Well, well, well. Mr. Elliot Broidy is back in the news along with another witness, David Loglisci are about to be sentenced for their roles in the pay to play scandal that involved the New York state Controller. The article said that they were expected to get light sentences. It has been years since Mr. Broidy pled guilty and he is only coming to sentencing now. Want to know why? Because he was working with the prosecutors. My guess is that he has been in the witness protection program while this has all been going down.
Now that those cases are over, perhaps Mr. Broidy has also discussed what he knows about what happened with CalPers and Lacers. With the New York stuff done, perhaps now they will turn their attention to California and Los Angeles. Funny how there has been no articles on Mr. Broidy since he pled guilty.
New York Daily News - Two Hevesi cooperators could get off easy
Friday, July 20, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
More on Public Pensions
I read this article from a blogger and thought it would be useful to people who are interested in public pensions. He looks at certain aspects of how the public pensions are used to fund companies that the politicians want rather than worrying about the best interests of the tax payer or the pensioners.
Reality Blog - CAFR SCHOOL: How Corporations Are Funded By Taxpayers
I like the effort that the writer put into his piece and he raises some interesting thoughts about how politicians might use killing public pensions in order to enrich certain private companies and individuals.
Reality Blog - CAFR SCHOOL: How Corporations Are Funded By Taxpayers
I like the effort that the writer put into his piece and he raises some interesting thoughts about how politicians might use killing public pensions in order to enrich certain private companies and individuals.
Monday, July 16, 2012
No Physical Cash for Canada
The Royal Canadian Mint of Canada has a new initiative, to get rid of all cash for transactions under $30. They have created a chip for use with cell phones that will allow for phone to whatever transactions. They have even begun a contest to see who can create the best application to work with their new chip. You can go to their website to see it, I am not going to bother linking to it, I read it earlier today; but, here is a nice article on it.
Tom's Guide - Canada Launches MintChip, a Project to Digitize Currency
When I say that in the future their will not be any physical cash, I am talking about in the very near future, years. Under $30 cash will be electronic and anonymous, under a couple of thousand dollars it will electronic; but, not anonymous. Larger amounts will be online transfers and completely traceable. We want to protect your identity from identity thieves; but, we want you to have convenience too.
Tom's Guide - Canada Launches MintChip, a Project to Digitize Currency
When I say that in the future their will not be any physical cash, I am talking about in the very near future, years. Under $30 cash will be electronic and anonymous, under a couple of thousand dollars it will electronic; but, not anonymous. Larger amounts will be online transfers and completely traceable. We want to protect your identity from identity thieves; but, we want you to have convenience too.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Spoke at Church Today
It was my turn up at the bat and I gave a sermon on technology and where it is at today. It seemed to go over well, I talked about the things that my readers have read in the past. My intention is to do a series on things going on in the world and may test some of it here.
I think the issues that I most want to address are:
1. Genetic research and modification.
2. Electronic cash and a cashless, pegged economy.
3. Nanotechnology and technologically modified people.
4. Technologies elimination of privacy and government overbearence.
5. How these things were predicted.
I may or may not discuss how our institutions have been corrupted; but, I want to discuss it here for a moment. A documentary was made about a child sex ring that was managed by a black Republican leader in Omaha. The documentary was to air on a television channel and was even listed in the TV Guide. Just before it was to air, all copies were ordered destroyed, one copy survived and I want to give you a link to a video of it on YouTube. It is not broadcast quality and looks like an editing copy (numbers at the bottom of the picture). The video is disturbing and has some cussing.
Conspiracy Of Silence - Franklin Cover Up
Why do I bring this up? I bring it up because I just heard an interview with Mr. DeCamp in which he stated that he is about to be involved in a legal action representing the head of Boys Town which is going to rock this place and bring allegations and proof of something very amazing that will change this place.
For those of you who have been here the longest and remember the first two versions of this blog, I believe I had posted a link prior. I think it bears watching again in light of the Sandusky proceedings. You have to ask yourself why Penn State did not do anything to protect the children and kept rewarding Mr. Sandusky. The reason is simple, he made them money and the kids did not.
I care about my readers and I want to provide you information that you may have missed, I wish to be a blessing to you in this manner. When I was at church today, I talked about things that I usually reserve for this blog. I was able because of our audio visual person to show some things, I am definitely going to do that again. I didn't know I could show things from the internet while speaking.
My public speaking is like my writing, messy, slovenly, fast, erratic and to the point. I am like Roy Jones Jr., I know all the rules and I break them all. I don't care about the rules other than God's rules and focus on one thing, giving my message. I was going to use a verse in my talk today and while I was speaking I decided to use a different one. I have done that the last two times. I will change what I am saying in the middle of a presentation if I decide my audience would be better served. When I talk and when I write, I am telling you where my thoughts are at that moment, the subject matter is what was chosen in advance, never the presentation. Have a great week.
I think the issues that I most want to address are:
1. Genetic research and modification.
2. Electronic cash and a cashless, pegged economy.
3. Nanotechnology and technologically modified people.
4. Technologies elimination of privacy and government overbearence.
5. How these things were predicted.
I may or may not discuss how our institutions have been corrupted; but, I want to discuss it here for a moment. A documentary was made about a child sex ring that was managed by a black Republican leader in Omaha. The documentary was to air on a television channel and was even listed in the TV Guide. Just before it was to air, all copies were ordered destroyed, one copy survived and I want to give you a link to a video of it on YouTube. It is not broadcast quality and looks like an editing copy (numbers at the bottom of the picture). The video is disturbing and has some cussing.
Conspiracy Of Silence - Franklin Cover Up
Why do I bring this up? I bring it up because I just heard an interview with Mr. DeCamp in which he stated that he is about to be involved in a legal action representing the head of Boys Town which is going to rock this place and bring allegations and proof of something very amazing that will change this place.
For those of you who have been here the longest and remember the first two versions of this blog, I believe I had posted a link prior. I think it bears watching again in light of the Sandusky proceedings. You have to ask yourself why Penn State did not do anything to protect the children and kept rewarding Mr. Sandusky. The reason is simple, he made them money and the kids did not.
I care about my readers and I want to provide you information that you may have missed, I wish to be a blessing to you in this manner. When I was at church today, I talked about things that I usually reserve for this blog. I was able because of our audio visual person to show some things, I am definitely going to do that again. I didn't know I could show things from the internet while speaking.
My public speaking is like my writing, messy, slovenly, fast, erratic and to the point. I am like Roy Jones Jr., I know all the rules and I break them all. I don't care about the rules other than God's rules and focus on one thing, giving my message. I was going to use a verse in my talk today and while I was speaking I decided to use a different one. I have done that the last two times. I will change what I am saying in the middle of a presentation if I decide my audience would be better served. When I talk and when I write, I am telling you where my thoughts are at that moment, the subject matter is what was chosen in advance, never the presentation. Have a great week.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
The Tower of Babel and Today
According to the bible, in man's beginning we all spoke the same language. Because we could communicate so well, one man was able to manipulate the rest of humanity to build a tower to heaven, the tower of Babel. After the tower was built, God then destroyed the tower and confused the languages so that people spoke many languages and there was tension among them so they separated. That is the story of the Tower of Babel in a nutshell.
There is a new application for your smartphone. It can read any language and translate it for you to read on your phone instantly. It is only a matter of time before it can do it by sound. One of my favorite writers was Douglas Adams, he wrote "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". In the book there is a fish called the Babelfish and if you put it in your ear, it would translate any language. We are getting close to that, too bad Mr. Adams is not here to see it.
So, here we are where we will be able to understand anyone. I should point out that missionaries have been translating the bible into languages which had not had a written language for years and years. I met a missionary who spent 30 or 40 years in the remotest part of Papua New Guinea with a tribe that had never seen a white person and had no written language.
Now, imagine if they used this technology so that you could read hieroglyphics or ancient Greek or Latin? That would certainly make trips to Egypt or the Vatican much more interesting. Translating is both a science and an art. When I teach from the bible, I really don't worry about which translation I use. There are some I prefer more; but, the truth is the King James was not written for people in America today anymore than we should use a Spanish bible if we do not speak the language. Translations evolve as a societies use of words evolve. The real issue is whether or not the translation you use is accurate to how the words are used today.
I am running two thoughts at once and will let them now diverge. If we rely on cameras to do our translating we should be concerned about their accuracy. We will be able to understand the generality of what we are being told; but, even if we all speak the same language there is still a lot of problems with understanding exactly what someone else means. These applications can allow us simple interaction with others who speak a different language; but, it will be limited and the generalities could be intentionally programmed into the application to avoid people getting into conflict.
Now, let us consider a hypothetical. The bible talks about what we did when we all had one language, what would we be capable of doing today if we could understand what every other culture was trying to tell us, if everyone could understand every language? Imagine being able to put on your brand new google glasses, read all foreign signs and hear everything said to you in your own language, including slang? This technology will evolve, they always do. The visual translation application will absolutely be available for your google glasses, it is just another smartphone.
Hey, as a safety precaution maybe you could restrict what it translated for you children, maybe it could mistranslate cuss words. If you were traveling with your kids, would you have it skip certain words? What if it replaced the word God for higher power?
Let me get back to my point. So, what would the world look like and what would we be able to accomplish if we eliminated the language barrier? Imagine being able to understand what the people we are killing in other countries would sound like if you could understand them when there were speaking for themselves on the internet, radio or television?
To my dear readers, I really do try to give you something to think about each time I write; but, it is hard to find stuff like this on a daily basis. I should also point out that I am just about to post my 1,000th post on this version of the blog. I have written more than that; but, I deleted the drafts. I do hope that I bring things to you that you maybe didn't know and rather than reacting to it, demonstrate how we can understand it a little deeper and see what it's consequences could be. Analysis is not reaction, it is pausing and considering all the possible consequences and assuming a natural progression of things.
Once this technology is in place and people no longer have to learn the language of the country they are in, you will have to get the glasses and application so that your child can understand the other children in their class. Here is the article.
MailOnline - Need an interpreter? Android and iPhone app instantly translates Spanish, Italian and French to English using your camera
There is a new application for your smartphone. It can read any language and translate it for you to read on your phone instantly. It is only a matter of time before it can do it by sound. One of my favorite writers was Douglas Adams, he wrote "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". In the book there is a fish called the Babelfish and if you put it in your ear, it would translate any language. We are getting close to that, too bad Mr. Adams is not here to see it.
So, here we are where we will be able to understand anyone. I should point out that missionaries have been translating the bible into languages which had not had a written language for years and years. I met a missionary who spent 30 or 40 years in the remotest part of Papua New Guinea with a tribe that had never seen a white person and had no written language.
Now, imagine if they used this technology so that you could read hieroglyphics or ancient Greek or Latin? That would certainly make trips to Egypt or the Vatican much more interesting. Translating is both a science and an art. When I teach from the bible, I really don't worry about which translation I use. There are some I prefer more; but, the truth is the King James was not written for people in America today anymore than we should use a Spanish bible if we do not speak the language. Translations evolve as a societies use of words evolve. The real issue is whether or not the translation you use is accurate to how the words are used today.
I am running two thoughts at once and will let them now diverge. If we rely on cameras to do our translating we should be concerned about their accuracy. We will be able to understand the generality of what we are being told; but, even if we all speak the same language there is still a lot of problems with understanding exactly what someone else means. These applications can allow us simple interaction with others who speak a different language; but, it will be limited and the generalities could be intentionally programmed into the application to avoid people getting into conflict.
Now, let us consider a hypothetical. The bible talks about what we did when we all had one language, what would we be capable of doing today if we could understand what every other culture was trying to tell us, if everyone could understand every language? Imagine being able to put on your brand new google glasses, read all foreign signs and hear everything said to you in your own language, including slang? This technology will evolve, they always do. The visual translation application will absolutely be available for your google glasses, it is just another smartphone.
Hey, as a safety precaution maybe you could restrict what it translated for you children, maybe it could mistranslate cuss words. If you were traveling with your kids, would you have it skip certain words? What if it replaced the word God for higher power?
Let me get back to my point. So, what would the world look like and what would we be able to accomplish if we eliminated the language barrier? Imagine being able to understand what the people we are killing in other countries would sound like if you could understand them when there were speaking for themselves on the internet, radio or television?
To my dear readers, I really do try to give you something to think about each time I write; but, it is hard to find stuff like this on a daily basis. I should also point out that I am just about to post my 1,000th post on this version of the blog. I have written more than that; but, I deleted the drafts. I do hope that I bring things to you that you maybe didn't know and rather than reacting to it, demonstrate how we can understand it a little deeper and see what it's consequences could be. Analysis is not reaction, it is pausing and considering all the possible consequences and assuming a natural progression of things.
Once this technology is in place and people no longer have to learn the language of the country they are in, you will have to get the glasses and application so that your child can understand the other children in their class. Here is the article.
MailOnline - Need an interpreter? Android and iPhone app instantly translates Spanish, Italian and French to English using your camera
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Crazy Stuff on the Internet
Dearest readers, there are things going on in the world that are real and not all of them are good. We are playing with our genetic code, in California we voted for stem cell research and it passed. It is not make believe. You are being monitored, filmed and tracked, any fool with a cell phone should know that. Lots of strange things are being done and we are not being fully informed about the purpose; but, not everything that we fear is happening and you cannot accept everything you see or read on the internet. That is why I provide links.
I was just watching videos today and came across this one YouTube - Picture 1077. Someone was looking at Google Earth and is freaked out by round green patches in Oregon. The man sounds Canadian. The round green things are farms. A number of years ago to conserve water and other things, we increased farming in the round. Basically your watering devices are centered in the middle of a long field and sit on big wheels, the pipe that distributes the water goes round and round rather than you having to pipe the whole area. We use this technology in the desert and I have seen it hundreds and hundreds of times in action.
Here is my point, you have to try and make sense of things and research them more. I hope my readers know that I don't worry about a zombie apocalypse because I don't. I worry about real things like biometrics and the move towards transhumanism because these are real things and you can read what these people have to say in their own words if you follow my links.
There are people who are very worried about FEMA camps and everyone being rounded up and put to death as occurred in Nazi Germany. That is not possible in the United States at present and won't be unless extremists are popular. POPULAR. There is no way that Obama could tell the military to round up all dissidents and kill them, that is just stupid. Neither the military nor the intelligence people would allow it. Now, I do not agree with all of the Executive Orders or the NDAA, I find them offensive to the Constitution; but, a true dictator could not be successful in the United States at this time.
I don't think Obama is any better than Bush and I left the party system long, long ago. He is as big a pawn as the others. We are not becoming communist Russia, that is fear mongering. We are losing our place as the worlds biggest power and we have sold ourselves out; but, that is because we stopped caring about one another.
No nation ever had a totalitarian takeover that did not announce itself and it's intentions. Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, it was no secret what he was trying to do. Stalin was up front about what he wanted and made it clear he read Marx. Mao wrote his little red book and Che Guerva openly wrote about what he believed. The real threat that we are facing at the moment is right wing fascism.
There are ultra conservatives calling for creating militias to stop a communist takeover. It is not sane and actually contributes to polarization. We are moving to a global government; but, not by force. The Law of the Sea Treaty is international law regulating everyone, the new Small Arms Treaty is an attempt international law and oversight and the U.N. is proposing international taxes; but, none of that makes sense if the "Powers that be" really wanted to kill everyone. Let me be clear, there are many who wish to see the population decreased; but, I not through killing people (yes, there are crazed people that would; but, they don't have the support).
Some of the things I discuss are scary because they are real, not because they are possibilities. I discuss real technology that is being used today, not some possible thing that might happen. I mean, I discuss how the technology can be used and my fears of people using it wrongly; but, if I say it is being used wrong today, it is because it is. It is legal for the government to monitor the internet, the courts decided that a long time ago. Nothing that goes over the public airways is private and the internet is a public airway. Having said that, nobody cares what 99% of you think, they just don't care because you are not a threat.
Think about this, lets say that everyone who used heroin put it on their Facebook. I don't know how many people use heroin but it is in the millions. Do you honestly think that the government would use Facebook to track down everyone of them and arrest them? They could not if they had to and nothing you could post would provide anything other than probable cause, not proof.
FEMA has built camps, that is their job. The camps could be used in the event of a national emergency such as the power grid going down because of solar flairs; but, the fear mongering puts us at risk. What if a solar flair took down the grid, are there people out there who would not believe it was the reason and think we were attacking ourselves and refuse to be protected? Yes and they could get dangerous.
Germany became authoritarian because they wanted a strong leader to protect them from the communists. Russia and China became communistic because their existing leaders were ineffective in protecting them from their government. China and Russia were not industrialized until after they replaced their old governments. Germany was an industrial power already. A country will accept harsh collectivism when the majority believe that only a few benefit from the system and the rest are left to squalor. Fascism reigns when people who are industrialized and have know better want to go backwards in time. The vast majority of Americans want to go back to what we had and that means they will seek a fascist leader.
In my humble opinion, we should reflect upon our reality. We are not producing anything to sell to the rest of the world other than weapons and are unwilling to live on less to truly compete. The Chinese and Indians and others are willing to work for less. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward and we are unwilling to do that.
I think I may have gotten off track. When you see something on the internet or the regular news, think about what you are being told rather than react with "how you feel", your feelings are meaningless if they are not based on good facts, figure out the facts first and don't presume your biases are in effect, look for logical reasons.
I was talking to someone today and what my father did came up. Because of what my father did, my family was monitored (he was a good guy). I understand government surveillance; but, understand how it works even in the new technology. Right now the government uses computers to look for keywords in e-mails and cell phone calls. They are looking for words like "bomb" and "militia" and whatever. They are not looking for "marijuana" or "adultery" or even "hate".
I will tell a true story. When I was in college I had a friend who knew that our phone was tapped. He was a jerk and called me up and acted as if he was selling me drugs when he was not. I told him on the phone to stop being a douche, I may have said he knew the situation of the phone, I don't remember or care and neither did the people listening in, they had a specific thing they were allowed to act on and that is how it works. The government may listen to everything; but, they really only care about certain things. That does not mean that I agree with the use of the technology, I am not; but, I understand how it is used.
I think this is one of my more rambling posts and I like it. If you read or see something and have an automatic reaction then you stopped analyzing it. Take a moment and start asking yourself questions about your reaction and why you are having it, don't assume your first reaction is valid.
When I found out that the government still had an interest in me, I decided to play a game and this blog is part of it. I told you when I asked my FBI file and it was denied because I am on a watch list. I have probably been on that list since the early 70s, it means nothing to me. If I made such lists, I would put me on it because of what my father did. That does not mean I like it, it is what it is. My father's decisions paid for my college and I accepted them at the time, that does not mean that is no playfulness in the Pimpernel.
If your parent had a top secret clearance then you were investigated and watched, not often, just enough. 99% of you never knew anything of any value and if you did you probably didn't understand it or how it could be used. I do not believe that any of my readers think I am stupid, I may be autistic; but, high functioning.
We need to watch the infrastructure we build because it could be used against us. We need to monitor the technology we create because it can cause harm. I love the Constitution; but, I love the bible more. The bible is as perfect as it should be, the Constitution is imperfect and the single greatest rule that man has ever created. The Constitution gives the rules by which it can be changed, by which we can rightfully and fairly modify the rules. The bible is about God and perfection, the Constitution is about man and our need to grow, it allows for us to learn. It suffers change; but, it does not suffer fools. If we allow for bigotry to rule us, bias, hate, emotion, then we pervert the Constitution, not just for protecting us, for it's totality.
What is more important, to be right or to be moral. If you choose to be right then understand eventually you will be wrong or you are perfect and God. If you choose to be moral then you must allow others to grow rather than just be right. The answer determines how much free will you will allow others. If you believe in God then you will allow as much free will in others as possible and trust that he has the answer. You must have faith. Tough answers for good people. As humans we can only vote for better, only God can be right. Peace.
I was just watching videos today and came across this one YouTube - Picture 1077. Someone was looking at Google Earth and is freaked out by round green patches in Oregon. The man sounds Canadian. The round green things are farms. A number of years ago to conserve water and other things, we increased farming in the round. Basically your watering devices are centered in the middle of a long field and sit on big wheels, the pipe that distributes the water goes round and round rather than you having to pipe the whole area. We use this technology in the desert and I have seen it hundreds and hundreds of times in action.
Here is my point, you have to try and make sense of things and research them more. I hope my readers know that I don't worry about a zombie apocalypse because I don't. I worry about real things like biometrics and the move towards transhumanism because these are real things and you can read what these people have to say in their own words if you follow my links.
There are people who are very worried about FEMA camps and everyone being rounded up and put to death as occurred in Nazi Germany. That is not possible in the United States at present and won't be unless extremists are popular. POPULAR. There is no way that Obama could tell the military to round up all dissidents and kill them, that is just stupid. Neither the military nor the intelligence people would allow it. Now, I do not agree with all of the Executive Orders or the NDAA, I find them offensive to the Constitution; but, a true dictator could not be successful in the United States at this time.
I don't think Obama is any better than Bush and I left the party system long, long ago. He is as big a pawn as the others. We are not becoming communist Russia, that is fear mongering. We are losing our place as the worlds biggest power and we have sold ourselves out; but, that is because we stopped caring about one another.
No nation ever had a totalitarian takeover that did not announce itself and it's intentions. Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, it was no secret what he was trying to do. Stalin was up front about what he wanted and made it clear he read Marx. Mao wrote his little red book and Che Guerva openly wrote about what he believed. The real threat that we are facing at the moment is right wing fascism.
There are ultra conservatives calling for creating militias to stop a communist takeover. It is not sane and actually contributes to polarization. We are moving to a global government; but, not by force. The Law of the Sea Treaty is international law regulating everyone, the new Small Arms Treaty is an attempt international law and oversight and the U.N. is proposing international taxes; but, none of that makes sense if the "Powers that be" really wanted to kill everyone. Let me be clear, there are many who wish to see the population decreased; but, I not through killing people (yes, there are crazed people that would; but, they don't have the support).
Some of the things I discuss are scary because they are real, not because they are possibilities. I discuss real technology that is being used today, not some possible thing that might happen. I mean, I discuss how the technology can be used and my fears of people using it wrongly; but, if I say it is being used wrong today, it is because it is. It is legal for the government to monitor the internet, the courts decided that a long time ago. Nothing that goes over the public airways is private and the internet is a public airway. Having said that, nobody cares what 99% of you think, they just don't care because you are not a threat.
Think about this, lets say that everyone who used heroin put it on their Facebook. I don't know how many people use heroin but it is in the millions. Do you honestly think that the government would use Facebook to track down everyone of them and arrest them? They could not if they had to and nothing you could post would provide anything other than probable cause, not proof.
FEMA has built camps, that is their job. The camps could be used in the event of a national emergency such as the power grid going down because of solar flairs; but, the fear mongering puts us at risk. What if a solar flair took down the grid, are there people out there who would not believe it was the reason and think we were attacking ourselves and refuse to be protected? Yes and they could get dangerous.
Germany became authoritarian because they wanted a strong leader to protect them from the communists. Russia and China became communistic because their existing leaders were ineffective in protecting them from their government. China and Russia were not industrialized until after they replaced their old governments. Germany was an industrial power already. A country will accept harsh collectivism when the majority believe that only a few benefit from the system and the rest are left to squalor. Fascism reigns when people who are industrialized and have know better want to go backwards in time. The vast majority of Americans want to go back to what we had and that means they will seek a fascist leader.
In my humble opinion, we should reflect upon our reality. We are not producing anything to sell to the rest of the world other than weapons and are unwilling to live on less to truly compete. The Chinese and Indians and others are willing to work for less. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward and we are unwilling to do that.
I think I may have gotten off track. When you see something on the internet or the regular news, think about what you are being told rather than react with "how you feel", your feelings are meaningless if they are not based on good facts, figure out the facts first and don't presume your biases are in effect, look for logical reasons.
I was talking to someone today and what my father did came up. Because of what my father did, my family was monitored (he was a good guy). I understand government surveillance; but, understand how it works even in the new technology. Right now the government uses computers to look for keywords in e-mails and cell phone calls. They are looking for words like "bomb" and "militia" and whatever. They are not looking for "marijuana" or "adultery" or even "hate".
I will tell a true story. When I was in college I had a friend who knew that our phone was tapped. He was a jerk and called me up and acted as if he was selling me drugs when he was not. I told him on the phone to stop being a douche, I may have said he knew the situation of the phone, I don't remember or care and neither did the people listening in, they had a specific thing they were allowed to act on and that is how it works. The government may listen to everything; but, they really only care about certain things. That does not mean that I agree with the use of the technology, I am not; but, I understand how it is used.
I think this is one of my more rambling posts and I like it. If you read or see something and have an automatic reaction then you stopped analyzing it. Take a moment and start asking yourself questions about your reaction and why you are having it, don't assume your first reaction is valid.
When I found out that the government still had an interest in me, I decided to play a game and this blog is part of it. I told you when I asked my FBI file and it was denied because I am on a watch list. I have probably been on that list since the early 70s, it means nothing to me. If I made such lists, I would put me on it because of what my father did. That does not mean I like it, it is what it is. My father's decisions paid for my college and I accepted them at the time, that does not mean that is no playfulness in the Pimpernel.
If your parent had a top secret clearance then you were investigated and watched, not often, just enough. 99% of you never knew anything of any value and if you did you probably didn't understand it or how it could be used. I do not believe that any of my readers think I am stupid, I may be autistic; but, high functioning.
We need to watch the infrastructure we build because it could be used against us. We need to monitor the technology we create because it can cause harm. I love the Constitution; but, I love the bible more. The bible is as perfect as it should be, the Constitution is imperfect and the single greatest rule that man has ever created. The Constitution gives the rules by which it can be changed, by which we can rightfully and fairly modify the rules. The bible is about God and perfection, the Constitution is about man and our need to grow, it allows for us to learn. It suffers change; but, it does not suffer fools. If we allow for bigotry to rule us, bias, hate, emotion, then we pervert the Constitution, not just for protecting us, for it's totality.
What is more important, to be right or to be moral. If you choose to be right then understand eventually you will be wrong or you are perfect and God. If you choose to be moral then you must allow others to grow rather than just be right. The answer determines how much free will you will allow others. If you believe in God then you will allow as much free will in others as possible and trust that he has the answer. You must have faith. Tough answers for good people. As humans we can only vote for better, only God can be right. Peace.
My Lost Home and Silliness
So, I had a house. Then, my wife decided to divorce me and then the house no longer had equity. After that, my ex decided she didn't want the house and the court gave it to me while taking away much of my income. This is not a complaint, please read the whole thing. By the time I lost the house, it had lost 20% of it's value, not bad considering the rest of the market in the area lost close to 60%, I didn't buy at the top of the market and had a good conventional loan.
Because I couldn't afford the payment and alimony, I attempted to get and did get a Deed in Lieu. They took my house back at the full value of the loan, it only took two years during which time I paid nothing because I couldn't. Every month I would call the mortgage company and push to give them the house back, I did that for two years. Everytime I called they would ask me if lowering the interest rate was something I wanted to do. I had a 4%, 30 year fixed, they would have to lower it to a negative rate for me to have made the payment and that was not offered, 2% was and I had no way to pay that amount.
Follow me on this and you will understand, this is about real estate and not me and not the ex. After taking the house back, the loan processor (the loan was Fannie Mae), painted, carpeted and fixed whatever little things it needed to. Then they sold it for 40% less than my old mortgage and 20% less than the appraised value. They sold it for about $55 a square foot.
Now here is the thing. They never offered to lower my principal to the amount they sold the house for and went two years without getting any payments while they also made no effort to foreclose. All the effort to return the house was mine and I made the effort when the house was not upside down. I continued to make the payments until the court made me pay alimony and I made the payments while my ex and I were separated. I believe in paying my debts if at all possible and I don't believe divorce should be an excuse for getting out of community debts.
This is now where things get stupid. I know what the house sold for and I could afford the payments now. They are less than I pay for my one bedroom apartment and I get a good rate. When I bought my house, I paid 10% down and had a fully documented conventional loan. I had triple A credit and made more than enough to pay the bills and support a family of 5. I was such a good credit risk that my loan was sold three or four times in the first year. When someone like me provides proper documentation, like the court order, and proves they cannot pay, shouldn't they have just wanted to take the house back as quickly as possible and sell it?
Lets consider this. Once they decided to take the house back and what amount they were willing to sell it for, shouldn't they have asked me if I could afford the new sales price? If they had, they would not have had to fix anything or lose even more money with property managers and realtors and the hassle.
The problem is that people in the real estate business have found a way to make money from the Federal government (which owns 70% of all mortgages through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) by not foreclosing for three years. They get paid monthly just for managing the loan. The realtors have found a way to make a profit from selling the houses below market and to their friends.
There was a loan called the HOPE Loan and it was supposed to allow people to refinance their loan at the current market rate minus a percentage. Very few people got that loan because it wasn't offered often and even if you asked for it, many banks would not process the request (and they were required to by the FDIC).
I am happy to be free of home ownership. But, if I had been offered the opportunity to pay them what they are getting paid now, I would have done it just to make sure I paid as much as I could. I lived in that house for almost ten years. The total of my down and my monthly payments that I made was almost the total amount of the loan if you ignored interest.
If we are ever going to get back on track, we need to correct some things, like the real estate market. If we continue to reward people for taking advantage of the system, rewarding failure then we will ensure failure. Right now there is a spike in foreclosures, what if we offered to refinance at the appraisal rate minus 5%, how much money could be saved from the cost of repairing these properties and having to find new buyers?
Not all homeowners could make the new payments; but, many could and most of those mortgages are being paid for by your tax dollars and mine too in the meantime. Sometimes you have to write off losses; but, if you can get most of it back you are better off. If you can find loans that were held by people who died and it still took two or three years to foreclose then you will understand that we are living in a rigged economy.
Good business decisions should benefit everyone. Our business decisions seem to benefit a few at the expense of everyone. Let me make it simple. WE own 70% of all mortgages, the vast majority are upside down and the people cannot pay them. If we could drop the principal to what WE will get if we foreclose and resell the houses, shouldn't we do it? It would be cheaper and a good business decision. Does nobody believe in good capitalistic decisions anymore because you cannot get blood from a stone.
For people who believe they are conservative Christians, I post the following. I ask them to read Acts. It says that after Jesus died, the believers brought all they had to the apostles and that all was shared. How can a Christian complain about sharing all they have? The rich man was told to give up all he had and follow Jesus. He couldn't do it. If you are a Christian, you are expected to give all you can from your little and not from the great that you could attain, that is his decision. Gods.
Don't I ask such silly questions. You can address them personally or ignore them; but, they exist and they are good questions. I own very little and am happy doing so; but, it is a decision. What decisions have you made about your life?
Because I couldn't afford the payment and alimony, I attempted to get and did get a Deed in Lieu. They took my house back at the full value of the loan, it only took two years during which time I paid nothing because I couldn't. Every month I would call the mortgage company and push to give them the house back, I did that for two years. Everytime I called they would ask me if lowering the interest rate was something I wanted to do. I had a 4%, 30 year fixed, they would have to lower it to a negative rate for me to have made the payment and that was not offered, 2% was and I had no way to pay that amount.
Follow me on this and you will understand, this is about real estate and not me and not the ex. After taking the house back, the loan processor (the loan was Fannie Mae), painted, carpeted and fixed whatever little things it needed to. Then they sold it for 40% less than my old mortgage and 20% less than the appraised value. They sold it for about $55 a square foot.
Now here is the thing. They never offered to lower my principal to the amount they sold the house for and went two years without getting any payments while they also made no effort to foreclose. All the effort to return the house was mine and I made the effort when the house was not upside down. I continued to make the payments until the court made me pay alimony and I made the payments while my ex and I were separated. I believe in paying my debts if at all possible and I don't believe divorce should be an excuse for getting out of community debts.
This is now where things get stupid. I know what the house sold for and I could afford the payments now. They are less than I pay for my one bedroom apartment and I get a good rate. When I bought my house, I paid 10% down and had a fully documented conventional loan. I had triple A credit and made more than enough to pay the bills and support a family of 5. I was such a good credit risk that my loan was sold three or four times in the first year. When someone like me provides proper documentation, like the court order, and proves they cannot pay, shouldn't they have just wanted to take the house back as quickly as possible and sell it?
Lets consider this. Once they decided to take the house back and what amount they were willing to sell it for, shouldn't they have asked me if I could afford the new sales price? If they had, they would not have had to fix anything or lose even more money with property managers and realtors and the hassle.
The problem is that people in the real estate business have found a way to make money from the Federal government (which owns 70% of all mortgages through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) by not foreclosing for three years. They get paid monthly just for managing the loan. The realtors have found a way to make a profit from selling the houses below market and to their friends.
There was a loan called the HOPE Loan and it was supposed to allow people to refinance their loan at the current market rate minus a percentage. Very few people got that loan because it wasn't offered often and even if you asked for it, many banks would not process the request (and they were required to by the FDIC).
I am happy to be free of home ownership. But, if I had been offered the opportunity to pay them what they are getting paid now, I would have done it just to make sure I paid as much as I could. I lived in that house for almost ten years. The total of my down and my monthly payments that I made was almost the total amount of the loan if you ignored interest.
If we are ever going to get back on track, we need to correct some things, like the real estate market. If we continue to reward people for taking advantage of the system, rewarding failure then we will ensure failure. Right now there is a spike in foreclosures, what if we offered to refinance at the appraisal rate minus 5%, how much money could be saved from the cost of repairing these properties and having to find new buyers?
Not all homeowners could make the new payments; but, many could and most of those mortgages are being paid for by your tax dollars and mine too in the meantime. Sometimes you have to write off losses; but, if you can get most of it back you are better off. If you can find loans that were held by people who died and it still took two or three years to foreclose then you will understand that we are living in a rigged economy.
Good business decisions should benefit everyone. Our business decisions seem to benefit a few at the expense of everyone. Let me make it simple. WE own 70% of all mortgages, the vast majority are upside down and the people cannot pay them. If we could drop the principal to what WE will get if we foreclose and resell the houses, shouldn't we do it? It would be cheaper and a good business decision. Does nobody believe in good capitalistic decisions anymore because you cannot get blood from a stone.
For people who believe they are conservative Christians, I post the following. I ask them to read Acts. It says that after Jesus died, the believers brought all they had to the apostles and that all was shared. How can a Christian complain about sharing all they have? The rich man was told to give up all he had and follow Jesus. He couldn't do it. If you are a Christian, you are expected to give all you can from your little and not from the great that you could attain, that is his decision. Gods.
Don't I ask such silly questions. You can address them personally or ignore them; but, they exist and they are good questions. I own very little and am happy doing so; but, it is a decision. What decisions have you made about your life?
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