More Than Loans

The Final Solution

2009-10-15T04:10:00.001-05:00

This past week Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was quoted while visiting Iran as saying, "It's time we finally finish the final solution."

I Have A Dream

2009-09-22T14:08:00.002-05:00

I had a dream the other night. True it wasn't as profound a dream as Martin Luther King's which was a rather mundane thought, incidentally. My dream was that I woke up in 1988.

This got me thinking about everything that has happened in 20 years. When my grandfather died in 1994 it made me marvel at all that had changed in his lifetime. This dream I had made me look back at all that has changed just since I graduated from high school.

The internet. It was still a sparkle in Al Gore's eye back in 1990. Trying to explain the internet and all of its uses to someone in 1988 is a lot more difficult than trying to explain powered flight to someone in 1900. Nevermind trying to explain how it works. I have way more chance of explaining Bernoulli's principle than I do how my email works.

Medicine. Think about the things we take for granted. Things that were fatal just a few years ago are now rather pedestrian. My mother has diabetes. I've been able to watch the progression of medical advances. It's only amazing when you stop to think about it.

Communications. Everyone bitches about people on the phone all the time. Except it's all of us. Try explaining to someone 20 years ago that EVERYONE has a carphone (which is what we called them then). I don't know anyone without a cellphone. You can argue whether or not this is a good thing, but if you are going to argue it isn't, then throw yours in the trash and see how long it takes until you buy a new one. Tweet, text and talk away. Don't be ashamed of it.

Travel. It used to be that taking a flight was a big deal. It used to be that it was rather expensive. Kind of something the rich did or the middle class did when they saved up and planned for it. Taking a flight today isn't much more than taking the bus... and just as enjoyable.

Thank God I'm A Country Boy

2007-10-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

Ok, I'm back

2007-09-08T16:14:00.000-05:00

Larry Craig.

What did he do illegal? He sounds like a creep. I know what he intended to do. I don't think he did something illegal, though.

I think the cop maybe overplayed his hand knowing that whomever he accused of that was likely to plea rather than make him show proof.

Closing

2007-06-05T23:27:00.001-05:00

CAFE Standards

2007-05-14T11:01:00.000-05:00

I was in a little town in Wisconsin this weekend. I'd forgotten the utter joy of sitting at a counter in a cafe having a cup of coffee and a smoke. Why are people not allowed this simple pleasure here in MN?

I was reminded of Midnight Run.

Victims Here

2007-04-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

Anyone from MN will recognize the sign. I've been thinking about this a bit today because of the recent events. Places of business put them up apparently to advertise that no one there can defend themself.

I learned today from a woman who runs a very nice charity near my home that the law actually requires her to have this sign up.

I understand in bars, but WHY would you advertise that you are defenseless anywhere else? Someone.... actually a bunch of people actually think signs like this make you safer.

How Crazy Do You Have To Be To Write This?

2007-03-22T02:00:00.000-05:00

You're implying that xxxx has watched me have sex and exchange money for the act? You're a sicko, you pervert. You're a fuckin' crazy-ass pervert if you are thinking about scenarios like this. Who would even come up with that except for a deranged individual like yourself? I didn't realize that you were a fuckin' sick pervert who devises weird sex scenarios like this INVOLVING YOUR SON in addition to all your other misgivings.

I'd suggest going NOW to United Hospital to be checked by the social workers. Or if you don't want to go to my hospital, go to Regions, but it's out of network, of course. Sign in under a fake name...I don't care. I'm really worried about you and giving my son to you this weekend if you're envisioning your son inserted into a sex scenario. Don't tell me you went. Don't tell anyone. Just go. This is a serious problem.

Oh My GOD!!!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!

2007-03-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

Watch this video, then read this AP piece today. Utterly shameful.

For example, the report says North America "has already experienced substantial ecosystem, social and cultural disruption from recent climate extremes," such as hurricanes and wildfires.
But the present is nothing compared to the future.
Global warming soon will "affect everyone's life ... it's the poor sectors that will be most affected," Romero Lankao said.
And co-author Terry Root of Stanford University said: "We truly are standing at the edge of mass extinction" of species.
The report included these likely results of global warming:
_Hundreds of millions of Africans and tens of millions of Latin Americans who now have water will be short of it in less than 20 years. By 2050, more than 1 billion people in Asia could face water shortages. By 2080, water shortages could threaten 1.1 billion to 3.2 billion people, depending on the level of greenhouse gases that cars and industry spew into the air.
_Death rates for the world's poor from global warming-related illnesses, such as malnutrition and diarrhea, will rise by 2030. Malaria and dengue fever, as well as illnesses from eating contaminated shellfish, are likely to grow.
_Europe's small glaciers will disappear with many of the continent's large glaciers shrinking dramatically by 2050. And half of Europe's plant species could be vulnerable, endangered or extinct by 2100.
_By 2080, between 200 million and 600 million people could be hungry because of global warming's effects.
_About 100 million people each year could be flooded by 2080 by rising seas.
_Smog in U.S. cities will worsen and "ozone-related deaths from climate (will) increase by approximately 4.5 percent for the mid-2050s, compared with 1990s levels," turning a small health risk into a substantial one.
_Polar bears in the wild and other animals will be pushed to extinction.
_At first, more food will be grown. For example, soybean and rice yields in Latin America will increase starting in a couple of years. Areas outside the tropics, especially the northern latitudes, will see longer growing seasons and healthier forests.
Looking at different impacts on ecosystems, industry and regions, the report sees the most positive benefits in forestry and some improved agriculture and transportation in polar regions. The biggest damage is likely to come in ocean and coastal ecosystems, water resources and coastal settlements.

The media and the crisis of subprime loans

2007-03-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

Dave at Garfield Ridge has a good piece on how the media is treating the contracting credit market and stagnant real estate prices. I started typing this in his comments, but it was getting kind of long, so I just decided to post it here.

I've seen a few of these media reports myself and have found them to be pretty uninformed and typically demagogic.

Here's MPR's example of a victim of mortgage companies.

Ripplinger now owes $187,000 on the house he paid $25,000 for in the 1970's. Ripplinger says the same broker handled his last two refinances which were done within months of each other last year.

I've been a loan officer for almost seven years, now. I've done scores of sub prime loans for purchases, often to 100% LTV (no money down). The major reason for this is that if someone comes to me and asks for a loan to buy a house, I look for the best option available to them. It's not my job to talk them out of buying a house because taking a loan on an ARM (most sub prime loans are ARMs). My job is to usually find them the lowest payment available. By law I have to disclose the rates, the date that it goes adjustable, and the margin the rate will be at when it goes adjustable.

I have no way of knowing what the index will be at on that future date. One thing I am guilty of, I guess, is telling people that when the loan goes adjustable in 2, 3, or 5 years that we'll refinance them into a better loan if they've improved their credit.

This is where the problems have come in. With stagnant property values, their LTV hasn't improved much if at all in the intervening years, and often if they were in a sub prime loan in the first place it's unlikely that their credit improved in the meantime. Someone who had sub prime credit before, is more than likely going to have similar sub prime credit.

I echo Dave's contempt of the idea of having the government "fix" this problem. This IS the market. If lenders make credit too easily available to less than perfect credit borrowers and price the interest rates too low on those loans, they are going to get a lot of people defaulting and won't have made enough to make up the difference. The result of this is that lenders have to price their loans higher or tighten up their lending guidelines if they hope to stay in business. This means fewer people can buy houses. The irony is that the people complaining about this the loudest are the same people who a few years ago were complaining that it was too hard for the underprivileged to get loans to buy houses.

*** Updated ***

I love when I'm validated by people much smarter than myself. From Econlog:

My guess is that the typical defaulter today is not some prudent individual who happened to buy a home that strains his paycheck. Instead, my guess is that the typical defaulter is somebody who is poor at managing spending and credit. Of course, either defaulter is going to appear to be "over his head."

Also at Outside the Beltway:

So, here are my questions:

Who are the people taking out subprime loans?
What kinds of houses are they buying with them?

Starland Vocal Band: Afternoon Delight

2007-03-12T12:40:00.001-05:00

One of my first memories is from when I was four years old and my parents took me to see John Denver in concert. Starland Vocal Band was the opening act.

It's funny, whenever I hear this song, that's what I think of.

Thanks to the Kool-Aid Report.

Space Camp with Dave

2007-03-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

I've never been a big fan of the show, but I know a lot of people are. Dave is one of them. Here he is from the set of Battlestar Gallactica. It looks like a really cool time.

Orpa

2007-03-02T01:00:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine (really) was watching Oprah Winfrey's show today so I got to see a bit of it. She had a guy on whom, I think was a producer or something for a Discovery Channel show that's coming up. They were talking about global warming.

This maroon actually made the claim that polar bears would be extinct by 2030.... the year 2030. I assume he didn't mean by that time today.

I want to see if he'll wager on that one.

If polar bears are extinct on New Year's Day 2030 I'll give him my house. If they aren't, I get to kick him in the balls. Would any reasonable person take that bet? I wonder how many people watched that show and believed that nonsense.

WPXI in Pittsburgh

2007-02-23T11:08:00.000-06:00

I saw this story today and it immediately sent up red flags as to its veracity:

PITTSBURGH -- Soldiers who were paralyzed, suffered brain damage and lost limbs owe the government enlistment bonus money.They must pay the money back because they didn’t fulfill their tour of duty.

When you go and read the story and/or watch the video of their on air piece, you will notice that not a single person who was paralyzed, suffered brain damage or lost a limb is given as an example of this callous treatment. Does it sound plausible that this could have happened because of a paperwork screwup? Yes. Is it likely that this is policy? No.

I've got a call into Ms. Welles to ask her if she actually spoke with anyone who had to pay back their enlistment bonus after losing a limb, etc. and if so, why they weren't part of her report, rather than the suicidal/homicidal guy in the story?

I've said it before, the military, like any bureaucracy is prone to screw ups. What I don't understand is why people in the press feel the need to invent things to tarnish the military when there are plenty of genuine snafus for them to pounce upon.

I can't definitively say that this is false, but it sure looks shaky to me.

If anyone at Castle Aaaaargh has any information on this, I'd love to hear it.

Rifles and nonsense

2007-02-22T14:10:00.000-06:00

Michelle Malkin pointed out earlier this week, the media and Democrats seem to take some perverse delight in (wrongly) pointing out equipment problems in the military. While I'm sure there are problems with equipment, being that there has been since someone first sharpened a stick with which to fight, it's astounding how either ignorant or deceptive these leftists can be when trying to tarnish the military.

From Ms. Malkin's piece on Humvee armor:

Capt. Matt Schoenfeldt, who serves as a gunner in Iraq’s Diyala province, also sent me his reaction:

I would first like to point out that this is just one more attempt by the liberals to take an extremely complicated situation, look at one small aspect of the story, and then invent the story that they [want] to tell. We have over 70,000 M1114 Up-Armored HMMWVs in theater right now. With that said, it is remarkable that we would be able to retro-fit this number of vehicles with armor in this short time period while still conducting 24-hour combat operations. . . . In addition to the upgrades to all of these 70,000-plus M1114s, the Army has upgraded every vehicle that travels out in sector; from ballistic glass for Track Commanders on Tanks and Bradleys, to armored doors and glass for support vehicles, and everything in between. There is not a single vehicle that goes out in sector that has not been upgraded for threats specific to Iraq.

The armored upgrade program is a tremendously successful program and has saved thousands of lives. This story on the armor upgrades has been taken by the media and other uneducated members, and painted a very successful and impressive program as a failure. It is an appalling lack of fact-checking by the media and others that should be informed on the issue.

Today, the NY Times has a story on preparedness of the National Guard.

Capt. Christopher Heathscott, a spokesman for the Arkansas National Guard, said the state’s 39th Brigade Combat Team was 600 rifles short for its 3,500 soldiers and also lacked its full arsenal of mortars and howitzers.

Leftists, of course, leapt on this article as proof that our soldiers are being sent into battle with inadequate equipment.

Confederate Yankee did a great job of pointing out the differences in the rifles that are being discussed. I think he, however, doesn't go far enough in pointing out how stupid this whole discussion is. It isn't even a debate about whether the M4s or M16s are better.

I called and spoke with Captain Heathscott today to ask him about the missing rifles, mortars and howitzers mentioned in the NY Times article. He told me that the reason they don't currently have them is because they left them in Iraq on their last deployment for the unit that relieved them. He said they have all the rifles and equipment they currently need for training and further, he said they would have all the equipment to round out their TO&E when they actually received their orders and deployed.

Vegas Baby!!!! VEGAS!!!!

2007-02-19T14:44:00.000-06:00

When are you in the wrong?

2007-02-09T15:03:00.000-06:00

I heard a story about a woman who left her baby in the car for a half an hour in sub-zero temps. It sounds horrible.

I called and talked to the police (I wasn't able to get hold of her). Apparently what happened was that her car died and she went for help. I haven't been able to find out the woman's name.

Aside from this, I seriously wonder..... If you're from Huntington Beach, does that make you want to touch little kids?

Safety and Dirty Jobs

2007-01-31T00:47:00.000-06:00

I've talked before about what a fan I am of both the show Dirty Jobs and its host Mike Rowe. Not only is the guy funnier than hell, he'll sing you a tune. I became a bigger fan of his tonight after reading this piece by him on workplace safety.

I sincerely appreciate your concern for me and agree that stupidity plays an ongoing role in my professional and personal life. But believe me, I have no wish to be injured on the job.

However, it is not the objective of Dirty Jobs to conform to any particular set of safety standards, other than those dictated by the people for whom I happen to be working at the time. I take my cues from them and I assume whatever risk they assume, for the most part. In the end, we hope to capture an honest look at what life is like for the workers in a particular venue. We do not aspire to set an example or be a poster child for OSHA or any particular industry. I realize that may sound controversial but it's the truth and not nearly as inflammatory as what I'm going to say next.

Ready?

Of all the platitudes automatically embraced in the workplace — and there are many — there is none more pervasive, erroneous, overused and dangerous than "Safety First!" in my opinion. I have heard this slogan countless times. I have seen it emblazoned on banners, T-shirts and hats. I have sat through mandatory briefings, slideshows and presentations designed to "protect me from the hazards at hand." And I have listened as safety officers and foremen have run down list after list of OSHA requirements, all apparently construed to remind me that nothing is more important to the employer than my own well-being.

What a load of unmitigated nonsense.

In the 120+ jobs I have seen thus far, I can tell you with certainty, that safety, while always a major consideration, is never the priority.

Never.
Never, ever.
Not even once.

Is it important? Of course. But is it more important than getting the job done? No. Not even close. Making money is more important than safety — always — and it's very dangerous, in my opinion, to ignore that. When we start to believe that someone else is more concerned about our own safety than we are, we become complacent and then we get careless. When a business tells you that they are more concerned with your safety than anything else, beware. They are not being honest. They are hedging their own bets and following the advice of lawyers hired to protect them from lawsuits arising from accidents.

You are correct to suggest that wearing safety glasses would have made the task at hand safer. But why stop there? Wearing a helmet would have made it safer still. And wearing a steel-mesh shark suit would have made it really super-safe. I know that sounds glib and I know that many will wish to scold me for appearing cavalier. But really, I'm not. In a car, I wear a safety belt. On a motorcycle, I wear a helmet. Not because it's the law, but because it seems a reasonable precaution. And ultimately, the only one responsible for my own safety is me. (Besides, if the government were really concerned with my safety above all else, wouldn't they drop the legal speed limit to 30 miles an hour and make cars out of rubber?)

Again, you're right — I probably should have been wearing safety glasses, not because safety is first, but because I like to hedge my bets. We can always be safer. We can always assume less risk. But if safety were really first, I wouldn't travel at all or engage in any activity that required me to assume any risk. And I certainly wouldn't be hosting Dirty Jobs.

Like most sensible concepts, rational safety is all about balance. But the problem with balance is that you can never maintain it without constantly adjusting. Which means, we are always slightly out of balance, one way or the other.

When are we too reckless? When are we overly cautious? Opinions will vary about where safety should rank on society's list of desirable conditions. But one thing seems certain — safety has never been first, at home or at work. And the current effort to make it so is way out of balance.

And that, ironically, is dangerous.

Mike

Some More Jews Provoke An Innocent Palestinian Into Killing Them

2007-01-29T16:44:00.000-06:00

They were sitting in a coffee shop EXISTING. They were Jews and alive. How provocative!

Apparently a couple of groups have already confessed to the murders. The Palestinian "government" has issued a statement applauding the intentional killing of these innocent people.

Hey... I have an idea. Let's give these people a state with an army and everything. They won't try to kill innocent people then.

Stay tuned to Israelicool for all the updates.

Does anyone out there remember a column that Lileks wrote about one of these maybe 4 years ago? It talked about a little girl who was on a bus which was bombed.

A whole bunch of peace activists get waxed in Baghdad

2007-01-29T05:24:00.000-06:00

Here's some video of some of our guys and Iraqis fighting together against people who want America to abandon Iraq.

I don't know if Jack Murtha was killed in the fighting. I do know he shares the goal of those who were.

Vacation contest

2007-01-22T04:00:00.000-06:00

Everyone I haven't been married to is eligible. Everyone else, please stay away from me.

If you were to go somewhere with 6-8 of your friends for 5-7 days in a couples format, where would you choose? This is currently my top pick. Please keep your suggestions within the realm of possibilities. No Bali or anything like that.

Whomever picks the best place wins my warmest personal regards!

I'm not sure what to say

2007-01-12T05:18:00.000-06:00

It's early in the morning.

I just found out that two of my friends are getting divorced. She cheated on him. They have kids. I wish there was a way to make people understand how much that hurts before it happens.

Holy Crap, someone do the math

2006-12-22T16:32:00.000-06:00

I don't think this is even possible. I'm talking math. Let's pretend this woman is trying to tell the truth.

100,000 since she was 15. 20 years. That's 5,000 every year. I'll let you do your own math from there.

She claims to have had sex with 100,000 men. I wasn't even married to this woman

Charges Dropped, New Ones Added

2006-12-22T14:08:00.000-06:00

I simply cannot imagine what it's like to be falsely accused of a crime in this manner.

Making me feel better about myself

2006-12-15T04:23:00.000-06:00

I suddenly feel in shape.

Thanks to Attu.