SOLUTION TO THE MORTGAGE CRISIS

Certainly by now you've figured out that there is some sort of a mortgage crisist going on out there.  Here's my take - though it certainly is no more valuable than yours:  "Activists" start whining about the difficulty poor people and minorities are having getting home loans.  The lending industry responds by making a lot of loans to people who have no realistic chance of being able to pay them back.  These people are told that their rates and their payments are going to go up in the future ... but they either don't listen or they ignore the warnings.  Trust me ... I've seen people go through real estate loans and then claim that they had no idea that they could lose their home if they stopped making their payments.  Oh ... and I know that there were some bad actors in the loan brokerage and lending business out there too.  That's just another argument against a government bailout.

Anyway ... I thought you might like to see what the Democrats were considering as a solution to this mortgage melt-down.  I don't specifically remember which long-term Democrat member of Congress came up with this asinine idea, so I won't make any guesses here.  The plan was simple:  Change the law so as to allow bankruptcy judges to treat mortgage debt the same as any other debt. 

So ... what does that mean?  To simplify things, it would mean that a bankruptcy judge would be able to allow a bankrupt debtor to pay off their mortgage with pennies on the dollar ... just like they can do with their credit card debt right now.  This would mean that, for instance, if you owed $150,000 on your home, you would be able to pay just a fraction of that amount, say around $15,000, and your mortgage would be satisfied --- AND you would be allowed to keep your home.

Now I've been watching the congress do some amazingly stupid things over the years, but this proposed legislation has to be one of the most brain-dead, stupid things I've ever come across.  It was so bad that the congressman who came up with the idea (Durn, why do I want to say it was John Conyers?)  couldn't even get the support of some of the lamest Democrats in congress.  For now the idea is dead, just like Clinton's idea of levying a one-time 15 percent tax against every pension fund and 401K plan out there.  But that doesn't mean it couldn't come back.

By the way ... for those of you who went to government schools .. the problem with this proposal would be twofold:  (a)  Mortgage rates would immediately climb to the neighborhood of credit card interest rates.  There's a reason credit card rates are so high, and bankruptcy laws are one of them.  (b)  It would become virtually impossible for people with even the slightest of zits on their credit record to be able to borrow money to finance much more than a pup tent with a Coleman grill. 

How in the hell do these people find their way into elective office? 

CURIOSITY

I was wandering through the website of Michigan Democrat John Conyers over the weekend, and found this gem:

"Congressman Conyers is well known as a patron of the arts, and is renowned for his love of jazz. In his role as a federal legislator, he has successfully fought for greater recognition and funding for jazz. In 1987, the Congress passed Conyers" House Concurrent Resolution 57 designating jazz a "national American treasure."

Well isn't that just so special.  Every MoveOn Democrat out there with a pulse is screaming for higher (read "confiscatory") taxes on the evil, hated, disgusting rich so that our Imperial Federal Government can pay for the basic necessities of every American ... and here's this character wanting more funding for jazz.  Just where in the hell does our Constitution grant to the federal government the right to use force to seize money from American taxpayers to be used to pay jazz musicians. 

OBAMA RISING

Even in the New York Times this Sunday, they acknowledge that Hillary Clinton is slipping in Iowa.  Although she picked up the endorsement of the Des Moines Register, Obama's campaign seems to be plugging right along.  At the worst, polls in Iowa show Obama tied with Hillary, and he is also on her heels in New Hampshire.

Not quite sure what's happening here.  I would like to think that more and more people are coming to recognize Hillary for what she truly is, a woman in love with nothing but the idea of wielding power.  Are people getting a little disgusted with the Hillary and Bill show?  Do they see, now, that she is and always has been completely dishonest?   Perhaps they're coming to understand that she is anything but the kind and caring woman she pretends to be. 

As I've said .. mixed emotions here.  What a wonderful topic of discussion she is for talk radio ... and the thought of mixing it up with her hand-crafted Media Matters group over the next year is exciting.  The thought, though, that she could actually become the commander-in-chief of the men and women she has held in such disdain for her entire life is disgusting.

DON'T EXAGGERATE TERROR

The former top advisor on terrorism to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that Britain is in danger of exaggerating the threat from al Qaeda.  Richard Mottram retired last month as an advisor on intelligence and security.  He says that focusing too much on terrorist movement underplays other important threats.

So what are these threats, according to Mottram, that we are neglecting because of our focus on terrorism?  Well not surprisingly, global warming tops the list.  After global warming you have flu pandemics,  the emergence of rogue states, globalization and its impact on power balances, global poverty and its impact on population movement, energy security, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and organized crime.

Hold it!  Global freaking warming?  For weeks now we've hearing about all of these grandiose plans to redistribute the world's wealth and resources from wealthy free nations to dysfunctional third world dictatorships.  Now they're going to tell us that we need to put this wealth distribution program ahead of fighting the threat of Islamic fascism?

This European, peace-at-any-price bureaucrat says, "What we shouldn't do is play into al Qaeda's hands by exaggerating the extent and nature of the threat they present globally."

So ... which path holds the promise of the greatest negative consequences?  Ignoring the real threat of Islamic radicalism, or ignoring this global warming scam.

Wake up, people.  They're after your wallets now.  Wait until they start attacking your freedoms. 

And speaking of the climate change scam ........

BALI CONFERENCE ... THE AFTERMATH

Environmentalists are upset with the outcome of the UN conference in Bali.  But I bet that they would have been upset no matter the outcome ... because no rational foreign leader would be able to meet the demands of these wacko toad-licking moonbats.  But back to Bali ... large industrialized countries, including America, agreed to cut emissions but they refused to agree on an EU proposal for a target of 25%-40% cut by 2020.

This upset the precious environmentalists.  They say the world's biggest carbon emitters - America, Japan, and Canada - will be free to continue expanding their emission for many more years.  That means that their economies may continue to grow ... and that really ticks off the enviro-whacko crowd big time.  The EU proposal that the US rejected was one that fell in line with the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ... the holy book for warmers.  Clearly if the US didn't agree to proposals supported by the IPCC, the rest of the world would be upset, no matter what other suggestions or changes the US vows to make.  By the way, the IPCC warns that the earth's temperature is going to rise by 2C over the next 100 years.  They have no scientific evidence to prove this ... just their precious computer models; models which were fraudently programmed, by the way, to show a warming trend. 

Paula Dobiansky is the US under secretary of state for democracy and global affairs.  She initially said that she could not accept the EU's proposal.  When this was made clear, the head of Papua New Guinea's delegation (I'd like to see the government educated find that on a map) had this to say to the US: "We seek your leadership, but if you cannot lead, leave it to the rest of us. Get out of the way."  Yeah ... the United States is going to get out of the way of New Guinea. 

Later Dobiansky said that she changed her mind after listening to submissions from Brazil and South Africa.  So now the UN will hold another summit in 2009 where it intends for the world to sign up to a global system emissions for cutting CO2.  Maybe by then the depth of this scam will have been realized. 

REGULATE CITIZEN JOURNALISM

David Hazinski, the head of broadcast news at the University of Georgia, feels that regulation is the only way to have proper news.  Hazinski says that "citizen journalism" like blogs or YouTube isn't really journalism and opens the industry to fraud and abuse.  So rather than letting the public decide what they want to read or watch, Hazinski has a better idea:  Regulate.  Monitor and regulate this new industry.

That's right ... regulate.  This journalism professor at Georgia wants what he considers to be the legitimate journalism outlets to find a way for  regulate "citizen journalism."  That, by the way, includes, in Hazinski's words, "political blogs."  Now you may not realize it, but what you're reading right now would be considered a political blog. 

Now just what does Hazinski mean by "regulate?"  Can you have regulation without enforcement?  And just who is out there that could regulate Nealz Nuze or other political websites?  The answer, though he dares not say it in just these words, is none other than our wonderful government. 

So here are some of Hazinski's ideas on how to regulate those evil citizen journalists.

• Major news organizations must create standards to substantiate citizen-contributed information and video, and ensure its accuracy and authenticity.

• They should clarify and reinforce their own standards and work through trade organizations to enforce national standards so they have real meaning.

• Journalism schools such as his at the University of Georgia should create mini-courses to certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures, much as volunteer teachers, paramedics and sheriff's auxiliaries are trained and certified.

•  

Just remember, folks.  I am not a journalist.  I never claim to be.  I am a private citizen with a website and a radio show.  I get to express my opinions in a country where the freedom to express one's opinions is supposedly cherished.  This UGA professor is upset with this.  He wants regulation.  I think he owes us another column sometime soon telling us just exactly what he believes the governments role should be in enforcing these standards he wants to establish.

Remember,  I am here to entertain you.  Anything that you hear on the show or read on this website ... research it for yourself.  What Hazinski wants you to believe is that journalists are the be-all-end-all in news because they are licensed by the government.  He does not believe that you have any capability of thinking for yourself or researching on your own to determine what you believe to be the truth.

CLINTON LIBRARY

A bit on news from Bill Clinton's presidential library.  More than 10 percent of the $165 million facility was funded by foreign sources.  But Saudi Arabia tops the list of overseas donors.  The royal family of Saudi Arabia gave the Clinton library $10 million.  This, by the way, is about the same amount given to the George H.W. Bush library.

For months people have been hounding Hillary about the sources of money for Bill's presidential library.  Now Obama wants to chime in by introducing legislation that would require disclosure of all contributions to presidential libraries.  But donors of Clinton's library have not been revealed because it is considered a charity and contributors can choose to remain anonymous.

According to the Washington Post, several foreign governments gave at least $1 million.  Many of those were Middle Eastern nations, including Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.  Taiwan and Brunei also contributed at least $1 million.  But it's not just limited to governments.  This also includes Middle Eastern business executives and officials like Saudi business man Abdullah al-Dabbagh, Nasser al-Rashid, Walid Juffali, and Issam Fares, who previously served as deputy prime minister of Lebanon.

You have to wonder what the quid pro quo is here.  Especially if Hillary becomes our next president. 

COLORADO SHOOTING UPDATE

Just a quick update on Jeanne Assam - the woman at the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, who carried a concealed weapon and saved, quite possibly, hundreds of people from death at the hands of a teenage whacko.  Well if Jeanne had been a licensed security guard at the church, it would have been illegal for her to carry the Beretta she used to stop the shooter.  The government restricts security guards to only using revolvers.  This means that if the Church had hired a government-approved security guard, instead of a private citizen, there would be dozens of additional funerals in Colorado last week.

Citizens with guns ... don't you just hate them? 

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

Here come the "greedy evil rich" headlines: a new report from the Congressional Budget Office shows that the top 1 percent of income earners from 2003 to 2005 exceeded the total income of the poorest 20 percent of Americans.  That's not all .... The top 1 percent of income earners are more valuable than the bottom 20 percent to our economy.   Remember two things:

• Income is earned, not distributed.
• The rich keep getting richer because they keep doing whatever it was that made them rich.  Ditto for the poor.

Here's a great column on the current mortgage crises.  I particularly love this line: 'Why should someone who has kept the terms of a contract be penalized for the benefit of the party that didn't?"

Oh wow!  Now here's an amazing surprise.  Hillary would raise taxes on the rich!  Who would have thunk it?

Arnold Schwarzenegger will have to declare a state of fiscal emergency in January because his state has a growing deficit of $14 billion.

An activist who opposes Russia's Vladimir Putin has been sent to a psychiatric hospital to prevent him from protesting against the government.

Huckabee takes the lead in South Carolina.  It's news, but it's not a surprise. 

Mike Huckabee referred to Bush's foreign policy efforts as "arrogant bunker mentality."  Apparently, according to Mitt Romney, to disagree with the president makes you un-Republican.

How about a little news from the wonderful, peace-loving religion of Islam.  Here's an interesting way to kill a politician.  Strap a bomb to a baby, then hand the baby to the person you want to kill ... then blow them all up!  What an incredible religious experience that would be!

Huckabee is tied with Giuliani for the lead in the Illinois polls.  In the meantime, the other candidates are working late at night trying to figure out how to deal with the Rise of Huckabee! 

Time for your latest pork report!  (Do you think the Iranian government has pork spending?)

Elizabeth Edwards says she is scared of Republicans ....  Fair enough, Republicans are scared of Elizabeth Edwards.

In the holiday spirit, Mark Steyn brings you Jesus, global warming and a little bit of insensitivity.

Some bad news for the war against Islamic extremism, 40 Muslim Brotherhood leaders were cleared on charges of terrorism and money laundering.

A German governor is considering banning students from wearing Muslim burqas in school.

Al Gore would prefer crippling the US economy for the sake of making the rest of the world happy by redistributing wealth and saving the forests.

Rev. Al Sharpton, a nice guy all around ... except for that whole bribery and corruption thing.

Gangs in Central America are apparently trading tattoos and baggy pants for blazers and sport coats.  (The picture is pure sexiness.)

Do you remember the UK reality show of non-Muslims living under Sharia law?  Well tonight is the premier of "Make Me a Muslim."

This is our vote for fantastic government school teacher of the day.

A woman in Florida has 10 husbands.

According to a researcher at the Canadian Museum of Nature who is writing a book on all animals, Santa's reindeer would have been female and they would probably be pregnant on Christmas Eve while flying Santa's sleigh.

Subject:Somebody's Gotta Say it
Name:Carl Campbell

Message:
Just wanted to say that your latest book is the best book I have read in a long time. I don't always agree with you, but have to really examine my position on things when our opinions differ after you lay out your reasoning. Thanks for making me stretch my brain, and keep up the good work.

By the way, I don't blame you for not wanting to run for president but this country needs someone who is not afraid to do what is best regardless of the offenses that it would cause so long is it made America better. You could be the shot in the arm that this country so desperately needs.

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