A Visual Representation of the McCain/Obama Tax Cuts

The proposed tax cuts are interesting to say the least. Looks like everyone gets a cut under McCain, but Obama's are higher for people who earn less and he NAILS people who make a lot of money. Takes me back to my heavy metal rock-n-roll days of a band called Krokus. Their 'hit song'? "Eat the Rich"

The most entertaining? NEITHER one truly talks about how they'd pay for these cuts (well, big O pays for many of his cuts by socking it to those evil rich people). I really suggest you get out there and buy ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand. Written in 1957; coming to the United States in 2008???

The hits keep coming! Now we're Socialists???

I was amazed to read this article. A TOTALLY different perspective than I had contemplated. Likewise, this one takes the Libertarian point of view of "Hands Off" and more or less says "too bad", thinking that Bankruptcy may be the best (inevitable?) course of action. And in a more partisan-ish (my word) article this one pretty much refutes Madame Pelosi's "Democrats are not to blame" concept. What do you think? I'm at a loss actually. First we drop over 700 points; then we rise almost 500. Even though today's loss on the Dow was a mere 19 points, I almost feel that the markets are saying "so what" to these proposals. It's a "Boy who cried wolf" situation in some respects, but at the end of the day, credit is still quite TIGHT. What would you do?

Younger Generation to the rescue?

I thought that this article made so much sense! I sometimes look at 'kids' (I can say that at 42, even if I act like a 12 year old!) and worry about our future... Well, here's a kid with (hopefully) a bright future! It really makes you think, eh? Take a look for yourself...

What REALLY caused this mess?

This is an interesting video which gives a pretty convincing argument, albeit a highly biased one. Take a look HERE and see what you think about what caused this current mortgage crisis. I must note that the 2nd half is more or less politically motivated and is obviously a McCain fluff piece. However, the base message to be taken away is a common theme of mine--unintended consequences of legislation. A great concept (getting people into houses) morphed into something that no one could have forseen. I am not a fan of this highly partisan mess we call Congress. For that matter, I wish our "leaders" (a very loose term!) would read the book "Term Limits" by Vince Flynn. No, I don't recommend such a radical course of action, but I sure wish our "officials" in DC would remember that they are elected to serve our country--not to pad their pockets or focus solely on re-election.

Wow, this really turned into a political rant! That was not my intention but when you see the mess that we're in today, it burns me up and blame is shared across the board-from DC to NY to unscrupulous lenders, etc. It's a mess, but hopefully this bailout bill will manage to somehow put us back on solid financial footing. We'll see; not so confident that it will be the 'magic bullet' needed but as the talking heads are repeating "Something needs to be done". Something, indeed....

What's next?

"What's next" could reference any number of ominous issues out there--Hurricanes, news reports, home sales reports, etc... I have been a relentless "cheerleader" of sorts for our industry and I have to admit that I am discouraged to know that I have no clue where we're going. While I still know that it's an amazing time to buy (rates are SO low-so are prices!) it's becoming so tough to get a loan. First-time homebuyers will lose the ability to obtain down-payment assistance on October 1st and other new loan requirements kicked in with the passing of the much-heralded Housing Bill. The takeover of Fannie and Freddie by the Feds has stabilized credit & rates dropped considerably, but we're in further uncharted waters with a proposed new bailout of the entire financial landscape. Mr. Obvious states "If financial conditions fail to improve for a protracted period, the implications for the broader economy could be quite adverse." My response to Bernanke is DUH! Long and short we have events that have not been seen since the Great Depression. This plan will enable the government to buy bad mortgages and other troubled assets held by banks & other financial institutions. The theory? If they get rid of the debts it will make them more stable so they will be more inclined to lend, which is the main issue at this point. The problem? I expect our "Do Nothing" Congress to add 'garbage' to the bill at the further expense of "We the people". They've done so much to ease gas prices, right?

Guess who caused this financial mess?

You need to read THIS ARTICLE to see the answer. You may be surprised; I sure was!

Ahoy there!

Okay, so the Economy is quite the story this week. But fear not, I have just the thing to take your mind off the rise and fall of the market--it's "Talk Like A Pirate" day yet again! Have fun and Hoist your Pirate flag and join in a collective ARRRRRRRR!!!