Politics Political Articles

The governor of Iowa wants to increase Iowa tourism by spending even more of our state’s overburdened budget. His idea to raise the deposit on bottles, include even more containers, and only return eighty percent of the deposit back to consumers failed miserably. The idea was seen as a scheme to collect more taxes from the citizens of this state in a way that wouldn’t be recognized as another tax. We saw through that, got the bill defeated, and in effect, decreased the amount of our money that he had to spend. The problem is that he doesn’t want to see that the money he had planned on isn’t there, he still wants to spend it anyway. There are many things our state needs such as road repair and he proposes to get the money for that one by raising registration fees and usage taxes. He has taken an increase in gas tax off the table, bad idea Chet. An increase in registration fees and use taxes would be paid entirely by citizens of the state, whereas an increase in fuel taxes would be paid by everyone that travels the states highways. This means that the countless number of semis that travel across our state would also end up paying for the wear and tear on our highways.

The candidates did not seem to spend as much time in Minnesota as other states. Of course living in Iowa I saw them almost nonstop for the past year. I would have thought that they could have increased Minnesota tourism travel by a significant amount if they had spent that much time up there. Minnesota is a large state without too many large population areas, but they to care about their politics and would have traveled some distances just to hear the candidates positions on the subjects they are interested in. When they drive those distances they don’t just turn around an go home either. They find a place to spend the night and they find a place to eat. They may even work a shopping trip in as long as they are in the big city. Talk about an economic stimulus package. With that many people spending that much money Minnesota could have turned their economy around without federal help. But the candidates aren’t interested in fixing problems, oh no they are only interested in talking about how they will fix things if they get elected. You have to give them your vote before they will do anything, they won’t do it out of the goodness of their hearts.

If the primaries were held as first in the nation here it would increase Wisconsin tourism. Unfortunately the parties fined other states for pulling such a stunt and it didn’t go well for them. They weren’t allowed to send any representatives, and I think that was a little harsh. Just because the parties broke the ruled doesn’t mean that the citizens shouldn’t have the opportunity to decide who they want for a candidate. I think that is just wrong and should be against the constitution someplace. Our government was founded on being of the people, by the people, and for the people. That principle is violated when they can’t send their representatives. What would happen to our democracy if that rule were allowed during the main election rather than the primary? There was a large turnout on the democratic side for the election that didn’t mean a thing. I don’t know if their vote would have changed things or not, but that isn’t the point, the point is that the people were not represented even if it was only a minor election. If I were king I would have found a better punishment for the offending state, something like no income for any of the political ads that were run.

All of the candidates seem to be showing up at all the Missouri tourism events. I guess they think the more people that they get to see face to face the more votes they will get. I’m not that kind of a voter. I want to know what they believe in and what their agenda is. Take Hillary for example, she has made it apparent that she is going to push for health care for everyone, but she doesn’t state how she is going to pay for it. Is universal health care actually going to be cheaper than what we have now or is it going to cause our taxes to go sky high? I think the increases in taxes is likely, therefore she is out of my mix. Obama voted for partial birth abortion. Once I heard that he was off my radar, that is one issue I am becoming more and more resolute on. Edwards dropped out of the race so his opinions are irrelevant any more. Romney just doesn’t sit right with me, he just looks like the rich kid who always gets what he wants. He changes his views to fit the situation. Huckaby was really looking good but his support has dwindled and you can’t support a man that you know is going to loose. That leaves me with McCain.

Politicians in South Dakota are really pushing South Dakota tourism in their legislation. They are trying to get rid of any obstacles that would keep people from making tourist destinations and anything that would keep people from coming to the state. I know a lot of people wonder what the government can do to help. Well, in my opinion the best things they can do involve removing regulations. There is far too much tax code written that , although not meant to hurt the industry, actually does. If you make it too cumbersome to run a motel then there will be no more motels built. Some health regulations need to be in place, but the laws are more severe for tourist places than they are for local places. Are tourists more important than citizens of the state? I certainly don’t think so. The politicians seem to be way too quick to make legislation to address a single incident that likely will never happen again. The unintended consequences are often a big road block to the tourist industry. For some reason the legislators only see a problem and a fix and never even try to see what else the new legislation will affect.

Iowa recently passed HF 892 which creates the Film Promotion Program & Tax Credits.  Iowa is known for two films, State Fair, and Bridges of Madison County.  With the creation of this Iowa Film Tax Credit program, the state is aggressively positioning itself as a film location for the shooting of television and movies.

The program provides for the issuance of tax credit certificates that are issued to investors in a movie or television production and the producer of a movie or television production for qualified expenditures made during filming within the state.

These tax credits are transferable which allows them to be bought and sold.  This creates a financing mechanism that helps attract producers to the state while selling the tax credits and utilizing the proceeds to help fund the production of their film.

In the last half of 2007 there was roughly $127 Billion in adjustible rate mortgages which flipped off the low introductory payment and eventually left buyers with a payment so high many had no choice but to file bankruptcy. This is only the begenning since 2008 will see $526 Billion dollars flip from adjustible rate mortgages. With such substantial hardships to come there will definitly be some political reform in the mortgage market.

However, it has yet to be seen if this reform will hurt other markets like the the one for motorcycle loans with low payments. Since many motorcycle loans are purchased with low introductry payments they resemble an adjustible rate mortgage, but on a much smaller scale. With this just be overlooked as a non issue or will politicians hit all financial markets with a big sledge hammer?

One thing is for sure the government should not bail out this situation. That will leave tax payers financing more crap debt for those who made risky investments. This is not fair to tax payers and no tax payer should stand for it.

Do not let politicians make bad decision for you. Make sure you get out and vote to ensure that you are not paying for those who make risky gambles on real estate and other investments. In the end, you will feel a good accomplishiment to vote your way.

We all know that many U.S. homeowners with sub-prime mortgages have gone into foreclosure or are at serious risk of going into foreclosure.  This crisis is so widespread that many lenders, including one of the largest mortgage lenders: Countrywide Financial, have taken a serious financial hit due to their sub-prime mortgage loans.  Some private banks have come to the rescue, like Bank of America’s assistance to Countrywide but the U.S. Government has also stepped in to pressure many sub-prime lenders to restructure their adjustable rate loans to sub-prime lenders.

Many are blaming the lenders for making inappropriate loans to sub-prime lenders that allowed them to receive an adjustable rate mortgage with little or no down payment. These borrowers could afford to make payments on the 100% loan-to-value ARMs with the low interest rates that were available at the time but after just a moderate increase in interest rates, these borrowers have seen their monthly payments increase significantly.  While the lenders should be held responsible for the financial impact to their company of making loans that were sure to have interest rate increases and higher monthly payments to borrowers who could barely afford the loan at the initial interest rates, the borrowers should also be responsible for accepting a loan they surely wouldn’t be able to afford in the near future.

This sub-prime mortgage crisis is also driving up housing rental prices across the country as many sub-prime lenders who probably should have been renting in the first place have lost their homes and the demand for rental housing has increased.  Investment/Rental property owners are enjoying the market price increases due to this activity as many owners are receiving many more inquiries from their condo and home rental advertising.

The U.S. Government is bailing out many of these borrowers for poor financial decisions and eliminating the personal consequences for these borrowers.  While the impact of this activity to the U.S. economy is undeniable, it is inappropriate for the Federal Government to be bailing out individual borrowers who made poor personal financial decisions.  These borrowers should not be able to keep a home that they cannot afford to pay for at current interest rates just because their defaults will have a negative impact on the economy.  The lenders and borrowers made bad decisions that will affect us all, but we must endure that consequence as a byproduct of our free market economy.

It is commonly believed that what separates the men from the boys is grit and determination. Most people think that, to climb the corporate ladder you have to be willing to put everything into your job. People believe that this, combined with some natural skills, is enough for anyone to succeed in the American dream. They are wrong. What is needed, more than anything else, is a sense of theater. Although people are rarely consciously aware of symbols of rank and status within the office interior design, unconsciously we know all about them. More important than hard work, more important than ruthlessness, more important even than competency, is self-confidence.

As a matter of fact, you can see the evidence of rank in almost any artifact of your typical office interior design. Take executive offices, for example. I work in a large office, and many of the lower ranking employees are forced to work in cramped, uncomfortable cubicles. Their executive office chairs are nothing to look at, and in fact are part of their low rank. The executive chairs of the partners, by contrast, are made of genuine leather – comfortable, sumptuous, and conspicuously expenses. This is probably much like any office interior design, and something that most people wouldn’t glance twice at. A closer look at the executive chairs, however, reveals some important distinctions between those who will one day make it and those who won’t.

Contrast the executive chairs of any of the junior partners, and you’ll see important distinctions. Mike Smith, for example, has received promotion after promotion although he has only been here for a few months and is not all that bright. On his plain desk chair, he has added a leather pad. ostensibly, it is for ergonomic purposes, but in fact it conveys a powerful subconscious message. It says that his current status as an underling is only a temporary thing, that already management and greatness or within his grasp.

Right next door, James Jones’ cubicle tells a very different story. His executive chair also has pads on it, but they are merely functional. They serve to help his back problems, but their undecorated features tell the story of his life at the company. He will never sit in one of the sumptuous executive chairs – He has twice the smarts of Mike, but less than half the ambition. His chair looks too comfortable, in fact, and he is too comfortable as well, wallowing in his position of insignificance.

www.interiorsgroup.co.uk

In one of the more highly publicized political engagements of the decade, the President’s daughter, Jenna Bush recently announced her engagement to 29 year old Henry Hager.  Hager is the son of former Virginia Lieutenant Governor, John Hager.

 At this point, no one seems to know exactly when the couple will exchange their wedding vows, but rest assured, we will hear every last detail when the ceremony happens.  At age 25, Jenna is fairly young, but the couple has been dating for several years, so this doesn’t come as a complete surprise.  So, regardless of whether you’re a democrat or republican, stay tuned for more details on this political merger.

In recent years there have been many political debated on Capital Hill surrounding motorcycles and ATVs.  Thoese debates typically focus around saftey and sometime around import laws.

A more recent debate has been on the importation of Chinese ATVs and motorcycles.  See these ATVs do not meet the same saftey standards as their Japenese counterparts and they also offer no training.

Many times these Chinese atvs and motorcycles are being sold on the street which is a big different than the large motorcycle and atv dealers selling Japanese ATVs with motorcycle loans and ATV financing.

One thing is for sure these debates will continue as long as there is still percieved saftey issues with ATVs and motorcycles.

Are current policies promoted by the current democrat controlled congress creating a positive environment for entrepreneurship?  Entrepreneurs and small business are the driving force in new job creation in the United States.

Or will the current democrat congress drive new job creation to a halt and through their policies reduce the competitiveness of the US economy?  Will this result in even greater shifts in economic production to other countries?

Immigration policies of countries reflect their attitude regarding immigration. There were no strict regulations regarding immigrations in the ancient period. With increase in the consciousness about political identity each country formulated a set of conditions, to regulate migration. Immigration policies are guiding principles for the procedure of immigration. The immigration policy is revised according to the motives of the government. The countries, which have low population growth, have liberal immigration policies.

You can read the complete article on Immigration here.  You can read other political stories at RedandBlueNews.com.

There has been a tremendous amount of legislative activity on a state level for the payday loan industry this year.  Rates are being reduced in states such as Nevada and Oregon. It would serve you to stay up to speed on the latest payday loan news. Larry Bisenius runs a payday loan news blog which has all of the latest stories from the payday loan industry.

Show people you support the search for truth about the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon with these new 911 truth shirts.

The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), in particular, has stepped up its program to encourage angel investors in nanotechnology in Virginia. They encourage the meeting of minds between the developers seeking angel investors in nanotechnology in Virginia with the different people who can provide them with resources.

Read on at:  Angel Investor

Here’s about Business Opportunity

Everyone seeks to find the best available job. However, finding a job is no picnic! But, this doesn’t mean you should listen to the ramblings of people that claim there are NO jobs currently available. Some folks will state that the job market is dead, but this is totally false.

Read on at Business Opportunity Seekers 

Against All Enemies, written by Richard A. Clarke is a compelling audio book, that lets you glimpse behind usually closed doors of the White House:
The real war on terror has happened largely behind closed doors, run by the White House, drawing on secret intelligence and operations around the world. There is no man who knows more about it than Richard Clarke, the former Counterterrorism Czar for both George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the man who has led our efforts against al Qaeda and all other terrorist enemies for years, serving under seven presidents and in the White House for George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W Bush, until he resigned in March 2003. He has had a front-row seat at every major battle in this war, from the first World Trade Center bombing, to 9/11, to Afghanistan, to Iraq.

More interesting and compelling Biography Audio Books 

I have always thought of myself as a rebel, but after studying a little bit of the history of African Americans, I realize it is my parents that are the rebels. They were willing to risk everything – their safety, their freedom, even their life – to make things better for me and my generation. Studying African American history has taught me that I should be grateful to them for the sacrifices that they made. More importantly, it has taught me that it is crucial that I make the most of myself. Being aware of African American history means that I know how hard it was to get to where we are today. I must not squander the chances that I have been given.

Continue reading this article about African American history, or discover much more family information at AtTheFamilyPlace.com.

‘Broken Ground’ a great audio novel I recently listened to: The story is about Kathe Shalk, who after living in America for many years, returns to Berlin to try to come to terms with the Berlin of her youth.

Her journey from America to the broken ground of contemporary Germany becomes an act of recovery: of lives intertwined by politics and passion, of memory and the invented self, and of Kaethes search for a daughter lost to her, now grown and living in uncompromising isolation from her mothers past and present, somewhere in vast, resurgent Berlin.

This made for highly captivating listening, the audio book – even though it’s fiction – paints a good picture of todays political landscape in Germany, the conflicts between the USA and the old world and shows how people can be caught up in this.

Good listening!