Medal of Honor investigation launched.

[retdetsgt]

I heard he's up for the Heisman Trophy too, he watched over three college football games.

[MikeG]

Did he win anything for bowling or baseball? His bowling and pitching is the most entertaining things I've seen him accomplish.

For the 10th anniversary on 9/11, he should recreate Bush's first pitch at the World Series from 2001. That would be some entertaining stuff right there.

And do you think he gets to smoke on Air Force One? Or tamper with the smoke detector in the lavatory?

[retdetsgt]

Interesting contrast:

George W. Bush speech after capture of Saddam:

"The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now
serving in Iraq . The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence
analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The
operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting
force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many
dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to
bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do
the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed
Forces and I congratulate 'em."


Barack Obama speech after killing of bin Laden:

"And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of
the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our
war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt,
dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after years of
painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible
lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run
this thread to ground."

"I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more
information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding
within a compound deep inside of Pakistan . And finally, last week, I
determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an
operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my
direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that
compound inAbbottabad , Pakistan."

[Joeyd6]

Interesting contrast:

George W. Bush speech after capture of Saddam:

"The success of yesterday's mission is a tribute to our men and women now
serving in Iraq . The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence
analysts who found the dictator's footprints in a vast country. The
operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting
force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many
dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to
bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do
the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed
Forces and I congratulate 'em."


Barack Obama speech after killing of bin Laden:

"And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of
the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our
war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt,
dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after years of
painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible
lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run
this thread to ground."

"I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more
information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding
within a compound deep inside of Pakistan . And finally, last week, I
determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an
operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my
direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that
compound inAbbottabad , Pakistan."

Sometimes seeing it in black and white makes a point clear.

Bush played golkf 24 times in eight years......he was busy running the country.

Obama has played golf 70 times in two years and four months....

Community organizer.....how about community golfer.

[Aussie George]

Sometimes seeing it in black and white makes a point clear.

Bush played golkf 24 times in eight years......he was busy running the country.

Obama has played golf 70 times in two years and four months....

Community organizer.....how about community golfer.

Ha! And yet this is a well known clip making it look like all Bush did was play golf...




I love the media!

[Cat_Doc]

To me the most telling part is that President Bush only said "I" twice, and it was when he was thanking and congratulating the troops who actually do the job.

[retdetsgt]

He's got a lot of problems. The market just tanked today and the economy is on greased skids. The American people aren't buying the blame Bush rhetoric any longer, they're holding him responsible and he has no idea what to do. Even congressional Democrats are looking to him for leadership and he's providing none.

They're trying to tout Detroit as a victory, but I also just read that taxpayers are going to lose 14 billion on that bailout that will never be paid back. We're in a world of hurt and our president is a deer in the headlights. He's way out of his element and clueless.

[1depd]

Add too all of this economists are starting to talk of the economy slipping into a depression. This doesn't mean it is slipping, but the talk is there and in 6-12 months we could see the recession come back in full force. Many economists are also saying the same signs from before the initial crash in 2008 are present in the economy.

One thing economists are pointing out is there are too many people upside down in their houses causing a drag on the economy. I don't think there is much the government can or should do to get people right side up, but many of these people have high interest mortgages. I think if the government came out with a program to help those who are not about to lose their house, it might actually help the economy. The assistance in the recent past has been to people who were not taking care of their business. Many of these people were not in the position to make a positive impact on the economy, even with the government help. How about have a guarantee program for those who are not late on any credit payments and have a steady job be able to refinance an upside down mortgage. These people are the responsible in the economy and would put the money saved to good use. Even paying off debt is good use, because it results in creditors having more money to lend. Personally, I would be able to cut half of my mortgage payment if a program like this were implemented. With the size of my mortgage I would be able to buy another house and rent this one out (a plan I'm working on implementing). The end result for the government would be more tax revenue for them to collect, far in excess of any money they expended on me for the program.

[retdetsgt]

The mortgage thing is one of my soapboxes. It's the government encouraging greed. I remember buying a house in 1976 and barely being able to get a loan. The mortgage company told me that my P & I couldn't be more than 36% of my take home pay. Then Carter got the Community Reinvestment Act passed to help low income people and it had unintended consequences. People started buying houses they couldn't afford and the government was pushing lenders to make the loans. And they still are.

I live in a nice neighborhood in the biggest, nicest house I've ever owned and my payments are very reasonable and hardly take a dent out of my income. BUT, it took me years of acquiring equity to afford it. I've been watching young couples moving into 3000+ sq. ft. new homes and wondering how the hell can they afford it. Well, apparently they couldn't because a couple of years later, for sale signs went up asking for less money than the houses originally cost. Their payments were probably at least 50% of their income and they no doubt had a lot of credit card debt too. I'm supposed to feel sorry for these people???? I raised my family in a little 1000 sq ft ranch house because that's what I could afford.

And that's another problem. I recently read that the average American has $20K in credit card debt. Well, somebody must have $40K because I don't have any. I was recently talking to a guy about that and he confessed that he had that much. He used his credit card to remodel his house because his mortgage payments were too high for him to get a home improvement loan...... That in a nutshell is the problem. People have to have everything now and can't wait until they afford it. And this was no kid, he was a year younger than I am. (He also has Obama stickers all over is truck)

I'm resistant to my tax dollars bailing these people out. I busted my butt through divorces and other hard times to keep my credit good and my debt reasonable and actually had to do without sometimes to maintain that. It pisses me off now that people expect me to reward their greed and poor judgement.

I don't know what the answer is, but I don't see socialism as the it.

[pac201]

I'm with rds, we bought our first house in 1973, it was 18,300, I didn't think a man had any sense to pay that kind of money for a house, but we did it. (we both worked and had good jobs) We don't have any credit cards, so I'm sure there are some that have more than 20,000 on a card.

I have never been bailed out for any bad decisions I have made, so I don't think others should be either. I'm a funny kind of guy, if you do something stupid, you own it, it's yours...

[retdetsgt]

I'm with rds, we bought our first house in 1973, it was 18,300, I didn't think a man had any sense to pay that kind of money for a house, but we did it.

Heh, I remember those days! I bought my first house in 1970, right after I got hired on the department. Paid $17,500 for it, put some money down that I had saved up in the Army. Payments with taxes and insurance escrow added on the P & I made it about $127 a month. I remember sitting on the porch of that house when I moved in wondering how the hell I was going to make that! Of course, I was making the princely sum of $3.65 an hour as a brand new cop!

[MikeG]

Of course, I was making the princely sum of $3.65 an hour as a brand new cop!

Don't tell Greg that. One day they may pay him that much too.

We all saw a preview of what's to come. Feds took money from federal pensions to cover debt ceiling problems. Those pensions and 401ks are all that's left to borrow from.

Since they can't actually seize it, the plan is more low key with inflation being the way to take that value without actually doing it. Pensions have COLA's but 401ks do not. So they print more money in the hope that spending will increase and drive prices up.

That hasn't worked because debt has eaten all the money they print. Underwater houses are the prime culprit and will be for some time.

At some point though, the amount of money printed will cover those debts and then look out as hyperinflation takes over. They were hoping hyperinflation would save the housing market but it was too far gone (mortgage debt remains the same but house prices rise as the dollar falls - debt to equity goes down). Housing isn't a global commodity so it just weighs everything down like a boat anchor. Obama would like nothing more than to move debt from individual underwater mortgages to the federal government so those people will be able to borrow and spend more money and drive prices up. It's a way to tax the only untouched source of equity without actually creating a tax policy. "Stagflation" is the course we are on until equity in dollars equals a btter debt ratio.

[Joeyd6]

I ama victim of his housing plan. We bought a house we could afford. We put down enough to avoid PMI. All just before the market took a tank. With twenty percent equity in the house, our value tanked to about 3% equity. Additionally, interest rates dropped significantly. Under O's big plan, I was supposed to be able to refinance to the lower rate, without having to take on PMI, saving me an additional $350 a month. Meaning I could now pay the same and payoff the house in 15 years, rather than the 27 left on the mortgage, with the same monthly payment.

Called the bank and was informed I do not qualify, as I have to either:
1) Have PMI before (meaning I put down less than 20%); and/or
2) Have at least 1 payment over 30 days late; and/or
3) Have a ARM

If I re-fi, I will now have to pay PMI, meaning there is no gain. So the guy who is responsible gets screwed and my neighbors who over bought get rewarded with a nice refinance. I want a President........a real one who cares about us, and not his plan or what everyone else thinks.

[MikeG]

So the guy who is responsible gets screwed and my neighbors who over bought get rewarded with a nice refinance.

Yup. Same with me. This is mirrors their tax plan in a nutshell. By being responsible, you are obviously "rich". The "working family" is the one that bought a house with PMI, a 3-1 ARM, and can't make the payments. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the reason you don't have to pay PMI now that your equity is down to 3% is called a "loophole" in their "tax and spend" dictonary speak. The "rich" are benefiting from that "loophole" at the expense of the "working family" that never qualified for it and had to pay when their house was bought with 3% equity.

Wait for them to propose that anyone with currently less than 20% equity needs to start paying for a new Federal Mortgage Insurance like Social Security.

[retdetsgt]

Always amazes me when people go for the adjustable rate. Do they seriously think it will do anything but go up?

The same thing more or less happened in the late 70's when banks were offering 5 year mortgages with a balloon payment at the end of the five years. A whole lot of naive people took them because interest rates were double digit at the time and they "hoped" interest would go down before they hit the five years. (When Reagan took office, mortgage rates were 16%) I stayed pat in the house I bought in 1976 with a 8.5% loan!

Because rates were shooting up, there were foreclosures right and left. Because of other factors (rampant inflation for one), housing prices didn't tank, but a lot of people lost their homes. There wasn't a government bailout because Reagan took office before that could happen, I guess. Either that or nobody thought about it in time.