Well, here's another Monday again. And this one is perhaps one of the worst in a while. Why? I think it's a combination of things. I don't wish to get into details, but I have a meeting I'm not thrilled about. In fact, it's been on my mind all weekend. Perhaps it'll be better once it's all over with.
Then there's the whole accident situation from last Monday evening. I finally got my estimates done for the repairs on my bumper, but now it's time to contact that person who will be paying for those repairs. That's sure to be a fun conversation! Overall, it's just such an inconvenience, and I don't feel like dealing with it all right now.
All this has put me into some sort of funk today. I don't really feel like eating, and I'm exhausted so mucht aht it's hard to keep my eyes open. I just feel a huge burden on my shoulders that I can't seem to get rid of. I'm trying my best to put a smile on my face and walk tall, but my efforts don't seem to do much good.
Hopefully this story will be quite different tomorrow at this time...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Dropping Dow
As I type this post, the Dow is currently down 530 points from this morning. Unfortunately, the day is only half over. What will be the outcome when the market closes, I wonder?
And to think, after the House passed the bailout bill towards the end of last week, the market was supposed to see renewed hope. In anticipation of all of the "fantastic" opportunities in the bill, the market was supposed to go up. But, once again, it's dropping.
While I watch this unfold, I think back to something I saw on the television last night as I watch a special on Fox News Channel at midnight. The special looked into our current economic woes, and uncommonly from the bottom-up, instead from the top-down. At the bottom resides the mortgage crisis. The woes of people in foreclosure who cannot afford to pay their mortgage bills every month, especially in the difficult economic times brought about by high gas prices and other energy costs. But digging deeper, you'll see that many of those individuals who are in foreclosure, considering smart business practices, should never have been able to recieve a mortgage loan in the first place.
If you were loaning $500 to a friend, and you knew that your friend didn't really have a way to pay you back, would you still loan him the money? Perhaps you would, because he was your friend. But what if you were a loan officer in a bank. Would you loan $150,000 for a house to someone who didn't have any income, or if he did, it wasn't enough to pay his monthly principle and interest payment? Of course you wouldn't, because you'd lose your money. It would be a horrible business position.
But this very thing is what banks have been doing throughout the past years! Why? Perhaps it goes back even further to an organization called ACORN: The Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now.
If you're interested in learning more about this connection, Google it for yourself. Otherwise, I'll explain the rest in my next post.
And to think, after the House passed the bailout bill towards the end of last week, the market was supposed to see renewed hope. In anticipation of all of the "fantastic" opportunities in the bill, the market was supposed to go up. But, once again, it's dropping.
While I watch this unfold, I think back to something I saw on the television last night as I watch a special on Fox News Channel at midnight. The special looked into our current economic woes, and uncommonly from the bottom-up, instead from the top-down. At the bottom resides the mortgage crisis. The woes of people in foreclosure who cannot afford to pay their mortgage bills every month, especially in the difficult economic times brought about by high gas prices and other energy costs. But digging deeper, you'll see that many of those individuals who are in foreclosure, considering smart business practices, should never have been able to recieve a mortgage loan in the first place.
If you were loaning $500 to a friend, and you knew that your friend didn't really have a way to pay you back, would you still loan him the money? Perhaps you would, because he was your friend. But what if you were a loan officer in a bank. Would you loan $150,000 for a house to someone who didn't have any income, or if he did, it wasn't enough to pay his monthly principle and interest payment? Of course you wouldn't, because you'd lose your money. It would be a horrible business position.
But this very thing is what banks have been doing throughout the past years! Why? Perhaps it goes back even further to an organization called ACORN: The Association for Community Organizations for Reform Now.
If you're interested in learning more about this connection, Google it for yourself. Otherwise, I'll explain the rest in my next post.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Bail-Out Mess
I've been thinking a lot lately about the bail-out bill that was proposed in the House this past Monday, and subsequently voted down by Republicans and Democrats. Ever since the start of this bail-out talk, I've been unsure of what to think of the idea. On the one hand, I want to see the free market take it's course. You make a bad business choice, you go down. Someone else makes good business choices, you move up. It's the way our economy should work. But on the other hand, I don't want to see corporations that effect so many parts of our economy go out of business, causing many of us to have problems from losing jobs to losing money. But on the third hand, I don't want to see $700 billion of taxpayer money go to businesses on Wall Street to bail them out for making idiotic decisions! But on the fourth hand...I could go on, but I'll end it here.
Along with all of this indecisiveness, I've found comfort in the thoughts of that wonderful conservative, Newt Gingrich. In a recent NPR transcript, I found these words from Newt: "Congress was designed by the Founding Fathers to move slowly, precisely to avoid the sudden panic of a one-week solution that becomes a 20-year mess." (And for the record, I don't listen to that liberal NPR. I just found the quote online when I Googled Newt and his bail-out thoughts.) While I see that haste is necessary to save our economy, I also realize that a quickly pieced-together solution, isn't always the best solution.
Perhaps another thought from Newt would be helpful to realize how un-reassuring this bail-out plan actually was: "Well, the last time we were promised they were going to save us, it was $300 billion; it was a housing bill. Now we have brand-new liberal Democrats, many of whom — for example [Connecticut Sen.] Chris Dodd — was the largest single recipient of money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and he is the chairman of the Banking Committee. So the guy who got the most money is now going to write a bill to give taxpayers' money to the people who gave him money. Somehow, I am not reassured."
All in all, I'm just saying that I'm not entirely disappointed that the bail-out bill didn't pass on Monday. But, I must say that I am disappointed in the way that Nancy Pelosi handled presenting this bill to the House. After a weekend of working together with the Republicans, the Democrats, led by Pelosi, decided to dash the bi-partisan efforts against the wall, and use the opportunity to tear down the Bush administration and the Republicans. Hearing her comments made me sick! She had to use this opportunity as a platform to promote the political times that we are in. Why not take the chance to denounce Bush, and therefore sneakily promote the Democratic party and th candidates who are up for re-election? That's really what she was doing.
Oh, and don't bother telling me that the Republicans in the House were the ones to blame for the bill not passing. It seems as if the media has been blaming the Republicans for this very thing. That's funny, considering that 40% of Democratics didn't vote for the bill either!!! I guess we can instead say "Thank you" to both the Republicans and Democrats who voted against this bill. (This is a rare moment--me thanking a Democrat.) But they saved us $700 billion. Hopefully now more thought can go into creating a better plan to save our economy.
Oh, and by the way, I find it funny that the Dow dropped around 700 points yesterday. And today, even though the bill wasn't passed, it went back up more than 485 points. It's interesting how the market sometimes has a mind of its own.
This whole post has been a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I guess it makes sense, because that' what's been floating around my head the past day or so. I was hoping to type it all out in my post in a way that would flow and be easily understood. But perhaps this situation just isnt' that way. Perhaps it's not easily understood...by any of us.
That's it for now. I'll go on being confused about what should be done. But at least I've gotten these thoughts out.
Along with all of this indecisiveness, I've found comfort in the thoughts of that wonderful conservative, Newt Gingrich. In a recent NPR transcript, I found these words from Newt: "Congress was designed by the Founding Fathers to move slowly, precisely to avoid the sudden panic of a one-week solution that becomes a 20-year mess." (And for the record, I don't listen to that liberal NPR. I just found the quote online when I Googled Newt and his bail-out thoughts.) While I see that haste is necessary to save our economy, I also realize that a quickly pieced-together solution, isn't always the best solution.
Perhaps another thought from Newt would be helpful to realize how un-reassuring this bail-out plan actually was: "Well, the last time we were promised they were going to save us, it was $300 billion; it was a housing bill. Now we have brand-new liberal Democrats, many of whom — for example [Connecticut Sen.] Chris Dodd — was the largest single recipient of money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and he is the chairman of the Banking Committee. So the guy who got the most money is now going to write a bill to give taxpayers' money to the people who gave him money. Somehow, I am not reassured."
All in all, I'm just saying that I'm not entirely disappointed that the bail-out bill didn't pass on Monday. But, I must say that I am disappointed in the way that Nancy Pelosi handled presenting this bill to the House. After a weekend of working together with the Republicans, the Democrats, led by Pelosi, decided to dash the bi-partisan efforts against the wall, and use the opportunity to tear down the Bush administration and the Republicans. Hearing her comments made me sick! She had to use this opportunity as a platform to promote the political times that we are in. Why not take the chance to denounce Bush, and therefore sneakily promote the Democratic party and th candidates who are up for re-election? That's really what she was doing.
Oh, and don't bother telling me that the Republicans in the House were the ones to blame for the bill not passing. It seems as if the media has been blaming the Republicans for this very thing. That's funny, considering that 40% of Democratics didn't vote for the bill either!!! I guess we can instead say "Thank you" to both the Republicans and Democrats who voted against this bill. (This is a rare moment--me thanking a Democrat.) But they saved us $700 billion. Hopefully now more thought can go into creating a better plan to save our economy.
Oh, and by the way, I find it funny that the Dow dropped around 700 points yesterday. And today, even though the bill wasn't passed, it went back up more than 485 points. It's interesting how the market sometimes has a mind of its own.
This whole post has been a jumbled mess of thoughts. But I guess it makes sense, because that' what's been floating around my head the past day or so. I was hoping to type it all out in my post in a way that would flow and be easily understood. But perhaps this situation just isnt' that way. Perhaps it's not easily understood...by any of us.
That's it for now. I'll go on being confused about what should be done. But at least I've gotten these thoughts out.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Michigan Upset
This has been the week of upsets in college football, and it couldn't have come at a better time. The Oregon State Beavers shocked the college football world on Thursday with a win over my most-hated team, the #1 USC Trojans from crappy Cali (27-21). The disappointed look on the face of their coach, Pete Carroll, was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen!
Then Saturday, Michigan came from behind for an unbelievable victory over the #9 Wisconsin Badgers (27-25). When I heard this, I honestly couldn't believe my ears. I had been listening to the game when it was still in the third quarter with Michigan losing 19-0. Who would have thought that un-ranked Michigan was capable of scoring 20 points against a team like Wisconsin in the fourth quarter alone? I like to call it a Michigan Miracle.
Unfortunately, Michigan still has a way to go this season. Even if they are currently 5th in the Big Ten standings, they still need to beat teams like Ohio State and Penn State if they are going to get anywhere close to the Rose Bowl this year. Who knows, Northwestern might even surprise everyone and make it pretty far. They currently sit atop the Big Ten standings, which I didn't see coming at all.
I guess we'll have to take it week by week. Saturday can't get here soon enough!
Then Saturday, Michigan came from behind for an unbelievable victory over the #9 Wisconsin Badgers (27-25). When I heard this, I honestly couldn't believe my ears. I had been listening to the game when it was still in the third quarter with Michigan losing 19-0. Who would have thought that un-ranked Michigan was capable of scoring 20 points against a team like Wisconsin in the fourth quarter alone? I like to call it a Michigan Miracle.
Unfortunately, Michigan still has a way to go this season. Even if they are currently 5th in the Big Ten standings, they still need to beat teams like Ohio State and Penn State if they are going to get anywhere close to the Rose Bowl this year. Who knows, Northwestern might even surprise everyone and make it pretty far. They currently sit atop the Big Ten standings, which I didn't see coming at all.
I guess we'll have to take it week by week. Saturday can't get here soon enough!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Political Circus
With the economy going down the tubes, and a possible $85 billion dollar bailout on the horizon--that's $85,000,000,000.00 of our tax dollars--we need our political representatives to step up and make some important decisions. After all, that's what they were elected to do, right?
Well, that is the very reason why I am proud of John McCain for stepping up and suspending his political campaign for a short time, while he heads back to D.C. to DO HIS JOB! Obama doesn't seem to understand this concept, though. He recently remarked that he's willing to help if he's called up to be of assistance. I'm sorry, but wasn't he called upon when he received enough votes from Illinois voters to go to Washington for this very purpose? Instead, Obama would rather talk about things he wants to do, than actually do the things he needs, and was elected, to do. He doesn't want to postpone any debates, because how else will people see how great he is if he's not in the spotlight? And he wouldn't want to follow McCain's lead in suspending his campaign, because then it would look like McCain was absolutely right on this issue. Looks like Barack is in a tight spot.
I won't lie, I'm not happy about this whole bailout plan. But that's exactly why I want our politicians to be in Washington D.C., trying to make this plan as harmless to the American people as possible. If you ask me, I'd love to see the free market at work: a company makes bad decisions, you fail as a company. That provides an opening for new, smaller companies to rise up and become successful. That's what's great about our economy! But, unfortunately, because these institutions are so vital to everybody's well-being, it looks like the government needs to bail them out. What's the best way to do this? I'm not sure. But for our sakes, it has to happen.
It'll be interesting to see what unfolds in the coming days...
Well, that is the very reason why I am proud of John McCain for stepping up and suspending his political campaign for a short time, while he heads back to D.C. to DO HIS JOB! Obama doesn't seem to understand this concept, though. He recently remarked that he's willing to help if he's called up to be of assistance. I'm sorry, but wasn't he called upon when he received enough votes from Illinois voters to go to Washington for this very purpose? Instead, Obama would rather talk about things he wants to do, than actually do the things he needs, and was elected, to do. He doesn't want to postpone any debates, because how else will people see how great he is if he's not in the spotlight? And he wouldn't want to follow McCain's lead in suspending his campaign, because then it would look like McCain was absolutely right on this issue. Looks like Barack is in a tight spot.
I won't lie, I'm not happy about this whole bailout plan. But that's exactly why I want our politicians to be in Washington D.C., trying to make this plan as harmless to the American people as possible. If you ask me, I'd love to see the free market at work: a company makes bad decisions, you fail as a company. That provides an opening for new, smaller companies to rise up and become successful. That's what's great about our economy! But, unfortunately, because these institutions are so vital to everybody's well-being, it looks like the government needs to bail them out. What's the best way to do this? I'm not sure. But for our sakes, it has to happen.
It'll be interesting to see what unfolds in the coming days...
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