Fiscal Follies-Brother Can You Spare a Billion

I am going to state what seems obvious to me though very few people are talking about it mainly because it is probably politically incorrect.

The mortgage crisis came about because loans were given to minority groups which had no chance of ever being able to pay back the loans.

Why were these loans given out in the first place?

I am against the Wall Street Bail Out and only wish John McCain had voted against it. Sure something had to be done but not this COP OUT which has been given to the greedy CEO's of various banks and finance companies. I believe it was Paulson hysteria that led to much of the rail roading going on in pushing forward this fool hardy scheme where it seems the innocent TAX payer has to bail out the Rich underworked and overpaid CEO's.

It's YOUR money but it is their Crime!

The people who took out these loans when they must have known they could not afford it also need to bear the responsibility of their foolish actions. Why should responsible working Americans have to PAY for the wishful thinking, 'finger crossing' families who behaved irresponsibly.

I wouldn't have the audacity to go to the American people and say 'hey I took out this mortgage when I knew I couldn't pay but now I expect YOU to bail me out, because I deserve it.'

We live in a society that wont wait. A few decades ago only retiree's owned their own homes while newly married couples saved to put large deposits down on their houses. You did not actually OWN your home till you retired.

Now young newly weds want to OWN their own homes with NO deposit in what is once again a 'cross your fingers' let's hope it works out type of family budget which is NO budget at all.

Banks need to be banks and not open handed lollie shops! Banks should never lend money to people who are high risk and who they know cannot afford to pay their mortgage.

At times a little bit of finger pointing is a good thing. This crisis began with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac which then had a domino affect on other financial institutes. And blame goes across the table from Carter to Clinton from Bush to the Democrats(Franks-Dodd etc).

Will this Bail Out change the way American's run their banking system, will it fix what is obviously broken? Or is it instead 'putting a finger in a leaky boat in the hope you don't sink?' Will the CEO's need another 4 day junkett if they get 'stressed' again? Heaven forbid that these irresponsbile financial institutes be held accountable for their lousy judgements while they lined their own pockets!

As the world heads towards a recession I have to ask...

What happened to personal responsiblity & accountability?

Written by Marie

New Book, Old Lie-The Secret

I find it incredible that this book which is totally hedonistic has become a number one best seller in almost every Western culture. What is wrong with us as a society when so many can become seduced by the almighty dollar, or the lure of botoxed beauties? What does our Lord teach us but to put ourselves LAST. This book is the complete opposite. I am stunned at it's apparent success. I have not seen Oprah or read the book but I do know BALONEY when I hear it. Any Thoughts anyone?

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What if I promised you that you could make anything happen—anything!—just by wanting it to happen?

You would think I was crazy, and you would be right. So why is a book based on this premise selling so fast that bookstores cannot keep it on the shelves?

Rhonda Byrne's The Secret has been on the New York Times bestseller list for months, and a DVD version is also selling out everywhere. Byrne is selling the tempting message that anything you want is possible and easy to get.

This isn't just about keeping an optimistic attitude to improve your life—it goes far beyond that. Byrne says a force called the Law of Attraction guarantees that if you think positive thoughts about what you want, you will get it. "The Universe" will bend over backwards to hand you whatever you wish for: money, a better job, a spouse, anything.

Byrne's claims are absurd on their face. She swears repeatedly that the Law of Attraction never fails, that it's as reliable as the law of gravity. So what happens if two people both use "the secret" to make opposite things happen—for instance, if one wanted a sunny day and the other wanted rain?

Somehow, Byrne forgets to address this topic.

But that's not the worst part. Among all the positive rhetoric are some very ugly concepts. While you are rearranging the universe to suit your own wishes, Byrne claims, you must avoid people who might inspire negative thoughts. So you should never look at overweight people or let sick people tell you about their illness.

Furthermore, if some people are poor, it "is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts." (Jesus Christ, she announces, was actually a millionaire.) And people involved in tragedies and disasters brought it on themselves. They did not want enough not to "be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Friends, I am not exaggerating. It's all in there.

Tim Watkin reports in the Washington Post, "I watched Bob Proctor . . . one of the 'gurus' Byrne quotes most often, being asked on 'Nightline' whether the starving children of Darfur had 'manifested'—that is, visualized—their own misery. In utter seriousness, he replied, 'I think the country probably has.'"

But Byrne is not saying you should not care about other people. You should care about them—because it is good for you: "If you think thoughts of love, guess who receives the benefits—you!"

Unfortunately, people are really swallowing this stuff. And it is dangerous. The book contains examples of people who supposedly cured themselves of cancer without treatment, and people who bought expensive things because they just knew the money was coming in—I saw many of those in bankruptcy court when I was a practicing attorney. Karin Klein reports in the Los Angeles Times, "Therapists tell me they're starting to see patients who are headed for real trouble, immersing themselves in a dream world in which good things just come."

Byrne has scammed millions of people by appealing to their pride and greed, and she is making a fortune. But I will tell you this for free: Byrne's hot new trend is simply a repetition of the oldest lie there is—"You shall be like God."

That's the secret, not of success, but of misery.

Show Me Some Love Daddy!! Spend The Money !!!

Teen celebrations have gotten expensive. Does showing the love always mean spending the cash?

Have you seen this show on MTV, 'My Super Sweet 16'? It's a reality series where insane parents spend piles of money throwing parties for offspring who can barely drive. According to the show--and maybe, ironically, because of it--children's coming-of-age celebrations, like weddings before them, are getting out of control. Its across the board, everyone is doing it, every race, parties and the quinceañeras (to celebrate a 15-year-old Latina's transition to womanhood) have come to rival the Grammy’s in terms of over-the-top cost and glitz. Sweet 16’s may be the worst of the bunch--it's not unheard-of to see chocolate fountains, designer dresses, wedding like cakes, live entertainment, gift bags and the child of honor's name lit up in neon, all with a price tag of from as ‘little’ as $50,000 to way way more. And the location costs more than the average person’s salary for a couple years!

I'm certain that we don't want a teenzilla living in the upstairs bedroom. But escaping the phenomenon isn't easy. We all want to mark these milestones in a way that lets our children know we're proud of their accomplishments. If you don't throw a humdinger of a fiesta, do you risk sending the message to your child that you don't love him as much as his friends' parents love their kids? And the parents who go over the top only make it harder for everyone else. "Daddy, they had Beyoncé and Kayne West at the party I went to last weekend. Can we have them/her at mine?"

There's an extreme spending level. These celebrations look so much like weddings that there's very little to indicate that it's a teen party going on. Bridezillas have been replaced by childzillas and teenzillas! The demands they place on their parents not only for the party but for the birthday present, it’s out of this world! I mean a sixteen year old wanting a $97,000 car for her birthday and saying if she does not get it she is NOT going to be happy and neither will her parents!?!? And the parents find this cute??? Flashing a smile, crying the ‘fake tears’ and the good ole temper tantrum is how you get your way today cause I mean we don’t want Jane and Bobby to be unhappy or angry! And boy oh boy if mummy and daddy are divorced, play one parent on the other! And if the folks like to outdo others, everything must be more glamorous than the neighbors, well your kids are gonna work that number on you!





Spoiled brats are what we have created! When children are given just about anything they want and as much of anything they want and when parents feel in order for their children to think they love them they need to buy them things. It also happens when they are told they are better than everyone else and should be treated better than everyone else. They grow up treating any and everyone with no respect and expect everyone to bend to their every request. Many times this originates from a parent who doesn’t spend as much time as they want with their child. Buying them things isn’t going to solve the problem. Instead make time to spend with and enjoy your children. Remember that if you can’t spend time with your child, it doesn’t improve the situation by buying them things that they really don’t need.

Others just want to avoid the hassle of a conflict with their children. It’s easier for them to let the rules slide than to deal with the fuss. For other parents, it is hard to refuse their children anything, because they don’t want them to be unhappy. Who said that “unhappy children” equals “bad parents.”???? Still others are afraid their angry children will not love them. The fact is that children want to know that their parents are in charge, they need structure and limits.

So how do you honor your child without spending the equivalent of the GDP of Togo? Talk to your kids and let them know this is how much you can afford and work from there. What is the point of incurring enormous debts for a fleeting moment under the sun? You want to give your children nice experiences, but you don't want to flush them with too much stuff. It's kind of what happens when you take drugs. Your neurons get flooded with artificial material that is beyond what you can produce naturally. You crave that experience and become dissatisfied with the rest of your life. You always have to have more to achieve a ‘high’.

What then is the price tag for love? A new car? An over the top party? Jewellery? Money? News flash: Love cannot be bought! And if you believe you can buy your children’s love and affection and peace in the home, well you better have an unlimited bank account because you are going to have to outdo the last present and last party to keep raising the numbers on the “love scale”. But for the rest of us please save and spare us from your Childzilla!