Monday, January 26, 2009

PAYING A VERY HIGH PRICE FOR "GREED DISEASE"

I used to listen to the radio all day long when I was a home remodeler. One type of commercials that always caught my ear was the insane home mortgage and refinancing companies and their shady tactics. I also knew there was something very wrong with the content of these messages. Just to clarify, this is only one aspect of a combination of recent events that has hurt the American and the World economy in recent months. The interesting thing to me is that no one seems to want to talk about a dirty little secret I am going to share with you.
I would like to explain where I’m coming from. Please think about and answer one question. Is the Federal Government in existence to protect us or to take care of us? Opinions vary on this question depending on personal experience. In my mind they exist to protect us. This mindset is changing. If the collective soul of America is going to be fooled into thinking that the government is here to take care of our needs then Capitalism is dead. What will replace it, Socialism? Is that what we really want? Do you really want the same thing greedy politician’s lust for, more power over you? We still have the power to shape our own destiny but it is being eroded by the attitude of a “me first” generation. This applies to more than one recent generation. Remember John Kennedy’s famous speech, “ask not what your country can do for you but what can you do for your country”?
Congress and President Bush are either totally inept or they have traded in their responsibility for greed. First let’s talk about President Bush’s role in this mess. I get so angry when I reminisce about the countless times he made speeches about how home ownership is higher today than at any other time in the history of this country. That’s only because we have a large group of people that were irresponsibly given the opportunity to purchase homes they could not afford. Now we the American tax payer are paying a very heavy price and this problem is not going away any time soon. Is he lying to himself or just stupid? The other side of this coin is the democratically controlled congress. Several of these good ol’ boys have been getting sweetheart Real Estate deals and mortgages for years but no one in the press (except for a few) want to talk about this at all. The only reason these deals were being handed out to the power brokers in Washington D.C. was so that congress would not pass proper mortgage regulations and guidelines. Believe me, I am not big on government regulation but some regulation is necessary to combat greed.
The one disturbing element in the mortgage company commercials I talked about earlier is very simple. These shady mortgage companies advertised new loans and refinancing with one added bonus, they would be happy to appraise your property for free. Wow, what a great deal. They did this with IN HOUSE APPRAISERES. This is clearly a conflict of interest and should have never been allowed to take place. These guys were placing any value they needed to on a property and falsely inflating home prices just to secure the deal. Then they would turn around and sell these sub standard loans in large packages to banks that were backed by the Federal government, you the tax payer. Mortgage companies and appraisers need to be separated by law. This is where the government needs to step in and lead. They don’t want to though; this would jeopardize their personal finances, no more sweetheart deals.
I don’t know the answer. Do we let these industries fail and let them take their lumps? Do we let congress print more money and just give it away at our expense? The more money that is created out of thin air simply means it will just be worth less. I hope we never see the day that it becomes worthless. If the government continues to just dole out bail out money then they will have more control over how the private sector operates. The politicians are getting exactly what they want, more power. The sad thing is they are purchasing this power with our money!
UPDATE
I always write my blog a few days before I post. Today (1-26-09) I learned that CitiBank has just purchased a new $50,000,000 corporate jet from FRANCE! This is because their other 2 jets are over 8 years old. BOO HOO!
I have an idea. Instead of giving our hard earned tax dollars to irresponsible corporate CEO’s to waste, let’s give it back to us consumers. Let us put it back into the economy. But what if we don’t spend it? What if we decide to save it? How will that stimulate the economy? Who cares, it’s our money. We earned it and we should be able to spend it as we choose. If you think the government can spend your money better than you can then you are beyond hope.

Monday, January 19, 2009

I MISS THAT KID…A STORY OF “SECERT” SHIFTERS

My son Elias is a beautiful soul. This guy is now 16 years old. We don’t talk like we used to. I miss that. I love him more than he will ever know (at least until he has his own kids).
My mom smothered me with so much love when I was a kid. I’m a lot like her with my kids. I know why now that I’m an adult. I was the little guy that filled the void between the love she wasn’t getting from my dad. My dad, God bless the agnostic. He just didn’t have the love to give.
The book “The Secret” has a mental exercise to lift your spirits when you’re down. I’ve done this for years myself. The Secret calls it “secret shifters”. What you do is recall a circumstance or event in your life that makes you feel happy.
One of my “shifters” happened a couple weeks after my wife and I split up. Eli and I painted his little sisters room to surprise her. We painted it pink. When we were done I gave Eli the job of cleaning the brush, roller and pan in the bath tub with warm water. He turned a 5 minute job into about a half an hour worth of work. When I went in to check on him I asked him what was taking so long. He turns to me with a serious look in his eyes and says, “Dad, I have to get ALL of this pink paint off of this stuff. I didn’t want your buddies to see it.” God bless him. He thought that if my guy friends saw any pink paint on my stuff that they would think I’m weird or something. He was just trying to protect me. When I think about that it always makes me smile.
My other favorite story about Eli happened when he was learning to talk. We were getting ready to eat dinner in front of the t.v. and Elias said scullovelie. I’m like WHAT? He says scullovelie again. I still didn’t understand what he wanted. He said it 3 or 4 more times, each time getting a little louder, madder, and more intense, Then he said, “I wanna watch the scullovelie channel”. He just loved the discovery channel when he was little and that was what he was trying to say. That was so cute, I will never forget it.
Elias is the same age as John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s son. Even though I wish I was closer to my son at least he is still alive, I understand how hard it can be to be a teenager and I know he is searching for his identity. I will always be here for you Elias with all of the unconditional love I have to give. For John and Kelly, I am very sad for your loss and I can’t imagine what you both must be going through. To hell with the scrutiny of the press, your both very loving parents. One thing no one can ever take away from us parents are the precious memories we are blessed with from our children.

Monday, January 5, 2009

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL

I recently watched a movie with many lessons in collective thinking. The Comcast guide gave it a four star rating. I guess it may have been that good 58 years ago. In 1951 it was a drama in 2009 it’s a comedy. If you can see past the tears of laughter from the bad acting and adolescent special effects there’s a lot of interesting dialog.
The name of this movie is The Day The Earth Stood Still. This movie has recently been turned into a remake. I am writing about the original one from 1951. This is an interesting study in behavior, a complex look at the perceptions humans hold of the unknown.
An alien space craft lands in Washington D.C. (a paper plate on a string). The ship opens and a guy walks out. He is fluent in the intergalactic language, English. THEY have come to earth to solve all of the words conflicts between nations. So of course we place HIM or IT under arrest and tell space dude that world peace isn’t possible. This guy is an alien disguised as a handsome 30 something. No walls can hold him (it). He escapes custody and blends into local society as a friendly new comer with ease. The word spreads fast that HE is among us so the government locks down the city.
Now the real fun begins. Everyone from Billy Bob and his posse to the U.S. Army are running all over the city with loaded guns trying to hunt down the elusive alien. This creates a worldwide panic. HE came in peace but the press never covered that side of the story. No one who actually knew why THEY were here could imagine there could be world peace.
Many earthlings survive and thrive on conflict. When the alien was at large fear ran rampant. Fear of the unknown. Sadly, so many people have lost the ability (or never possessed the ability) to live harmoniously. I have known many people throughout my life that are miserable when all is well. They thrive on living in an environment full of discomfort and conflict. For many of these people that’s all they have ever known. In some families unhappiness and turmoil is generational. In others a single traumatic event can turn a happy life into a dark hole of despair.
On the other hand, there are a lot of people that have come from tough circumstances and it was the desire to change their own destiny that motivated them to remake themselves and create a beautiful life. I search for people of this nature. I have learned so much from these individuals. Be mindful of the people and environments that you focus on. They shape your destiny on a conscious and subconscious level.