Patience

As some of you may already know, I am seriously wanting to sell my house and buy a newer one farther Southwest in my fair city. Well, tonight, after dinner , I went up and drove around a newer subdivision in my town full of the newer homes(some are still being built on site) and they are in my price range. I drove up there to sort of 'whet my appetite'.The house I am living in now is nice, and completely paid for as well, and I am tucking as much money away in savings as I can. The neighborhood that I am living in right now is nice, but is projected to start going downhill in about 2 or 3 years. The neighborhood that I want to move to looks to be a sweeeeet one. But the only way that I can put a great sized chunk of down payment on a new home is to sell my this one, and the housing market is not too great for selling right now. Yes, I have been told about renting out my current house, but to tell the truth, I just cannot be a landlord because I already have a full time company, and I know nothing about that kind of business. Housing rentals are not the kind of business that I want to be in anyway. So renting my house is out of the question. So, I guess that what I need right now is patience

Bankrupt?? How in the hell can they be bankrupt?????

No $3.2B Bankruptcy for Alabama CountyBy JAY REEVES, AP
posted: 21 HOURS 29 MINUTES AGOcomments: 37PrintShare
Text SizeAAABESSEMER, Ala. (Oct. 15) - Commissioners in Alabama's most populous county voted against filing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history Tuesday and the federal government refused to guarantee the county's $3.2 billion sewer bond debt.

$3.2 Billion Bankruptcy?Dennis Lathem, Birmingham Chamber of Commerce / AP3 photos In less than 10 minutes Tuesday, commissioners in Jefferson County, Ala. -- home to Birmingham, the state's biggest city -- voted 3-2 to reject a resolution to seek bankruptcy protection for $3.2 billion in debt.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)


The Jefferson County Commission rejected a resolution to file for bankruptcy on a 3-2 vote during a meeting that lasted less than 10 minutes.
Afterward, the governor's office said the Treasury Department had refused to intervene in the looming crisis, which started when the county made risky deals to pay for massive sewer system improvements after being sued over failure to meet federal clean water standards.
Officials say the area's water is safe after 12 years of work, but payments on the county's debt ballooned when the mortgage crisis struck and banks began tightening up on lending.
The majority of commissioners want to continue seeking an alternative to bankruptcy, which may involve refinancing the huge debt, budget cuts, sewer rate increases and a negotiated reduction of the amount owed to creditors.
"The only way Jefferson County can grow and prosper is to settle this short of bankruptcy," said Bettye Fine Collins, the commission president. Officials may have to slash spending by as much as $30 million, or nearly 5 percent of the county's $655 million budget, she said. The county could reduce services in its roads and sewer departments and close some county offices, she said.
But Commissioner Jim Carns said bankruptcy is the only realistic option, partly because Alabama's antiquated constitution requires legislators to approve possible solutions, including tax hikes, and such approvals are unlikely.
"Sooner or later people are going to realize that bankruptcy is the only way," Carns said.
Gov. Bob Riley, who was brought in to the debt negotiations by the commission, last week asked the federal government to guarantee the county's debt, a move that could have resulted in lower interest rates and payments.
But Riley's office said the Treasury Department had refused to include Jefferson County in a $700 billion bailout package approved by Congress, deciding that no municipalities would be allowed to participate.
A bankruptcy filing by the county, which is home to 658,000 residents and includes Birmingham, would nearly double the previous record of $1.7 billion, set in 1994 by Orange County, Calif.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-10-14 12:15:41

McCain and moving selling this old house

On John McCain:I cannot count him out here. I will not declare anyone a winner until November 4th. Regardless of who wins, I will be optimistic. I hope that Obama does not win. I swear to God almighty that I think the man is a Socialist, who hangs around with questionable people. I just flat out don't like his politics. But should he win, I won't blame everything that goes wrong on him. I will criticize him... I will criticize anyone who holds public office.. and I didn't like Clinton, but I prospered under his administration, I will prosper regardless of who is in high office Now, on to another subject. I believe that I have stated here somewhere that I will never move from my cute as pie little home. Well, I am kind of sorry to say that I was wrong. In about 5 years I plan to move to a bigger home. My little neighborhood will likely start going downhill in about that time. I hope that I can sell my cute little home for a fair price. I get excited thinking about it, and even check out some real estate websites.. and I am looking at mortgages, and saving my money for a good size down payment. But I have a few years yet, guess that I shouldn't get too ahead of myself...

More

Had more work on the homestead done today. The cleaning person came and her husband also came and did BUNCHES of work. It is all mostly cosmetic, but I tell you I am soooooo happy! Will post pics as soon as I get more. I have a newer armoire in my family room. It belongs to my mother, but it looks fabulous in my home. She had somebody bring it up and put it in. I have to save my $ because I am getting new countertops put in and also new flooring. I had new screen doors put in today as well. Heidi seems to like it. I can't wait to get back into dating. Now I don't have to be scared to bring men home LOL.

By the by 2

Oh and in case I forgot--- vote McCain/Palin in November!

By the by

I am still here still alive and doing well. I hope that you are too. I am still enjoying my work, my home, my pups, my family(thankfully I live alone LOLOLOLOLOL) my money, peace, love, and now if I could just get my health in order. Last week, I had some blood drawn. I will find out on Thursday what the results are. The homestead is sweet. Funny how things do happen. Back in January of this year, I would have been embarrassed to have anyone come over to my house, it was so awful. Looking back, I actually cannot believe that I, or anyone for that matter, could live like that. Then, on a Spring day- of this year, my sister, mother and cousin came by to see how I was doing as I was home sick from work that day. Needless to say, they were appalled(understandably) but overall, very non judgemental, and they were understanding , and I am now and forever greatful that they made the decision to see me on that day and now my home is FABULOUS. My home is nice, clean, and very presentable, and even though I am still shy and a bit of a homebody and a recluse, I am not afraid for people to come over or stop by. Hell, I even now have a lady that comes over twice a month to clean my house. She is excellent. I do some of my own house cleaning( and with an old dog with bladder problems I admit it is a tad difficult, but I manage to do it)

Labor Day

Tomorrow is Labor Day. Tomorrow is the Start of the Republicn national Convention. It will be a busy day for me as it is also payday! By the way, my house is still staying very cute. I will post more pics here soon. For now, enjoy the pics of cute puppies.:)

Sad News

Update: Two children die in car
Sheriff's deputies find twin 3-year-olds after search in Montara
By Phil Anderson
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, August 24, 2008 at 7:47 p.m. CDT
Twin 3-year-olds died this afternoon after being shut inside a car for more than two hours in the Montara area just south of Topeka, officials said.

The twins, a boy and a girl, were last seen about 1 p.m. and were reported missing about 1:40 p.m., officials said.

The children were discovered about 3:15 p.m. inside a silver, four-door Daewoo car parked in the driveway of their home.

Shawnee County sheriff's Sgt. Akim Reynolds said the boy was found in the front seat of the car. The girl was found in the back seat.

Sheriff's deupties performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on both children before emergency medical responders arrived on the scene.

The girl was pronounced dead at the scene. The boy was taken by American Medical Response ambulance to a Topeka hospital, where he was prounounced dead.

Reynolds said the doors to the car were unlocked.

The temperature at 2 p.m. was 77 degrees. Reynolds said the temperature inside a car with its windows up could be 20 to 30 degrees warmer.

Deputies responding to the children's home, 6801 S.W. Windsong, conducted a search in the neighborhood and enlisted the assistance of a Kansas Highway Patrol helicopter before the twins were found inside the car.

No foul play is suspected, though the mother was being questioned by detectives, Reynolds said.

Autopsies are to be performed on the children, and the case remains under investigation.

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One can only hope

One injured in rollover
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, August 15, 2008
An eastbound Ford Explorer flipped over Thursday afternoon on Interstate 70 near I-470 and S.W. Wanamaker.

Joshua Bessette, of Topeka, was attempting to pass a vehicle on the left and lost control, according to a highway patrol report.



Ann Williamson / Topeka Capital-Journal
An eastbound Ford Explorer flipped over Thursday afternoon on Interstate 70 near I-470 and S.W. Wanamaker. Joshua Bessette, of Topeka, was attempting to pass a vehicle on the left and lost control, according to a highway patrol report. He was taken to an area hospital with injuries.

CJVideoRush Hour Roll Over Accident

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He was taken to an area hospital with injuries.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: pitafersure at Aug. 15, 2008 at 2:05:48 pm
How is this person still driving?

http://www.shawneecourt.org/doe/search.jsp?caseNumber=&first=Joshua&middle=&last=Bessette&CV=Y&CR=Y&DM=Y&PR=Y&TR=Y&mob=&yob=&location=internet

Posted by: pitafersure at Aug. 15, 2008 at 2:07:39 pm
http://www.wibw.com/home/headlines/27004679.html

Posted by: pitafersure at Aug. 15, 2008 at 2:13:44 pm
http://www.cjonline.com/stories/101303/dai_policefire.shtml

Posted by: hpgma5 at Aug. 15, 2008 at 3:19:16 pm
I wondered the same thing,pitafersure. He has been to court too many times to count for traffic violations and also some criminal charges. Maybe there needs to be a way to confiscate the car, not just his license since he apparently thinks lsws do not apply to him.

Posted by: pitafersure at Aug. 15, 2008 at 4:43:23 pm
No need to confiscate his vehicle, looks like he did that himself this time!

Posted by: wiseowl at Aug. 15, 2008 at 4:54:38 pm
Once a loser always a loser ahhhhh Josh?

OneRedKansan40 writes: This guy is a scumbag piece of shit and I hope he croaks.Soon.

Why I am not voting for Obama 2

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What Is a 'Windfall' Profit?
August 4, 2008; Page A12
The "windfall profits" tax is back, with Barack Obama stumping again to apply it to a handful of big oil companies. Which raises a few questions: What is a "windfall" profit anyway? How does it differ from your everyday, run of the mill profit? Is it some absolute number, a matter of return on equity or sales -- or does it merely depend on who earns it?


Enquiring entrepreneurs want to know. Unfortunately, Mr. Obama's "emergency" plan, announced on Friday, doesn't offer any clarity. To pay for "stimulus" checks of $1,000 for families and $500 for individuals, the Senator says government would take "a reasonable share" of oil company profits.


Mr. Obama didn't bother to define "reasonable," and neither did Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Senate Democrat, when he recently declared that "The oil companies need to know that there is a limit on how much profit they can take in this economy." Really? This extraordinary redefinition of free-market success could use some parsing.


Take Exxon Mobil, which on Thursday reported the highest quarterly profit ever and is the main target of any "windfall" tax surcharge. Yet if its profits are at record highs, its tax bills are already at record highs too. Between 2003 and 2007, Exxon paid $64.7 billion in U.S. taxes, exceeding its after-tax U.S. earnings by more than $19 billion. That sounds like a government windfall to us, but perhaps we're missing some Obama-Durbin business subtlety.


Maybe they have in mind profit margins as a percentage of sales. Yet by that standard Exxon's profits don't seem so large. Exxon's profit margin stood at 10% for 2007, which is hardly out of line with the oil and gas industry average of 8.3%, or the 8.9% for U.S. manufacturing (excluding the sputtering auto makers).


If that's what constitutes windfall profits, most of corporate America would qualify. Take aerospace or machinery -- both 8.2% in 2007. Chemicals had an average margin of 12.7%. Computers: 13.7%. Electronics and appliances: 14.5%. Pharmaceuticals (18.4%) and beverages and tobacco (19.1%) round out the Census Bureau's industry rankings. The latter two double the returns of Big Oil, though of course government has already became a tacit shareholder in Big Tobacco through the various legal settlements that guarantee a revenue stream for years to come.


In a tax bill on oil earlier this summer, no fewer than 51 Senators voted to impose a 25% windfall tax on a U.S.-based oil company whose profits grew by more than 10% in a single year and wasn't investing enough in "renewable" energy. This suggests that a windfall is defined by profits growing too fast. No one knows where that 10% came from, besides political convenience. But if 10% is the new standard, the tech industry is going to have to rethink its growth arc. So will LG, the electronics company, which saw its profits grow by 505% in 2007. Abbott Laboratories hit 110%.


If Senator Obama is as exercised about "outrageous" profits as he says he is, he might also have to turn on a few liberal darlings. Oh, say, Berkshire Hathaway. Warren Buffett's outfit pulled in $11 billion last year, up 29% from 2006. Its profit margin -- if that's the relevant figure -- was 11.47%, which beats out the American oil majors.


Or consider Google, which earned a mere $4.2 billion but at a whopping 25.3% margin. Google earns far more from each of its sales dollars than does Exxon, but why doesn't Mr. Obama consider its advertising-search windfall worthy of special taxation?


The fun part about this game is anyone can play. Jim Johnson, formerly of Fannie Mae and formerly a political fixer for Mr. Obama, reaped a windfall before Fannie's multibillion-dollar accounting scandal. Bill Clinton took down as much as $15 million working as a rainmaker for billionaire financier Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies. This may be the very definition of "windfall."


General Electric profits by investing in the alternative energy technology that Mr. Obama says Congress should subsidize even more heavily than it already does. GE's profit margin in 2007 was 10.3%, about the same as profiteering Exxon's. Private-equity shops like Khosla Ventures and Kleiner Perkins, which recently hired Al Gore, also invest in alternative energy start-ups, though they keep their margins to themselves. We can safely assume their profits are lofty, much like those of George Soros's investment funds.


The point isn't that these folks (other than Mr. Clinton) have something to apologize for, or that these firms are somehow more "deserving" of windfall tax extortion than Big Oil. The point is that what constitutes an abnormal profit is entirely arbitrary. It is in the eye of the political beholder, who is usually looking to soak some unpopular business. In other words, a windfall is nothing more than a profit earned by a business that some politician dislikes. And a tax on that profit is merely a form of politically motivated expropriation.


It's what politicians do in Venezuela, not in a free country.


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Why I am not voting for Obama

What Is a 'Windfall' Profit? - WSJ.com

Update

Well, my folks are heading out of town today. They are going down to Texas to pick up some equipment in San Antonio. They will stop in Tyler on their way to visit an aged relative. They return on Sunday. I have made the trip from Topeka Kansas to San Antonio, Texas and believe me, it is a doozy. I mean it is a long one. Talk about a loooong drive. I drove there with my grandpop years ago to pick up some equipment and had to stop and rest overnight in Waco(yes, THAT Waco). Actually, Waco is a pretty nice place. At least what I saw of it was. Anyhoo, while the folks are out, I am the one in charge of making sure that the money gets to the bank. I love doing this. Making deposits. I like to do paperwork, call me crazy.My manager is also out of town, gone on vacation to the Ozarks. Sounds kind of nice, but I just cannot be outside in this extremely hot weather. Yes, Topeka, Kansas , is undergoing a heat wave-heat advisory for the next week or so. I have to water mom's p[lants while she is gone every other day, too. I don't mind, considering all of the help she has given me with my house. It only takes about an hour and a half to do anyway, including the drive to mom and pops house.

Doom and Gloom

I just hate all of this 'doom and gloom' and 'lets blame America first' attitude that seems to mostly come from the political left leaners. Yes, the economy is slow right now, but this is normal. The economy goes in ebbs and flows. The war in Iraq is going, overall, well. The surge works. The sky is NOT falling, not anywhere even close. Buildings not on fire do not make the news. Sometimes I get the idea that some people read in their newspaper that a couple of buildings burn down , they assume that most buildings in that city are burning or have burnt down. I just don't get it.

Hi

Hello. Today is Thursday, July twenty-something. I forget the date. Yes, my legs are still getting wrapped because of the edema. So far, everything is going as expected. I am supposed to get my permanent edema garmets(they are called Circaids) either tomorrow or Monday. They will be delivered to the hospital, and I will go there and be fitted for them. They are not the sexiest things to wear, but at least I can now go back to showering twice a day at home after I get them! Hope they arrive tomorrow::knock on wood::

Pictures

Back

And so sorry it has taken me a long time to update this blog. Yes, my legs are both wrapped. It does not hurt, hell pressing on the edema hurt more, and I will have to wear these wraps for the next couple of weeks. I started on Monday, and the wraps are at least comfy. The therapist doing the wraps is excellent. Very patient with me. Only thing I really don't like is not being able to shower when I get home. Can't take the wraps off overnight cause then my legs swell back up. I go to work, then I have to leave for the therapist at just after 10 am.. get there to the office, then when I get to her office, unwrap, take a shower, get dressed and then she wraps me with my clean bandages. I will have to do this next week too. On weekends, even thought I work, I will have to sponge bath. Yuck! And in about 3 weeks I will have to go repeat a sonogram. Fun.

Controlling edema and shopping

Well, it looks like my compression wrapping will begin next week for both of my legs. I have had it done before(long story) and I am rather looking forward to it. It isn't painful and keeps my calves and feet warm.I love the massages too. I keep the AC on in my house cause it is just too dang hot outside. Only thing is, I will have to shower for 5 days at the office where the wrapping is done. Its ok its cool because it is a private shower. I had to buy my own wrappings though and those are kinda expensive. Thank God for shopping on line for those!Speaking of shopping, I had to go grocery shopping tonight-and at Wallyworld, no less. I hate shopping. I hate having to wait in long lines. A few weeks ago, I had my annual pap smear done and my dr thinks he found some endometrial cells somewhere. So on July 1st, I go in for a sonogram. Fun! I get to do the drink tons of water in an hour and you cannot go to the bathroom until after the sonogram is done game. Oh well. I guess I just gotta do it and get it over with! I am happy that Independence Day will be here soon, and I am going to my folk's place for an after work celebration. Best of all, I get to have not only my best dog, Heidi with me, but I get Zorn as well.!

The truth from George Will

Conservatives More Liberal Givers
By George Will


WASHINGTON -- Residents of Austin, Texas, home of the state's government and flagship university, have very refined social consciences, if they do say so themselves, and they do say so, speaking via bumper stickers. Don R. Willett, a justice of the state Supreme Court, has commuted behind bumpers proclaiming "Better a Bleeding Heart Than None at All," "Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty," "The Moral High Ground Is Built on Compassion," "Arms Are For Hugging," "Will Work (When the Jobs Come Back From India)," "Jesus Is a Liberal," "God Wants Spiritual Fruits, Not Religious Nuts," "The Road to Hell Is Paved With Republicans," "Republicans Are People Too -- Mean, Selfish, Greedy People" and so on. But Willett thinks Austin subverts a stereotype: "The belief that liberals care more about the poor may scratch a partisan or ideological itch, but the facts are hostile witnesses."

Sixteen months ago, Arthur C. Brooks, a professor at Syracuse University, published "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism." The surprise is that liberals are markedly less charitable than conservatives.

If many conservatives are liberals who have been mugged by reality, Brooks, a registered independent, is, as a reviewer of his book said, a social scientist who has been mugged by data. They include these findings:

-- Although liberal families' incomes average 6 percent higher than those of conservative families, conservative-headed households give, on average, 30 percent more to charity than the average liberal-headed household ($1,600 per year vs. $1,227).

-- Conservatives also donate more time and give more blood.

-- Residents of the states that voted for John Kerry in 2004 gave smaller percentages of their incomes to charity than did residents of states that voted for George Bush.

-- Bush carried 24 of the 25 states where charitable giving was above average.

-- In the 10 reddest states, in which Bush got more than 60 percent majorities, the average percentage of personal income donated to charity was 3.5. Residents of the bluest states, which gave Bush less than 40 percent, donated just 1.9 percent.

-- People who reject the idea that "government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give an average of four times more than people who accept that proposition.

Brooks demonstrates a correlation between charitable behavior and "the values that lie beneath" liberal and conservative labels. Two influences on charitable behavior are religion and attitudes about the proper role of government.

The single biggest predictor of someone's altruism, Willett says, is religion. It increasingly correlates with conservative political affiliations because, as Brooks' book says, "the percentage of self-described Democrats who say they have 'no religion' has more than quadrupled since the early 1970s." America is largely divided between religious givers and secular nongivers, and the former are disproportionately conservative. One demonstration that religion is a strong determinant of charitable behavior is that the least charitable cohort is a relatively small one -- secular conservatives.

Reviewing Brooks' book in the Texas Review of Law & Politics, Justice Willett notes that Austin -- it voted 56 percent for Kerry while he was getting just 38 percent statewide -- is ranked by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as 48th out of America's 50 largest cities in per capita charitable giving. Brooks' data about disparities between liberals' and conservatives' charitable giving fit these facts: Democrats represent a majority of the wealthiest congressional districts, and half of America's richest households live in states where both senators are Democrats.

While conservatives tend to regard giving as a personal rather than governmental responsibility, some liberals consider private charity a retrograde phenomenon -- a poor palliative for an inadequate welfare state, and a distraction from achieving adequacy by force, by increasing taxes. Ralph Nader, running for president in 2000, said: "A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity." Brooks, however, warns: "If support for a policy that does not exist ... substitutes for private charity, the needy are left worse off than before. It is one of the bitterest ironies of liberal politics today that political opinions are apparently taking the place of help for others."

In 2000, brows were furrowed in perplexity because Vice President Al Gore's charitable contributions, as a percentage of his income, were below the national average: He gave 0.2 percent of his family income, one-seventh of the average for donating households. But Gore "gave at the office." By using public office to give other peoples' money to government programs, he was being charitable, as liberals increasingly, and conveniently, understand that word.

georgewill@washpost.com
Copyright 2008, Washington Post Writers Group

Tax stimulus payment

I am still waiting to get my wonderfully huge large GINORMOUS 600 dollar check from the Gubberment. Ha. I have recieved 2 letters regarding my stimulus check, and why in the hell does the government send me 2 letters? I mean, how much money did they spend sending everyone those letters when then could have just sent the checks? I wonder whose great idea that was up in the higher ups office. Ha!Sometimes I just don't understand people. Ever heard of the Windfall tax that the Dems are now trying to push? Talk about anti- prosperity. Talk about stupid.