Saturday, September 25, 2010

SAR #10268

None of the 9/11 attackers were from Afghanistan. Or Iraq.

Gutless Wonders:  The Democrats would be a great political power if they had any idea what to do with power when they have it.  It's the party of the insecure and tentative – or those just too polite to actually force their opponents to go on record as favoring the rich over the rest of us.

Summary:  Sales of new houses were essentially unchanged from July, making this the worst August on record.  The median home price ($204,700) is now at its lowest point since 2003.  House prices are expected to reach a new low by the end of the year.

Making A List:   You're getting socks and underwear for Christmas.  That's what Wal-Mart says and that's as close to Santa's workshop as you can get. Sweetie says it's okay to give socks and underwear, as long as they don't come from Wal-Mart.

One More Time:  Like a cat with nine lives, the idea of bribing folks to buy houses has resurfaced.  Fannie and Freddie are handing out cash to both new buyers and their real estate agents who buy a foreclosed Fannie/Freddie house.  The buyers get a 3.5% credit towards closing and agents get a $1,500 push on top of their regular commission.

Trick or Treat:  Time to be afraid of your neighbors – they are probably “willing to commit terrorist acts, disruptions and incidents.”  The big threat now is from Americans “who are able to remain undetected.”  So be vigilant.  Be suspicious.  Be afraid.  Tell the FBI on them.  Carry your cell phone so we can track you.

Welfaerie Queen: Queen Elizabeth II's application for an anti-poverty grant to help pay for heating her various castles has been turned down.  ACORN  suggested she re-apply and only list her primary palace on the form.

Get the Picture?  The GOPer's latest comic book full of photos of white folks, many waving flags or standing in front of flags – or even hiding behind flags.  No blacks.  No Asians.  No Mescans.  And sure as hell not a single Muslim.

Dim Bulbs:  Joe Barton, Michael Burgess and Marsh Blackburn want to stop those energy-efficient lightbulbs now, before they cut any farther into their contributors' profits.  They are, of course, Republicans and don't give a damn about global warming.

Band Aids:  Sarah Palin is going after those dastardly Democrats who voted to make insurance companies live up to their contracts, stopped the insurers from refusing to insure your sick child, forced the health care folks to let your unemployed college graduate kid who can't find a job stay on your policy a bit longer, and insisted that you not be limited to $276.37 in lifetime benefits or be denied coverage because you forgot about that hangnail back in '02.  'Cause she knows you are happy with Medicare and don't want none of that socialism stuff.

Asked & Answered:  With the mining giants turning toward exploring and exploiting the resources on the ocean floor, some are asking if this deep-sea digging will turn out to be an underwater equivalent of mountain-top removal. Of course it will.

Right to Rent:   That's the name of the newest nostrum that is going to cure all our ills.  The idea is that homeowners entering the foreclosure process would be allowed to rent their former house at a fair market price (?) – for up to five years. It would give people a place to stay, keep the house off the overcrowded market, let the bank gain some (most) of the expected income, and keep the house from becoming 'distressed'.  Plus it would give the banks time to figure out how to stick someone with the debt – maybe even sell it back to its former owner.

Précis:  The GOP's Plague on America is a hollow, numerically challenged mish-mash of right wing anti-government slogans that is an insult to any thinking person.  It should do well with the electorate.

6 comments:

OkieLawyer said...

Two things:

Re: Summary

The price of a home in the United States should equal roughly 2.5x the median household income. Based on the most recent data from the link I just gave, the median priced home should be around $125,000. I think we still have a ways to go.

Re: Band Aids

Back when I was in the private practice of law, I bought a health insurance policy from Mega Health and Life through the self-employed association. It was supposed to be a great deal. They averred that individual self-employed people would get the benefit of the large risk-pool (and lowered costs). They sold it as a "million dollar" policy. What they didn't tell you was that the maximum annual benefit was $25,000. In other words, in order to get the "full benefit" of the million dollar policy, you would have to use the full $25,000 in qualified medical expenses every year for 40 years.

This is what "deregulation" gets you: sham policies. In fact, I don't think the most recent health care reforms prohibit this.

Anonymous said...

Hey CK, have you seen this video...

http://online.wsj.com/video/the-big-interview-with-david-stockman/8E99A460-CA55-4D99-ABE8-5E4BBF6B6A32.html

John

Anonymous said...

RE: Gutless Wonders

I don;t know about insecure and tentative. I think pushing the health care bill through, although without the public option, was a pretty gutsy thing to do.

RBM

Anonymous said...

RE: Gutless Wonders

I don't know about insecure and tentative. I think pushing the health care bill through, although without the public option, was a pretty gutsy thing to do.

RBM

PeakVT said...

CEPR's Right to Rent proposal actually dates back to at least November of 2008. And it's certainly a far better idea than HAMP.

kwark said...

Anonymous 3:33

Since you engage in such a broad brush lambasting of everyone who doesn't think just like you, how about this. You conservatives care so earnestly about race issues that you scream unrelentingly that they don't exist and label EVERYONE who talks about race as race-baiting hypocrites. Your message is a case in point. Just because I think race is an issue doesn't mean jack about the rest of my politics.