I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I think it is worth re-posting.
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I hate to admit it, but I voted for Bush in 2000. Then immediately regretted my vote when the whole Florida debacle went down. I felt it was a sign of things to come, and, IMO, I was right.
I don't vote on a single issue. I consider myself to be slightly left of middle of the road. Some would say I'm conservative because I believe individuals have the right to bear arms and that we should have a death penalty. But I do so with caveats. While we have the right to bear arms, I have no problem with extensive background checks to prevent the criminal class from purchasing them and when applying the death penalty, make sure you've got DNA evidence because killing an innocent person is wrong.
On the other side of the coin, I think we have an obligation as society to educate our children, to take care of the elderly and truly disabled, and to provide health care for all of our citizens. While I could never have one myself, I think that abortion should be a legal option for a woman who unexpectedly finds herself pregnant.
I also happen to think that every person in our country should have the same rights, regardless of sexual orientation and that the laws governing those rights should have no correlation with any religious belief. Maybe gay rights are the tipping point that makes me a Democrat. But to me, gay rights are just civil rights, and civil rights are rights that we all have. So, maybe civil rights are what actually make me a Democrat.
That's my two cents worth.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
I Am the 99%
I am the 99%.
In 2006 I bought a house. It has a 30 year mortgage and a 6% interest rate. I could afford the payments and I put down a substantial down payment. In 2009, I accepted a job 500 miles away in another city, but I could not sell the house I bought just 3 years earlier. I found that I now owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. I'm underwater through no fault of my own. So, I am now a reluctant landlord - the owner of a house one city which I rent to another family while I rent an apartment in the city where I now work and live.
I am angry. The house that I bought at the top of the market was over valued due to practices that Wall Street investment bankers engaged in. They knew that the mortgage backed securities that they created and were selling were worthless. They knew that the securities were backed by adjustable mortgages that would result in foreclosure once their rates adjusted. The investment bankers even created hedge funds to make sure that when these mortgage backed securities came crashing down, the bank would be covered.
My anger, however, goes deeper. These same bankers were bailed out when the market crashed. They received money from our government to make sure that they didn't fail and are now back on their feet. I, however, still own a house that is worth less than what I paid for it because of the gambles that these investment bankers made. I bought the house on good faith that it was worth what the appraiser said it was worth. But because of this unknown ticking bomb that was set to go off in just a few short months, it really wasn't worth what I paid for it. The investment bankers knew it and hedged their bets. I, like many others, was left holding a losing hand.
If I were a business, I could cut my losses, file bankruptcy, walk away and start over. I am not a business, so I can only continue to make loan payments and hope that I can continue to find renters. I am a member of a group that negotiated in good faith but is now disillusioned with our financial, industrial, and governmental leaders. They have left us holding the bag as they walk away.
I am the 99%. I am a responsible citizen. I am angry. I am fed up.
In 2006 I bought a house. It has a 30 year mortgage and a 6% interest rate. I could afford the payments and I put down a substantial down payment. In 2009, I accepted a job 500 miles away in another city, but I could not sell the house I bought just 3 years earlier. I found that I now owe more on the mortgage than the house is worth. I'm underwater through no fault of my own. So, I am now a reluctant landlord - the owner of a house one city which I rent to another family while I rent an apartment in the city where I now work and live.
I am angry. The house that I bought at the top of the market was over valued due to practices that Wall Street investment bankers engaged in. They knew that the mortgage backed securities that they created and were selling were worthless. They knew that the securities were backed by adjustable mortgages that would result in foreclosure once their rates adjusted. The investment bankers even created hedge funds to make sure that when these mortgage backed securities came crashing down, the bank would be covered.
My anger, however, goes deeper. These same bankers were bailed out when the market crashed. They received money from our government to make sure that they didn't fail and are now back on their feet. I, however, still own a house that is worth less than what I paid for it because of the gambles that these investment bankers made. I bought the house on good faith that it was worth what the appraiser said it was worth. But because of this unknown ticking bomb that was set to go off in just a few short months, it really wasn't worth what I paid for it. The investment bankers knew it and hedged their bets. I, like many others, was left holding a losing hand.
If I were a business, I could cut my losses, file bankruptcy, walk away and start over. I am not a business, so I can only continue to make loan payments and hope that I can continue to find renters. I am a member of a group that negotiated in good faith but is now disillusioned with our financial, industrial, and governmental leaders. They have left us holding the bag as they walk away.
I am the 99%. I am a responsible citizen. I am angry. I am fed up.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wisconsin Teacher Addresses Proposed Pay Cuts
Today I read a letter from a teacher in Wisconsin posted in the Isthmus, a Madison weekly. The teacher was addressing the uncertainty she would be facing if the budget cuts outlined in Gov Scott Walker's Budget Repair Bill are passed. She'll be facing a cut of about $400 a month, or $4,800 a year on a $32,000 a year salary. She'll no longer be able to eat out or buy new clothes or have a drink with friends every now and then.
I couldn't afford those things for years either. But I didn't have a job where my predecessors had, in good faith, bargained lower pay in exchange for benefits. I don't know how things are where you live, but from talking with teachers here and talking with my family members who are teachers, teachers actually buy a lot of the school supplies out of their own pockets because schools are so underfunded. I'm not just talking pencils and paper, but toilet paper and cleaning supplies. They won't be able to furnish these supplies any more if their salaries are whittled even further.
Don't get me wrong. I do think they should have to pay more for health care and retirement, but the increase should be gradual. The increases in Wisconsin will be in the neighborhood of 10% with some being a little more and some being a little less. I know I would have trouble if I suddenly had that much additional money taken out of my check each month.
But even more than that, if you look at it from an overall economic perspective, we have about 300,000 state workers. For each one of them, their discretionary income is going to shrink. That means less money being spent at local mom and pop businesses (we have a lot of them here in Wisconsin) and less money in sales tax. It could also mean that some of those small businesses won't make it, which means more job losses.
I couldn't afford those things for years either. But I didn't have a job where my predecessors had, in good faith, bargained lower pay in exchange for benefits. I don't know how things are where you live, but from talking with teachers here and talking with my family members who are teachers, teachers actually buy a lot of the school supplies out of their own pockets because schools are so underfunded. I'm not just talking pencils and paper, but toilet paper and cleaning supplies. They won't be able to furnish these supplies any more if their salaries are whittled even further.
Don't get me wrong. I do think they should have to pay more for health care and retirement, but the increase should be gradual. The increases in Wisconsin will be in the neighborhood of 10% with some being a little more and some being a little less. I know I would have trouble if I suddenly had that much additional money taken out of my check each month.
But even more than that, if you look at it from an overall economic perspective, we have about 300,000 state workers. For each one of them, their discretionary income is going to shrink. That means less money being spent at local mom and pop businesses (we have a lot of them here in Wisconsin) and less money in sales tax. It could also mean that some of those small businesses won't make it, which means more job losses.
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