Three former American Presidential candidates have consistently warned of the impending financial disaster facing America, Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul. Only Buchanan grudgingly accepted the President's now defeated plan. In a September 23rd article titled "An Amnesty For Stupidity" he writes: "Paulson may be right. To save the sheep who might have been wiped out in a general financial panic, we may have to save the pigs." Ross Perot has submitted his own plan to the public and Ron Paul, a Congressman, has voted against the bailout.
I'm one of those who grudgingly accepts the need to do something ASAP. No matter who is to blame, if the "machine" grinds to a halt, it will never in our lifetime start again. We only have one shot and time is rapidly running out. Hopefully a new plan can be brought to the floor by Friday. Otherwise, it really will be the "end of the world as we know it".
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
The Blame Game And Great Depression II
There are plenty of reasons for the financial mess we are in. There is a long history behind the crisis with plenty of bipartisan blame for all to share. Hearing Nancy Pelosi blame the whole thing on the Bush administration is a dangerous lie. She was spinning away Wednesday before the particulars of the bailout were put forward casting Bush in a Herbert Hoover redux role.
The immediate cause of our slow moving collapse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the sub-prime mortgage crisis, can be laid directly on the Clinton administration's doorstep. It was that administration who through bureaucratic fiat, changed mortgage lending rules to the extent that they became non-existent. Race instead of credit worthiness became the top priority to qualify. The only good that might come from the massive sub-prime crisis will be that using race to qualify for a mortgage will now be discredited.
Also, on Capitol Hill, Republican Phil Gramm and his globalist, deregulation uber alles approach to markets opened the door to the gambling man ethic that seized Wall Street. And yes, John McCain, went along with him on this too(only the grace of Sara Palin and Obama's extreme Left record will protect him on this one come November).
All the above, doesn't let us off the hook. We the people are to blame for electing the leadership of this country. And, there have been voices crying out in the political wilderness. Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul have certainly been sounding the alarm for years(yours truly is now quite proud of himself for voting for each of them). Unfortunately, the fate of the old Biblical prophets was usually death, and in the modern political arena, all three of our contemporary political prophets have also met with the equivalent of political death.
Meanwhile, back in Ridgley, we at least won't all continue fighting over development. What's starting to look like Great Depression II will take care of that problem because there won't be anymore development. We will, however, have to figure figure out how to pay back all the money we just borrowed to pay for the ghost of development past, Lister Estates, as well as for the ghosts of the now dead future developments. Yes sir, I can hear it resonating in my mind like one of those commercial jingles that won't leave you alone: " we promise that the the taxpayers will never pay for development". Yup, and I have a "bridge to nowhere" to sell anyone who believes that one.
The immediate cause of our slow moving collapse, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the sub-prime mortgage crisis, can be laid directly on the Clinton administration's doorstep. It was that administration who through bureaucratic fiat, changed mortgage lending rules to the extent that they became non-existent. Race instead of credit worthiness became the top priority to qualify. The only good that might come from the massive sub-prime crisis will be that using race to qualify for a mortgage will now be discredited.
Also, on Capitol Hill, Republican Phil Gramm and his globalist, deregulation uber alles approach to markets opened the door to the gambling man ethic that seized Wall Street. And yes, John McCain, went along with him on this too(only the grace of Sara Palin and Obama's extreme Left record will protect him on this one come November).
All the above, doesn't let us off the hook. We the people are to blame for electing the leadership of this country. And, there have been voices crying out in the political wilderness. Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul have certainly been sounding the alarm for years(yours truly is now quite proud of himself for voting for each of them). Unfortunately, the fate of the old Biblical prophets was usually death, and in the modern political arena, all three of our contemporary political prophets have also met with the equivalent of political death.
Meanwhile, back in Ridgley, we at least won't all continue fighting over development. What's starting to look like Great Depression II will take care of that problem because there won't be anymore development. We will, however, have to figure figure out how to pay back all the money we just borrowed to pay for the ghost of development past, Lister Estates, as well as for the ghosts of the now dead future developments. Yes sir, I can hear it resonating in my mind like one of those commercial jingles that won't leave you alone: " we promise that the the taxpayers will never pay for development". Yup, and I have a "bridge to nowhere" to sell anyone who believes that one.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Frank Gearhart
Frank Gearhart walked this earth from 2/16/1924 until 10:00 PM 9/9/08. He was something. My father loved us and loved America. Every day there are fewer and fewer of this greatest generation left among us. He accomplished so much that I don't know where to begin -- from father to provider to patriot. He lined up to enlist the day after Pearl Harbor and fought for our country during the Second World War from D-Day to the liberation of Dachau. He never let me forget that our American freedoms were earned at great sacrifice, and always encouraged us to keep on fighting for the American dream. This Christian soldier is now with the God he served so well.
A memorial to my father is linked below right on my "Links To The World".
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
The Complete Cyber Gaming Parlor Story
I don't expect the "Times-Record" to take our side, but I do expect that the residents of Ridgely get the WHOLE story about a proposed cyber gaming parlor. Both recent articles in the "Times-Record" have missed huge parts of the story, making our Planning Commission look unreasonable.
First, the proposal for the parlor was received (via our meeting information packets) a couple of days before our July meeting, in the form of an advertisement for a business that was to open August 4th -- a done deal! The Planning Commission never heard of the proposal and the Town Manager has since said that he didn't see any problem with it. The ad was for a 24/7 cyber gaming parlor aimed at getting customers here from the Western Shore. A 24/7 ANYTHING would be controversial, but a cyber parlor where games might be played including virtual rape, and other extremely violent themes, would be about as welcome as a strip club or a toxic waste dump. Again, we knew nothing about the proposal or the businessman, except that he was the grandson of a developer who has been operating in Ridgely for about a year. The Town Manager does NOT have the authority to approve such ventures.
Second, this area in question is not your usual industrial zone. It's an area for light industrial activity that has been grandfathered into the surrounding residential area. This is why the planning commission has authority to regulate any activity that would do harm to the surrounding neighborhood. If we fail to do our jobs, our neighbors will suffer because of a diminished quality of life and declining home values. The Planning Commission members are members of the community and take their responsibility seriously. The developers and their administration supporters aren't from Ridgely; those of us who live here, and are real stakeholders in our community, need to be heard.
Because of the Planning Commission, community concerns have been heard. The original proposal has been altered. It is not going to be a 24/7 operation and violent sexual content will not be allowed. A security plan will be outlined so that our taxpayer supported police aren't stuck with babysitting this business. The proposal was tabled a second time because we want the business proposal in writing. This is normal procedure. Our town attorney and the developer's attorney are to get together and put together a written proposal that will address the legitimate community concerns. From this, the Planning Commission will have something concrete with which to work. We are simply doing our jobs on OUR community's behalf.
.
First, the proposal for the parlor was received (via our meeting information packets) a couple of days before our July meeting, in the form of an advertisement for a business that was to open August 4th -- a done deal! The Planning Commission never heard of the proposal and the Town Manager has since said that he didn't see any problem with it. The ad was for a 24/7 cyber gaming parlor aimed at getting customers here from the Western Shore. A 24/7 ANYTHING would be controversial, but a cyber parlor where games might be played including virtual rape, and other extremely violent themes, would be about as welcome as a strip club or a toxic waste dump. Again, we knew nothing about the proposal or the businessman, except that he was the grandson of a developer who has been operating in Ridgely for about a year. The Town Manager does NOT have the authority to approve such ventures.
Second, this area in question is not your usual industrial zone. It's an area for light industrial activity that has been grandfathered into the surrounding residential area. This is why the planning commission has authority to regulate any activity that would do harm to the surrounding neighborhood. If we fail to do our jobs, our neighbors will suffer because of a diminished quality of life and declining home values. The Planning Commission members are members of the community and take their responsibility seriously. The developers and their administration supporters aren't from Ridgely; those of us who live here, and are real stakeholders in our community, need to be heard.
Because of the Planning Commission, community concerns have been heard. The original proposal has been altered. It is not going to be a 24/7 operation and violent sexual content will not be allowed. A security plan will be outlined so that our taxpayer supported police aren't stuck with babysitting this business. The proposal was tabled a second time because we want the business proposal in writing. This is normal procedure. Our town attorney and the developer's attorney are to get together and put together a written proposal that will address the legitimate community concerns. From this, the Planning Commission will have something concrete with which to work. We are simply doing our jobs on OUR community's behalf.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
