Someone reminded me today that the person in the mirror has seen the world and not all of it has been pretty. War, violence, poverty, misery, hate, fear, greed, and more. But, somehow, through all of that, there has always been something that shines, something good that just glimmers through the dirt, muck and all the general lousiness that life can throw at you no matter where you are.
It's called hope. And love. And friendship. And compassion. It's the human side of people, the inside showing through the tough exterior. The heart of gold that shines through the drab fatigue or camouflage uniform caked with dirt or mud or salt water. It's the grin that lights up the face of the grizzled old sailor when the new kid does something right, and makes him proud, or the shy grin on a kids face when he puts one over on the old chief.
It's the smile on a woman's face when she tells you she loves you for the first, or the thousandth time, and the touch of her hand that only she can bring to your heart. It's the hand on her shoulder that tells her you'll be there through the good times and the bad; the rock she can always lean on and depend upon no matter what.
It's the handing of a smoke or a candy bar to another warrior when it's the last one you have, because it looks like he needs it right then more than you do. It's the tiny squeezing of a child's hand onto yours when they're happy, frightened, tired or just want the comfort of knowing you're there for them. It's the look an a old beggars face when you hand them a dollar, because it means more to them than it ever could to you.
It's the sudden outpouring of emotions when a certain sound is heard, or a smell wafts past your face, or a picture plays in your mind. For me it's the sound of the uilleann pipes that for some reason bring me back home to my roots, a sound so powerful that I am instantly transformed to my Celtic soul. Why? Could it be simply that my ancestors of Scotland and Ireland were drawn to battle by the pipes? Or simply entertained by them? I don't know, but the sound both mesmerizes and brings me to tears, as it stirs my soul with memories that I have no idea of whence they come. The human deep inside the gruff exterior emerges.
Spend some time with your inner self and reflect about what's right and good with you. What have you done and seen in your life that has been great; what have you accomplished that no other human being could have done? Had children? They are uniquely yours and nobody else could have had them. Adopted a child, painted a painting, drawn art, made a sculpture, took a special photo, participated in a charity event, given blood, donated an organ, helped a neighbor, been in the military, been a war veteran, been a wife or mother or father? Nobody but you could have done exactly what you did. Maybe something close, but not exactly. Never been replicated because you're unique.
Look for that special quality inside you and regardless of what you've seen, what you've been through, what the world has thrown at you, remember that inside most everyone is that something that shines. The beacon of hope that tomorrow will be better than today, and the next day better than that. It's what we have and that hope shines eternal for a better day for everyone. If it weren't for that beacon, and our belief that that beacon shines for each of us, the tunnel would be very dark, my friends.
Be safe, Be well and keep the faith, whichever your chosen faith might be!
Friday, October 24, 2008
The New Look
I'm starting out a fresh new look for my blog, easier to read and hopefully easier for all to enjoy. The lighthouse reminds me of freedom, and the light that provides hope and comfort in these trying days, as well as the beacon that guided me back after so many long journeys.
I hope you will enjoy the new look, and please, let me know your thoughts if you like or dislike the new layout. And, thanks for looking.
I hope you will enjoy the new look, and please, let me know your thoughts if you like or dislike the new layout. And, thanks for looking.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Veterans Unite Now or Shut Up Later
Military Veterans will get one chance to vote for the new Commander-in-Chief on November 4th. One chance to have their say in how their benefits will be for the next four years and maybe long beyond that. One voice to give Washington direction as to what YOU want out of the Veterans Administration in the form of health care and support, benefits, compensation for service connected injuries and illnesses, rehabilitation, prosthetics, hearing, vision and dental and family benefits. Those things you and fellow military fought, suffered and died for the right to have!
Only one man in the running has the slightest clue what the military is all about and his name is John McCain. For want of a better description, and for brevity, John McCain has "been there and done that." He has been a warrior, a POW, a Senator and a proponent of veterans' rights. His opponent in this election, Senator Obama, has never served this country's armed forces, never been in combat, is a fledgling politician and doesn't know a damned thing about being a veteran or our health care system. That in itself should scare veterans to death!
It shouldn't matter whether you're a Republican or Democrat, folks, that should scare the hell out of you. Mr. Obama knows nothing about the military or the VA or veterans!
Anyone who says they'll have great advisers, and those are the ones they will count on for advice, is full of crap when it comes to us veterans. Remember what happened in Vietnam when we had all those armchair advisers directing the war from Washington? And how about those advisers sitting in plush chairs in Washington and Virginia while troops are taking incoming in Iraq and Afghanistan? And all the blue suited advisers while you're laying in a VA or military hospital, trying to recover from injury or illness, while some senate or congressional committee argues over whether they should fund enough so you can get a decent prosthesis this year?
VA health care is going downhill fast once again. For example, I used to get to see my neurologist every three months, then every four, then it was bumped to every six months. Now they don't make appointments and you have to call and try to get in and they're overbooked. My November appointment was never scheduled and the earliest I can be seen is March. That will be over ten months between neurologist visits! And, they never refilled my medications, twice! So I had to call in twice about that too. If you're not on top of them, frankly, you're going to fall through the cracks and you're screwed!
Plus, they have all new doctors every few years, using residents from the local university medical schools, which means we're getting trainees essentially. By the time you get comfortable with a physician, they're gone and you get a new one; I've had three and onto number four in March, the last at my request as docs who forget to refill prescriptions, tell you they don't believe in meds that have helped you in the past, and have to have a med student present to grandstand with at every visit somehow don't seem all that positive for me. So you walk out with a feeling that you haven't been helped at all. Kind of like facing the enemy and the only good thing is their Kalashnikov was empty.
I can't get to see a cardiologist even though I have a stent implant, since there aren't enough cardiologists in the system to go around. Bet those fat cat politicians in Washington have plenty of cardiologists lined up waiting for their butts when needed!
Care used to be excellent, but it is failing. The in-patient room I was in a few months ago was dirty; your feet stuck to the floors. The bathroom was nasty. You could write your name in the film on the windows. You couldn't understand the nurses on the night shift; none of them spoke fluent English. But they did swab your nose daily to test for MRSA. What about cleaning the damned room? Maybe that would help reduce infection potentials?
They tout the suicide prevention programs, and how they want to help all the troops with PTSD before it ends up like 'Nam? If they handle it with the same bureaucratic bull crap and bungling as everything else, it won't help a whole lot. They'll tell a great story to Congress and the Senate about the wonders they're accomplishing, while military personnel are coming home and offing themselves in a distant field or side road, because they never had anyone who really understood what the hell they went through. And it's been reported the VA under reported many suicides. Why? Probably because they didn't or couldn't do the job they were supposed to do. Funding or flat out F**k-up? It doesn't matter, but there are many families grieving that shouldn't be. And until the funding and people are in place to recognize those who need help and then help them and their families as needed in a timely manner, things won't change.
Truth is, the VA has some wonderful programs, people and facilities, but the system is busted and needs to be fixed before it falls apart. It's fragile, and if it's not fixed, it will crumble fast. I'm seeing that first hand, and I sure don't want to be a service casualty a second time, this time due to lack of medical care funding and follow through.
Fund it, fix it and hold it accountable. Simple enough even for a bunch of stupid politicians!
The VA states the problem is the influx of troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. But wait, they didn't expect this? Once again, no leadership at the VA and no foresight. That's something I'm sure John McCain will provide, leadership and someone to kick butt and get this house in order!
Regardless, if you don't get out and vote and make the right choice, you'll see this get worse and worse. Add to that the increased taxes you'll be seeing, and the problems will compound. The taxes won't hit us older people nearly as hard as they will our children and grandchildren, as they're the ones working and coming up in the world.
I can look them in the eye and say I voted for the man who could do the job for the veterans who gave so much for this country...will you be able to do the same?
Only one man in the running has the slightest clue what the military is all about and his name is John McCain. For want of a better description, and for brevity, John McCain has "been there and done that." He has been a warrior, a POW, a Senator and a proponent of veterans' rights. His opponent in this election, Senator Obama, has never served this country's armed forces, never been in combat, is a fledgling politician and doesn't know a damned thing about being a veteran or our health care system. That in itself should scare veterans to death!
It shouldn't matter whether you're a Republican or Democrat, folks, that should scare the hell out of you. Mr. Obama knows nothing about the military or the VA or veterans!
Anyone who says they'll have great advisers, and those are the ones they will count on for advice, is full of crap when it comes to us veterans. Remember what happened in Vietnam when we had all those armchair advisers directing the war from Washington? And how about those advisers sitting in plush chairs in Washington and Virginia while troops are taking incoming in Iraq and Afghanistan? And all the blue suited advisers while you're laying in a VA or military hospital, trying to recover from injury or illness, while some senate or congressional committee argues over whether they should fund enough so you can get a decent prosthesis this year?
VA health care is going downhill fast once again. For example, I used to get to see my neurologist every three months, then every four, then it was bumped to every six months. Now they don't make appointments and you have to call and try to get in and they're overbooked. My November appointment was never scheduled and the earliest I can be seen is March. That will be over ten months between neurologist visits! And, they never refilled my medications, twice! So I had to call in twice about that too. If you're not on top of them, frankly, you're going to fall through the cracks and you're screwed!
Plus, they have all new doctors every few years, using residents from the local university medical schools, which means we're getting trainees essentially. By the time you get comfortable with a physician, they're gone and you get a new one; I've had three and onto number four in March, the last at my request as docs who forget to refill prescriptions, tell you they don't believe in meds that have helped you in the past, and have to have a med student present to grandstand with at every visit somehow don't seem all that positive for me. So you walk out with a feeling that you haven't been helped at all. Kind of like facing the enemy and the only good thing is their Kalashnikov was empty.
I can't get to see a cardiologist even though I have a stent implant, since there aren't enough cardiologists in the system to go around. Bet those fat cat politicians in Washington have plenty of cardiologists lined up waiting for their butts when needed!
Care used to be excellent, but it is failing. The in-patient room I was in a few months ago was dirty; your feet stuck to the floors. The bathroom was nasty. You could write your name in the film on the windows. You couldn't understand the nurses on the night shift; none of them spoke fluent English. But they did swab your nose daily to test for MRSA. What about cleaning the damned room? Maybe that would help reduce infection potentials?
They tout the suicide prevention programs, and how they want to help all the troops with PTSD before it ends up like 'Nam? If they handle it with the same bureaucratic bull crap and bungling as everything else, it won't help a whole lot. They'll tell a great story to Congress and the Senate about the wonders they're accomplishing, while military personnel are coming home and offing themselves in a distant field or side road, because they never had anyone who really understood what the hell they went through. And it's been reported the VA under reported many suicides. Why? Probably because they didn't or couldn't do the job they were supposed to do. Funding or flat out F**k-up? It doesn't matter, but there are many families grieving that shouldn't be. And until the funding and people are in place to recognize those who need help and then help them and their families as needed in a timely manner, things won't change.
Truth is, the VA has some wonderful programs, people and facilities, but the system is busted and needs to be fixed before it falls apart. It's fragile, and if it's not fixed, it will crumble fast. I'm seeing that first hand, and I sure don't want to be a service casualty a second time, this time due to lack of medical care funding and follow through.
Fund it, fix it and hold it accountable. Simple enough even for a bunch of stupid politicians!
The VA states the problem is the influx of troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. But wait, they didn't expect this? Once again, no leadership at the VA and no foresight. That's something I'm sure John McCain will provide, leadership and someone to kick butt and get this house in order!
Regardless, if you don't get out and vote and make the right choice, you'll see this get worse and worse. Add to that the increased taxes you'll be seeing, and the problems will compound. The taxes won't hit us older people nearly as hard as they will our children and grandchildren, as they're the ones working and coming up in the world.
I can look them in the eye and say I voted for the man who could do the job for the veterans who gave so much for this country...will you be able to do the same?
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pelosi and a "New" Stimulus Package
The Democrats are at it once again with trying to throw more taxpayers money on a bogus package to "stimulate" an economy that's gone south. I think the only stimulus package that Nancy Pelosi is even remotely aware of is the rabbit shaped one in her bedside table drawer! And, I don't think even that is working for her. Nancy, even the Energizer Bunny has run off and left you unfulfilled!
Face it, the working class are suffering, small business is suffering, the economy in general is suffering, the retired have watched their savings go down the drain because they invested in the economy they believed in. Those near retirement have to postpone retirement because their savings plans have dwindled, because of massive losses in their retirement plans, many of which were managed by idiots who promised lucrative returns on those 401(k) plans to people who never understood the markets in the first place. And, to top it off, whose employers threw them under the freaking bus, and made them self-service their own retirement accounts, even though they knew full well they were not savvy enough to do so effectively. But, I digress here.
What the hell is anyone thinking when the politicians decide that a stimulus package is going to help put jingles in anyones' pocket? It doesn't help! A trip to Ralph's, or Safeway, or Von's or wherever you shop for a family of four costs hundreds of dollars and that's if you eat bottom line foods. Not top choice steaks and chops, but hamburger and chicken! What happened to the last stimulus you received? It went to pay the increased utility bills and taxes everyone else dumped on your ass, and the higher gasoline bills and heating fuels, so it didn't help a whole lot, did it? And this time around, there's nothing in it for you at all!
The dumb ass Democrats want to be sure to give to the "poor", which equates to those who sit on their ass all day and won't work and the illegals, and everyone else who suck off the system. Sure, their idea of universal health care sounds wonderful until you realize it isn't going to help Joe Public who'll still be paying for all the no-loads who'll be getting it free while you work your ass off paying their bills.
When you vote, better vote wisely, because your money will be headed down the porcelain tube if you don't. Nancy has plans for your bucks and is already setting the trap for your wallet. If you get the Big "O" in November, believe me it won't be an orgasm for most of you, it will be a migraine you'll never forget!
Face it, the working class are suffering, small business is suffering, the economy in general is suffering, the retired have watched their savings go down the drain because they invested in the economy they believed in. Those near retirement have to postpone retirement because their savings plans have dwindled, because of massive losses in their retirement plans, many of which were managed by idiots who promised lucrative returns on those 401(k) plans to people who never understood the markets in the first place. And, to top it off, whose employers threw them under the freaking bus, and made them self-service their own retirement accounts, even though they knew full well they were not savvy enough to do so effectively. But, I digress here.
What the hell is anyone thinking when the politicians decide that a stimulus package is going to help put jingles in anyones' pocket? It doesn't help! A trip to Ralph's, or Safeway, or Von's or wherever you shop for a family of four costs hundreds of dollars and that's if you eat bottom line foods. Not top choice steaks and chops, but hamburger and chicken! What happened to the last stimulus you received? It went to pay the increased utility bills and taxes everyone else dumped on your ass, and the higher gasoline bills and heating fuels, so it didn't help a whole lot, did it? And this time around, there's nothing in it for you at all!
The dumb ass Democrats want to be sure to give to the "poor", which equates to those who sit on their ass all day and won't work and the illegals, and everyone else who suck off the system. Sure, their idea of universal health care sounds wonderful until you realize it isn't going to help Joe Public who'll still be paying for all the no-loads who'll be getting it free while you work your ass off paying their bills.
When you vote, better vote wisely, because your money will be headed down the porcelain tube if you don't. Nancy has plans for your bucks and is already setting the trap for your wallet. If you get the Big "O" in November, believe me it won't be an orgasm for most of you, it will be a migraine you'll never forget!
Friday, October 17, 2008
San Diego Gouge and Extort
Another monthly gas and electric bill and several more inserts telling me about proposed rate hikes that will cost us all more money. It's not like this happens once in awhile, it's just about a monthly occurrence as San Diego Gas and Electric crams rate hikes down our throats continuously, approved by what is supposed to be the consumer watchdog, the California Public Utilities Commission. That's like the fox guarding the hen house, folks, as these rate hikes get approved and rubber stamped time and again by people we're also paying to watch out for our interests.
My utility bill in summer, when we cooked little with the gas over, didn't use heat, was about $45 dollars. Now it has about $40 added to that and we don't cook any more, eat out more often, don't have air conditioning, use fans the same as we always have when it's hot, and have no big new appliances. Thus, we figure over about the past five or six years or so, our bills have increased about 80 percent so the electric company can make more money, because they just can't tell you they spend that much on producing electricity to deserve those type increases.
Oh, remember how they screwed us when there were power shortages and rolling blackouts a number of years ago? How they raised the rates and made windfall profits? How the shortages were actually contrived and the lawsuits flew fast and furious and we all got some relief in the form of rebates and lower rates? Well, the gougers are making up for it once again, and also making up for whatever they have lost or will lose in the lawsuits, as a result of the recent years wildfires, that allegedly were precipitated to some extent by their equipment. They're starting early perhaps?
You all remember that when the going gets tough, the tough get going; but when times get tough for the working class, we just get screwed a bit more by the utilities like SDG&E and the water district, and others who pick the best times to make sure to bleed their customers dry. But to be sure, they want to continue their overtures in the literature about the "low income" households being eligible for assistance and special rate consideration. Out here, friends, we all know who that means, and it isn't who we think in most cases it should be. If you have a bunch of people living together but only one reports minimal income or welfare, they'll likely be eligible, regardless of what the others make as long as nobody knows. Then you and I who pay the regular residential rates pick up the slack for those no loads. Really sucks, doesn't it? Another perk of welfare and our broken immigration system.
Welcome to California. Now if you're not going to make a positive contribution to the economy...go the hell home!
My utility bill in summer, when we cooked little with the gas over, didn't use heat, was about $45 dollars. Now it has about $40 added to that and we don't cook any more, eat out more often, don't have air conditioning, use fans the same as we always have when it's hot, and have no big new appliances. Thus, we figure over about the past five or six years or so, our bills have increased about 80 percent so the electric company can make more money, because they just can't tell you they spend that much on producing electricity to deserve those type increases.
Oh, remember how they screwed us when there were power shortages and rolling blackouts a number of years ago? How they raised the rates and made windfall profits? How the shortages were actually contrived and the lawsuits flew fast and furious and we all got some relief in the form of rebates and lower rates? Well, the gougers are making up for it once again, and also making up for whatever they have lost or will lose in the lawsuits, as a result of the recent years wildfires, that allegedly were precipitated to some extent by their equipment. They're starting early perhaps?
You all remember that when the going gets tough, the tough get going; but when times get tough for the working class, we just get screwed a bit more by the utilities like SDG&E and the water district, and others who pick the best times to make sure to bleed their customers dry. But to be sure, they want to continue their overtures in the literature about the "low income" households being eligible for assistance and special rate consideration. Out here, friends, we all know who that means, and it isn't who we think in most cases it should be. If you have a bunch of people living together but only one reports minimal income or welfare, they'll likely be eligible, regardless of what the others make as long as nobody knows. Then you and I who pay the regular residential rates pick up the slack for those no loads. Really sucks, doesn't it? Another perk of welfare and our broken immigration system.
Welcome to California. Now if you're not going to make a positive contribution to the economy...go the hell home!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Now What??
Well, once again, the big boys will get the gravy and the small fry will get screwed. Our government will haggle over pennies, while bailing out the big companies that have been pissing away the stockholders money for years, while pocketing the profits and stuffing their Brooks Brothers suits with hard cash.
AIG made a ton of money on your insurance policies and everything else so what the hell did they do with the money. Maurice "Hank" Greenberg was so damned smart and smug? If so, how did the company go down the tubes so fast after he left? You just can't take an empire that big and shovel it down the poop chute that fast, unless the underpinnings were already crumbling, and I suspect the keystone had already been yanked long ago!
Why should we, the taxpayers, bail out these companies who made so much money off the sweat of our backs? They took and took and made money off of us, and now want us to roll over and pay more taxes to bail their asses out because they can't manage their own problems. Same with all the whining homeowners who have the liar loans. They knew they couldn't afford the homes, and yet they did the mortgages anyway. And the bleeding hearts want us to believe it's not the fault of those who took out the loans? If they were so damned retarded as to not understand the terms of the loans and the risks, they should have been given Thorazine and not a mortgage! Once again, how many countries do we know of that you can f**k up royally, and then say I don't know, and get rewarded for it by someone eating the cost of your idiocy? Next thing we'll be rewarding idiots who shoot people because they didn't know the gun was loaded! Carlos Mencia, are you listening? Here's your next show!
It's going to get worse before it gets better. Those of us who entered into mortgage contracts and worked our ass off to have a decent home, one we could actually afford while feeding and raising a family, pay our mortgage and bills, are pissed off at having to now pay someone else's mortgage as well, because they're stupid and/or greedy. As above stated, if you can't figure out that you can't afford a half-million dollar home on a burger flippers salary, you're an idiot. Nobody needs to explain that six bucks an hour is not going to pay a two thousand dollar a month mortgage now, or in 5 years, and you're not going to get enough raises at the Burger Barn to cover the mortgage in your lifetime either.
And, if a real estate or loan person enticed you into thinking you could afford the house, they should be publicly castrated, and then drawn and quartered in front of their own real estate office, bank or brokerage. Because they're worse than an idiot, they're vermin that preys on idiots like a cancer, and should be eradicated. If only there were a vaccine against such filth!
But take heart, middle class America. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. With any luck, it won't be a runaway locomotive coming at us ready to crush the rest of our hopes and dreams, nor will it have that dumb "O" symbol on it either. Isn't that for Overstock? I think it's also become the symbol for the new democrat candidate as well. Obnoxious?
AIG made a ton of money on your insurance policies and everything else so what the hell did they do with the money. Maurice "Hank" Greenberg was so damned smart and smug? If so, how did the company go down the tubes so fast after he left? You just can't take an empire that big and shovel it down the poop chute that fast, unless the underpinnings were already crumbling, and I suspect the keystone had already been yanked long ago!
Why should we, the taxpayers, bail out these companies who made so much money off the sweat of our backs? They took and took and made money off of us, and now want us to roll over and pay more taxes to bail their asses out because they can't manage their own problems. Same with all the whining homeowners who have the liar loans. They knew they couldn't afford the homes, and yet they did the mortgages anyway. And the bleeding hearts want us to believe it's not the fault of those who took out the loans? If they were so damned retarded as to not understand the terms of the loans and the risks, they should have been given Thorazine and not a mortgage! Once again, how many countries do we know of that you can f**k up royally, and then say I don't know, and get rewarded for it by someone eating the cost of your idiocy? Next thing we'll be rewarding idiots who shoot people because they didn't know the gun was loaded! Carlos Mencia, are you listening? Here's your next show!
It's going to get worse before it gets better. Those of us who entered into mortgage contracts and worked our ass off to have a decent home, one we could actually afford while feeding and raising a family, pay our mortgage and bills, are pissed off at having to now pay someone else's mortgage as well, because they're stupid and/or greedy. As above stated, if you can't figure out that you can't afford a half-million dollar home on a burger flippers salary, you're an idiot. Nobody needs to explain that six bucks an hour is not going to pay a two thousand dollar a month mortgage now, or in 5 years, and you're not going to get enough raises at the Burger Barn to cover the mortgage in your lifetime either.
And, if a real estate or loan person enticed you into thinking you could afford the house, they should be publicly castrated, and then drawn and quartered in front of their own real estate office, bank or brokerage. Because they're worse than an idiot, they're vermin that preys on idiots like a cancer, and should be eradicated. If only there were a vaccine against such filth!
But take heart, middle class America. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. With any luck, it won't be a runaway locomotive coming at us ready to crush the rest of our hopes and dreams, nor will it have that dumb "O" symbol on it either. Isn't that for Overstock? I think it's also become the symbol for the new democrat candidate as well. Obnoxious?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Whining and the Bailout...
I hear whining about losing money and stocks and bonds. I can understand the whimpering from Joe Public who has lost retirement money and savings in the Wall Street meltdown, but that small outcry is being overshadowed by the screams of millionaires and billionaires, outraged that they could lose so much in a system that was raped by their own kind!
Profiteers, outrageous risk takers, inside traders, speculators, greed and negligence all played a huge part in the debacle we're all watching unfold. Sure, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributed heavily to the mess with the usual lack of government oversight, which John McCain pleaded for years ago, but the Democrats blew off, and now want to blame this mess on the Republicans and Bush. The blame needs to be spread on Wall Street and the government, a cross between greed and inaction, with the usual pork barrel politics and favoritism thrown right in the mix.
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the big buck investors, the millionaires and billionaires who lost their ass. They thought they were so damned shrewd and had the world by the ass and could make a buck no matter what. Tough crap if their predictions were wrong. Get in the freaking bread line if you have to; Father Joe's still serves good meals daily! My heart goes out to the little guy who got screwed because the government didn't do anything to reign in speculation and wild aggressive moves on Wall Street, and once again let the financial sector run the regulators, rather than the other way around.
If the regulators had been doing their jobs, and keeping a watch on the pulse of the financial sector, this should have never happened. If the government hadn't been so idiotic to try and make home ownership possible to people who could never own a home, and allow creative home mortgage deals that made no sense at all, the mortgage meltdown wouldn't have happened. If banks and the regulators had insisted that Private Mortgage Insurance be purchased on all mortgages with 20% down or less, we'd not have to bail out tens or hundreds of thousands of mortgagees and bank loans. I hear the creativeness resulted in few mortgages being covered by PMI; shouldn't there be some fraud investigations underway to see how many fraudulent mortgages were made? Will there be some accounting for this mess or will it all be swept under the rug as long as it uses the taxpayers money?
And, finally, what the hell are we bailing out the assholes who profited from this mess anyway? Check out the Internet and see how much the top dogs from Wachovia and WaMu stand to make when the takeovers are completed. It's sickening. The directors of some institutions bought or received lots of extra stock when it was worth zero recently, so they pay no tax...then when the banks are bought and the stock zooms in value, they get fat again, and still leave the poor investor screwed.
Check out Wachovia Bank's directors securities filings and see how each of them got big blocks of "Phantom Stock" October 1, as they waltzed out the door leaving their director jobs behind. All while the Wachovia investors got squat. Pretty nice, huh?
http://google.brand.edgar-online.com/?sym=wb
Lastly, what's the deal with Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Wachovia? The Wells deal would involve NO taxpayer involvement and leave FDIC out of holding the bag at all. The Citigroup deal would leave taxpayers liable for a good part of the assets and losses. The FDIC yaps out of both sides of its mouth (or other lower orifice) and says it is committed to the best deal for taxpayers, yet also says it supports the Citigroup deal which will cost us money. It can't be both, numbnuts! If it costs us zero, it's a good deal; if it costs us money it isn't! Good God, did they let the inmates from Station B-11 at Tri-City start running the FDIC too?
Okay, now I'm whining, but for reform in our economic system where there is accountability. You know, like when you spend all the money in the cookie jar and there is no more, you eat what's on the shelf until payday? Beans and Spaghetti-o's if that's all there is, but you make it through. You don't spend your neighbor's money and buy steak, lobster and caviar, and then when he can't eat, just glare at him and say...whoops...and not even sorry. That's the way you get your ass kicked, and we need to kick some asses in Washington and Wall Street so this can never happen again.
That's my view. I hope you make it safe and sound through this mess. We're doing okay, but only due to some good financial planning way ahead of time, which meant leaving the stock market behind and staying with IRA's. Slow growth, perhaps, but safe and not sorry is reassuring in these tough times.
Profiteers, outrageous risk takers, inside traders, speculators, greed and negligence all played a huge part in the debacle we're all watching unfold. Sure, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac contributed heavily to the mess with the usual lack of government oversight, which John McCain pleaded for years ago, but the Democrats blew off, and now want to blame this mess on the Republicans and Bush. The blame needs to be spread on Wall Street and the government, a cross between greed and inaction, with the usual pork barrel politics and favoritism thrown right in the mix.
Frankly, I don't give a rat's ass about the big buck investors, the millionaires and billionaires who lost their ass. They thought they were so damned shrewd and had the world by the ass and could make a buck no matter what. Tough crap if their predictions were wrong. Get in the freaking bread line if you have to; Father Joe's still serves good meals daily! My heart goes out to the little guy who got screwed because the government didn't do anything to reign in speculation and wild aggressive moves on Wall Street, and once again let the financial sector run the regulators, rather than the other way around.
If the regulators had been doing their jobs, and keeping a watch on the pulse of the financial sector, this should have never happened. If the government hadn't been so idiotic to try and make home ownership possible to people who could never own a home, and allow creative home mortgage deals that made no sense at all, the mortgage meltdown wouldn't have happened. If banks and the regulators had insisted that Private Mortgage Insurance be purchased on all mortgages with 20% down or less, we'd not have to bail out tens or hundreds of thousands of mortgagees and bank loans. I hear the creativeness resulted in few mortgages being covered by PMI; shouldn't there be some fraud investigations underway to see how many fraudulent mortgages were made? Will there be some accounting for this mess or will it all be swept under the rug as long as it uses the taxpayers money?
And, finally, what the hell are we bailing out the assholes who profited from this mess anyway? Check out the Internet and see how much the top dogs from Wachovia and WaMu stand to make when the takeovers are completed. It's sickening. The directors of some institutions bought or received lots of extra stock when it was worth zero recently, so they pay no tax...then when the banks are bought and the stock zooms in value, they get fat again, and still leave the poor investor screwed.
Check out Wachovia Bank's directors securities filings and see how each of them got big blocks of "Phantom Stock" October 1, as they waltzed out the door leaving their director jobs behind. All while the Wachovia investors got squat. Pretty nice, huh?
http://google.brand.edgar-online.com/?sym=wb
Lastly, what's the deal with Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Wachovia? The Wells deal would involve NO taxpayer involvement and leave FDIC out of holding the bag at all. The Citigroup deal would leave taxpayers liable for a good part of the assets and losses. The FDIC yaps out of both sides of its mouth (or other lower orifice) and says it is committed to the best deal for taxpayers, yet also says it supports the Citigroup deal which will cost us money. It can't be both, numbnuts! If it costs us zero, it's a good deal; if it costs us money it isn't! Good God, did they let the inmates from Station B-11 at Tri-City start running the FDIC too?
Okay, now I'm whining, but for reform in our economic system where there is accountability. You know, like when you spend all the money in the cookie jar and there is no more, you eat what's on the shelf until payday? Beans and Spaghetti-o's if that's all there is, but you make it through. You don't spend your neighbor's money and buy steak, lobster and caviar, and then when he can't eat, just glare at him and say...whoops...and not even sorry. That's the way you get your ass kicked, and we need to kick some asses in Washington and Wall Street so this can never happen again.
That's my view. I hope you make it safe and sound through this mess. We're doing okay, but only due to some good financial planning way ahead of time, which meant leaving the stock market behind and staying with IRA's. Slow growth, perhaps, but safe and not sorry is reassuring in these tough times.
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