Not Political

I enjoyed watching 3 hours of the Restoring Honor rally yesterday morning. I don't care if there were 10,000 or 350,000 people crowding the mall area and beyond. I don't care what the talking heads are saying about how Dr. King's Dream Speech anniversary being stolen by this rally. I don't care if people don't want to know more but it was not political.

Sarah Palin attended and spoke. She was there as a mother of a current U.S. military member serving this great nation. She is a political figure but she's not running for office now.

A charity that helps the families of fallen Special Op brave men and women received $5 million.

I sat and watched, clapped, sang, and prayed. It was a faith rally, a call to return to God and the principles upon which our nation was founded.

I listened to Dr. King's message (Alveda King) and I was moved. I was not alone as I watched the crowd via C-SPAN and saw grown men wiping away tears, children waving flags, and so many enduring the hot summer sun.

It was not political. I wish I could have been there.

'til later

Dictators

Have you read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair? It's been years since I have. It convinced me that unions were necessary to provide unskilled workers with a voice. Businesses can abuse labor but now there are workplace laws and hiring laws.

Today I believe the powerful unions are breaking our backs. It's not the worker who has to join the union to have the job. It's the union bosses who have abused the pensions they have controlled for years.

Did we really bail out teacher jobs? Not really. We are bailing out the generous union pensions that have eaten up and abused by the unions.

Power corrupts. Unions are too powerful. There are schools where children can not erase the boards after class to help the teacher because that's a union job. There are workplaces where an employee can not rearrange her office because that's a union job. There are cities where no building can be erected without union workers.

And yet there are still states called "Right To Work" where union membership can not be a condition of employment. There are auto makers that are not unionized. There are small businesses that treat their valued employees quite well but are often targets of the mighty unions.

Are you in a union? Do you answer to the union or to the employer? Are you a team player but your team is the union?

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Mosque

After our church had acquired 3.25 acres of land, some of the leadership met with the Planning Commission of the city. We asked for and received re-zoning of the property from residential/non-commercial to not-for-profit.

In Manhattan, the decision was reached to re-zone the empty retail/office buildings 2.5 blocks from Ground Zero to allow for a new mosque.

I agree with the President, this is a land of freedom of worship. I also believe it's very insensitive to the City and most Americans.

That's what I think. I also think the President is once again speaking out of both sides of his mouth. His words from Friday night's dinner were played over the radio. He sounded so convinced that this mosque was OK. Since then he's back-peddled.

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Vacations

It's called a stay-cation. Staying home while on vacation. Possibly visiting a local museum or zoo. Spending time at the community pool or painting some rooms.

Just one more way Americans are saving $. It has been reported that we have paid down our personal debt more than any time in the last three decades.

Businesses are nervous and so are individuals. No big purchases. No unnecessary expenditures.

Meanwhile, Obama is blaming us for not spending. He's blaming business for not spending.

In turn, many of us are blaming him for all the spending.

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Believer?

Raise your hand if you are a believer!

The $26 Billion to bail out teachers will be partially paid for by a reduction in the food stamp program.

Are you a believer?

Less Americans are believing what this administration says.

Reduce food stamps? Really?

Candid camera moment?

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Oh. And if a state accepts this teacher help, their education budget for subsequent years can NEVER be less than it is this year. Strings.

Politico.com

Primary night yields good news for President Obama and Democrats

That's the headline.

Huh?

Primaries are usually won by each and all parties. One winner per party. The good news is a Dem won in each primary election held yesterday?

What a spin organization. News? I don't think so.

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Increased Chatter

There's been increased "talk" around the net about the President's next "gift" to help the masses and boost the economy. We should call him Santa.

About 20% or 15 million of all mortgages today are "under water". That means the borrowers owe more than the home is worth. Although the numbers are alarmingly high in Florida and Nevada, we could all have a neighbor in this situation.

Santa's new gift will cost We The People about $800 Billion. Maybe since the housing bubble bursting caused this recession, we could have better directed the first stimulus plan?

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Maybe, Just Maybe

After phone calls and a visit to my local personal banker, PNC has cleared up the mystery of the errant check that wandered into the line of credit, OD protection account.

It's cleared up and the LOC is officially closed. Whew.

Of course my personal banker, Christopher, had suggested that I could just get new checks with the new PNC account number on them and there'd be no worry. I remained calm. I refused to buy new checks with the supply we had on hand and if I was to buy new checks them would likely be for a new account at Chase. Chase has a branch at the other end of the shopping plaza complex.

It seemed he thought since we had the OD protection, we wanted it and needed it. I said no. We had never used it and was told that since our accounts at MidAmerica were connected so that any over draft situation would be satisfied automatically by a transfer to cover from one account to the other, the line of credit was National City's solutions since they did not honor the "connection" between accounts.

I did not bother to ask Christopher if PNC could link the accounts like MidAmerica did. I will just be very careful with my math.

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Back to Basics

Basics still count now.

Even though unemployment is available for 99 weeks (nearly 2 years), it is still recommended that we have 6 to 9 months of expenses worth of $ held in something liquid like a money market account or savings account.

Instruments that are not liquid are stocks, stock mutual funds, bonds, CDs (unless very short maturities), bond funds, gold, real estate, etc. Anything that would take time to get at.

I believe we are not in a recovery but a long long term recession. What has been tried is not working. We need a new approach.

Today I heard that the government (big G government) is considering lowering the balances due on mortgages across the country. How generous with our $. We will be paying for our neighbor's mortgage and increasing his equity. Let's call Obama Santa, ok?

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Missouri & Virginia

Yesterday Missouri voters overwhelmingly voted again the federal government demand that individuals have to purchase health care. By 71% they voiced their opposition.

Virginia has brought suit against the federal government demanding the it is illegal for a government force individuals purchase something from a third party. The suit challenge is brought under the commerce clause but now the feds say it will actually be a tax.

However, if my memory is clear, the Democrats said it was not a tax when they were pushing, pushing, pushing this terrible bill down the throats of Congress.

I think November may be very interesting.

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Economy

How are you doing? Do you know people who have lost their jobs recently? Some that have been unemployed for better than a year?

Are you fastening your belt still? Holding off large purchases and carefully watching ads for specials?

In the last few days our president has declared that the rich are not spending $. He needs to the rich to spend, spend now and spend big.

So, if the economy does not come back, it will be the fault of the rich. Hang that one of them.

Also, if the deficit and spending are not covered, it will be the fault of the rich not paying their "fair" share.

Let's face it. There is no fair share. The top 1% of incomes covers over 95% of the income taxes collected now. Fair?

'til later