Vets complaints spark probes
They are the old veterans who landed on foreign beaches, scaled lush Korean
mountainsides or parachuted into dense Vietnamese jungles. They are the
residents of Emory L. Bennett Veterans Nursing home. In less than a year,
dozens of the nursing home's employees have quit. Complaints by a staffer,
nursing home residents and their families and friends have been filed with
U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, the Police Department and the State
Attorneys Office.
POI Hank comments:
It is a shame that our
federal government does not extend itself
to make sure that our
vets are being treated in the manner
that they deserve and
which all Americans want them to be attended to.
After all, it is our tax
money which we send to congress, and they should better use it
and make sure that whom
they pay are rendering the proper care.
Have you yet come
to the conclusion that our congress does not give a damn
about the American
people and what they want?
Hey, Phil Grahmn, you
are one of the worst!
And McCain is a little
slow on figuring out
who are lobbyists, have
you noticed?
-- hank springer July 22, 2008 at 8:22 am
New Regulator in Rescue Plan Spurs Debate
By STEPHEN LABATON
Critics say that the rescue plan for Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac tilts in favor of the companies.
No Friend of the Workers
A government report and a Congressional hearing this week
painted a disturbing picture of a Labor Department that
simply is not standing up for workers.
POI Hank points out, that this is the way it
has become
in America. The average person gets
hit with restrictions,
laws, rules and penalties where he/she goes,
but
illegal aliens can disregard "no parking" or
"jumping over the
fence" signs. But you and I are
expected to behave like
good citizens and get penalized for greed
wherever we go.
Parking meters do nothing but raise money
for the city,
so that the "We are family crowd" can
use that money
to find news ways to give
opportunities, benefits, and
advantages to their special people, who
somehow manage
to return the favors. It stinks, when
a family can't find a
spot to park its boat at a public boat ramp
to enjoy a nice
Sunday out on the water, while so many
lenders and
developers reap special laws to accommodate
and make life
easier for them. It just stinks, how
we are nickled and dimed
out of money by our governmental agencies.
Mortgage companies, banks and lenders
are saved from
bankruptcy with our tax money, but the
people who were
conned into thinking they could afford a
home, are told
that it was their own fault for
"speculating". They are
neglected and allowed to go into bankruptcy
and default
on a predatory mortgage. It just
stinks!
I can cover the mistake, but Nation
Bank lied to us
when they estimated what the carrying costs
would be
on the second home we bought with a mortgage
from Bank of America.
Bank of America did not give us an
estimate of what the cost
would be for us to carry the mortgage on the
house we were
buying, but gave us the figures on what the
former home owner
was paying to maintain a home that she had
bought for
half the price that we were paying for the
home. I asked
Bank of America for an estimate of what it
would cost us
to carry the mortgage and taxes on the house
we were
buying, and they gave us the figures on what
it would
cost the previous home owner to continue
living in her home
with taxes on a home, half the price of what
we were paying
to buy the home. When you walk
into a bank, bring a lawyer
with you. Bank of America is the
same bank that gives credit
to illegal aliens. Also, Bank of
America
has taken over the defunct
Countrywide Mortgage company loans.
When it came time to dramatically increase
our escrow and mortgage
payment on our new house, I told Bank of
America
that I knew that
they had done the same thing to me that the
sub prime lenders had
done, not give a realistic estimate of
the mortgage payments required.
They told me, all they can do is
"apologize". If the situation were
reversed, and you and I pulled off such a
trick, we would be forced
to pay for it in triples by the banks'
mistresses, our national government.
It stinks!
--- hank, July 15, 2008 at 11:06 am
Protected by Washington, Fannie and Freddie Grew
By JULIE CRESWELL
Helped by their lobbying, the imperiled mortgage finance
companies resisted stronger oversight as they expanded.
The Silence of the Lenders
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON
While big lenders and loan servicers maintain that they're
doing all they can to help imperiled borrowers, critics
contend that homeowners routinely meet roadblocks.
History Deleted at the White House
The secrecy-obsessed White House is threatening to veto
legislation requiring the National Archives to issue
stronger standards for preserving e-mails.
Long-Term Fix Is Elusive in Medicare Payments
By ROBERT PEAR
Congress has blocked a cut in payments to doctors but has
not solved the problem that caused the cut, experts say.
A new survey, which found that 59
million people either delayed or did without needed medical care last year,
further strengthens the case for universal coverage.
----------------------------------
Are you better off now,
then you were three weeks ago?
Congress has a 9 percent
approval rating,
and it earned every percent of
it.
Happy days were here again,
when the Democrats took the
majority in the House.
Yes, I know Charlie, the
Republicans are no better.
Something's rotten, besides tomatoes
For many Americans, the current scare over salmonella-tainted
tomatoes simply means they're missing a slice of red juiciness on
their favorite sandwich. But for the people sickened by eating
contaminated tomatoes -- and for the grocers, produce distributors
and growers who have lost millions -- the problem is far more
serious.
Three cheers for Bush and the two
major political parties!
--- hank
-------------------------------
The $34 million mistake that the Air
Force now admits could be as large as a $30 billion discrepancy,
making the American tanker significantly less costly and the
obvious choice for the Air Force.
This process is
flawed and the analysis does not pass the common-sense test.
Americans were outraged at outsourcing our national security,
now we have an opportunity to correct this injustice by
re-competing the contract on a level playing field. Many more
questions still exist and Americans want and deserve answers.
For other Tanker contract news, do not forget
to check out
Tanker Blog.
Ann Martorano, who has been the
administrator at Halifax Health Medical Center in Port Orange
since it opened in 2007, will replace Kathryn Hughes, whose
re-branding of the health system led to controversies about
marketing expenditures at the tax-supported system....
NYC Official Accused Of Taking
Bribes From Crane Company
The Assistant Chief of Cranes and Derricks was arrested Friday
for allegedly
taking bribes from a crane company.
Under the aegis of the Fed, BlackRock is managing $30
billion of hard-to-sell assets from Bear Stearns. If it
fumbles, the Fed, and by extension taxpayers, could lose
billions.
TALLAHASSEE- On Wednesday, April 23rd, House Bill 991, by Representative
Dorothy L. Hukill (R- Port Orange), unanimously passed the Florida House of
Representatives. The bill creates the “Vox Populi – Voice of the People
Act,” which guarantees citizens the right to comment at local government
meetings.
HB 991
requires local governments to provide access for citizens to address issues
at meetings. Local governments would be required to adopt a written citizen
participation policy that provides specified opportunities for citizens to
speak. The bill allows local governments to tailor their participation
policy to meet the needs of their community while preserving the citizen’s
right to participate in the policy-making process. The written policy would
be made available to citizens on the home page of the local government’s
website.
“The
greatest tool Floridians have to see legislative change is their voice,”
Representative Hukill said. “This bill strengthens citizen confidence in the
political process and I am grateful to my colleagues for supporting me in my
work to improve the dialogue between citizens and their local government
officials.”
The
Senate companion of HB 991 is 2276 by Senator Evelyn Lynn (R-Ormond Beach).
A market bubble is created by easy-money policy and speculative
investment followed by a collapse in market values. Our economy teeters
on recession. Politicians reward big labor with new powers at the
workplace.
Large government programs are proposed to create taxpayer-funded jobs.
Entitlement programs for seniors and the poor are initiated. Temporary
"stimulus" packages are passed to placate seniors, farm workers, unions
and the unemployed.
Presidential candidates and congressional leaders attack free trade, vow
to instate an estate tax on the rich and increase taxes on corporations,
individual taxpayers and stockholders. Foreign countries' economies grow
at accelerated rates while American jobs disappear.
Regulations are imposed to crack down on Wall Street, while state and
federal governments bring lawsuits against demonized corporations for
various offenses. Private companies are more heavily regulated to
"protect" the public. ....
Tom Feeney's Tax Response as Hardworking Families File their Returns
(Washington,
DC) - Tom Feeney (R-Oviedo) today highlighted his efforts to protect the
pockets of hardworking taxpayers as families throughout Florida file
their tax returns. Today, Tom Feeney joined his colleagues in the RSC
to introduce an amendment to the Constitution aimed at controlling
federal spending. The Spending
Limit Amendment will prevent the federal budget from growing
beyond the American taxpayers' ability to pay for it. "San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi
continues to prove how out of touch she is with American families by
placing a huge tax burden on their shoulders as they continue to get
pounded at the pump and face skyrocketing insurance costs. Congress
must adopt the Spending Limit
Amendment so that our children and grandchildren do not pay
for her irresponsible economic proposals," said Tom Feeney.
Since he entered Congress in 2003, Tom Feeney
has fought and succeeded in giving Floridians the right to deduct their
state sales taxes. Feeney commented on the last year of the deduction
saying, "Sadly, this is also the last
year Floridians will be able to deduct our sales taxes since Speaker
Nancy Pelosi has eliminated equal treatment for Florida taxpayers and
continues to propose many new tax increases on hardworking Florida
families."
Additionally, he supports Ginny Brown-Waite's
proposal to offer an amendment that says no debt could be forgiven if
the United States government currently has a deficit. "Instead of spending hard-earned
taxpayer dollars on vital national interests like NASA, this
irresponsible liberal Congress shipped $50 billion to Africa. It would
only take $3 billion to accelerate the development of the Space
Shuttle’s replacement and keep more of NASA’s workforce employed,"
said Tom Feeney.
Tom Feeney also is a cosponsor of the Fair Tax Act because he
believes that we need a simplified tax code and the
Fair Tax Act that would eliminate the
federal income tax and the IRS to allow American families to keep all of
the money they work for and effectively halt the federal government from
squandering these dollars before families even see them.
Thank you for voicing your opinion on my website
about the outrageous decision by the Air Force to award
a $35 billion contract to European Aeronautic Defence
and Space (EADS)/ Northrop Grumman over Boeing to build
the next generation of aerial refueling tankers. I hope
you find this weeks "Tanker News" update informative.
On Wednesday, the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) rejected effort's by the Air Force and Northrop
Grumman to have portions of Boeing's Tanker protest bid
thrown out. This means the GAO has agreed to look at all
aspects of Boeing's protest without pre-maturely
dismissing any part of the protest. This is great news
and a good step forward.
I will continue to aggressively fight this decision
in Congress. I am currently finalizing legislation that
will help create a level playing field for American
workers and manufacturers.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT This week, both the New York Times and the Wall
Street Journal reported that French Financial
Market Regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers, has
filed a formal complaint and requested a criminal
investigation of the European Aeronautic Defence and
Space Company (EADS).
You can read the full story in the New York Times by
clicking
here.
It is clear that EADS cannot be trusted to build KC-X
tankers for America – its history confirms this. The
United States Air Force has kept America shielded from
questionable, and in some cases illegal, activities that
EADS and its parent Company Airbus have committed.
Because the Department of Defense and the Air Force
waived the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Cost
Accounting Standards for foreign competitors, the
American public may never know the true extent of
illegal activities that our new KC-X Tanker manufacturer
has committed. This represents a serious challenge to
our national security.
Our American tanker needs to be built by a company
we can trust. Our American tanker needs to be built by
an American company with American workers.
Also, the Center for Security Policy just released a
report, "EADS is Welcome to Compete for US
Defense Contracts- But First it Must Clean Up Its Act",
that highlights numerous past and present problematic
issues that need resolved before EADS should be able to
compete for American contracts.
Click
here to read this fascinating report by the Center
for Security Policy.
REGISTERING YOUR OPINION: Thank you again for taking time to voice your
opinion on
my website. Please make sure your family and friends
also know how to access the site to register their
opinion as well. The more people who voice their
disapproval of this Tanker contract decision the more
momentum we will gain.
People from all over the United States have been voicing
their outrage. As of this morning, more than
72,000 of you indicated you were outraged with the Air
Force Tanker decision!
TANKER BLOG: Be sure to check out the "Tanker
Blog" to stay up to date on all the latest Tanker
contract actions. Here I will post videos, media
interviews, floor speeches, letters to the President,
Secretary of Defense, and my Congressional colleagues
that express my outrage over this contract.
In addition, if you would like to call the White House
to voice your opinion about the Air Force tanker
decision the number is 202-456-1111.
Best regards,
Second-Class Citizens
NO ONE bats an eye when
Maryland officials prepare to spend as much as $2 million on a special
election to fill out the term of departing Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D). The
prospect of 685,000 people going without a voice in Congress -- even for a
few months -- is that intolerable. Yet it's a condition...
(The Washington Post)
----------------------------------------------
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. --
A homeowner's complaint to Channel 9 is
shedding light on the FDLE investigation into Brevard County
Property Appraiser Jim Ford. Ford is being investigated for
allegedly lowering property values in order to give tax breaks to
political supporters. ...
New York Region: Phony Allocations by
City Council Reported
By RAY RIVERA and RUSS BUETTNER
Since 2001, about $17.4 million has been budgeted for
dozens of fake community groups, according to documents
provided by Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn's office.
Books: Behind the Scenes of Secret
Surveillance and Its Public
Unmasking
By JEFFREY ROSEN
Eric Lichtblau details his efforts at The Times to expose
various forms of secret government surveillance -- and the
Bush administration's efforts to retaliate against him and
other critics.
Charley Barcelo of Port Orange, and
Hank Springer do not like Bush or the Republicans.
Charley seems
sympathetic to Democrats, but Hank hates them too.
& & & & & & & & & &
When Hank wrote that ALL
POLITICIANS ARE CORRUPT, Bob replied:
Hank, you're such a realist. Too bad
that so few others see REALITY !
Best wishes,
Bob S., Daytona Beach, Fl.
Uncle Subprime WSJ Editorial April 3, 2008; Page A14
Mortgage foreclosures haven't yet hit
their peak, it's an election year, and Congress is back in session. Hold
onto your wallets because a housing bailout is moving forward unless the
White House says no.
Senators from both parties agreed late
yesterday to throw about $11 billion more at the housing market, and
we'll have more to say about that later. But think of Uncle Sam as the
subprime lender of last resort and you are getting close to what the
Beltway is contemplating. In the name of preventing foreclosures, House
Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank wants to transfer the risk of
further declines in home prices to taxpayers from lenders and borrowers.
Mr. Frank's idea is that, for mortgages
originated between the start of 2005 and mid-2007, a lender and borrower
would be able to agree on a federal refinancing plan. Lenders would have
to write down their loan to no more than 85% of the current appraised
value of the property – which means the banks will use this opportunity
to unload the biggest stinkers in their loan portfolios.
For the borrower, the deal is even
sweeter: a low fixed monthly payment and a reduction in the principal to
market value. The Federal Housing Administration would then guarantee
the loan, up to a total of $300 billion in total Frank Refis. The deal
is so sweet that even Mr. Frank is concerned that otherwise reliable
borrowers may "purposely default" to be eligible for assistance. His
solution is to require borrowers to "certify" that they really, truly
aren't doing this simply to get on the taxpayer gravy train.
The pols also understand, but won't admit,
that you can't bail out borrowers without bailing out lenders. And on
both counts, we're not talking about the most deserving recipients in
the history of welfare: Those receiving bailouts will be lenders who
chased high returns despite the risks, and borrowers challenging
historic rates of delinquency even before rate resets. Many will also be
fraudsters, given that mortgage fraud has increased more than 1,200%
since 2000.
A new study from the Boston Federal
Reserve destroys the myth of the victimized subprime borrower. Boston
Fed economists examined 1.5 million homeownerships over nearly 20 years
and found that the overwhelming reason for subprime foreclosures is not
unsustainable debt foisted on ignorant borrowers or even financial
setbacks. People walk out on subprime mortgages when the value of their
home declines.
Homeowners who've suffered a 20% decline
in home prices are 14 times as likely to default as those who have
enjoyed a 20% gain. "Subprime lending played a role but that role was in
creating a class of homeowners who were particularly sensitive to
declining house price appreciation, rather than, as is commonly
believed, by placing people in inherently problematic mortgages," says
the Boston Fed study. In other words, even if the government moves these
borrowers into FHA-guaranteed mortgages with fixed rates, but home
prices keep falling, lots of borrowers will stiff the taxpayers like
they've been stiffing private lenders.
Traditionally, lenders making a commitment
to finance your home have demanded that you make a commitment as well: a
down payment. But during the credit boom, the shrinking market share of
FHA-insured loans demonstrated how much the world was changing. FHA was
intended to help moderate-income borrowers afford homes by requiring
merely a 3% down payment. When subprime lenders started offering loans
with zero down, FHA asked Congress to let their lenders do the same.
Fortunately for taxpayers, Congress resisted. In the fourth quarter of
2007, FHA loans were one mortgage category that actually enjoyed a
decline in foreclosures.
That trend may not last, because Mr.
Frank's bill waters down FHA underwriting standards. Today, the FHA
tells lenders that a borrower should not have debt payments amounting to
more than 43% of monthly income, but Mr. Frank's bill allows this figure
to rise as high as 5
