The media

I find it amazing how much news we can access from around the world. I’m addicted to it. Unfortunately, our around the clock television news coverage seems to miss 95% of it. A kidnapping, murder, fire, or some other news item that should be reported suddenly becomes a 24 hour a day story. Non stop, no matter what time you check the news it’s the same story. Fortunately, I also get BBC on my cable. It hit me when I was learning of all the trouble in Africa from the British and try the U.S. news and we get…the election. Fox News has become the election network with the missing spouse/girlfriend/child of the day network. CNN tries a little harder now, but they spend too much time on puff pieces. Like the coverage of Budweiser being bought by the Belgians. No CEO interview, let’s find the stereotype beer drinker on the street and show how dumb Americans are. When asked about the sale, the guy answered “Yeah it was bought by that Belgian company from Germany, right?” Please.

The nightly news shows? Even worse. I was raised on Walter Cronkite every evening. We would sit around and let Walter tell us everything that happened here and around the world for 30 minutes every day. Now you get 5 minutes of Barack Obama and how wonderful he is, or 5 minutes on how dumb McCain is. Then you might get a few minutes of real news, followed by the remainder of the show on some investigative report or some “Person of the Day” fluff piece. Gee, I turned on the nightly news to see the news, not learn of some guy making his own molasses in a shack in the middle of nowhere. Even in the old days, Charles Kuralt was only on once a week or so. Sadly, the nightly news on the networks has gone politically correct or on their own political agenda. Take a look at the Obama orgy going on in Iraq. No unbiased reporting is available anymore. It’s truly sad.

Is it the total fault of the media? Well, a good bit I think. But they are catering to what America wants. I find it stunning on a daily basis how little so called “intelligent” people know about current events. Sure we know all about who the networks want as president or the newest diet fad, but for two weeks I read and heard about the genocide and stolen elections in Africa before there was even a mention of it here. And then it was an item for a day or so before the next celebrity flounced out of a car wearing no panties and the media was off again. But it’s what most Americans watch! It’s what they evidently want. I find it hard to believe we have become that dull and dense. Does the New York news elite think the rest of us are that dumb that we had to have the bar lowered to what they think the common denominator is? Why should we be banished to a place where we have to get the world's news from the internet or the BBC? This is AMERICA!

The eco-nut Al Gore challenged the country to hug a tree and get totally recyclable energy in 10 years. I think I’ll issue another challenge. I would love my fellow Americans to start giving a damn about what goes on in the world. Demand unbiased reporting. Let’s get back to an America where people actually know who their Congressman is. Let’s get a little more intelligent about current events. Maybe then we can do more about problems than stand around and whine for somebody to fix them. Or make smarter choices about who we elect instead of who is “cuter” or “funnier”. If you can believe it, that last actually happened to me. A co worker said she was voting for a candidate for governor because his commercials made her laugh. Not what he stood for, he made her laugh so he got her vote. So let’s all vote for Lewis Black for President, right? Oh man, it have to go scream now. Have a good weekend.

Mortgage crisis my foot!

Oh Lord! It's a mortgage crisis! I agree it's sad, because it's the American dream to own your own home in a nice area and raise your family. But come on, take a look at what happened and is happening right now. Sub prime loans given to people who probably shouldn't have gotten the loan in the first place by greedy brokers. They knew the mortgage would be lumped into a group and sold within the first year to a large bank for investments. Get my money and run. They even would loan more than the home value to give the person a little walking around money. The house is 200K? How about a loan for 220K and you have a little extra? I saw the 60 minutes piece on it and almost threw the remote at the TV when I heard that one. Nothing but greed on both sides of the table and frankly, should be illegal (maybe it is). The banks didn't look at the applications well enough and surprise! The people couldn't pay the note when it ballooned to the higher rate. It really is sad, because a lot of nice people got taken in the scam. Some buyers weren't explained this, or they chose not to listen thinking they would refinance before it ballooned. It's bad business, and right now business is taking care of itself. Mortgage companies in trouble, banks in trouble, and real estate companies in trouble. You run business fast and loose and you run the risk of going under. Survival of the fittest. It hurts, but that's the way it is. And now they want my hard earned dollars to bail it all out! NO! I saved up and applied for my first home loan. Heck it was 12% in the early 80's! They just interviewed some builder on the news in New Jersey. He's putting up a 70 unit housing unit and is scared it won't fill up. He said he hoped Congress passed the legislation because he really needed it, or it would be a hard couple of years!! Here's a news flash for you buddy, why build it??? Save your money and mine and wait for better times. I shouldn't bail everyone out because you don't want a lean year. Ask the people who can't make ends meet right now. It's just disgusting.

Hey don't get me wrong, the loaners aren't the only one's that need to stand up and take responsibility. People are walking away from homes and loans daily. Default on a loan? Unheard of when I was growing up. You signed on the dotted line and committed to it. If the bank repo's the house it's bad, but just to walk away because things are getting hard? That's just wrong and says a lot about our current generation. Not all of this generation are like that. And don't think I'm just spouting off, I don't have to look any further than my oldest son to see hope. He married a girl with a couple of kids and then had one of his own. He's still in college and they both work their butts off. They rented a house they could afford in a good school zone. He is doing great in college, and honestly I don't think I could have done what he is doing right now. I help when I can, but he refuses charity. If you think I'm proud of my son, you're right. Damned proud. It's great to have a shining example to look at when I get disgusted with others of his generation that just throw in the towel and walk away. If you make an agreement, even if you didn't sign on the dotted line and just shook hands, honor your commitment! This country operated since it's inception with honor and reputation. Walking away from a mortgage shows the world you have neither.

So what do we do? Cross our arms and stamp our little feet and scream for Washington to fix it? Hell no. We let the mortgage companies go under. Not all will, and yes the banks will have a hard time, but we need to get back on track. If someone working for me fouled up that bad, I wouldn't bail him out so he could do it again. I'd fire his butt, or demote him to official paper clip sorter. America will go through some hard times, but we survived them before. And I can't believe it will be 1929 all over again. There are too many safe guards in place, but we don't need to throw good money after bad in this mess. The American dream will be safe. A lot of people just needed to get a lesson in the dream. You work your tail off and get it when you can. And these days if it looks too good to be true, trust me it is.

OK it's time.

I have had it with people who point fingers when they are confronted with a problem. Mostly it's the politicians I'm really steamed with, but it seems these days everything that happens is someone else's fault. I was raised by parents that demanded you take responsibility for your actions. I raised my sons that way too. I've been married for over 20 years to a great woman that I still love now as much as I did when we married. I go to church. I don't think I'm alone out there in the wasteland frustrated about the "politically correct" responses that define our everyday life now. It just seems that way to me sometimes. So here it is, I started a blog. Me, the guy that lives out in the country and has dirt under his fingernails.

Oil. I'm sick of hearing about it. It's China, it's big oil companies, it's speculators, it's ecology freaks, or pick the flavor of the week to blame prices on. Supply and demand? OK, I understand that because my brother teaches Finance and is married to an economist. But realistically, record profits by big oil last year on top of the record profits the year before are a little hard to swallow. How about calling it what it is...Greed. But hey, they're a business, right? Think about that the next time you fill up and dish out a C note. Wall Street speculators? Yeah, I rank them right up there with the big oil people. Greed. Don't go to Congress and give us all the hocus pocus of how hard it is for you to make billions in profit. Just tell us it's a business. We want all your money, and we figured out you HAVE to fill up your tank to go to work!

And politicians. Oh how I'm coming to hate anyone I ever voted for. Evidently America does too. The latest poll shows only 18% think they're doing a good job. And half of those probably lied or were drunk when asked. Something happens to well meaning people when they get inside the beltway in Washington. They become spineless, greedy idiots. How many earmarks or pork barrel projects can I get? How about for once saying we need to do something for the country? It may not be your state or district, but if it's good for the nation agree with it! I'm off of Democrats AND Republicans (I'm a Republican) and the petty bickering that goes on. I live in northeast Louisiana, not San Francisco or New York or even New Orleans (I escaped!). I have what I consider normal mid American values and beliefs. And it drives me NUTS when I hear ideas shot down because the President or the opposing party had the idea. They always have a better idea. Like the drilling offshore moratorium that was lifted by Bush. The Democrats are against it. Drill on your leases you have now! The oil won't be available for 10 years! Well heck. Clinton was asked to do what Bush did and he used the 10 year thing too. Guess what? That was 10 years ago! Think gas is expensive now? Wait 10 years and see how much it costs to fill up. It's OK for Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to drill offshore, but not in my back yard! GROW UP! The country needs it.

Somebody needs to step up and tell these politicians to get off their collective butts and quit fighting and get to working. Punch holes in the ground and start getting the oil out. Tell the tree huggers to get some more granola and be glad they can run their air conditioning. And never, ever suggest to me I need a "carbon credit." If you need those, come see me. I'll sell you a ton of them...along with a bridge or two.

I'll try to rant and rave later my blood pressure's up.