I Have Finally Figured Out Why I Don't Like Sarah Palin

I wrote awhile back that Sarah Palin "scared" me. At first I thought it was just an anti-McCain feeling. But after watching her interviews a number of times and staring intently at the monitor, I have concluded that I have a very legitimate reason for not liking the woman.

She has never once given me the impression that she has thought about an answer! All of her responses are Stepford-Wives responses. She hasn't given me the impression that she has pondered anything. Instead she rattles off words, nouns and verbs all strung together in that most irratating nasal sound.

Why she even makes George W. Bush look "bright". Not that's sad!

photos of haitian devastation

When Will Politicians Bail out Taxpayers

How are you doing in this shaky economy? I know I am barely hanging on. I checked my retirement fund the other day and was fortunate to see that its value had only dropped by three thousand dollars. And I use the term "only" carefully because I know people who don't even have that much in a retirement plan or a retirement plan at all. They are living with the "I will deal with it when the time comes" mentality.

Who should we blame for the condition of this economy? The politicians, the financial institutions who played with our money and the stock market like it was a toy-or should we just blame ourselves? As we get ready to go into the November elections, many of the people who have been in office for years are asking us to send them back to do exactly what they have been doing-nothing!

As voters, we need to take elections seriously and make our decisions to vote for those who will represent us very carefully. Send people to represent you who don't understand finances, economics and human nature and we end up in an economy and situation like we have today. When politicians allowed certain segments of the financial sector to be deregulated, the expectation was that the people in those institutions would do the right thing. But politicians didn't take into account human greed.

Who among you can remember that not long after Congress deregulated the Savings and Loan industry, it went belly up in a situation that is reminiscent of today's financial crisis. Yet those in Washington never seem to learn. We taxpayers are seen as the endless piggy bank who can constantly supply government with funds to bail out failing private financial institutions. Yet even though Congress is currently looking into a 700-BILLION-dollar bailout of financial institutions, who is helping the average taxpayer?

I know someone who has had to tap into their 401k during these rough economic times. They will have to pay taxes on the money they took out, plus a 10-percent penalty. How come our lawmakers aren't doing something to suspend the penalty when people who are trying to live are using their last resources in order to stay afloat?

Here's something for everyone to think about when politicians talk about giving us something. Always ask them how they will pay for it. And make sure the payment method is a concrete idea and not a lofty one based on a temporary solution. Also be careful of the freebies politicians offer to make you feel good. Free rides for seniors sounds good, but will you give up your seat on a bus to a senior who is riding free and you just used your last $2 to pay for the ride while the senior is taking the bus to Chinatown to catch the shuttle to the casino? Or will you struggle to pay your child's medical bill because your insurance won't cover certain treatments for asthma while a co-worker is benefiting from insurance coverage that offers special treatment because their child is autistic?

Our politicians are either standing in the limelight or under a spotlight. One is because they have done well, the other is because they are under scrutiny.

Illegal Conversions - Illegal Aliens - The Current Mortgage Crisis

Over the years I have written about the effect illegal conversions have had on a neighborhood. Specifically the Belmont Cragin Community. The city never wanted to address the issue for fear of being accused of being called "racist" or "xenophobe". Nobody wanted to address all the issues that comes with Illegal Immigration. Instead we were constantly barraged with words like "they do the work American won't do", "they're hardworking" and to quote daley, "they go to church". Well here's an article from Michelle Malkin. I always used to wonder when driving down west Fullerton or South Pulaski how come they had so many mortgage companies. They had mortgage companies the way the black commumnity has store front churches:

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Michelle Malkin: Illegal immigration played big role in the mortgage mess

Banks, advocacy groups pushed reckless loans

Michelle Malkin

The Mother of All Bailouts has many fathers.

As panicked politicians prepare to fork over $1 trillion in taxpayer funding to rescue the financial industry, they've fingered regulation, deregulation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Community Reinvestment Act, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, both Bushes, greedy banks, greedy borrowers, greedy short-sellers and minority home ownership mau-mauers (can't call 'em greedy, that would be racist) for blame.

But there's one giant paternal elephant in the room that has slipped notice: how illegal immigration, crime-enabling banks and open-borders Bush policies fueled the mortgage crisis.

It's no coincidence that most of the areas hardest hit by the foreclosure wave - Loudoun County, Va., California's Inland Empire, Stockton and San Joaquin Valley, and Las Vegas and Phoenix, for starters - also happen to be some of the nation's largest illegal alien sanctuaries.

Half of the mortgages to Hispanics are subprime (the accursed species of loan to borrowers with the shadiest credit histories).

A quarter of all those subprime loans are in default and foreclosure.

Regional reports across the country have decried the subprime meltdown's impact on illegal immigrant "victims."

A July report showed that in seven of the 10 metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates, Hispanics represented at least one-third of the population; in two of those areas - Merced and Salinas-Monterey, Calif. - Hispanics comprised half the population.

The amnesty-promoting National Council of La Raza and its Development Fund have received millions in federal funds to "counsel" their constituents on obtaining mortgages with little to no money down; the group almost succeeded in attaching a $10 million earmark for itself in one of the housing bills passed this spring.

For the last five years, I've reported on the rapidly expanding illegal alien home loan racket.

The top banks clamoring for their handouts as their profits plummet, led by Wachovia and Bank of America, launched aggressive campaigns to woo illegal alien homebuyers.

The quasi-governmental Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority jumped in to guarantee home loans to illegal immigrants.

The Washington Post noted, almost as an afterthought in a 2005 report: "Hispanics, the nation's fastest-growing major ethnic or racial group, have been courted aggressively by real estate agents, mortgage brokers and programs for first-time buyers that offer help with closing costs.

Ads proclaim: "Sin verificacion de ingresos! Sin verificacion de documento!" - which loosely translates as, "Income tax forms are not required, nor are immigration papers."

In addition, fraudsters have engaged in massive house-flipping rings using illegal aliens as straw buyers.

Among many examples cited by the FBI: a conspiracy in Las Vegas involving a former Nevada First Residential Mortgage Company branch manager who directed loan officers and processors in the origination of 233 fraudulent Federal Housing Authority loans valued at over $25 million.

The defrauders manufactured and submitted false employment and income documentation for borrowers; most were illegal immigrants from Mexico.

To date, the FBI reported, "Fifty-eight loans with a total value of $6.2 million have gone into default, with a loss to the Housing and Urban Development Department of over $1.9 million."

It's the tip of the iceberg.

Thanks to lax Bush administration-approved policies allowing illegal aliens to use "matricula consular cards" and taxpayer identification numbers to open bank accounts, more forms of mortgage fraud have burgeoned. Moneylenders still have no access to a verification system to check Social Security numbers before approving loans.

In an interview about rampant illegal alien home loan fraud, a spokeswoman for the U.S. General Accounting Office told me five years ago: "Considering the size of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Houston and other large cities throughout the United States known to be inundated with illegal aliens, I don't think the federal government is willing to expose this problem for financial reasons as well as for fear of political repercussions."

The chickens are coming home to roost. And law-abiding, responsible taxpayers are going to pay for it.

John McCain Suspends Campaign

Either this is an attempt to get away from having to do a debate about the economy and his flubbing it, or is the McCain campaign in trouble with their money???? How much money can the campaign save if no commercials don't run for 3 - 5 days?????

Anyway, Letterman went off on McCain. Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkCrfylq-E

The Great Black Wave

This was sent to me and I thought it beautiful. Watch it and weep.

2008 LUXE HOME TOUR

I am not a economic wizard or a financial guru. But what I do possess is common sense. So this year in doing my fifth annual Luxe Home Tour of million-dollar-plus homes, I was not surprised to see a home that had been on the market for three years still sitting unsold.

Even my favorite home from last year is still unsold. As the economic market suffers a major meltdown, I always wondered who was making the money to buy all those homes?

Anywary the tour is still worth the time and effort that it takes to do it. I saw some wonderful homes and even went all the way to wisconsin to see the one off of Lake Delavan.

For anyone not familiar with the Luxe Home Tour, it occurs once a year in September. It is co-sponsored by Caribou Coffee and the Merchandis Mart Luxe Home. I may not be able to afford a multi-million dollar home, but I can take the time to see designs by local decorators that I can use to improve my beloved bungalow.

L.I.T.E ARE THEY SERIOUS???? TURNS OUT THIS IS A JOKE!

Extremely pleased that the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama is "bringing light-skin brothers back," a new organization of black men of very light complexion have launched a voter registration drive aimed at "getting every light-skin brother to the polls on Nov. 5" said the organization's founder, Dan "White Boy" Williamson.

Williamson organized Light-skin and Interested in True Equity (LITE) to give men like him a platform to share their experiences for healing purposes and to advocate for equity, especially in the dating game and in the entertainment world. "Through my research, I have found out that we still do well in corporate America," he admitted.
"These dark skinned brothers have been on top of the dating and entertainment games for a long time," said the 40-year-old Williamson.

"It's been about 30 years and it's is about time! I knew things were looking up for us light brothers when Wesley Snipes got in all that tax trouble with the IRS," he added. "Folks asking if Barack will paint the white house black if he gets in office. I hope not. I hope he paint it high yellow. Call it the High Yellow House. That will stop all the cruel ridiculing."
Light-skin activist also point to the recent incident with Tyson. The male supermodel recent public display of nakedness was simply another sign that the winds of complexion popularity are changing, explained Williamson. "He's desperate because he's not the it guy anymore," said Williamson.


As a show of unity, light-skin brothers everywhere are encouraged to support Chico DeBarge's upcoming music release. "He's a symbol of progress for light-skin brothers everywhere," said Williamson.
The Coalition urges all light-skin brothers in politics, entertainment, and those in the dating circuit to take their games up a notch because "the playing field just got level again."


P.S. This should be more like "Lacking Intelligence Takes Effort"!

Families Need Help In Making Smart Food Choices

We are in tough economic times. Gasoline prices are astronomical. Cooking gas and electricity costs are soaring. Food prices are increasing as well. As I pondered whether to buy the generic/store brand of canned tomatoes or the name-brand, I happened to notice the shopping cart of another young lady shopping with her children. Three cases of ramen noodles. Lots of hot dogs and chips. All the cereal was brand named and each one was sugar-sweeten-this or sugar-sweeten-that.

When I got ready to check out, the young lady was in front of me. When it came time for her to pay the bill, she pulled out her LINK card and paid for her groceries. What bothered me most was not that she paid for it with LINK, but that LINK allows my tax dollars to be used in that fashion.

This isn't just about a personal decision to buy whatever one wants. It is also about a personal decision made with taxpayers' dollars. In an era where our politicians are constantly imposing on our private lives, then why or how is it, with all the studies out directly linking salts and sugars in processed food to more and more health problems, that the government hasn't stepped in and said no to certain foods being paid for with taxpayers' dollars?

The original concept of food stamp programs was to give the poor help in accessing food. When advocating for it, politicians used the image of mothers buying milk, bread and nutritious food for their families. But when a young woman, who appears to be barely 25 years old, feeds her children ramen noodles and hot dogs, we have a sure-fire crisis brewing in that household. A child's growing body cannot fuel itself off ramen noodles.

Sure, those noodles are fast to cook and cheap. But in an era where politicians want more money for schools, a child whose stomach is filled with salty foods and zero nutritional value cannot learn because their bodies are not running off the type of fuel that is conducive to learning. Who among you haven't at one time or other seen someone argue with the clerk in a store about what they can and cannot buy with WIC? I have more than once been amused by a mother claiming her children don't like Cheerios but love Fruit Loops.

But poor food choices for children are not the only ones being made. I watched as another woman, elderly and morbidly obese loaded up the cart portion of an electric, store-provided cart with packages of cinnamon rolls, processed meats and frozen pizzas.

Obesity is the fastest growing health problem in every age group in America. As a country, people aren't getting fat eating rice and beans, which is a very nutritious meal. Rather they are getting fat off the calorie-laden food choices being made for children and by adults for themselves. Why cook a pot of greens when it's faster to boil a hot dog? Why take an hour to fix spaghetti when ramen noodles take minutes. They're both pasta, right?

There are health benefits to healthy eating. Those who want to eat whatever they want are free to spend their money as they see fit. But when the food is being paid for by taxpayers, we need to help families make positive choices by limiting their ability to make poor choices.

P.S. After my last column, the Save Our School website was finally updated to reflect their progress, something that should have been done immediately! Unfortunately, the site still doesn't offer any links that can guide parents. Everyone should continue to monitor that website to keep abreast of their progress.

Rest in Peace Norman Whitfield

His name may not be familiar to you however, his music sure is. Click on the line below. Legendary MOTOWN Records & Whitfield Records song writer and producer Norman Whitfield has made his transition.
I had the pleasure of working with Norman when his Whitfield label was being distributed by Warner Bros.. Records.
Those were great times and the records was still fun back then. May he rest in peace. Highlights of the hits of Norman Whitfield are:

1963: "Pride & Joy" - Marvin Gaye
1964: "Too Many Fish in the Sea" - The Marvelettes
1964: "Needle in a Haystack" - The Velvelettes
1964: "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'" - The Velvelettes
1964: "Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)" - The Temptations
1966: "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" - The Temptations
1966: "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" - The Temptations
1966: "(I Know) I'm Losing You" - The Temptations
1967: "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - Gladys Knight & the Pips, also recorded by Marvin Gaye and Creedence Clearwater Revival
1967: "You're My Everything" - The Temptations
1967: "I Wish It Would Rain" - The Temptations
1968: "I Could Never Love Another (After Loving You) - The Temptations
1968: "The End Of Our Road" - Gladys Knight & The Pips
1968: "Cloud Nine" - The Temptations
1969: "Friendship Train" - Gladys Knight & the Pips
1969: "Runaway Child, Running Wild" - The Temptations
1969: "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" - Marvin Gaye
1969: "I Can't Get Next to You" - The Temptations
1969: "Don't Let The Joneses Get You Down" - The Temptations
1970: "You Need Love Like I Do (Don't You)" - Gladys Knight & The Pips, also recorded by The Temptations
1970: "Psychedelic Shack" - The Temptations
1970: "Hum Along and Dance" - The Temptations (later covered by Rare Earth and The Jackson 5)
1970: "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" - The Temptations
1970: "War" - Edwin Starr
1971: "Smiling Faces Sometimes" - The Undisputed Truth, originally recorded by The Temptations
1971: "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" - The Temptations
1972: "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" - The Temptations
1973: "Masterpiece" - The Temptations
1973: "Let Your Hair Down" - The Temptations
1976: "Car Wash" - Rose Royce
1976: "I'm Going Down" - Rose Royce
1976: "I Wanna Get Next to You" - Rose Royce
1977: "Ooh Boy" - Rose Royce
1977: "Wishing on a Star" - Rose Royce
1978: "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" - Rose

http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/Norman%20Whitfield.html

Is this guy serious?

http://utube.smashits.com/video/VELIG92GDXw/Father-of-Bristol-Palin-s-baby-speaks.html

SARAH PALIN INTERVIEW ON NIGHTLINE

When I watched her on World News Tonight, I must admit that I held my breath the entire time. Not in awe, but in astonishment as to the IGNORANCE of that woman.

She didn't know what the BUSH DOCTRINE WAS!!!! Her responses were full of code words like "the terrorist" and when asked if Israel could do a premptive strike against IRAN, her response was that it is not our job to "SECOND GUEST" them!!!

OMG, that woman repeatedly tried to dodge or not answer questions. That woman has managed to combine Reagan's Alzheimer's presidency and Bush's moronic foreign diplomacy all into one!


Then I tuned in to watch Nightline. The portioned that were shown on World News scared me about Sarah Palin. Now seeing the entire first part of the interview, I'm petrified.

This woman has no idea of the delicate foreign policy dance one must perform in a world where we can no longer just see it as first world and third world. Technology has offered an equality over the past 30 years that has never before been seen during the entire history of this planet. No longer can America be a bully and force others just to wily-nily do as we want.

Anyway, Palin's response to Global Warming is as convuluted as one can get. Rather than being decisive, she's deceptive. She knows little and is using the current republican strategy of referring to "the terrorists" and "evildoers". The woman likes the stage she has been thrust upon, unfortunately her performance such as her wanting to ignore Russia not wanting Georgia or the Ukraine in NATO and dismissing the complexities of it is alarming.

Part of the problem with the cowboy antics of bush is that it doesn't work. No longer can America scare lesser nations with our powers especially in light of the fact that we are unwilling to use it and others know it.

Palin is a great speech reader. But on her own toes, she is an amoeba minus one cell!

I have a new name for McCain/Palin. Mr. Magoo and Gidget!

The Boycott - oops I mean Stunt is Over!

The school boycott is over! Yup, the 48-hour boycott has proven to be the stunt I said it was. And the sad part is children were used as the biggest pawns in the entire process.

Having ridden the buses and observed all that happened, I can't help wondering what those adults who were the sponsors of this action will say to the children. The children, accompanied by parents who went to New Trier to pre-register, will see those forms used by New Trier to claim state money for the day using those forms. Those children who saw the New Trier environment are now expected to return to their home school because the politicians/ministers played politics with their hopes and dreams. Those children will go back to their home schools with not a single change to the environment. Book shortages, decaying buildings, lack of supplies, and an environment that is not always conducive to learning, will still be there.

What of the students who visited the lobbies of the downtown office building and sat outside of city hall while getting their lessons? Now they are privy to another lesson-adults will use them in their personal quest for power. Or the high school students who for two days could be around children their age without any fear of violence. As they return to their home high schools, they will still have to worry about who brought what weapon to school, or how to safely get to school as they navigate gang territories.

What about the number of young people who hang around the high schools carrying golf clubs-a weapon the police cannot take from them because their first response is they're planning on being the next Tiger Woods? What of the young boy and girl on my bus who got a lesson in why it's better to be the owner of a basketball team as opposed to a player? Their eyes showed a glimmer of hope that someone was paying attention to them and their learning needs-now that's gone as well.

As adults, those who sponsored this stunt should be held strictly accountable. They got on TV and made their speeches. Their names and images as leaders of the boycott were heard and seen by all. But what now? The boycott's original premise was that Gov. Blagojevich had gone back on his word to address the inequality in school funding. So what did two days of boycotting really do? Were those students used in a "pissing contest" between state Senator Rev. James T. Meeks and Gov. Blagojevich?

And since when does the ultimate method of protest end based on a promise to meet rather than an actual meeting?

Whenever a boycott is planned, there are also strategies planned for all the "then what" moments. If the boycott is successful, then what we do next is this. ... If the boycott isn't successful, then what we do next is that. ... If the boycott ends early, then what we do is ... etc.

Well, after calling for an end to the boycott, and telling the children to go to school, I haven't heard any of the detailed plans for the current "now what" moment. So I visited the website www.saveourschoolsnow.com. I was expecting to see a detailed report on the current strategy. What I found was a site that told people "Children Should Return To School." No information on meetings or plans for the next phase. No message board for concerned parents/educators/organizers to network for solutions. Not even a link to any other online sites where they can find and share information.

As with most things where black folks are used as pawns, we got all show with no substance. We got all hyped up by religion and let down by politics.

What was I looking for? I was looking for guidelines for parents to use while the school funding debacle goes on-like telling parents to read to their children, encouraging parents to buy computers for their children as the ultimate teaching tool. I was hoping to see the churches tell parents that having dinner at the dining room table is a very simple method of having family discussions which can increase their child's knowledge as discussions are held around the dinner table. I wanted real action.

Anyone with a computer should visit the site and judge for themselves. For those who don't have a computer, don't worry. You haven't missed a thing.


www.saveourschoolsnow.com

Is Sarah Palin Really A ProLIfer?

In reading the history of Sarah Palin, it is often mentioned that she and her husband knew before their son's birth that he had Down's Syndrome. Wait a second! If one truly believes that life begins at conception, then why test for anything? You will accept whatever God send you. I feel that Sarah Palin's testing is more in line with a woman's right to choose.

SCHOOL BOYCOTT IS OVER!

Damn, no sooner that it had gotten started the boycott is over. But wait! The original reason for the boycott was Blago not living up to his promises. He hadn't met with Meeks and like a "pissing contest" Meeks got mad and found a bunch of westside ministers and a few southside ones and they created Save our Schools.

So now that Blago says he won't meet with Meeks while the boycott is in effect, Meeks backs down and calls it off? Give me a freaking break.

This stunt and it was a stunt is the reason that we as black people don't get ahead. If I had had the opportunity to tell them what they should have done, they should have bused those children to Walter Payton,
Whitney YOung, Northside Prep, Disney, etc and demanded that those children be enrolled there since those schools don't seem to suffer the infamous "funding problem".

One other thing, when the LSC elections come up again, Save our Schools had be at the forefront of getting parents and local community residents involved in the schools.

First Day of School.....at New Trier

I attended the recent Save Our Schools rally. I had previously written that what state Senator Rev. James T. Meeks was doing in implementing the Chicago Public Schools boycott/protest on the first day of school was a stunt. I wanted to get a firsthand look at the actual event. So I joined the folks who left from Heritage International Christian Church on Tuesday on one of the three buses that departed from that location.

I would estimate 150 people went to the rally from that location. The majority were children, but a significant number of adults served as bus captains, educators, food service or parent chaperones. Prior to departure, I had a chance to speak with several of the ministers who were co-organizers of the rally. The crux of the conversation boiled down to a frustration over what is not happening at CPS. The same message could be heard from other adults who attended the rally. Something needs to be done and at this point in the process, the feeling was "by any means necessary."

We arrived at the Northfield campus for New Trier and as soon as we departed the bus, we were greeted by a man who shook our hands and identified himself as a proud New Trier graduate. He welcomed us and as we walked toward the schools, we encountered several other residents who were holding signs of welcome. There were also a number of small tables set up with cold water and paper cups.

We entered the gym where a number of tables were set up for people to pre-register their children. The New Trier campus complex in Northfield was built in 1965. As the school enrollment for that campus increased, the school was used as a four-year high school. When enrollment declined, that campus was closed and turned into a community center/senior center/public swimming pool. With enrollment back up, the campus now currently hosts just the freshman class. New Trier serves as the only public high school for the suburbs of Wilmette, Glencoe, Winnetka, Kenilworth and most of Northfield, as well as parts of Glenview, Northbrook and Evanston.

I happened to be in the gym when Rev. Sen. Meeks arrived. As he spoke to the officials from New Trier, he told them the protest was only for one day and apologized for putting them in the middle of the fracas. His actions, he said, were based on wanting to bring attention to the issue. We spent over two hours at New Trier for the "registration" process and then boarded the buses to go to the forest preserves for lunch, a short presentation of speakers, including the only other elected official, state Rep. Mary Flowers, and the ride back home.

My opinion after the rally didn't change. Although the organization was extremely impressive, I wondered why the same emphasis hasn't been placed on each church adopting a local school to mentor for the entire school year with an emphasis on the three Rs? And though Rep. Flowers stood on the podium and advocated for the boycott, several news reports mentioned that her own child went to school that day!

It is my understanding from a number of sources that the registration papers taken by New Trier can be used by them to claim those students as being in attendance at their school. Thus New Trier will benefit from state funding as a result of the protest rally. Lastly, a lot of the news shows had Mayor Daley criticizing the boycott and chastising the organizers for "using children to get political decisions made." Hmmm, isn't that the exact same thing he did in advocating for the building of a new Children's Museum in Grant Park?