JUST SOME POSTS

One thing I also have a problem with is the lack of responsibility and risk that seems to be prevalent everywhere today. For example, the housing/mortage "crisis" that is in the news every day now. IMHO, this crisis is being caused by the relatively new idea that a house is an investment, not a place to live. As recently as twenty to thirty years ago, the average house was bought as a place to live - period. People took out a thirty year mortgage and planned on living in the house when it was paid off. Obviously, almost all real estate appreciates over thirty years so when it was paid off you owned property that was valued at a much larger amount than when you started. Over the past five to ten years people looked for a house they could buy and then sell at a profit sometimes in as little as two or three years. This was especially feasible when mortgage money was very available and very cheap. Mortgage vendors then made this even worse by offering very unusual mortgage produc...

I'm Blogging (excuse the appearance. I cut and pasted this from the first site - too lazy to redo) OK, I have a blog. What a rush?!? I was told I needed one, why I am not sure. (In my life I have also been told I needed (in no particular order) - a new attitude, a new wardrobe, to develop a taste for beer, various consumer goods, etc.) Some of these suggestions I took, others I did not. The blog thing seemed somehow more relevant than a new pair of pants. I guess I am going to write down my thoughts on subjects as I think of them. Seems only fitting that my thoughts on blogs should be first. Blog. The word seems a bit weird. I know it is an amalgam of web log, but it is still a bit weird. Then again, I find this whole deal a bit weird. I was commenting to my sister (after I read her first entry in her second blog) that I did not get the whole blog thing. I will have to admit I have never read any blogs beyond hers and a very, very few that I ran across in web searches. Due to m...

Some rants Following are some comments on subjects that I don't think I have enough "stuff" to do a whole blog on each. 1) Illegal aliens - first, notice the title. I hate the way the media and liberal types refer to this issue as "immigration". Calling the influx of millions of illegal persons into this country an immigration problem is the same as calling bank robbery a withdrawal problem. According to the constitution of this country, one of the ONLY responsibilities the federal government has is securing our borders (another subject to be covered soon). So, secure them already. I am about as pro-business as you get but, I believe businesses that use illegal aliens should pay a HUGE fine for each infraction. I know I would pay more for a head of lettuce and Wendy's would no longer offer chicken nuggets for $1, but I also know I would not worry about paying for medical care or college tuition for a person here illegally. If meat processing employees ca...