Luke_Wilbur

We definitely need to focus making our transportation, distribution and communication the most efficient in the world. The cheap price of gas is never coming back.

The next decade could see negative growth thanks to our foolhardy fondness for "free market" philosophies that tell us it's OK to export all our jobs. The U.S. is down to four world leading industries:entertainment, out of Los Angeles (heavily indebted to Democrats);information technology, out of the Bay Area (likewise); energy, out of Houston (heavily indebted to Republicans); and financial services, out of New York (indebted to both parties). That's it, folks. We're otherwise second- or third-rung suppliers across the range of manufactured products—except for biotech, a small industry—and we can still (mostly) feed ourselves. Even aerospace has suffered. http://online.wsj.co...0254258772.html

I think the President needs to consider what is wasteful spending and what is investment spending. The space program is crucial investment spending. What we learn will be carried over to the commercial sector to manufacture. Thus creating a catalyst for the future American private industry.

Tickets are over $100.00 for this Sunday's game against the Penguins.

Why does Congress on both sides of the aisle not listen to its constituents? We The People are not going to let this issue go. Congress will learn that Citizens do not serve them. Congress serves its Citizens.

Ethics and politics do not walk hand-in-hand. All organizations should disclose where they get their money. Especially, organizations receiving cash gifts. Otherwise, instances of bribes and money laundering can occur. All publicly traded companies should share with their stockholders where all the company money is going.

To John Adams. Monticello, January 24, 1814. Dear SirI have great need of the indulgence so kindly extended to me in yourfavor of December 25, of permitting me to answer your friendly lettersat my leisure. My frequent and long absences from home are a firstcause of tardiness in my correspondence, and a second the accumulationof business during my absence, some of which imperiously commands firstattentions. I am now in arrear to you for your letters of November 12,14, 16, December 3, 19, 25. * * * * * * * * * You ask me if I have ever seen the work of J.W. Goethe's Schriften ? Never ; nor did the question ever occur to me before, where get we theten commandments ? The book indeed gives them to us verbatim, butwhere did it get them? For itself tells us they were written by thefinger of God on tables of stone, which were destroyed by Moses ; itspecifies those on the second set of tables in different form andsubstance, but still without saying how the others were recovered. Butthe whole history of these books is so defective and doubtful, that itseems vain to attempt minute inquiry into it; and such tricks havebeen played with their text, and with the texts of other books relatingto them, that we have a right from that cause to entertain much doubtwhat parts of them are genuine. In the New Testament there is internalevidence that parts of it have proceeded from an extraordinary man ; and that other parts are of the fabric of very inferior minds. It isas easy to separate those parts, as to pick out diamonds fromdunghills. The matter of the first was such as would be preserved inthe memory of the hearers, and handed on by tradition for a long time; the latter such stuff as might be gathered up, for imbedding it,anywhere, and at any time. I have nothing of Vives, or Budæus, andlittle of Erasmus. If the familiar histories of the Saints, the wantof which they regret, would have given us the histories of those trickswhich these writers acknowledge to have been practiced, and of the liesthey agree have been invented for the sake of religion, I join them intheir regrets. These would be the only parts of their histories worthreading. It is not only the sacred volumes they have thusinterpolated, gutted, and falsified, but the works of others relatingto them, and even the laws of the land. We have a curious instance ofone of these pious frauds in the laws of Alfred. He composed, youknow, from the laws of the Heptarchy, a digest for the government ofthe United Kingdom, and in his preface to that work he tells usexpressly the sources from which he drew it, to wit, the laws of Ina,of Offa and Aethelbert (not naming the Pentateuch). But his piousinterpolator, very awkwardly, premises to his work four chapters of Exodus (from the 20th to the 23d) as a part of the laws of the land; so that Alfred's prefaceis made to stand in the body of the work. Our judges, too, have lent aready hand to further these frauds, and have been willing to lay theyoke of their own opinions on the necks of others ; to extend thecoercions of municipal law to the dogmas of their religion, bydeclaring that these make a part of the law of the land. In theYear-Book 34, H. 6, p. 38, in Quare impedit, where the question was howfar the common law takes notice of the ecclesiastical law, Prisot,Chief Justice, in the course of his argument, says, "A tiels leis queils de seint eglise ont, en ancien scripture, covient a nous adonner credence ; car ces common luy sur quels touts manners leis sontfondes; et auxy, sin, nous sumus obliges de canustre lour esy de sainteglise," &c. Finch begins the business of falsification bymistranslating and misstating the words of Prisot thus : "to such lawsof the church as have warrant in Holy Scripture our law givethcredence." Citing the above case and the words of Prisot in themargin, in Finch's law, B. 1, c. 3, here then we find ancien scripture,ancient writing, translated "holy scripture." This, Wingate, in 1658,erects into a maxim of law in the very words of Finch, but citingPrisot and not Finch. And Sheppard, breast. Religion, in 1675 laying itdown in the same words of Finch, quotes the Year-Book, Finch andWingate. Then comes Sir Matthew Hale, in the case of the King v.Taylor, 1 Ventr. 293, 3 Keb. 607, and declares that "Christianity ispart and parcel of the laws of England." Citing nobody, and restingit, with his judgment against the witches, on his own authority, whichindeed was sound and good in all cases into which no superstition orbigotry could enter. Thus strengthened, the court in 1728, in the Kingv. Woolston, would not suffer it to be questioned whether towrite against Christianity was punishable at common law, saying it hadbeen so settled by Hale in Taylor's case, 2 Stra. 834. Wood,therefore, 409, without scruple, lays down as a principle, that allblaspheming and profaneness are offences at the common law, and citesStrange. Blackstone, in 1763, repeats, in the words of Sir MatthewHale, that "Christianity is part of the laws of England," citingVentris and Strange, ubi supra. And Lord Mansfield, in the case of the Chamberlain of London v.Evans, in 1767, qualifying somewhat the position, says that "theessential principles of revealed religion are part of the common law." Thus we find this string of authorities all hanging by one another on asingle hook, a mistranslation by Finch of the words of Prisot, or onnothing. For all quote Prisot, or one another, or nobody. Thus Finchmisquotes Prisot; Wingate also, but using Finch's words; Sheppardquotes Prisot, Finch and Wingate; Hale cites nobody ; the court inWoolston's case cite Hale ; Wood cites Woolston's case ; Blackstonethat and Hale, and Lord Mansfield volunteers his own ipse dixit. And who now can question but that the whole Bible and Testament are apart of the common law? And that Connecticut, in her blue laws,laying it down as a principle that the laws of God should be the lawsof their land, except where their own contradicted them, did anythingmore than express, with a salvo, what the English judges had lesscautiously declared without any restriction ? And what, I dare say,our cunning Chief Justice would swear to, and find as many sophisms totwist it out of the general terms of our declarations of rights, andeven the stricter text of the Virginia "act for the freedom ofreligion," as he did to twist Burr's neck out of the halter oftreason. May we not say then with Him who was all candor andbenevolence, "woe unto you, ye lawyers, for ye lade men with burdensgrievous to bear." I think with you, that Priestley, in his comparison of the doctrines ofphilosophy and revelation, did not do justice to the undertaking. Buthe felt himself pressed by the hand of death. Enfield has given us amore distinct account of the ethics of the ancient philosophers ; butthe great work of which Enfield's is an abridgment, Brucker's History of Philosophy,is the treasure which I would wish to possess, as a book of referenceor of special research only, for who could read six volumes quarto, ofone thousand pages each, closely printed, of modern Latin ? Youraccount of D'Argens' Æileus makes me wish for him also. Æileusfurnishes a fruitful text for a sensible and learned commentator. TheAbbé Batteaux, which I have, is a meagre thing. You surprise me with the account you give of the strength of familydistinction still existing in your State. With us it is so totallyextinguished, that not a spark of it is to be found but lurking in thehearts of some of our old tories ; but all bigotries hang to oneanother, and this in the Eastern States hangs, as I suspect, to that ofthe priesthood. Here youth, beauty, mind and manners, are more valuedthan a pedigree. I do not remember the conversation between us which you mention inyours of November 15th, on your proposition to vest in Congress the exclusive power of establishing banks. My opposition to it must have been grounded, not on taking the powerfrom the States, but on leaving any vestige of it in existence, even inthe hands of Congress ; because it would only have been a change ofthe organ of abuse. I have ever been the enemy of banks,not of those discounting for cash, but of those foisting their ownpaper into circulation, and thus banishing our cash. My zeal againstthose institutions was so warm and open at the establishment of theBank of the United States, that I was derided as a maniac by the tribeof bank-mongers, who were seeking to filch from the public theirswindling and barren gains. But the errors of that day cannot berecalled. The evils they have engendered are now upon us, and thequestion is how we are to get out of them ? Shall we build an altar tothe old paper money of the Revolution, which ruined individuals butsaved the republic, and burn on that all the bank charters, present and future, and their notes with them? For these are to ruin both republic and individuals. This cannot bedone. The mania is too strong. It has seized, by its delusions andcorruptions, all the members of our governments, general, special andindividual. Our circulating paper of the last year was estimated attwo hundred millions of dollars. The new banks now petitioned for, tothe several legislatures, are for about sixty millions additionalcapital, and of course one hundred and eighty millions of additionalcirculation, nearly doubling that of the last year, and raising thewhole mass to near four hundred millions, or forty for one, of thewholesome amount of circulation for a population of eight millionscircumstanced as we are, and you remember how rapidly our money wentdown after our forty for one establishment in the Revolution. I doubtif the present trash can hold as long. I think the three hundred andeighty millions must blow all up in the course of the present year, orcertainly it will be consummated by the re-duplication to take place ofcourse at the legislative meetings of the next winter. Should notprudent men who possess stock in any moneyed institution, either drawand hoard the cash now while they can, or exchange it for canal stock,or such other as being bottomed on immovable property, will remainunhurt by the crush ? I have been endeavoring to persuade a friend inour legislature to try and save this State from the general ruin bytimely interference. I propose to him, First, to prohibit instantly,all foreign paper. Secondly, to give our banks six months to call inall their five-dollar bills (the lowest we allow); another six monthsto call in their ten-dollar notes, and six months more to call in allbelow fifty dollars. This would produce so gradual a diminution ofmedium, as not to shock contracts already made--would leave finally,bills of such size as would be called for only in transactions betweenmerchant and merchant, and ensure a metallic circulation for those ofthe mass of citizens. But it will not be done. You might as well,with the sailors, whistle to the wind, as suggest precautions againsthaving too much money. We must bend then before the gale, and try tohold fast ourselves by some plank of the wreck. God send us all a safedeliverance, and to yourself every other species and degree ofhappiness. P.S. I return your letter of November 15th,as it requests, and supposing that the late publication of the life ofour good and really great Rittenhouse may not have reached you, I senda copy for your acceptance. Even its episodes and digressions may addto the amusement it will furnish you. But if the history of the worldwere written on the same scale, the whole world would not hold it. Rittenhouse, as an astronomer, would stand on a line with any of histime, and as a mechanician, he certainly has not been equalled. Inthis view he was truly great, but, placed alongside of Newton, everyhuman character must appear diminutive, and none would have shrunk morefeelingly from the painful parallel than the modest and amiableRittenhouse, whose genius and merit are not the less for thisexaggerated comparison of his over-zealous biographer.

It is clear to me that the State of our Union is that our government leaders care more about their party faction and personal gain than the welfare of the American people. WE NEED CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN

The Schedule A Shortfall Agreement the Federal Reserve has been hiding has just been released. It shows the counter parties who were paid with Taxpayer money. ScheduleA.pdf

Comeback America: He's one of America's foremost independent financial experts. As comptroller general of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998-2008, "the nation's top auditor" David M. Walker warned Congress, and the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations that America faced a growing fiscal imbalance due largely to known demographic trends and rising health care costs. Unfortunately, the numbers have gotten worse and our fiscal gap has grown dramatically in recent years. Now, as president and CEO of the non-partisan Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Walker works full-time to raise public awareness regarding our nation's growing deficits, mounting debt burdens and dangerous dependency on foreign lenders. His new book COMEBACK AMERICA (Random House; On Sale: January 12, 2010) includes a range of insightful and informative ideas all taking into account the Obama Administration's current efforts to-date. It addresses a range of policy, operational and political reforms needed to ensure that America's future will be better than its past. The following represents an example of the types of issues addressed and items contained in the book. SOCIAL SECURITY Strengthen the Social Security benefit for those near the poverty level Reduce the relative Social Security benefit for middle and upper income persons, which would ensure that benefits are better targeted to those in need. Gradually raise the normal and early retirement eligibility ages and automatically index them thereafter to future increases in life expectancy. Raise the amount of wages and self-employment earnings subject to the Social Security tax (e.g., to $150,000) Require supplemental savings accounts. An additional 2 or 3 percent payroll deduction would go into an individual account for each worker, where they could choose from several professionally managed investment options. COMPREHENSIVE HEALTHCARE REFORM Impose a budget on what the federal government can spend on health care each year. America is the only major industrialized nation that doesn't have one. Move away from fee-for-service payment systems and jury trials for medical malpractice suits. Establish treatment standards based on sound clinical evidence of what works and what doesn't, including end of life care. Better target tax preferences for employer provided and paid health care. MEDICARE AND MEDICAID The government needs to require more competitive bidding for Medicare and Medicaid and other federal health programs. To bring in more revenue, Medicare should simply charge more to those of us who can afford to pay more. We pay for hospitalization insurance (Medicare Part A) through payroll taxes during our working lives, but doctor payments (Part B ) and prescription drug benefits (Part D) are voluntary. Those who are better off should pay higher premiums than they do today Maintain Medicaid for the poor, indigent and consider expanding it to cover certain near-poor families and individuals. TAX REFORM: Simplify the tax system according to the Reagan model: Keep the rates as low as possible, broaden the tax base by cutting preferences, and make the rules easier for us to comply with and for the IRS to enforce. Get rid of or reform the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) so that it applies only to the country's richest households, as it was originally intended to do. Impose a progressive consumption tax possibly targeted for health care. More than a hundred countries have adopted the value-added tax (VAT), which is easy to administer, and deducted automatically in every transaction. A consumption tax encourages savings over conspicuous consumption. Make sure that the tax system is competitive and equitable while generating enough revenue to pay the government's bills and deliver on the promises it intends to keep. AMERICA'S INTERNATIONAL DEFICITS Cut the current account deficit to roughly 3 percent of GDP by enforcing tougher rules to prevent unfair currency manipulation, to regulate multinational corporations that answer to no government, and to stop protectionism. Our trading partners should not have unfettered access to our markets while they keep us out of theirs, or while they condone exploitative labor practices and damage the environment. In the global production chain, America must remain the place that comes up with the new ideas, leading the way in the next round of information, telecommunications, alternative energy sources, and biotechnology. We can do this by educating our future workforce, opening our university doors to international students, and helping small businesses capitalize on their export opportunities. Reduce reliance on foreign lenders by getting control of government deficits and increasing domestic savings rates. THE PENTAGON AND DEFENSE TRANSFORMATION The Pentagon should integrate planning and budget process for the various services, putting together a common schedule of weapons and other needs along with funding priorities designed to address credible threats in an affordable and sustainable manner. Cut back or eliminate production of weapons systems that represent individual service wants, but not our true national and threat and risk based needs. Base service members' pay and benefits on their skills and the risks they actually incur - a combat infantry sergeant at the front should not get the same benefits as a supply sergeant in the homeland who is never put at any real risk. POLITICAL REFORMS: Change the Congressional re-districting process to achieve more competitive races and a more representative House of Representatives. Reform campaign finance rules to require that a super-majority of campaign contributions come from individuals who are eligible to vote for the candidate. Impose 12-18 year term limits on Senate and House members in order to prevent entrenchment and facilitate a transformational reform. In this impassioned and stirring call to action, Walker shows us how "we the people" can come together to ensure a brighter future for our country and our children. Tour Cities: NYC, Washington DC, San Francisco, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago About the Author David M. Walker served as the seventh comptroller general of the United States and was the CEO of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) from 1998 to 2008. He is currently the president and CEO of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, Walker is a frequent speaker, writer, commentator, and congressional witness. He has appeared on a significant number of television networks, cable channels, and radio programs and has written for many major publications. COMEBACK AMERICA Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility David M. Walker On-Sale Date: January 12, 2010 http://www.comebackamericathebook.com

Sen. Voinovich challenged his colleagues (D) Senator Reed and Sen McConnell, "If you are not for the Conrad-Gregg Responsible Fiscal Action Act, what Bipartisan Commission are you for?"

I went this week to several factories in New England this week. I was really impressed with their pneumatic technologies. They can virtually go anywhere and not worry about retrofitting their machines voltage capacity. I tried to convince them about moving their factories back to the United States. The issues they addressed were: Cheaper labor - China has the largest pool of laborers that will work for one U.S. dollar per hour. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - OSHA compliance is expensive. China has none. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - EPA puts many restrictions on what chemicals can be used. China does not. Market Price - Retailers (i.e. Walmart, Target, etc...) purchase the cheapest priced manufactured goods. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) - Working offshore provides a tax haven for manufacturers. Nothing will change until American leadership considers subsidizing its manufacturing base. Instead of penalizing these innovators, we need to place a high strategic value on them and do what it takes to keep them here. They are the reason why China has grown so quickly. They will be the reason why the United States comes back from the current economic depression.

Human, I work with many manufacturers for products that I create. There are some products that are no longer made in this country. I can no longer purchase thin glass Christmas balls from the United States. They are now only made in China and Germany. Many things are no longer made in the USA.

The Free File Alliance is a coalition of 19 private sector tax softwarepreparation companies that, with the IRS, have established a landmarkpublic-private partnership to provide free service to millions ofAmerican taxpayers – especially those who are economicallydisadvantaged. The Free File Alliance initiative was formalized between industry and government onOctober 30, 2002 and went into operation only a few months later, onJanuary 16, 2003. TheAlliance's inaugural season was a tremendous success, allowing 2.8 million taxpayers,most with low and moderate incomes, to file free tax returns in 2003.This success has only increased in the past few years allowing morethan 24 million American taxpayers to safely prepare and file their taxes for free online.The benefits of filing an electronic tax returnare immense. It allows for a simple and more time-efficient filingprocess, faster tax refunds, information on exemptions, and increasedaccuracy and security. The Free File Alliance mailing address is: Free File Alliance 6367 Rolling Mill Place, Suite 102 Springfield, VA 22152 Tel: 703.569.1201

The Internal Revenue Service and its private-sector partners aremaking Free File available starting today. Most taxpayers can have freeuse of helpful tax preparation software and free electronic filing ofthe federal tax returns. There are many new tax breaks this filing season and FreeFile software can make it easier for people to find all the credits anddeductions they are due. Taxpayers must go through www.IRS.gov homepage or www.IRS.gov/freefile to access the free options. “Ifcost is a barrier or if you’re wondering about free options, check outIRS.gov for Free File options. There’s something there for almosteverybody,” said David R. Williams, director, Electronic TaxAdministration and Refundable Credits. “Free File is a great choice foreither the novice taxpayers who need some assistance or the experiencedtaxpayers who prefer to do the work themselves. It’s fast; it’s safe;it’s free.” The Free File program provides free federalincome tax preparation and electronic filing for eligible taxpayersthrough a partnership between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) andthe Free File Alliance LLC, a group of approximately 20 private sectortax software companies. Free File comes in two formats: TraditionalFree File, which is available to taxpayers who meet specific criteriaand Free File Fillable Forms, which is available to almost alltaxpayers. Approximately 70 percent of the nation’staxpayers, some 98 million people who meet the $57,000 income limit,are eligible for the user-friendly Traditional Free File. TraditionalFree File provides step-by-step software help that asks simplequestions and puts the answers on the correct tax forms. Traditional Free File can help taxpayersidentify new tax credits or deductions under the American Recovery andReinvestment Act for which they may be eligible. There are many new andexpanded benefits for energy conservation, new car purchases, collegetuition and first-time homebuyers. Taxpayers must go through IRS.gov to accessFree File. Each company sets its own eligibility criteria. For example,generally, eligibility criteria are based on state residency, age,income or military service. However, an individual or family withincome of $57,000 will find tax preparation software they can use. Taxpayers either can read over the companyoffers by clicking “I Will Choose a Company” or get a little help inmaking the selection by clicking “Help Me Find a Company.” With alittle information, the tool will display those company offers forwhich taxpayers may be eligible. Several companies offer their software inSpanish. Several also offer state tax preparation, although fees mayapply. Taxpayers are under no obligation to make any purchases from thesoftware companies. For taxpayers who are comfortable preparingtheir own tax returns, there’s Free File Fillable Forms. Almosteveryone is eligible for this service. There are no income limits andalmost all tax forms are available. This service provides electronic versions ofIRS paper forms. Taxpayers can complete the tax forms online and fileelectronically. The fillable forms perform simple math functions, butdo not use the question-and-answer software format. Free File FillableForms does not support state forms or state electronic filing. Both Free File versions are highly popularamong users. According to a recent survey, 98 percent of TraditionalFree File users and 96 percent of Free File Fillable Forms users polledsaid they would recommend the Free File products to family and friends. Taxpayers who use Traditional Free File or Free File Fillable Forms can enjoy all the benefits of IRS e-file – also for free. Byusing the free e-file option, taxpayers also get the benefits of a fastrefund, reduced error rate and a quick acknowledgement. By using e-fileand direct deposit, taxpayers can get a refund in as few as 10 days. Ifpeople owe taxes, they also can control their payments and set a datesuch as April 15 for electronic payment. The error rate for an e-filedreturn is 1 percent, compared to 20 percent for a paper return. Unlikepaper filers, e-filing taxpayers also will receive an acknowledgementthat the IRS has received and accepted or rejected their returns. Taxpayers who are eligible for the $8,000 orthe $6,500 first-time homebuyer credit will not be able to e-filebecause they must attach proof of purchase to their tax return.However, these taxpayers still can use Free File to prepare their taxforms and then print and mail the returns to the IRS. Free File is available 24-hours a day throughApril 15. For taxpayers who request an extension to file their federalreturns, Free File will be available through October 15. People who are interested in reviewing more information about Free File can visit www.freefile.IRS.gov. Videos on these topics also are available at www.youtube.com/irsvideos.

Administration Releases December Loan Modification Repot More Than 850,000 Homeowners Now with Median Payment Reductions Exceeding $500; More Than 100,000 Permanent Modifications Approved to Date AggressiveAdministration Campaign Significantly Accelerates Conversion Rate;December Push Doubles Number of Permanent Modifications Over Life ofProgram WASHINGTON- The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Department of Housing andUrban Development (HUD) today released an update on theAdministration's aggressive nationwide campaign to help borrowers inthe trial phase of their modified mortgages convert to permanentmodifications under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP).The new December data demonstrates that there has been a significantacceleration in the rate at which borrowers are being approved forpermanent modifications. As of December, more than 100,000 permanentmodifications have been approved, including 66,000 that borrowers haveaccepted and the remainder awaiting only the borrower's signature. Under HAMP, more than 850,000 homeowners have had a median paymentreduction exceeding $500. "Treasuryis committed to working with servicers and borrowers to sustain thisimproved pace," said Chief of Treasury's Homeownership PreservationOffice (HPO) Phyllis Caldwell. HUD Senior Advisorfor Mortgage Finance William Apgar echoed this commitment: "HUD willcontinue to work with our Administration partners and utilize our broadnetwork of housing counseling agencies to increase the number ofborrowers receiving sustainable and affordable modifications underHAMP." TheAdministration has taken a number of steps to assist servicers inramping up to give eligible homeowners the opportunity to participatein HAMP. Over the past month, Administration representatives wereon-site in servicer offices to ensure that servicers increased effortsto deliver decisions to borrowers in trial modifications who hadsubmitted all of their documents and to obtain any missing documentsfrom borrowers. The Administration also implemented a temporary reviewperiod to ensure that all borrowers are being fairly evaluated for theprogram – the temporary review period extends until January 31, 2010. HAMPwas designed to offer up to 3-4 million homeowners reduced monthlymortgage payments that are affordable and sustainable over thelong-term, over the life of the program. Currently, several millionhomeowners are estimated to be eligible for the program and more than 1million have already received modification offers. At this pace, theprogram is on track to meet the goals that President Obama laid out inannouncing the Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan. This Planincluded several housing initiatives beyond mortgage modifications,including broad support for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to keep interestrates low and facilitate mortgage affordability across the market,increased flexibilities for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in refinancingmortgages to provide homeowners with lower monthly payments, taxcredits to support development of affordable housing, and support tostate and local housing finance agencies. In just the first year, theAdministration has launched all of these critical initiatives. Aspart of an ongoing commitment to continuously provide greatertransparency in all of the Administration's financial stabilityefforts, the December report includes several new measurementsincluding a breakdown of permanent modification characteristics. Thesecharacteristics include predominant hardship reasons and monthlypayment savings. The December HAMP report can be found here: http://financialstability.gov/docs/report.pdf

From a Conservative point -of-view, it looks like Congress is going to be faulted more for this mess than our President. Read what the Washington Times has to say:

I am also grateful Google does not block DCpages.com But, Google does make it difficult to cut and paste its results on this message boards.

I pick the Bohemian lifestyle myself. It's part of my blood line. I do appreciate the fact that China does not block DCpages. http://www.baidu.com/s?wd=dcpages.com Google Translation:

Will Google shed its Netizen beliefs for opportunity? Which provides more Liberty and just plain fun? The Campus Corporation or Autocratic Socialism?

I would agree with this statement 100%. Google and China are both not flexible. People fear and admire both. I know that I generally do.

http://www.china.org...nt_19236193.htm China seeking clarity on Google intentions January-14-2010 An official with China's State Council Information Office Wednesday said Chinese Internet authorities were seeking more information on Google's statement that it could quit China. The high-ranking official, who requested anonymity, made the remarks in a phone interview with Xinhua after Google's corporate development and chief legal officer, David Drummond, posted a statement on the company's official blog, saying itwas to "review the feasibility of our business operations in China." "It is still hard to say whether Google will quit China or not. Nobody knows," the Chinese official said. He refused to reveal more, but promised to follow the case and accept more interviews if possible. The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center deputy director Xi Wei told Xinhua: "I am sorry, Ican't say anything. I am not clear about the case." Google's possible retreat from China has prompted the company's 700 China staff to fear for their jobs. "We were told that Google might quit China at a general meeting Wednesday morning, and all of us feel very sad," said an employee with Google's Beijing office on condition of anonymity. Drummond's post said that its disputes with the government and unidentified attacks targeting Google's services in China forced the company to make the review. However, Google spam was still posting this rider on its searches as of 6:15 p.m. Wednesday: "According to local laws, regulations and policies, some research results are not shown." Google had been blamed by the government for showing too many links to pornographic contents and breaking the law. Drummond's post also indicated the possibility that Google may "shut down Google spam, and potentially our offices in China." If Google did quit China, about 700employees with the company's offices around China would lose theirjobs, the anonymous employee said. Google sent a short statement to Xinhua Wednesday, reads that "We are proud of our achievements inChina. Currently we are reviewing the decision and hope for aresolution." Drummond's post also said Google wouldtry to negotiate with the Chinese government for "more favorable"operating conditions in China. Guo Ke, professor of mass communication at Shanghai International Studies University, said it was"almost impossible" for Google to quit China and also impossible forthe Chinese government to give up its management right over the Internet. "It will not make any difference to the government if Google quits China, however Google will suffer a huge economic loss from leaving the Chinese market," Guo said. According to the iResearch Consulting Group, the Chinese search engine market reached nearly 7 billion yuan(about 1 billion US dollars) in 2009, and Google took 32.8 percent in revenue in the third-quarter while China's home-grown search engine Baidu claimed 63.8 percent. "I think Google is just playing cat and mouse, and trying to use netizens' anger or disappointment as leverage," Guo said. Millions of Chinese are fans and loyal users of Google and its services such as Gmail, Gtalk and Picasa. Many Chinese journalists, like other users, rely on Google Docs to save useful information and contacts. So far, few comments were available from Chinese Internet companies or related government departments. Zhang Yi, an employee with Baidu.com, Google's biggest rival in China, told Xinhua she had heard of Google's statement but would not comment. An official with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the ministry's spokes personwas not available for comment. If Google quit, it would leave a huge hole in the market for other search engines in China to fill, said Liu Dan, a researcher with a Beijing-based consulting company affiliated to the China Center for Information Industry Development. "The Chinese market welcomes competition, but maybe Google should also think more about adapting toChina, rather than just working in its U.S. way without flexibility,"Liu said.

http://www.china.org...nt_19238308.htm China's Internet is open and welcomes international companies, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday,just two days after Google issued a statement saying it might quit China. Spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing that China encouraged development of the Internet. "China's Internet is open," said Jiang. "China has tried creating a favorable environment for Internet,"said Jiang while responding to a question on Google's possible retreat. "China welcomes international Internet companies to conduct business within the country according to law," she said. "China's law prohibits cyber crimes including hacker attacks." Google's corporate development andchief legal officer, David Drummond, posted a statement on the company's official blog on Tuesday, indicating the possibility that Google may "shut down Google spam, and potentially our offices in China." The statement said that its disputes with the government and unidentified attacks targeting Google's services in China forced the company to make the review of "the feasibility of our business operations in China." Google sent a short statement to Xinhua Wednesday, saying, "We are proud of our achievements in China. Currently we are reviewing the decision and hope for a resolution." According to the iResearch Consulting Group, the Chinese search engine market reached nearly 7 billion yuan (about 1 billion U.S. dollars) in 2009, and Google took 32.8 percent of the market in the third-quarter while China's home-grown search engine Baidu claimed 63.8 percent. Address: English Editorial Department China Internet Information Center 6th Floor, Building B, 89 Xi Sanhuan Bei Lu Beijing 100089 China

http://www.google.com/finance?q=google Google Inc. (Public, NASDAQ:GOOG) 590.57 +3.48 (0.59%) Real-time: 12:09PM EST

A friend of mine sent this video to me. It shows the historical value of gold compared to the U.S. dollar. It is pretty simple to understand.