Recent Comments:
Home of Fratpad Adult Webcam Service Arouses Neighbors' Concern in Paradise Valley, Ariz. {AOL Real Estate}
Dec 21st 2012 11:40AM IT COULD BE WORSE:
Instead of these college guys walking around bare butt necked in this rich neighborhood, they could have had something worse. A large poor family could have moved in and instantly lowered property values, crowded the local schools, wanted to hang out with your kids, scared grandma, driven an old car that would sit out, hung out the wash, walked around the neighborhood looking different, and had poor friends come over and walk across your lawn looking suspicious like those people look.
Its sure a good thing poverty ain't contageous
Pet Cemetery Plots for People Becoming More Popular in Texas {AOL Real Estate}
Nov 26th 2012 10:16AM REST IN PEACE - WITH YOUR PET = SPOT OR MITTENS - AND SAVE A BUCK:
I think it is a deliciously wonderful idea to allow people to rest along side their furry friends. I can just think of one group seeing trouble with it - the Funeral Industry of Texas.
Cemetary Plots are big Markups in Texas, especially since you just plow up another ranch and turn it into a cemetary. The "Circle W Ranch", becomes "Heavenly Acres" a you have just increased the value of your land 10 times. The funeral industry will tell you it is not dignified, that men and women should not be buried with cats and gerbils. But why does any state need a law against it, let the people decide with their wallets and final wishes. Why does a state need to guarantee a particular industry a profit. Don't we preach a free market economy - thats what I believe in.
Walmart's strange credit card demand {WalletPop}
Oct 21st 2010 11:17AM As the economy gets worse and more people need things I don't blame Walmart one bit for requiring an ID for a purchase, or to check you as you exit a store. I have had both. Do I like it, no not really. But kids these days often try to steal, like young women stealing cosmetics, and young men trying to steal electronics.I find it sad when elderly people try to steal food to make it.
But such thefts can't be let unchallenged - no business can take those losses and survive.
NYC Luxury Real Estate: Steve Wynn Rolls Dice on Plaza Penthouse {Housingwatch}
Jul 16th 2010 11:36AM Looks like a new page. Good luck with it. I hope this can represent realestate all over the country, and not just the largest cities in the biggest states. I watch some of the home shows on TV and they are overly concerned about California, New York, and maybe the Miami Florida area. But I see little to nothing about small town America, or other states. States like Indiana, Oklahoma, West Virginia, South Carolina, Oregon, and Idaho for example might as well not exist, but I sure see the prices in Orange county California, or Westchester County, or Long Island New York. But I never see anything from Utica, Albany, Syracuse or Dunkirk New York for that matter. Housing is so much cheaper in the smaller cities and towns, especially in the midwest and south, honestly you can get triple the house, half the crime rate, good public schools and no traffic problems moving from a large city to a small town. And the people are nice to you, we moved in and neighbors brought over brownies the first day, the guy across the street cut my lawn to introduce himself. We lived in Queens Astoria New York City and it took 2 years to know the names of 1/2 the people living on our floor - not as friends, just to know their names.
I miss the culture, non-stop activities - but I love my small town more.
Mike
Sestak Beats Specter in Pa. Senate Primary, Paul Wins in Kentucky {Politics Daily}
May 19th 2010 5:26PM The Blame Game:
These two political parties are going to keep up this political "gotcha" blame game until this proud old Democracy ceases to exist. then they will blame each other for its destruction - no better than a bunch of clowns jumping out of the little bitty car at the circus.
America deserves better, You deserve better, cause you love this country too. I know you do, cause you take time to be involved.
Mike
Mike
Offering Up a 'Zona Defense {Fanhouse MLB Blog}
May 7th 2010 1:00PM I know what it is like to be stopped. When I was younger, I drove a VW Van and had long hair. I got stopped repeatedly for suspicious activity, drug searches, and anything else the policeman could think of. That was in the 1970s. But I graduated college, quit the band,, got a Toyota, cut my hair, and even got a membership card to the Young Republicans to put in my wallet next to my driver's license. Being stopped almost stopped. The only time I get bothered now is at night in rich neighborhoods, but while I can cut my hair, I can't stop being an African-American.
Some American born, or legally immigrated Hispanic folks will be unfairly bothered and harassed before this is done. But putting them out for a year or two may be the price we pay for getting control of our borders.
That said, we need to find a way that people here can become legalized. If they have done a crime, they get deported back to whereever they come from. But most illegal folks here have kept their nose clean, worked, and are like me and mine, working, living, schooling, praying, and trying to exist in an ever more challenging world.
And let me add a word to my white friends. I am 56, there are a lot of you that are in your 40s, 50s 60s and older. You may not have noticed, but you and your kids have been having small families the last 10 to 20 years. In some ways that is just fine - but let me throw in a question to just think about. Lets say you kick out 8 or maybe 12 million immigrants. These are mostly young people, people of child bearing years. So they, and their kids now are out of the country. You won. But now who is going to work and pay the bills so you can retire, so you can get social security. You did not have enough kids to handle the load, so you are not going to be able to retire, or you will retire poor and neglected cause you kicked out those that would/could pay your old age costs. This is not rascism, it is simply reality. This is cold reality in Japan, Scandanavia, Italy and other countries that have a low birth rate, and little or no immigration.
So kick them out, but like it or not, you better be ready to keep working till you drop, cause there will not be enough to pay for all of us baby boomers.
Mike
Gov. Charlie Crist to Run as Independent in Florida Senate Race {Politics Daily}
Apr 28th 2010 5:32PM We will have a larger choice, I am not a slave to either political party, I appreciate the chance to listen to all 3 candidates and make an educated choice. I look forward to some good debates.
I think Florida will be better with a larger choice than we normally have
Mike
Best, worst cities for car repair {WalletPop}
Apr 15th 2010 4:44PM Living in San Antonio i can attest that there are honest auto repair places here in town. I can also attest that the most humble of auto repair places can do an inexpensive, honest repair job and the new chain repair shop can charge much more and can cheat you. Fancy does not mean cheaper, or better, it just means more overhead costs for the repair shop.
Also, if you want an expensive, slipshod repair job, be sure and rush the mechanic, This is one place to show you are interested, but then back off and let she/he do their work.
Don't Give the Roberts Court the Chance to Kill Health Reform {Politics Daily}
Mar 19th 2010 11:46AM , but you do learn about Socialism, Communism, Fascism, and other ism's.
This health care bill (read my lips) IS NOT SOCIALISM. SOCIALISM IS WHEN THE GOVERNMENT "OWNS" THE HOSPITAL, AND WHEN THE GOVERNMENT "EMPLOYS" THE DOCTORS AS GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES.
The government will NOT own the hospitals, nor be the employer of doctors. The hospitals will still be owned by their owners and be either for profit, or non-profit, or owned by a local city or county government. Doctors will still be findependent, they will take as many, or as few patients as they want.
I will also have over 10 health insurance companys trying to get my business, this is free enterprise, hundreds of doctors will offer me their services, again- free enterprise. All competing. The big difference is that the government will encourage competition, and help the poor pay for for insurance premium. They will also gradually close the donut hole, do away with the donut hole, and decrease excessive insurance profits - not do away with their profits, but help make them reasonable.
Socialism is the government owning the hospitals, and employing the doctors directly. The Veterans Administration is an example of Socialism in its set up, but I doubt the vets that use the system think of themselves as socialist.
Socialism is just a word incorectly applied to the new health care plan.
The battle really is not a choice that way, the choice is between human life, or Insurance Company Profits. Make no mistake about it, if you do not have health coverage in this land of the free and home of the brave you can die waiting for health care. If you have a good job and health care that make the insurance companies their profits then you will be cured if possible, and you will live.
We are voting for life and covering Americans, or Insurance Profits and with it death because of health services denied due to no health insurance.
Republicans can wrap it in the flag and call it freedom, but it is freedom from health care - known as death.
Mike
Latino Leaders Impatient With Obama After Promises on Immigration {Politics Daily}
Mar 16th 2010 11:17AM I would like to take a page out of German immigration policy and look at what the prospective immigrant brings to our company. If the immigrant brings an education, or skills that this country could use, then by ll means come ahead. If she/he is in the position to invest money to start a business, and will in fact do it, then we should consider letting them come over.
However, if you have a 8th grade level education, and you want to move over here, let America pay to educate you, and then bring your spouse and 4 kids , and mom with you = no thanks. We have lots of dropouts already with an 8th-9th grade educational level. We have a nice burden already trying to educate our own kids, and we don't need your mother to get into low cost housing when she has never worked here or contributed anything toward this country when we have waiting lists of elderly people already waiting on low cost housing. Please, we have enough poor and under educated to train, feed and clothe, and provide health care for, we are not out seeking more such folks to add to our burden.
I am not interested in particular where any prospective citizen is from. If his/her family adds to our pool of resources, or they have the educational basis that modest training would get them going, then lets talk. But if they are going to drain our limited resources, and cost us resources we co not have, they are not needed.
As far as folks already here illegally I would say people here for 4 or more years, who have committed no crimes (other than a traffic offense) should be given a chance at staying here if they learn a little of our language. But no extended family unless they can 100% support them now, and in the future. All residents to have forgery proof ID cards within 1 year. Hey, its just one person's idea, but it is something to consider. My family were immigrants, from Germany and Estonia, my wife's from Italy and Ecuador, but we did it legally, and legally has to stand for something.
Mike
