[StBernard] Is it Dems or GOPs?

[Westley Annis]

Laurie,

Thanks for the nice words...I'm going to respond here to both of your email
comments.  You hit the nail on the head, Laurie.  As Mr. Rogers would put
it, "today's word boys and girls is RESPONSIBILITY...can you say that?"

A couple of years ago my appraisal practice started to take off - not that I
was rolling in money, but I was busier than ever and had a conistent
business (orders) rolling in.  After experiencing this increase for a year,
my wife started talking about buying or building a new "big" house.  I
looked at her and said "woooo, Nellie, pull in the reigns on those ponies."
She looked at me like I was crazy.  I explained to her that just because
it's feast today doesn't mean there won't be famine tomorrow.

So, like a responsible person, we simply saved the extra money.  Boy, I know
my wife is happy she listened to me.  For the last few months my business
has gotten pretty close to famine.  The real estate market is bad (yeah, no
joke) and I just lost 75% of my business when my biggest client lender made
the move to order all appraisals through an appraisal management company who
already had a team of appraisers in the New Orleans - so I was left out in
the cold, even though I was their no. 1 rated appraiser in the metro area.
They weren't trying to hurt me, but it was a higher-up corporate decision
made from New York.

Sure, I'm very disappointed, but did I blame the government?  Did I blame
liberals or anyone else for what happened? No.  In fact, I didn't even blame
my client because I understood they were trying to consolidate all their
loan processing needs with a one-stop shop settlement services company.
It's just business...it happens.

Fortunately, my family has the savings (from the busy times last year) to
feed off of for a while until I rebuild my client base.  I'm not complaining
because I saved and prepared responsibly for lean times.

Not that I meant to get into my business, but what I have done over past
couple of years I believe to be common sense responsibility.  But liberals
do not even come close to understanding this.  It's much easier for them to
blame someone else for their own lack of planning and responsibility.
Likewise, I don't feel like paying for someone else's screw-up.  So I'm with
the rest of the 93% of Americans (Rasmussen poll) the feels the government
should not bail-out these companies.  And like you Laurie, I think Jim
Johnson* and the like should be charged with fraud and the income bonuses
from Fannie Mae (nearly $75 million) should be forfeited, then put it jail.

* Jim Johnson is the former head of Fannie Mae who has been accused of
"cooking the books" (like the Enron executives did) to make Fannie Mae
appear they were doing better than they really were and received tens of
millions of dollars in bonus salary.  AND, what is Jim Johnson doing
today?...ready for this....he's the No. 2 man in the Barack Obama campaign
and advises Obama on all economic policy issues....what a f***ing joke.  Oh,
and who is No. 2 on the list among Congressmen/Senators in getting campaign
kick-backs from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - yep, no other than Barack
Hussein Obama.  "Birds of a feather...."

John Scurich




-----Original Message-----
Everyone was greedy.  People took out loans they couldn't afford for homes
that were above their means.  Interest only loans, ARM loans that the
borrower knew the rates would increase later.  They didn't think ahead, or
didn't care.  The rules for gaining a home loan were relaxed and made too
easy by those in charge in the Clinton administration to advance the goal
that everyone should be able to own a home.  The companies making these
loans then sold them to unsuspecting legitimate institutions.  It would be
ideal if everyone could be a home owner, but some people really can't afford
it and are also not responsible enough to own a home.  I saw a television
show on these repo. homes and most of the ones I saw were trashed and
stripped bare of everything before the bank took control of the property
again.  These houses were trashed and worthless and the banks could never
get their money out of these houses.  Banks and mortgage companies are not
in the business to cheat homeowners and take back their house to be real
estate sales businesses.  They really don't want your house.  They are in
the investment business and they want the mortgage paid, not to take your
house.  That is the last recourse.  If this bailout goes through, which I
hope it does not, I do not think the CEOs of these failed companies should
get paid all these large sumes of money, rather they should be prosecuted.
 
Laurie