Yearly Archives: 2013

Is the Constitution Bailing Out the Banks?

"Scarcely touched by the nation’s housing recovery, Richmond is about to become the first city in the nation to try eminent domain as a way to stop foreclosures. The city plans to use eminent domain to buy both current and delinquent loans, with the city writing down the debt to allow homeowners to refinance at a new, lower amount through a government program. Naturally, the original lenders have warned that such a move will bring a host of lawsuits and halt mortgage lending in any city that adopts such an unconstitutional scheme. What promises to follow is a mess of epic proportions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs the Constitution Bailing Out the Banks?

Wis. Restaurant Gives 1965 Prices to Customers Who Pay With Pre-1965 Coins

"How about a hamburger for 12 cents, or 10 of them for $1. Like fries? 10 cents. Chicken? 100 pieces for $4.55. And you can nab a Perch sandwich for 20 cents. The sign went up about three months ago. So far, Tikalsky says they’ve made a 'couple dozen' sales with the special. 'You know, it’s the older clientele that come in here,' he explained. 'They think that’s pretty neat, you know, older coins.' He added later, 'We get a lot of older clientele here in the morning who drink coffee for a couple hours at a time and that gave them something to talk about for a week or two.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWis. Restaurant Gives 1965 Prices to Customers Who Pay With Pre-1965 Coins

Half of All Homes Are Being Purchased With Cash

"More than half of all homes sold last year and so far in 2013 have been financed without a mortgage, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis. The analysis estimates that around 20% of all homes sold before the housing crash were 'all-cash' sales (or around 30% of sales by dollar volume). But over the past seven years, the all-cash share of sales has more than doubled. There’s no exact way to know who is responsible for all of these cash purchases, though they are likely to include some combination of investors, foreign buyers, and wealthy homeowners that don’t want to go through the hassle of getting a mortgage before closing on a sale." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHalf of All Homes Are Being Purchased With Cash

More Car Loans Than Mortgages in U.S.

"There are now more auto loans than mortgages in the U.S., but most of them are going to older Americans, according to New York Fed data. Borrowing for vehicles reached $814 billion in the second quarter, an increase of $20 billion from the previous quarter. The 2.5% jump was bigger than any other loan category in the quarter. The recovery has come faster for older Americans. The only group originating more loans than before the recession are people over 50, likely a result of aging Baby Boomers. But 18 to 29 year olds haven’t seen much of a recovery. Meanwhile, student loan borrowing is up 82% from prerecession levels." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore Car Loans Than Mortgages in U.S.

Bailout Buffett: The Sage of Solar

"Buffett sees the light (no pun intended). He's decided to risk his own capital to help save us from the climate. Except, in this case, 'risk' is for suckers. California utilities are under legislative mandate to get 33% of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. Twenty-nine other states also have similar mandates. What can be better than circumventing the market, and having the law say that people must use your good or service? It's like having your own printing press! It gets even better for Buffett. Utilities are already signing contracts for the renewable energy. And guess what? The cost is way higher than current market prices." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBailout Buffett: The Sage of Solar

Fox News Follows California Beach Bum Living Off Food Stamps For Years

"Meet Jason Greenslate. You don’t know him but you help buy him his food. With no job and no plans to get one, Jason picks up a cool $200 a month on his EBT card courtesy of ‘we the people’. How many more Jasons are there out there?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFox News Follows California Beach Bum Living Off Food Stamps For Years

Assistant U.S. attorney’s Facebook posts probed

"The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas Malcolm Bales released a statement Wednesday morning regarding derogatory comments about minorities and President Obama posted on Facebook by a Beaumont-based assistant U.S. attorney. Asked about his comments Monday, John Craft said they 'were not related to the U.S. Attorney's office' and had no other comment. John Malcolm Bales, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, said his office does not have a social media policy but said he did not agree with Craft's comments and found any discriminatory sentiments 'reprehensible.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAssistant U.S. attorney’s Facebook posts probed

West Virginia judge arrested for allegedly attempting to frame ex-lover’s husband

"A West Virginia judge was arrested on Thursday and charged in federal court with attempting to plant evidence on a former lover’s husband and having him arrested for a crime he did not commit. Mingo County Circuit Judge Michael Thornsbury, 57, also was accused of appointing a business partner to be foreman of the grand jury investigating the husband, the indictment said. Thornsbury, Mingo County’s only circuit judge since 1997, was arrested on Thursday, according to a federal prosecutor. He was released after paying a $10,000 bond, according to court documents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWest Virginia judge arrested for allegedly attempting to frame ex-lover’s husband

Texas deputy accused of raping mother in front of her children resigns

"A deputy in Texas accused of raping a woman in front of her children has resigned, according to KHOU 11 News. Lisa Rodriguez of of East Harris County told local media outlets earlier this week that the deputy came to her home to question her about harassing phone calls. During the questioning, the deputy allegedly sexually assaulted her in her own home. Rodriguez said the deputy, who has not been named, told her they should talk in a bedroom upstairs. She said the deputy then grabbed her hands and put them on his crotch. Rodriguez said the deputy told her if she resisted he would take her to jail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTexas deputy accused of raping mother in front of her children resigns

Louisiana Deputies Bust Gays with Unconstitutional Sodomy Law

"Baton Rouge, Louisiana suffers from the eighth highest murder rate in the nation, and yet local law enforcement apparently considers it a top priority to conduct sting operations on gay men seeking consensual sex. According to an investigation by The Advocate, deputies have been going undercover and busting gay men using an anti-sodomy law the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional ten years ago. (Sheriff Sid Gautreaux says he hadn't heard about the Supreme Court decision.) Meanwhile, the local murder rate has jumped 40 percent over the past decade." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLouisiana Deputies Bust Gays with Unconstitutional Sodomy Law