Can the rich save the planet?

"Fisker Automotive Inc., a U.S. startup planning to sell luxury plug-in hybrid cars, secured a federal loan for as much as US$528.7-million to fund production of its low-emission models."

Investors in closely held Fisker, founded by car designer Fisker, include Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a Menlo Park, California-based venture capital fund that employs former Vice President Al Gore, and Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. Link

"KPCB has announced an historic alliance with Generation Investment Management and its chairman Al Gore who has become a KPCB Partner. The combined network, expertise, vision and global reach of Gore, Generation and KPCB will help our entrepreneurs change the world."

What others are saying: "Let's see - not only is a Gore-backed company getting hundreds of millions to produce electric cars for the status conscious wealthy, these electric cars won't even be built in America (a non-stimulus stimulus, so to speak). Plus, the electric cars will require more coal-fired plants to be built in order to supply the extra electricity these cars will consume, which happens to result in more net CO2 emissions. Ya gotta love how the corrupt, liberal Democrats always make sure to first take care of the common American worker and the global environment." C3 Headlines

Report on Lutheran CORE in Indianapolis

Here's a summary, but DVDs of the presentations will be available. "The ELCA has fallen into heresy. It is a time for confession and a time to resist. It is, please God, also a time for new life and transformation and for mission," said Paul Spring, the retired bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod. Leaders of the African immigrant and Hispanic churches in the ELCA also attended. Both communities have been deeply hurt by the ELCA's actions. Pastor Paul Ulring of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church where we've been members since 1976 is included in the summary,

"We are not dividing the church. The church is already divided. We're just mopping up what the church did," said the Rev. Paul Ulring of Columbus, Ohio, a member of the Lutheran CORE Steering Committee. "There is a future for us, a future that we only glimpse right now. Things will happen that will make it possible for us to do this, things that aren't clear right now, but Jesus is in clear view," said Ulring.

Ulring outlined steps that individuals and congregations can take as they move into the future. "We've spent all our ELCA years and before, struggling and working against what has now happened. It's over; it's done. We don't have to spend ourselves there anymore," Ulring said. "Let's take that energy, that passion and transfer it to a future that we don't have clearly, but a future that surely is better than what we've been messing with. And let's be gracious and kind, known for our positive spirit and hope. Let's be known for what we believe, not what we're against anymore. Let's be faithful to the Gospel, the Word of God, and the Lord Jesus."

"Let us stand together, as we see the future of Lutheranism change for the good. It's worth it. Jesus calls us to do it. He is not defeated or set aside by any decision or action. We have the opportunity to make an eternal difference," Ulring said. "God has given us this new freedom and opportunity. Let us rise in hope and forgiveness, to put aside the past and find the future we have been called to for Jesus' sake and for the sake of those he loves and wants."

Softball article on BOA and ACORN in WSJ

Isn't that just so sweet. James R. Hagerty wrote, Bank of America, "a corporate partner of ACORN" is going to end its relationship. I'm not diminishing the seriousness of the video'd prostitution sting at the ACORN offices, but really, these ACORN guys at the top of the chain were high class hookers long ago selling mortgages to people who can't pay for them. Clinton knew it; Bush knew it; Obama says he's clueless and clean. Sex just got the public's attention. Go to American Spectator to see how this works using Greenlining as an example. Greenlining is another nonprofit partner which you can see on this long list.

The requirements for an ACORN-assisted mortgage is still on their web page--it looks pretty loosey goosey to me. And we wonder why CRA contributed to the housing crash?

• 2003 and 2004 year tax returns and W2s [what's wrong with 2007 and 2008?]
  
• One month of current paystubs
  
• 3 most recent bank account statements
  
• $20 in check or money order for a credit report
  
• Rental history for the last 12 months: cancelled checks, receipts, landlord letter, etc.

Banks were being forced to lend to non-credit worthy applicants, to set aside all the known principles of sound financing to reduce the possibility of default. Take a look at what minorities were borrowing, as compared to whites, and guess who was pushing them there--certainly not the banks! Immigrant homeowners were actually failing less than native born minorities--probably had traditional resources backing them.

From Winter 2000 City Journal:

"The Clinton administration's get-tough regulatory regime mattered so crucially because bank deregulation had set off a wave of mega-mergers, including the acquisition of the Bank of America by NationsBank, BankBoston by Fleet Financial, and Bankers Trust by Deutsche Bank. Regulatory approval of such mergers depended, in part, on positive CRA ratings. "To avoid the possibility of a denied or delayed application," advises the NCRC in its deadpan tone, "lending institutions have an incentive to make formal agreements with community organizations." By intervening—even just threatening to intervene—in the CRA review process, left-wing nonprofit groups have been able to gain control over eye-popping pools of bank capital, which they in turn parcel out to individual low-income mortgage seekers. A radical group called ACORN Housing has a $760 million commitment from the Bank of New York; the Boston-based Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America has a $3-billion agreement with the Bank of America; a coalition of groups headed by New Jersey Citizen Action has a five-year, $13-billion agreement with First Union Corporation. Similar deals operate in almost every major U.S. city. Observes Tom Callahan, executive director of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, which has $220 million in bank mortgage money to parcel out, "CRA is the backbone of everything we do."

Now ACORN is back in the swim, getting federal dollars to run foreclosure workshops. Sweet deal. You get the homeowner in the mess, charge a fee and get a kick back from the bank; then get government funds to run workshops, collect fees, to get them out of the mess you made for them.

NeighborhoodWorks America is just another branch of ACORN, as are others on this list. ACORN has so many tentacles interwoven with state, local, federal and church agencies, we may never get it figured out.

A model for the White House?

We've all heard the stories about the White House czars--no vetting, no accountability except to Valerie Jarrett. Obama's never run a business, never met a payroll, knows nothing about the difference between billion and trillion. Today the WSJ had a feature section on outstanding small businesses. Not that the federal government is small, but I think I saw one that was a good model for Valerie--I skipped over the businesses that featured buzz words like "teamwork," great perks, and open communications, and zero'd in on Mike's Carwash of Indianapolis. It's been around for 60 years, and I think their hiring practices are something I could recommend to both Governor Strickland and Ms. Jarrett. Mike's Car Wash has 437 FTE--261 full time employees and 352 part time. Here's how Mike's provides stellar service and stays in business: it hires the right people, then provides heavy training and when they work out THEN they get the perks as incentives.

Only one out of 100 applicants get hired.
Each candidate is interviewed by two people.
Testing of candidates finds those with strong social and reasoning skills.
Candidates are drug tested.
Managers are trained to spot the red flags of substance abuse.

Then once they've found the right people, vetting even the lowly entry level people, they have heavy training, education reimbursement (great PT job for college kids), profit sharing and incentive plans.

USAToday also had a smaller feature on small businesses today. We all know that small business is where the recovery lies--not higher taxes on the people who create wealth and employ other people. Someone show this to the President--or better, to Valerie.

How the polls look in Ohio

Not looking so good for Obama and Strickland. Rasmussen

Strongly or somewhat approve of Obama--48%; strongly or somewhat disapprove of Obama 50%; strongly or somewhat approve of Strickland--47%; strongly or somewhat disapprove of Strickland--50%.

Governor Strickland has had more time to mess up than Obama, so you could say his numbers are better. He's been plagued by criminal or crooked appointees and buddies and flip flopping on gambling and taxes. Sound familiar?

Right now I'm for John Kasich, although I think his web page could use a little work. I've never been impressed with Obama's oratory, but his PR/web/graphics guru Axelrod is top notch--especially with the Soviet realism stuff.

On a personal note

This book, "On a personal note, a guide to writing notes with style" is my newest book, [cross referenced at my book blog] having received it for my recent birthday along with lots of note cards. I was told it has many good tips, and it does--most of which I already know. But it's a great review. Books on how to write letters and notes are a genre that go back a few centuries. What note and letter guides don't tell you is the effort that goes into it. Even for someone who writes as much as I do, I sometimes get discouraged by the task.

Here's how mine goes. First, I look through the list of names on my family list--siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, my own children, to jog my memory if I need to write something--encouragement for that elusive job, a wedding anniversary, a thank you note for a special favor, or a get well/thinking of you card. Since paper address books just don't do it anymore (although I still have my mother's, grandmother's and some old ones of mine), I usually have to go to my computer database and check the Christmas label list. Then I get out the last several issues of the church newsletter--hospitalizations, moved to care facility, baptisms, deaths, etc. Then I check off the people I know, and get out the directory for the people I don't know, or can't quite remember the face. The picture directory isn't as up to-date as the printed directory, so both have to be used. Then I get out the bound day-by-day calendar book (no year) in which I record who got a note and why on what date (I write in the year). This needs to be reviewed from time to time, because if a church member I don't know well comes up to me 2 months later and thanks me for the card, I don't want to say, "Who me?"

We were out of town for 10 weeks this summer, so yesterday I covered up the kitchen table and counter top with all my accoutrements, and wrote 25 notes and cards, using my new gifts. I'm not done yet, but I ran out of stamps. So many people use e-mail these days, that a regular U.S. mail piece is a real treat--at least it is for me. It's especially so for people who are residing in assisted care or a nursing home. Even if they no longer remember who you are by name, they can enjoy a pretty card. There's one family in church I don't know but have been sending notes for several years about their daughter who was in a terrible auto accident caused by a drunk driver. Many people must be writing to them, or calling, because I've received occasional updates on her condition. One man I never expected would leave the hospital is home and in remission. My friend Lynne crafts lovely cards and she has helped me out with special "guy type" cards which are a little difficult to find.

If you're on one of my lists, you'll probably be getting a note on my new birthday stationery soon. The handwriting isn't what it used to be, so I hope you can read it.

Peroxide VS Bleach

Mike and Judy sent this along. I use peroxide for a mouth wash, but not much else. I’ll have to try some of these. If you see misinformation, just pass it along. The Truth or Fiction site rates some of these as TRUTH, some as UNPROVEN some as DISPUTED and some as UNDETERMINED. Also that list is slightly different. e-How site has some of the same. Suggestions from an earth friendly site. Snopes doesn't enumerate, but advises caution, and says this particular e-mail started circulating around January 2006. Always check any health claims for any product received by e-mail at several fact checking sites. Or just google, and find an EPA or FDA or CDC site.

"I would like to tell you of the benefits of that plain little ole bottle of 3% peroxide you can get for under $1.00 at any drug store. What does bleach cost? My husband has been in the medical field for over 36 years, and most doctors don't tell you about peroxide.

Have you ever smelled bleach in a doctor's office? NO!!! Why? Because it smells, and it is not healthy! Ask the nurses who work in the doctor's offices, and ask them if they use bleach at home. They are wiser and know better!

"Did you also know bleach was invented in the late 40's? [One site said this isn't true.] It's chlorine, folks! And it was used to kill our troops. Peroxide was invented during WWI. It was used to save and help cleanse the needs of our troops and hospitals. Please think about this:

1. Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. (I do it when I bathe.) No more canker sores, and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes. Use it instead of mouthwash.

2. Let your toothbrushes soak in a cup of peroxide to keep them free of germs.

3. Clean your counters and table tops with peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

4. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

5. I had fungus on my feet for years until I sprayed a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and
water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

6. Soak any infections or cuts in 3% peroxide for five to ten minutes several times a day. My husband has seen gangrene that would not heal with any medicine but was
healed by soaking in peroxide.

7. Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will.

8. Tilt your head back and spray into nostrils with your 50/50 mixture whenever you have a cold, plugged sinus. It will bubble and help to kill the bacteria. Hold for a few minutes, and then blow your nose into a tissue.

9. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% peroxide into your mouth and hold it for ten minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

10. Put half a bottle of peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus, or other skin infections.

11. You can also add a cup of peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour it directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

12. I use peroxide to clean my mirrors. There is no smearing, which is why I love it so much for this.

The UN loves Obama because he's weak

Sad but true. Read it Americans.

"It is not hard to see why a standing ovation awaits the president at Turtle Bay. Obama’s popularity at the UN boils down essentially to his willingness to downplay American global power. He is the first American president who has made an art form out of apologizing for the United States, which he has done on numerous occasions on foreign soil, from Strasbourg to Cairo. The Obama mantra appears to be – ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do to atone for your country. This is a message that goes down very well in a world that is still seething with anti-Americanism.

It is natural that much of the UN will embrace an American president who declines to offer strong American leadership. A president who engages dictators like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez will naturally gain respect from the leaders of the more than 100 members of the United Nations who are currently designated as “partly free” or “not free” by respected watchdog Freedom House.

The UN is not a club of democracies - who still remain a minority within its membership – it is a vast melting pot of free societies, socialist regimes and outright tyrannies. Obama’s clear lack of interest in human rights issues is a big seller at the UN, where at least half its members have poor human rights records."

Whatever happened to the Ideal City?

The people have moved away. "Today (2005) no one in Germany refers to . . . suburbs as "monotonous." This term is instead reserved for the grey slabs of concrete that most people are abandoning as fast as they can. Throughout Europe, high-rise apartments are increasingly becoming ghettos for Muslim and other foreign "guest workers."

Read a fascinating article about Halle-Neustadt (referred to as Hanoi by residents), a high-density, soviet-built city in East Germany that some urban planners once rated “the most sustainable city in the world” by the Antiplanner. Terrific photos.

President Pantywaist as the Brits say

"If you read the entire article, [says Neo-Neocon,] you’ll see a few more things: Ahmadinejad’s exquisitely contemptuous message to Obama. Britain’s Brown responding by saying “Iran must abandon any military ambitions for its nuclear program,” as though he’s got anything to say about it. The news that Obama was briefed about this second enrichment facility back when he first came into office, and yet he still abandoned the planned missile defense for Poland and the Czechs last week designed to counter a nuclear threat, citing the fact that Iran wasn’t on track to develop nuclear weapons within the next five years."

Remember Poland. It was 70 years ago we did nothing. If you think immigration is unfair now, you should see what the "rules" did to European Jews. How did this one work? "The good neighbor respects himself and the rights of others. (FDR)" Does that remind you of any of the golden sentences we heard this past week from another Democrat?

Funny as a crutch, as we used to say

Oba mao



HT Taxmanblog

The Barney Dodge

The man knows no shame. He hid behind a Medal of Honor recipient, (published a whiney letter in the WSJ 9-23) in order not to appear at the defunding vote for ACORN. Oh Barney, you're the only thing transparent in this current administration!

Poverty pimps live well

Actually, main stream reporters couldn't be called exactly poverty pimps--they aren't the Jesse Jackson types where their entire livelihood is based on scamming the wealthy CEOs to give to their causes. But they do harange us ordinary folk with "social justice" sob stories and try to make us weep that we have more than others. Like Matt Lauer.

He has recently bought a waterfront "cottage" for $2.15 million in South Hampton, NY. He works for NBC's Today Show.

It was the closest nomination contest in a generation, with just one-tenth of a percentage point — 41,622 votes out of more than 35 million cast — separating Barack Obama from Hillary Clinton when the Democratic primaries ended in June 2008. Obama’s margin among elected delegates was almost as thin, just 51 to 48 percent.

But Barack Obama had a crucial advantage over his rivals this year: the support of the national media, especially the three broadcast networks. At every step of his national political career, network reporters showered the Illinois Senator with glowing media coverage, building him up as a political celebrity and exhibiting little interest in investigating his past associations or exploring the controversies that could have threatened his campaign. Read the entire report here

So what sort of pay back do these MSM reporters get? After all, Obama's going to redistribute their wealth to the bottom one-third (actually, that would include me). Maybe they just get to share the beach. I wouldn't deny a liberal media maven his millions, I just wish they'd be less a hypocrite about wealth, taxes, poverty, health insurance and Obama!

WSJ says luxury real estate is rebounding in the Hamptons thanks to Obama's "bridge loans" for the well connected with our tax money. (Lots of snobbish blacks in the Hamptons. They used to be only for snobbish whites.) Really, these people didn't get rich by being stupid.

A possible homicide. Foul play. Ya think?

It wouldn’t take me long to decide it was a homicide if the guy’s eyes are taped and mouth stuffed, his hands and feet bound, and he was hung naked except for his socks (Columbus Dispatch). Really, reporters sound a bit funny. Like this at Huffington Post

"Our job is to determine if there was foul play involved – and that's part of the investigation – and if there was foul play involved, whether that is related to his employment as a Census worker," said Beyer.

Attacking a federal worker during or because of his job is a federal crime.”

I'm voting that this had nothing to do with his part time job, and everything to do with kinky sex gone bad. Or he stumbled onto the modern version of an old timey Kentucky still (drugs).

Imagine the health care wait

While we were filling our coffee cups, the man on disability told me that he had applied 7 months ago for a special mortgage refinancing program that was part of the stimulus. He has submitted mountains of documentation, he has good credit, his bank is behind him--it's the federal government that has poured sugar in the gas tank of an already sluggish bureaucracy. He laughed--"This is more time than it took for me to qualify for diability!" (and that was a number of months).

Also, at Ohio State there is a back log in providing military veterans their payments for tuition, books and living expenses under the post 9-11 GI Bill. That log jam apparently started to build up around May of 2009. This has affected tens of thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans nationwide scrambling to cobble together enough money until the government payments come through.

There's only a few million veterans, and probably even fewer mortgages going through refinancing paper work. Aren't you just amazed at a president so ignorant of the red tape he's creating who wants to take over the entire health financing system instead of fixing what doesn't work--like the waste and fraud that are already in the government health programs?

A tax increase on the vain and poor alike

In Ohio, vanity tags will go from $15 to $50, and 30 day tags from $8 to $18.50. Pity the poor working man--first the federal government decreases the supply of lesser value, inexpensive used cars by promoting a "cash for clunkers" program in which they are destroyed, thus raising the prices on used cars still in the market pipeline, then the state raises the price on everything concerning tags and licenses. I just renewed my driver's license two days ago, and noticed I was charged $1.00 for a "vision" test--that consisted of reading one line of numbers and waving my hand if I saw a flashing light. That 10 second test will now go up to $2.75, and the only reason it didn't go up in July with the other fees is they couldn't get the computers reprogrammed fast enough. Before he was elected, our Governor Strickland, a former Methodist pastor, insisted that raised fees were hidden taxes, and that he was against state sponsored gambling. Well, those morals went out the window. These d.l. and tag fees are supposed to raise an additional $55 million dollars. This is not supposed to overburden the BMV "customers," but will make up the funding gap in safety services.

A conversation about white guilt

and the damage done to African Americans by liberals. This interview with Shelby Steele by Charlie Rose was done in 1998, and the topic is perhaps even more important today. It’s also classic Charlie, where he tries to get the guest off track (starts out talking about Clinton’s morality and affairs) if he doesn’t agree with him/her, thus eating into their time. I was vilified by liberals by even suggesting that Obama’s “blaccent” wasn’t authentic even to my ear, but Steele said it first and better as did trained linguists. Unfortunately for Steele, his book on Obama had a very unfortunate subtitle: “and why he can’t win.”

First have something to say

Roy Tennant doesn’t know me, doesn’t read my blog, but I can identify, except I still think people need to have something to say before they e-mail, twitter or blog. I think from this post below, he’s decided everyone has something to say. I talk to a lot of people face to face, I read a lot, I’m on a bunch of lists; and sorry Roy, many have nothing to say at all about anything, but they never shut up. Some are college professors, some are on medication for brain disorders. Others can verbally express themselves, but their writing looks like my tennis or swimming (awful). Recently (in e-mail) my childhood friend Carol asked how could I find the time to read and write as much as I do. Everyone finds time to do what they enjoy--whether it’s attending board (bored) meetings, trying new recipes, walking 5 miles a day, training dogs, or collecting Annaco ceramic cats. It’s not about time, it’s not even about discipline. Here‘s Roy--a very good prolific writer and one with whom I frequently disagree:

"I write a lot. Some might say too much. I write Twitter updates, e-mails, electronic discussion messages, blog posts, journal articles, books, and this "glacial blog" where I post maybe twice a year. I think about writing a lot. Some might say too much. And I have something to say about it.

A colleague I greatly respect has said of writing "First, have something to say." At first this seems like complete wisdom, and for years it made total sense to me. But as I have thought more about it, I have become very uncomfortable with it. So I want to take this one post of my twice-a-year-blog to refute this statement since I think it potentially undermines potential writers at their most vulnerable point.” See if you agree with him no specific link but page says May 21, 2009

Cathy's Clown

He's probably a great grandfather by now--that poor dejected guy that Cathy dumped back in 1960, she was "treating him so bad," that his heart felt cry went to the top of the charts for the Everly Brothers. I was thinking about him this morning because we were moving to this in exercise class. Our instructor is probably around 40, has a toddler she brings to class, and wouldn't have even been born yet when the Everly Brothers were heart throbs. Gosh, they were cute (now 70 and 72).



When you see me shed a tear,
And you know that it's sincere,
Doncha think it's kinda sad
That you're treatin' me so bad,
Or don't you even care?

Don't want your lo-o-o-o-ove anymore.
Don't want your ki-i-i-i-isses, that's for sure.
I die each time
I hear this sound:
"Here he co-o-o-o-omes. That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown.
That's Cathy's clown."

No one laughs at ACORN today

Last September was the first many of us had heard of “community organizer,” as an actual career. All we knew about ACORN was some voter fraud that rolled around each election. After the term was ridiculed by Rudy and Sarah, the pros at ACORN lit up like a dry torched Christmas tree. Matthew Vadum of Capital Research Center set us straight.

“But what exactly is community organizing? And is it “very valuable”?
There might be some form of community organizing somewhere in the nation that is “very valuable,” but in the highly specific sense that Obama –a lawyer who enjoys carefully crafting his sentences– uses the term, it’s not about church bake sales, picking up litter, little leagues, or parent-teacher associations.

Obama-style community organizing is pure leftist, anti-capitalist agitation. It’s about that nebulous Marxist concept of ’social justice.’ It’s about making people angry so they push for change. The kind of change they seek is rarely good. It often artificially creates pressure for government spending on whatever project is fashionable in leftist circles that day. Filled with robust self-esteem, community organizers are typically professional revolutionaries who believe that something is terribly wrong with America and that they are the ones anointed to fix it.

The father of community organizing was ultra-leftist Saul Alinsky (1909-1972), a Chicagoan who elevated local-level political agitation to an art form. Alinsky, a significant influence on Obama, believed in “rubbing raw the sores of discontent.” In his classic book Rules for Radicals, Alinsky prescribed the tactics and defined the goals of community organizing. Among his “rules“: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up” and “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.”

Alinsky taught his disciples to disguise their radical ideology. “Camouflage is key to Alinsky-style organizing. In organizing coalitions of black churches in Chicago, Obama caught flak for not attending church himself. He became an instant churchgoer,” notes Richard Lawrence Poe. According to Alinsky, an effective radical activist “discards the rhetoric that always says ‘pig’ ” when describing police officers, and uses other linguistic tricks in order, “to radicalize parts of the middle class.” Winning over the middle class is key, Alinsky argued, because “the power and the people are in the big middle-class majority.”

Obama’s would-be castrator Jesse Jackson is a master community organizer himself who now focuses his efforts on Wall Street. His Rainbow/PUSH Coalition has shaken corporations down for millions of dollars. As Shelby Steele writes, Jackson and his brethren in the civil rights establishment have “pursued equality through the manipulation of white guilt.” Those leaders “ushered in an extortionist era of civil rights, in which they said to American institutions: Your shame must now become our advantage,” Steele writes.” Read the rest here.