and banks like it, all over the country who are doing the same thing, how does that make you feel to know that they don’t have to and won’t help somebody like me?
What it boils down to is, I have to help the bank with my tax dollars and the bank gets to sue me. God Bless America, right?
STIMULI, NO…STIMULUS, YES
IF STIMULUS IS SINGULAR AND STIMULI IS PLURAL THEN THIS STIMULUS BILL IS APPROPRIATELY NAMED BECAUSE IT ONLY PROVIDES ONE STIMULUS AND THAT IS TO STIMULATE THE GROWTH OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTS CONTROL OVER THE PEOPLE.
THE LACK OF AUDACITY, THE ABSENCE OF HOPE
By Buck Evinger
If you want to know what prompted this blog post click this link to the original article at brietbart.com
What do you look for in a leader? Inspiration? Motivation? Guidance? Reassurance? All great qualities that I wish Barack Obama truly possessed. After reading a post on brietbart.com that I discovered as a headline banner on drudgereport yesterday, I’m sure Obama possesses none of those qualities of leadership. The headline showed a picture of Obama with the text, “pass it now or we may never recover.”
Inspiring, eh?
Obama actually made the following comment in an op/ed published in the Washington Post.
“This recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse,”
Is that really the kind of language a great leader would be using now? Put aside the arguments about the provisions of the stimulus package, or whether government stimulus can really even affect the free market. Let’s just talk about leadership. Here’s an alternative to the above paragraph.
The economic ills we suffer have come upon us over several decades. They will not go away in days, weeks, or months, but they will go away. They will go away because we, as Americans, have the capacity now, as we have had in the past, to do whatever needs to be done to preserve this last and greatest bastion of freedom.
A striking contrast, wouldn’t you say? That’s what Ronald Reagan told America in his inaugural speech in 1981. America was suffering from an inflationary economy and unemployment that was just as bad if not worse than today’s mess. If you want to be inspired and read a how-to manual to get out of the mess we are in now, click this link to read the rest of Reagan’s inaugural speech. It WILL give you hope.
It seems that Obama is decidedly lacking in the audacity of hope that propelled his campaign across America. Now he is employing the certainty of doom if we don’t borrow and spend our way out this current crisis. Reagan had a few choice words on that too. Again, I encourage you to follow the link to Reagan’s speech from 1981.
Obama’s audacity lies in his presumption that a.) This stimulus package can actually work and b.) That America is so fragile and incapable of righting herself without the interdiction of an elitist ruling class. Get out of our way, Mr. President and we’ll handle it.
I leave you with Reagan’s closing remarks.
Martin Treptow left his job in a small town barber shop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire.
We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, “My Pledge,” he had written these words: “America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.”
The crisis we are facing today does not require of us the kind of sacrifice that Martin Treptow and so many thousands of others were called upon to make. It does require, however, our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God’s help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.
And, after all, why shouldn’t we believe that? We are Americans. God bless you, and thank you.
BACON EXPLOSION: THE PERFECT ANTI-LIBERAL FOOD
I first saw the Bacon Explosion on Fox & Friends Super Bowl weekend coverage. Since then I’ve seen it on TV, websites and gotten emails from friends talking about it. If you haven’t heard about it yet, here is the Bacon Explosion primer.
First you take bunch of bacon, about two to four packs and “weave’ it into a rectangle. 
Next you add some spices. It doesn’t really matter what because you’re probably going to die of a heart attack when you eat this thing so put on whatever you like. Then you take a couple of pounds or more of Italian sausage and spread it out so it covers the bacon weave you created. 
Next you take whatever bacon you have left and fry it up. Make sure it’s enough to cover the gigantic Italian sausage patty you just made. Then you drop that on top of the Italian sausage.
Now you pour on some Bar-B-Que sauce, roll up the sausage part, then roll that up in the bacon weave part and drop it on the grill. 
When it’s ready you’ve got your self a bacon explosion. 
Now this lovely dish is the perfect anti-liberal food. Just take a gander at its anti-liberal pedigree.
1. Its bad for you so it contributes to the rising cost of health care.
2. PETA hates it
3. It’s obviously the result of a conspiracy between the National Pork Producers Council and the big drug companies that make heart pills.
4. You can’t blame McDonald’s or Wal-Mart for this one…this is homemade.
5. It’s name, Bacon Explosion, evokes war and destruction. ( I wonder if the DOD could use this in the war on terror)
6. Its highly offensive to muslims and vegitarians and since its a perfect tailgating food, its offensive to people who think the Washington Redskins should change their name because it insults Native Americans.
7. It has hundreds of fat grams and no warning lable.
8. It’s got a phallic shape which is sure honk off all the feminists, all though its possible that Oprah has one of these in her night stand.
9. Its an American invention, which probably pisses off the rest of the world.
10. And finally, it got national attention through the Fox News Network.
So please, all conservatives….you have to make one of these bad boys at least once. Take it to work and feed it to your liberal friends or just cook one up at home, dig in and then sit back, relax and listen to the sound of arteries shutting down.
Change has finally come….thank you Bacon Explosion. Thank youl
THE BABY, THE BATHWATER AND THE KITCHEN SINK
I was willing to give in to the audacity of hope. I wasn’t so afraid of change. I was ready to say, yes we can.
Now I’m not so sure.
The early signs of the Obama Nation are an abomination.
First order of business. CLOSE GUANTANIMO! Damn the torpedos, full speed ahead….uh…where are we going to put the terrorist, I mean prisoners of war, I mean the alleged ruffians? Hello?……Where? Alcatraz? Really! You mean we are going to move them from the isolated island prison to another isolated island prison!
Second order of business, create the enemy. We have found him and his name is Rush Limbaugh. Now that they don’t have George Bush to blame for everything they(Obama’s people and him) are going after the only other prominent conservative with a set of balls. Compare George Bush’s tolerance and interaction with the media. The only time he ever let his slip show was when he called attack dog journalist Adam Clymer a major league asshole…..and he was right. Just so all you true conservatives know. When Obama says Republicans shouldn’t listen to Rush Limbaugh, he’s really saying Republican’s shouldn’t listen to you. Hows that for a big tent?
Third order of business. Launch class warfare. Obama says the rich Wall St. fatcats that presided over this economic disaster should be thrown in jail. What about the rich Washington senators and congressmen who did the same?
Now I read where Obama is going to “review” the Buy American requirement set forth in the proprosed stimulus package because our trading partners don’t like it. Are these the same trading partners like China, where slave labor builds everything and the state supports every businesss with socialistic policy. Or is the trading partners like France where the state blocks free trade with huge tariffs on American made products?
Now I read where Iran is claiming the failure of western society because Obama wants to “talk it over”. Hate to say I told you so, but….
Now is the time for everyone to grab the baby, throw it out with the bathwater and follow it up with the kitchen sink.
THOUGHTS ON OBAMA’S INAUGURATION, BUSH AND AMERICA
Saviour. Redeemer. Our Salvation.
These are all words I have heard used in the last 24 hours to describe, not Jesus Christ, but Barak Obama. I wish I were exagerating, but I’m not. In fact, if you watch MSNBC long enough you would come away with the feeling that Obama is some kind of messiah.
Actually, he is just our President. He is just a politician. Skilled, but inexperienced. And he is our President.
I was listening to Rush Limbaugh the other day and felt a little put off by the way he seemed to dismiss the historic implications of Obama’s election. This is a great moment for America. All of America. That must be acknowledged, regardless of how you feel about Obama’s politics. We’ll have plenty of time to judge his policies and how he handles the awesome responsiblities he now faces, but for now we should take a few moments to pause and reflect on what this moment means to all Americans and especially black Americans.
George W. Bush is a class act. History will no doubt judge him favorably and there will certainly be some blemishes on his record, but the man is upright. I’ve been reading about the transition process lately and how it makes the Clinton’s leaving office look like a bunch of frat boys trashing their house because the dean kicked ‘em off campus. Bush not only demanded cooperation, he initiated certain aspects of it. He’s is first rate in my book.
STILL CONSERVATIVE, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS
I vote Republican because I am politically conservative and I believe the GOP offers the best hope for the kind of governance I’d like to see. If I thought the Libertarian Party ever had a shot, I’d vote Liberterian. Maybe get a few Libertarian senators and representatives elected and, who knows?
The morning prayer circle where I work is largely conservative. We prayed for God to guide Barak Obama’s presidency. Then I went home to watch the liberal media continue it’s attack on Sarah Palin. (She lost by the way, remember?) That’s another reason I’m conservatives. Liberals talk about compassion, conservatives show it.
THIS BAILOUT IS GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH! AIG gets a few billion here, The Big Three automakers get a few billion…Where does it stop? That’s the question everybody is asking as this economic crisis gets worse. Here’s an idea…SINCE IT’S OUR MONEY ANYWAY….Why not give it back to us. After all the reason for the economic crisis is, what.
Home loans going bad? Last I heard there were well under 2 million sub prime loans in default. Le’s just say there are 2 million. If you gave 2 million home owners $200,000 each and required them to apply it towards their home loans, and required those lenders to refinance at lower, more affordable rate. Wouldn’t that go a long, long way towards solving the crisis? And you’ve only spent $400 Billion. You’ve still got $300,000 billion to play with. AND IT’S OUR MONEY ANYWAY. Why not require the people who get these special outlays to pay it back, in taxes, interest free. Or better yet, put a second mortgage on their homes that kicks in when their first mortgage is paid. Principal only, no interest.
Of course the truth is, not everybody would need $200,000. There were actually 1.3 million sub-prime loans in default in 2007. Some just needed refinancing at the a lower rate so they could afford the payment again. When you jump from the 4% introductory rate brokers were giving with no doc loans, up to 8.5%, a realistic rate for borrowers with poor credit, on a $400, 000 home you go from $1900 a month payments to over $3000 a month. No wonder we’re having a crisis. Could you hack it if your mortgage payment almost doubled? That mortgage brokers lied about being able to refinance. (By the way, why not make ever mortgage broker that collected a fee for setting up one of these sub-prime loans pay a portion of that fee into a sub-prime rescue fund?)
The same concept applys to cars and everything else. In stead of taking our money and giving it to the big corporations so they can buy out other corporations and own more…why not give our money to us and let us spend it. That’s what will get the economy going. (Wells Fargo was given $25 billion dollars as part of the bailout. In stead of making that money available to consumers for loans, they used it buy out Wachovia. THEY USED OUR MONEY TO BUY WACHOVIA! Does that make any sense to you?
Republicans and Democrats alike are rushing to the trough with big buckets so they can feed their wealthy friends. I pray that Obama does bring real change, but based on what I’ve seen so far, Obama is going to be Clinton’s third term.
So much for change.
WHAT WILL TOMORROW BRING?
Vote early, vote often! That’s my motto for today. I’ve decided that after the election, regardless of who wins, I’m going to do my best to follow trail of promises and see if they all come true.
As you can guess by my previous ramblings, I’m not much of an Obama fan. I think he is an inexperienced, ultra-liberal with no new ideas, just a new package. If he wins the election we’re in for a bumpy ride. But in truth, the same is true if McCain wins. America is in for a bumpy ride because we can’t pull together. The Bush White House’s number one enemy was the Democrat party. Think about that for a minute.
Bush’s most problematic foe was his fellow citizens from the oppostition party.
Will the next president face the same fate?
The only thing I can draw comfort from in this election is summed up in an email my friend sent to me recently. To paraphrase it said, isn’t it nice that regardless of who wins the election, God is still in charge. He will still answer prayers. He will still offer his grace and mercy to those who need it.
Boy are we gonna need it.
MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES
Could it get any more interesting? What is maybe, just maybe, the most important election of the modern age is still so unpredictable. One poll says Obama up by 7 points, another says its a dead heat. Which do you trust? I’m personally leaning towards the latter, especially in light of the past 20 years of elections.
Could it get any more interesting? Obama’s religion, citizenship, experience, associations, friends, fundraising and even his loyalty to American sovereignty are all, at the very least, worthy of questioning…but by virtue of not being George Bush or a Republican, he gets a free pass.
Could it get any more interesting? The mainstream media has finally come out of the the political closet. The New York Times and MSNBC are nothing more than marketing tools for the Obama campaign and liberals in general. Hey average Joe the Plumber, can you really not tell the difference between Keith Oberman and Bill O’Reilly?
Could it get any more interesting? Al Gore gives a speech at Harvard on global warming during a cold wave with the lowest temperatures in 125 years. Across town a group of cyclists, near hypothermia because of freezing temperatures that threaten to interrupt their bike-a-thon for, you guessed it, fighting global warming. In the mean time, scientific data shows that not only are temperatures no longer rising at the nominal rate of recent decades, but that in fact, they are trending downwards…
and not a peep…not one single iota of acknowledgement from the Hollywood/leftist/Green Nazis…just the same old lies.
Could it get any more interesting? George Soros, the money behind MoveOn.org and so many other liberal, anti-American causes, publishes a book that coincides perfectly with the Wall St. melt down. And the premise of the book. America bad. New World Order good.
The stakes are high America. This election could well be the most important in American history and if the Soros’ and liberal elitiest get their darling boy Obama in the White House, it could be the last.
