Alright People - What are We Going to Do About This?

I am disturbed thinking about what this means:

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - A gunman barricaded the back door of a community center with his car and then opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class Friday, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide, officials said.

Investigators said they had yet to establish a motive for the massacre, which was at least the fifth deadly mass shooting in the U.S. in the past month alone(emphasis mine).

The 5th? Really? I am so angry at such a wide swath of people for inciting such violence. The political parties have gotten so mean and vile (and I *do* blame the Republicans more than the Democrats on this one), calling each other traitors, communists, evil-doers, and generally whipping their "followers" into hate-filled frenzies. Some of Palin's crap in that last election is unforgivable.

• I am angry with the greedy bastards who pillaged the country for as much money as they could get their filthy little hands on, which has caused so much hardship for so many people.
• I am angry that people suffering from the resulting hardship are looking for easy blame, rather than trying to genuinely understand what happened, and prevent it going forward.
• I am angry at politicians and media organizations who hope to get benefits, ratings, and votes from dumbing-down their rhetoric and giving people easy, largely false answers.
• I am angry with spineless Democrats who are more interested in their own stupid careers, than making the hard choices that might make a difference.
• And finally, I am angry that people see violence as a way out. What the hell is happening out there that murder and death seem preferable to any kind of life? Have we been that desensitized to violence or have we, as a society, just ceased to give our citizens anything to live for?

I hate to feel this way. We have to fix it.

Nothing but the Bill

Housing rescue plans are ridiculous.  I’m pissed off.  We saw this problem coming.  We planned for it.  Now, all the people in the tank are getting a bailout, and I’ll get nothing but the bill.  There!  It’s in black and white digital ink and now maybe I can unload this seething, consuming anger.  I’m pissed that I played by the rules and got burned.

 

Maybe if I let a little of my reasoning spill upon the backlit page, I can start to let go of some of this rage.  So here it is.

 

We purchased a condo in 2002.  We borrowed the down payment from family to avoid mortgage insurance.  Thank you family!!!  The mortgage was an 80/10/10.  That means for the purchase price of $327,000.00, we were financing 90% of the home.  The 80% was a fixed rate 30-year loan.  The 10% loan was a 5 year variable.  Each month, we paid something extra on the variable rate loan.  I hated variable rate loans.

 

In 2005, we started to become nervous.  Reports of potential problems with interest only mortgages began leaking into the public consciousness.  Delving into a multitude of articles, we enlightened ourselves about the problem.  Not all at once, but over time.  Slowly, a very scary picture began to emerge.  Living on the cutting edge of East Oakland gentrification, we began to realize that there could be a high rate of interest only loans within our community.  All this time, we made good salaries and couldn’t figure out how our neighbors were affording their units.  People were flipping their units constantly.

 

We made the decision to get out.  Why?  Because we didn’t want to be tied to property that could backslide into disrepair, or own in a development that would become a haven for foreclosures and desperate owners renting their losing investments.

 

The condo was sold in January 2006.  We sold at the top of our local market.  Did we have special inside information?  No.  In fact, I had tried to convince a friend in the real estate business to sell.  He calmed me down and, for a time, I decided to stay put.  Then he sold a couple of weeks later.  That was the final straw.

 

People thought we were completely nuts when we sold.  They practically wanted to commit us when we told them our next move was to rent for a while.  They said we would forever be out of the housing market if we didn’t “upgrade” to a house.  Instead, we paid the loans from our families, paid off all student loans, sold our gas-guzzling van and bought a new fuel-efficient VW with cash, and went on a 10^th anniversary vacation.  It was great.  We had a great apartment, no debt, and money in the bank waiting for housing to return to a reasonable level.

 

Enough background.  This is where I get angry.  You see, this was our plan.  We could see that the market was inflated.  IT WAS OBVIOUS!  All we had to do was weather the ridicule until the market declined to a reasonable level and purchase the home of our dreams.  It’s not going to happen.  Not with the “solutions” to the foreclosure crisis being floated by the government and pundits on the right and left.  The rules are being changed all around us and not necessarily for the better.

 

Now I do not want to be just your average complainer.  I’m not a Republican representative or radio host after all.  So now that I got some whining out of the way, here is my suggestion for getting us out of this screwed up mess.

 

Home foreclosures should continue as the terms dictate.  That’s right, you’re still going to get dinged for your involvement.  Here is the fun part.  You will not have to move out when the foreclosure is complete.  The people living in the house have the option of moving out, or stay for market-rate rent.

 

At this point, the title-holder will have the opportunity to sell the property for current market value.  They will have six months to sell the property.  This will force the title-holder to market the property and not play games with the housing market; holding on to properties for years while neighborhoods deteriorate. 

 

What happens next is downright fun.  If the title-holder does not sell the property within six months, eminent domain becomes an option.  That’s right.  The government can take the property.  Cry me a river for the financial institutions on this one.  I doubt many will listen, but Californians will be appreciative for the extra water.

 

That takes care of the title-holders.  What about the families who are being “robbed” of the American Dream?  Oh, please.  Like I really want them thrown out into the evil American Dream crushing rental market.  Let’s call the current occupants, The Trumps.  So, The Trumps would have a first right of refusal on the fair market offer.  John and Bob VarsityFootbalStar put an offer on this foreclosed home.  The title-holder determines it is acceptable.  The title-holder would then make this same offer to the Trumps.

 

Now remember, the Trumps credit has been ruined by the foreclosure.  Wait!  What’s that glint on the horizon?  It’s coming closer.  Ah!  It’s an armored car with government plates and a big dollar sign on the side.  That’s right kids!  It’s government bailout money.  You probably didn’t recognize it.  There was a trail of money spilling out the back until January 20, 2009.  That made it very recognizable.  At least the new administration seems to know how to close the back door.

 

Anyway, the Trumps would qualify for a government loan.  It would be a 30-year fixed-rate loan, with an attractive rate, and since they were the “victims” of the foreclosure crisis, they would qualify immediately.  If the Trumps decide not to take it, they’ll move out, and Mr. and Mr. VarsityFootballStar get the house.

 

See how well this works?  The icing on the big stimulus cake is that we would have to employ a lot of people to administer the program.  Can you say win-win?  Probably not.  I know I’m still kinda pissed, but I’m sure I’ll get over it when the housing prices come down and some new regulation gets enacted.

Is Healthcare an Issue of Freedom?

Purely Personal Anecdote to Follow...

We are all afraid for our jobs. I am lucky to have had (and hope to continue to have) a job with very good benefits for the last 8 years. It's a tough job. Long hours, travel, high stress, constant reinvention and learning. Weirdly, though, I like it. I like new projects, new people, learning.

However, it's been made tougher by the fact that I am also battling an autoimmune liver disease (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC)). Suffice to say, my liver is dying. I will need a new one. A transplant costs about half a million dollars, all totaled. When will this happen? No one knows. My doctors keep an eye on it. It could be required next year or 10 years from now. Bottom line - I need to stay insured through an employer-based group plan. I am completely un-insurable on the individual market.

So how does this relate to freedom? Well, leaving aside my very real fear of being "separated" from my job at any minute... What if the long hours and travel were finally getting to me - making my disease worse from all the stress?

• Could I quit and do freelance writing? No.
• Could I quit and move to another job that has a plan that doesn't cover my doctors - Maybe, but it would seriously disrupt my treatment to change doctors, hospitals, care plans, etc.
• Could I start a new small business of my own (that bugaboo Repubs always dangle in front of us as the backbone of the economy) - No.
• Could I die in my 40s without insurance - Yes.

So there you have it. Single-payer, universal healthcare would provide me the freedom to do all kinds of things that would be good for society: Start a small business, have time to volunteer, continue to contribute my share of taxes well into my 60s. Without it, I may end up being one of the hundreds of thousands of new Medicaid registrants that are signing up these days - straining the system, and using your tax dollars anyway. You might as well pay them up front to keep me well - it would probably be cheaper. :)

The Price of Government for the People.

It is time to pay.  Pay your fair share.  Would I like low taxes?  Yes.  Would I like low taxes at the expense of our government not being able to function?  No.  I'm willing to pay for competent government.  

You, dear American reader, and I have made a deal to live together in relative harmony for the better.  It is up to us to create the peace to enable us to survive together.  That is the point of us creating this nation.  To enhance our ability to survive by banding together to form a more perfect union, in order to suffer less, and live more.  Sometimes, this takes money.

I want the same government that administers Medicare to be in charge of a national healthcare program.  I want the same government that allowed the banks to gamble away obscene amounts of money, to administer the national stimulus package.  I want the same government that tortures people to oversee the proceedings that bring torture to an end.  I want those who bombed and killed and broke the dignity and hope of millions of people, to lead the way in restoring the health and well being of those people and the families of those people.  Why?  I am that government.  You are that government.  Together, we can make positive changes in OUR government.

At the very least, be prepared to get out your checkbook.  Better yet, get out there and create the changes you want to see in your community.  There is a lot of work to be done.  We have left too much to the charlatans.  It's time to get to work and lift ourselves, and the world, up.

See you on the front lines.

Leaders in a Free World

Obama doesn't have the leadership experience.  McCain has leadership experience from being in the Navy.  McCain has Navy experience, but it doesn't matter.  Obama has experience in...AW!  Who the hell cares!

This is the United States of America!  We do not have "leaders".  We have individuals that represent the will of their constituents.  Politicians do not tell us what to do, we tell them.  I cannot believe the constant "Leadership" rhetoric.  

If the President of the United States told me to move out of the way, I wouldn't.  Why?  Because he does not have the right to make such a request, unless I was breaking the law.  The President is the chief law enforcement officer in our country, not the king.

What does that mean?  It means he is there to enforce the law.  He cannot create laws (unless it's a real good signing statement).  The President cannot operate outside of the law.  Which has me very disturbed.  How can Barak Obama say the the FISA compromise puts the issue to bed.  That, with this compromise, it will be clear that the President cannot operate a wire-tapping operation without the FISA courts being involved?  WTF?

Wire-tapping is illegal.  No compromise needed.  The President has been quoted saying a court order is required for domestic spying.  So why the big fuss?  Just bring his ass up on charges for breaking the law and move on!  Oh Yeah!  It's an election year and we must get as many Democrats in office as possible.  So they cannot look weak on defense.

Since when is defending our Constitutional rights weak?  

Vive la Résistance!

Here we go again! The House leadership has revived the dead corpse of immunity for the telecom companies. I’m going on a trip with this one.

Imagine zombies are trying to take over your house. You’re surrounded and have managed to secure all the windows and doors. You and your compatriots are feeling pretty safe. Then, tragedy strikes. A zombie slouches his way into the room and takes your friends arm for a snack on the run. Everyone pitches in and dispatches the zombie, then the poor armless one for the greater good.

Safe again. But wait! Another zombie picks off another loved one. What the hell is happening here? After the battle and the tears, you realize Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are among the survivors in your “secure” home. They keep letting the damn zombies in to try and negotiate with them. Why? No one really knows except Nancy, Harry, and maybe the zombies.

Really! Is anyone else getting tired of this? Nancy will not impeach on overwhelming evidence that W shit on the Constitution. Harry Reid needs a backbone implant. Would someone please tell them they control the agenda? These Constitution shredding bills do not have to come up for a vote! If W and Dearth Cheney can run out the clock, so can the Democrats.

Call your congressperson. Now. Tell them to vote “NO!” on the bipartisan FISA “compromise”. It’s funny. They take away our constitutional rights and call it bipartisanship. It’s nice to know there are traitors on both sides.

Fossilized Remains

1) The Easter bunny leaves everyone Easter eggs.  2) Climate Change is a fallacy perpetuated by scientists that have a natural aversion to the economy.  3) Santa Claus slides down the chimneys of good boys and girls.  4) Storks bring newborn babes to waiting parents.  5) Hydrogen fuel cells will allow us to be as lazy and ignorant as we are now.  6) The tooth fairy will leave you money for your tooth, if you put it under a pillow.  7) The oil will eventually run out, so plan now.

I know it's hard to believe, but only two of the above statements are true.  Can you guess which ones?  Maybe after reading the following blog, you will guess correctly.

Fossil fuels suck.  It has been the equivalent of feeding cocaine to the masses.  I used to love fossil fuels.  Back in my happy ignorance, driving around in my gas-guzzling hot rod, burning up sets of tires was a favorite pastime.  Ah!  The halcyon days of the early nineties.  Of course, that was before I cared about melting ice caps, massive droughts, and an unimaginable extinction of various life forms not seen since Homo-sapiens began using tupperware.

Back in the day, I was happily blind to the seriousness of the problem.  I even believed that we, as  a united people, would find a way to come together and change our reliance on fossil fuels to power the salt-water taffy machine.  Being an ignoramus really is bliss.  Hell, I even believed Israel and Palestine were going to play nice in the nineties.  Silly me.

So.  "Global Warming" is still under debate.  Whatever.  Even if the issue cannot be settled by the great brain-stems of our time, does it matter?  I mean, look at the price for this shit.  $4.59 a gallon down the street at the friendly cocaine-for-the-masses station.  I'm not independently wealthy like the rest of the world, so this is starting to hurt...a lot.

I learned in the education system/baby-sitter that there was a leader named Geeem-E Car-tr.  At least that's what I remember.  I think his brother brewed beer in the bed of a pickup truck.  Anyway, he had all these crazy ideas about energy that lead him to climb up on the roof of the White House and install solar panels!  What a kook.  I mean, using all that free energy falling from the sky.  Why the hell would anyone want to do that when we could pump liquid gold right from under the Middle East, ship it around the world, then burn it for kicks.  That guy should have been committed.  Instead they gave him a Nobel Peace Prize.  Sometimes there is no justice.  

That god the Great Discombobulator had enough sense to take those panels off the White House before the citizens got any funny ideas of "Energy Independence".  We really dodged a bullet on that one.

Ok.  I'm going to get serious for a minute.  Why aren't there solar panels on every house, building, and parking lot.  I mean, I love parking in the shade on a hot summer day.  Why not catch some of that free energy and keep my car cool at the same time.  I wouldn't doubt if more energy falls on my poor car every year than I use driving my fat ass around in it...with the air-conditioning working at capacity (Is it getting warmer?).

Honestly, just think if we would have taken energy independence seriously.  The world would have been a better place today if our ancestors had looked to the future, instead of selling out, and filling the place with shit.

That brings us to this point in history.  It's kinda easy to place the blame on the past, but I don't want to be that asshole that refused to make changes in the face of serious trouble looming on the horizon (long sentence, sorry!).  Every day is a chance to make positive changes.  Let's act and start putting those solar panels up wherever we can.  I'll start by putting the nice shady one over my car.  I'll even share the energy with you.  We can build a real future based on "renewable" sources of energy.  

Cut the oil and gas subsidies.  Would you subsidize a deck-chair manufacturer on the Titanic?  No.  Stop being lazy and make the change.  If we all come together and do this, then I can prove to myself that I wasn't being naive.  Isn't that worth it?

By the way, here is the answer to the first question I posed:

1) The Easter Bunny is a myth the Easter Eggs you find every year are left by relatives with nothing better to do but mess with your head.

2) Climate Change is real.  Stop listening to Sean Hannity.

3) Santa is also a myth.  If you hear someone sliding down your chinmey, call the cops.  It may be a Chupacabra.

4) Storks have enough to worry about with Climate Change, much less delivering newborns.  Take a high school sex-education course.  You may learn something.

5) Hydrogen fuel cells can allow us to be as lazy and ignorant as we are now,  Only if we use them as an energy storage/conversion device powered by solar/wind energy.  Otherwise, were burning fossil fuels to make hydrogen.  Not smart.

6) The Tooth Fairy.  If you put your tooth under the pillow, get your head checked.  If you find money under there, invest in security upgrades for your room.

7)  Ok.  So there was only one really true answer, but number five was kinda true...with conditions.  Hey!  I don't make this stuff up.  Oh, Wait.  I do.  Carry on, nothing to see here.