Finally, a plan for myself

I think the plan now is that I will continue my schooling towards my MSN, I already have a few classes out of the way, but in addition, I will jointly pursue an MBA. Cleveland State has an MSN/MBA program, and the Clinic will reimburse $7500/year in graduate level tuition. I recently and had a talk with my boss's boss after she found out that I was elected vice-chair of the Nursing electronic medical records committee. After learning of my desire to get into administration, she very stongly encouraged me to pursue the MSN/MBA, and gave me that motivating kick in the pants that I needed.

So if you need me for the next five years...you should have asked me when I was still in Brecksville. And in five years? You can ask my personal secretary...or my butler.

Obama and the Tax Tipping Point

By ADAM LERRICK

In 2006, the latest year for which we have Census data, 220 million Americans were eligible to vote and 89 million -- 40% -- paid no income taxes. According to the Tax Policy Center (a joint venture of the Brookings Institution and the Urban Institute), this will jump to 49% when Mr. Obama's cash credits remove 18 million more voters from the tax rolls. What's more, there are an additional 24 million taxpayers (11% of the electorate) who will pay a minimal amount of income taxes -- less than 5% of their income and less than $1,000 annually.

In all, three out of every five voters will pay little or nothing in income taxes under Mr. Obama's plans and gain when taxes rise on the 40% that already pays 95% of income tax revenues.

The plunder that the Democrats plan to extract from the "very rich" -- the 5% that earn more than $250,000 and who already pay 60% of the federal income tax bill -- will never stretch to cover the expansive programs Mr. Obama promises.

What next? A core group of Obama enthusiasts -- those educated professionals who applaud the "fairness" of their candidate's tax plans -- will soon see their $100,000-$150,000 incomes targeted. As entitlements expand and a self-interested majority votes, the higher tax brackets will kick in at lower levels down the ladder, all the way to households with a $75,000 income.

Calculating how far society's top earners can be pushed before they stop (or cut back on) producing is difficult. But the incentives are easy to see. Voters who benefit from government programs will push for higher tax rates on higher earners -- at least until those who power the economy and create jobs and wealth stop working, stop investing, or move out of the country.

Tomorrow's children may come to question why their parents sold their birthright for a mess of "fairness" -- whatever that will signify when jobs are scarce and American opportunity is no longer the envy of the world.

Mr. Lerrick is a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University and a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

Every vote counts

After seeing McCain-Palin yard signs selectively targeted for vandalism on my drive through Broadview Heights and Seven Hills, I chose to drive my Absentee Ballot to a blue mailbox. I had real concerns that the mail carrier, after seeing my yard signs, might misplace my ballot before it reaches its destination. To be fair though, I'd probably feel the same way if I had Obama signs in my yard. Either way, I feel much better now.

Making Dough

Barack Obama is tired of "Trickle Down Economics." It's tried and failed. So instead, he's proposing "Trickle Up Poverty." Better that we all be poorer than there be some rich and some poor.

That's why he wants to "spread the wealth around." I don't appreciate him buying your vote with my money.

Robinhood was a thief.


From US News & World Report:
July 25, 2008:
Presidential candidates, please focus on this: A Gallup Poll found that Americans overwhelmingly—by 84 percent to 13 percent—prefer that the "government focus on improving overall economic conditions and the jobs situation in the United States as opposed to taking steps to distribute wealth more evenly among Americans."

What would you have said in July? Did that change when Obama proposed wealth redistribution to Joe the Plumber? Be honest with yourself.

Two stories you need to see

Happy Birthday Kathleen.

What crazy juice has the US been sippin' recently?

Today, SCOTUS heard the case of Winter vs. NDRC in which the DOJ is fighting the ruling of a California (go figure) District Court that forbids the US Navy from activating it's high-powered SONAR during training missions whenever the Navy spots marine mammals nearby. Personally, I find this kind of case aggravating. I don't know what was more important for the NDRC in this case; preventing porpoise pain or attempting to find a backdoor avenue of attack agains the US military. After all, if CA judges can halt training missions for a random roaming dolphin, I can see many other minute harms to nature raised as claim to prevent the business of our nation's defense. You can bet your blowhole that the same folks fighting to protect the whales' sonar sensors will be fighting just as hard to be able to continue aborting babies.

Speaking of getting rid of babies...wasn't it a drag that you could only abort babies before they were born?? After all, that law kind of discriminates against all the non-pregnant parents out there. Wouldn't it be great if the government made it possible to get rid of your kid for good, regardless of their age? GOOD NEWS!!!
The Great State of Nebraska has the deal for you! Just take your kid (or all nine) to your nearest 'husker hospital and kick 'em out! No paperwork, no pesky questions about why in the hell you're dropping your 11 year old off at a hospital never to see them again.

"Of the 17 children relinquished since the law took effect in July, only four are younger than 10 -- and all four are among the nine siblings abandoned by a man September 24 at an Omaha hospital."CNN

So, besides that guy that abandoned his nine kids, NO ONE in the state has dropped off any child less than ten years old! Oh yeah, Nebraska has become a "destination location" for taxed parents...Tuesday, an Iowa teen was abandoned at an Omaha hospital.

The problem here is that Nebraska legislators couldn't agree the age at which abandoning a horrible brat of a child should become a crime. Most states use 72 hours as the limit. That was the bill's original intent according to its primary sponsor. However, thanks to State Sen. Tom White (D), children aged one day to 19 years can be unloaded at the nearest Nebraska hospital.

"The few situations we've seen so far demonstrate the need for a change in Nebraska's safe haven law," Gov. Dave Heineman (R) said in a statement Monday. "In the coming legislative session, I will advocate for changes that put the focus back on protecting an infant in danger. That should be our priority." By the way, that 'coming session' isn't until next year.

Is this guy a complete idiot? First off, didn't he have to sign this bill? Regardless, when you see that the law is permitting conduct that (I hope) an overwhelming majority of Nebraskans oppose, call the legislators to an emergency session and fix the bill NOW!

Fannie Mae, Home Ownership, Liberalism

Fannie Mae said it will set aside the loan of a woman who shot herself in the shoulder as sheriff's deputies tried to evict her from her foreclosed home. [link]

She bought the house in nearly 40 years ago. Shouldn't she own the home outright by now? Okay, she doesn't, but then she takes out a 30 year loan on $45k in 2004 and a line of credit for $11,380. $56,000? That's got to be at least double what she paid for the house. What the hell have you been doing with your money? That $11k should have been enough to make nearly THREE YEARS of payments. I guess all your free money was up.

This woman is mentally ill. She does not need her home loan to be forgiven. What message does that send to the American taxpayer who is paying the price (literally) for the liberal 'compassion' that helped us into this mess. They specifically sought to loosen lending standards so the poor could afford homes. To hell with standards, let's show some compassion for the poor. Shouldn't they be able to get a house, like the rest of hardworking Americans? NO! They DON'T HAVE THE MONEY.

Do you hear me Mr. Banker? This person is POOR, do not lend them the money - they cannot repay you. You thought you could fleece them into paying the "interest only" payments you teased. Then you'd be making pure profit; even if they defaulted, which I'm sure you believed was inevitable, then at least you could reclaim your "rock solid" real estate asset and sell it for an additional profit. After all, home values could never decrease, could they? You greedy, stupid piece of trash.

Part Deux

New York Times - September 11, 2003

The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago.

Treasury Secretary John W. Snow: ''There is a general recognition that the supervisory system for housing-related government-sponsored enterprises neither has the tools, nor the stature, to deal effectively with the current size, complexity and importance of these enterprises.''

A report by outside investigators in July concluded that Freddie Mac manipulated its accounting to mislead investors, and critics have said Fannie Mae does not adequately hedge against rising interest rates.

Among the groups denouncing the proposal today were the National Association of Home Builders and Congressional Democrats who fear that tighter regulation of the companies could sharply reduce their commitment to financing low-income and affordable housing.

''These two entities -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- are not facing any kind of financial crisis,'' said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ''The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.''

You pandering charlatan. For all the Fannie Mae money pouring into the Democratic coffers and the votes of those with unrealistic dreams of home-ownership, you pretend that we don't live in the real world, where some people can't reasonably afford a house. If only THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION WARNED THIS COULD HAPPEN.

Part Trois

Politics and the Fannie Mae Piggy Bank

Franklin Raines was the chairman of Fannie during these years. He stood to make healthy bonuses if Fannie made target earnings per share (it was a publicly traded entity). Fannie Mae used its privileged borrowing power (a la Uncle Sam) to buy up mortgages and hold them, making a profit from the difference between the low price it paid to borrow the money and the higher interest rate it received on the mortgage. It was potentially profitable, but it had nothing to do with helping low- and middle-income people buy houses. It all made perfect sense to Raines though, who called these real estate assets "riskless."

Raines and vice-chair Jamie Gorelick became obsessed with propping up Fannie Mae's earnings per share, or EPS, even if they had to use creative accounting to make it happen. Raines set a series of increasingly higher EPS goals that, if met, would trigger bonuses for the executive team that far surpassed what they received in salary.

Raines's PERSONAL earnings from 1998-2003 as chairman of Fannie Mae? $90 Million. Ninety Million Dollars. NINETY MILLION. Gorelick, $26 Million.

Well at least these bad folks are in jail, finally exposed for the cheats they are, right?

• Obama campaign seeks Franklin Raines on mortgage and housing policy matters
• Jamie Gorelick possible AG pick for Obama

Aw, crap.

The debate: No subtle rebuttal!

Posted by: Robert Basler

Hey, Blog Guy! So, are you pumped for this debate tonight? Will it be dominated by the economy, foreign affairs or what?

You didn’t know? They’ve agreed to an all-out XTREME monster debate!. Look at this photo of the stage. The candidates will use backhoes, power drills, grappling hooks, flame-throwers...

Awesome! I bet Palin comes sliding in on a snowmobile!

She wanted to, but eventually she gave up that option in return for getting to use a rocket jet pack and a chainsaw. These two are going for blood!

You really think so?

Well, that’s what Don King said at the weigh-in.

Joe Biden, REUTERS/Carlos Barria; Sarah Palin, REUTERS/ John Gress

Workers prepare hall for debate between vice presidential candidates Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joseph Biden in St. Louis, Mo., September 30, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

http://blogs.reuters.com/oddly-enough/2008/10/02/the-debate-no-subtle-rebuttal/

No wonder the Bailout failed

More mallow, less patty.