OK, let’s talk about personal responsibility (or a noticeable lack thereof) and the rewards (or consequences) of such. I was brought up being told that I was responsible for my actions. If my actions were proper, then I could expect a reward (mostly just the satisfaction of having done the right thing, which Dad said was a reward in and of itself). Likewise, if I made bad decisions, acted improperly or irresponsibly, I could justifiably expect penalties.
It was this type of upbringing, one not unfamiliar to most of us, that has shaped the way I make most of the important decisions in life. One noteworthy example is the house that I live in. We have a very modest house, purchased on my income alone while the lovely and talented Mrs. S.B. was going to school. Prior to buying the house, we rented. And saved. And finally found a house that we liked. We bought (gasp) a house whose payments we could afford. And when she graduated we stayed in that house. We spent some money and time remodeling, but our address has remained unchanged for over 13 years now. We resisted the temptation to buy a “McMansion” that would have been barely within, or perhaps a bit beyond, our means. As a result, we have never, not once, missed a payment on our mortgage.
Sad to say, not everyone does that. Now I am not holding myself up as an example of personal responsibility, but in this, at least, I feel that I did what Dad would have advised. Many folks bought well above their means. The blame for this falls in a few places. First, the federal government made it ridiculously easy to buy more house than some folks could legitimately afford. They did this to ensure that everyone could experience the joy of home ownership (as if there is some sort of stigma attached to renting for a few years until you have the wherewithal to buy a house). Unscrupulous lenders also bear some of the blame – these guys are supposed to be in the business of lending money to people that might actually pay it back – that didn’t seem to be a requirement, though, in the past few years. Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, in my mind, blame lies on people that took these loans, moved into these houses and knew deep down inside that the balloon payment was going to crush them. Let’s face it – most people aren’t getting enough of a pay raise to double what they spend on housing – but that’s what happened on a lot of these mortgages.
But now we are in a place where all of Dad’s wisdom gets thrown out the door. Because those people are NOT being penalized for bad decisions. They are, instead, being REWARDED. President Obama has a plan that will help them fix their loans, resume their payments and (extra icing on this cake) give them $5,000 to pay down the principal on their mortgage if they make all their payments for the next few years. Makes me want to skip a few payments so that I, too, can get a bailout. Dad is spinning in his grave as we speak.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Revolution? Already? Geez, THAT didn't take long....
Saw this on TV this morning nad had to look deeper. New Hampshire (the "Live Free or Die" state) has a resolution in their State House of Representatives that appears to put President Obama's administration on notice. The resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 6 (HCR6), is described as "A RESOLUTION affirming States’ rights based on Jeffersonian principles." Representative Dan Itse, Republican from New Hampshire's 9th House district, appeared on Fox and Friends this morning to discuss HCR 6. While Mr. Itse did make a point of stating "This is not about secession" (or words to that effect), the wording is pretty straightforward. Here's an excerpt:
That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:
I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.
II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.
V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government;
Not much else to say. It appears that the folks from the state that gave us the wording for the 9th and 10th amendments still take the notion of states' rights pretty seriously. Thank God for them, in my not-so-humble opinion. The resolution contains verbiage that requires that, once passed, all 50 state legislatures AND the President of the US be copied - that way there are no surprises. This one bears watching.
That any Act by the Congress of the United States, Executive Order of the President of the United States of America or Judicial Order by the Judicatories of the United States of America which assumes a power not delegated to the government of United States of America by the Constitution for the United States of America and which serves to diminish the liberty of the any of the several States or their citizens shall constitute a nullification of the Constitution for the United States of America by the government of the United States of America. Acts which would cause such a nullification include, but are not limited to:
I. Establishing martial law or a state of emergency within one of the States comprising the United States of America without the consent of the legislature of that State.
II. Requiring involuntary servitude, or governmental service other than a draft during a declared war, or pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
III. Requiring involuntary servitude or governmental service of persons under the age of 18 other than pursuant to, or as an alternative to, incarceration after due process of law.
IV. Surrendering any power delegated or not delegated to any corporation or foreign government.
V. Any act regarding religion; further limitations on freedom of political speech; or further limitations on freedom of the press.
VI. Further infringements on the right to keep and bear arms including prohibitions of type or quantity of arms or ammunition; and
That should any such act of Congress become law or Executive Order or Judicial Order be put into force, all powers previously delegated to the United States of America by the Constitution for the United States shall revert to the several States individually. Any future government of the United States of America shall require ratification of three quarters of the States seeking to form a government of the United States of America and shall not be binding upon any State not seeking to form such a government;
Not much else to say. It appears that the folks from the state that gave us the wording for the 9th and 10th amendments still take the notion of states' rights pretty seriously. Thank God for them, in my not-so-humble opinion. The resolution contains verbiage that requires that, once passed, all 50 state legislatures AND the President of the US be copied - that way there are no surprises. This one bears watching.
Where to start?
OK, so here we are. President Obama has had the keys to the family minivan for just over a month now, and I cannot help but feel like I gave the keys to my teenage son instead and then realized that he had a fifth of whiskey in the front seat with him. I haven't blogged in quite some time, so i apologize in advance if my communication skills have gotten a bit rusty. Bear with me, this might be fun.
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