Day: February 22, 2008

It’s really need to order an album from Amazon Marketplace… and to receive it from the artist himself.

There have been numerous articles about how the government is worried about foreclosures, homeowners who are upside down on their houses, etc. But, to me, there is a major flaw in all the rescue proposals I’ve see: they are all too late. They are all aimed at homeowners already in foreclosure, already behind in their payments. They do nothing for those homeowners attempting to preserve their credit, who are saying current by either drawing from savings or working multiple jobs, or making other sacrifices that won’t show on a credit score. I think that if the government really wants to preserve home ownership and help the economy it would find a way to come up with a preventative program that would allow homeowners to proactively apply — before there is a problem — for restructuring. I’m not saying there should be forgiveness of the debt, but the payment approaches could likely be adjusted with a personal and creative approaches. We shouldn’t be waiting until it is too late.

There’s another war between states a’brewin’. It appears Georgia has claimed there was a surveying error, and therefore part of the Tennessee River is in Georgia. This doesn’t change the defined state boundary of Georgia, but (ahem) corrects it to existing Georgia law, which uses the 35th Parallel, a parallel that just happens to run through the middle of a bend in the Tennessee River, unlike the current boundary, which is below it. Why is the border below? Because the original surveyors used erroneous tables, which placed the boundary more than a mile south of where it should be. This could even go to the Supreme Court.

People often look to the political campaign as an example of how a politician will be in their office. Keep this in mind this year, especially with articles showing that donors are worried by how Hillary Clinton is spending her money. Nearly $100,000 went for party platters and groceries before the Iowa caucuses, even though the partying mood evaporated quickly. Rooms at the Bellagio luxury hotel in Las Vegas consumed more than $25,000; the Four Seasons, another $5,000. And top consultants collected about $5 million in January, a month of crucial expenses and tough fund-raising. They keep paying these consultants, although they give the wrong strategy. The question to ask is whether they are getting value for what they are spending, where in this case value is measured by delegates or votes. Certainly something to think about.

A final question, inspired by this post: Can prime beef be served at Factors Deli?