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Strategies & Market Trends : The Residential Real Estate Crash Index -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Jim McMannis who wrote (305674)5/19/2011 4:42:54 PM
From: Broken_ClockRespond to of 306849
 
yes, he bailed out big pharma and the for profit health 'care' industry...

same crew that fought 30 years to keep the meth epidemic going.



To: Jim McMannis who wrote (305674)5/19/2011 7:28:40 PM
From: Broken_ClockRead Replies (1) | Respond to of 306849
 
Will the ZerO learn how to veto?

Congressional Leadership Seeks Four-Year Patriot Act Extension
With Deadline Looming, Will Leadership Secure Votes?
by Jason Ditz, May 19, 2011
Email This | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum

Congressional leadership from both houses and both parties today reached a deal on a long-term extension of the Patriot Act, exactly as worded and without any of the inconvenient civil rights provisions that the Obama Administration has been warning against. The deal would extend an additional four years.

Four years is quite a bit longer than most of the previous House versions of the extension but was quite a bit shorter that Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R – IA) call for the bill to be eternal as well as completely free of oversight. So far the indications are the lack of oversight will rule the day, guaranteeing that the Obama Administration won’t grouse or threaten vetoes.

And while this deal seems to suit the leadership of both parties just fine, that has increasingly not been enough to guarantee passage of such measures. Indeed, the House failed to extend the Patriot Act by 10 months in February in the face of significant opposition from both parties, and in particular a number of freshmen.

The current extension of the three most controversial provisions of the act, including the ability to target people with no ties to any terror organization and the ability to secure library and bookstore records without due process, would expire on May 27. The Senate promises a vote next week. The House of Representatives has not given a date for the vote.



To: Jim McMannis who wrote (305674)5/20/2011 11:09:22 AM
From: joseffyRead Replies (1) | Respond to of 306849
 
Housing Experts Wrong Again
......................................................
by Kathy Fettke
finance.townhall.com


Analysts were surprised that new home construction dropped 10.6% in April, and I am shocked that they were shocked.

It's no secret that the foreclosure crisis is still upon us. In fact, we are expecting approximately 1.3 million new foreclosures just this year alone.

How can builders expect to be growing their businesses when the number of existing homes on the market is still increasing?

It might work out if we had job growth, salary increases and liquidity in the market place offering home loans to qualified borrowers.

But that's not the case.

Banks are now beginning to unload some of their pent-up REO property after legal battles slowed them down over the past 6 months.

When a higher level of distressed property (foreclosures and short sales) hits the market, prices tend to go down. Builders just can't compete with todays low prices. In fact, in many areas, you can buy a home for less than half the cost to build it.

Banks are hesitant to give out construction loans nowadays, and that's a good thing. Banks were too eager to hand out builder loans in the early 2000's.

As a result, open land all around the country was gobbled up and spit out in the form of new subdivisions.

First-time home buyers got slick new digs and stock holders got fat and happy. That is, until everyone looked up and realized they hadn't considered whether enough people could afford to live out in the boonies.

Home construction has a big influence on the rest of the economy because of all the raw materials used in the process. That's why news of low housing starts tends to rock Wall Street every month.

But every month, I say, "Find a new gauge for economic development!” Builders and banks borrowed construction jobs from the future. They left us with more than enough housing inventory to last for several more years.

In the meantime, let’s focus on a different kind of development to fuel the economy. How about building cars that use garbage for clean-burning fuel, or medical break-throughs that prevent and cure cancer inexpensively.

Get busy, inventors! We need some fresh ideas, because relying on new construction is yesterday's news.

Meanwhile, if you’re looking to own a home, you can sure get yourself a bargain.

When new discoveries are made and jobs come back to the U.S., your home will be in demand again.

And that usually means prices will go up.

Kathy Fettke is CEO of www.RealWealthNetwork.com, the real estate investor’s resource.



To: Jim McMannis who wrote (305674)5/20/2011 12:58:51 PM
From: joseffyRespond to of 306849
 
Pelosi's use of United States Air Force aircraft
Cost to the taxpayers: $2,100,744.59 or $27,715.00 per trip

The FACTS ARE IN!

As a result of a Judicial Watch filing under the Freedom of Information Act, the USAF released documents detailing House Speaker Pelosi's use of United States Air Force aircraft between March 2009 and June 2010. The data are published in the Judicial WatchVerdict of December 2010, Volume 16, Issue 12.

Here are the main highlights revealed by the USAF. Keep in mind that all the data below relate to United States Air Force aircraft used by one woman over a sixteen month period.

Several of these flights included Ms Pelosi's guests such as grown children, grandchildren, various in-laws, friends, and hangers-on. Over 95% of the trips were between the west coast and Washington, DC or what we might call a commute between home and the office. READ it and WEEP!!

Total trips: 85 trips over a 68 week period or 1.25 average trips per week.
Total mileage: 206,264 miles or 2,427 average miles per trip
Total flying time: 428.6 hours or an average of 5 hrs per trip
Cost to the taxpayers: $2,100,744.59 or $27,715.00 per trip or $1,285,162.00 per year
Cost of in flight food and alcohol:$101,429.14 or $1,193.00 per trip or $62,051.00 per year.

On one junket to Baghdad, according to the Air Force report, she had the aircraft bar stocked with Johnny Walker Red Scotch, Grey Goose Vodka, E&J Brandy, Bailey's Irish Creme, Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier Cognac, Bacardi Rum, Jim Beam Whiskey, Beefeater Gin, Dewars Scotch, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Jack Daniels Whiskey, Corona Beer and several varieties of wine. This was obviously a very important"gubment bidness" trip.

Evidence generally speaks for itself, and in Ms. Pelosi's case it speaks the language of abuse and (evidently) a serious familial drinking problem, for in a single year she and her spawn drank an amount in excess of the net income of the average employed American! When she said, "... If the stimulus doesn't pass, five hundred million people might lose their jobs...", I thought she was unintentionally revealing her ignorance. I'm now more inclined to think she was pickled.