Show Your Patriotism Tomorrow
November 4, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economy, Politics
Tomorrow is the pinnacle of the most important election of our generation. The best thing you can do is make an educated vote. Don’t go vote just because Leonardo Dicaprio told you to vote. Don’t just vote because Diddy says “vote or die”. Don’t vote just to vote.
My Reaction to the Economic Topics Discussed In Last Night’s Presidential Debate
October 16, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economic Policy, Economy, Politics
Last night was the last presidential debate. So, now we need to make a decision and pick a president. I’m very glad that it will be over soon. Being in Florida, we’re a so-called “battle ground state”, which means we get bombarded with commercial after commercial about who is a bigger idiot. I watched most of the debate, and it was definitely the best of the three. Bob Schieffer knows what he’s doing as a moderator unlike Tom Brokaw. He kept the dialogue flowing and he didn’t freak out if they candidates wen over a few seconds on their answers. Nonetheless, here are my reactions, for what their worth.
Question of the Day: Which Presidential Candidate Will Be Better For Our Economy?
August 26, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economic Policy, FAQs, Politics
Please, keep this civil. I’m interested to know which candidate’s economic plan will be better for our country? Don’t know their differing plans? I’m not going to go through all of it here, so research it on your own.
Congress Approves Bail Out For Homeowners, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac
July 24, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Consumer News, Credit and Debt, Economic Policy, Economy, Politics, Real Estate
Here is the article from the AP, via Yahoo Finance about the House sailing through a bill to bail out homeowners and the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac institutions.
I love how Yahoo Finance titles it a “rescue” when it should be called a “bail out”. Rescue makes it sound like Congress is doing such a great, noble thing. I know that I sound negative about this, and for some families, it will help them out. There were some families who were truly tricked into a mortgage that they didn’t understand. There were others that knew exactly what they were doing, but the power of greed took over and they moved up in house by taking advantage of creative financing. Then, there’s the mortgage lenders who knew exactly what they were doing the whole time. They’ve been in the business for a long time. They knew these people couldn’t afford the houses they were financing, but they still extended the credit.
We Will Fund The Bill For Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
July 16, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economic Policy, Economy, Politics
Do you have a crazy aunt and uncle in your family? Do you remember the crazy uncle from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation played by Randy Quaid? They love to drop in unexpectedly and like they’re so glad to see you. But, the truth is that they want to “borrow” money. Even though, they have no intention of paying you back.
A Look Into the Home Values of the Presidential Candidates
February 7, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Consumer News, Economic Policy, Politics
This article from Yahoo Finance tells you the home values of the presidential candidates to their primary residences. We now know their net worth, how much they spend on hair cuts, and now we even know how much their real estate is worth. I don’t really think you should pay much credence to this kind of information about the presidential candidates when it comes to forming a voting opinion about them. My suspicion is that journalists write these types of articles more for the entertainment value of the information. It sparked my interest totally out curiousity and nosey-ness. That’s not a word, but I made it up. It’s my blog, and I’ll make up words if I feel like it. Here’s a quick reference as to the home values of the five primary candidates still running for the presidential nominee.
Hillary Clinton Will Garnish Your Wages If You Choose Not to Buy Health Insurance
February 5, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economic Policy, Insurance, Politics
This article from USA Today summarizes what Hillary Clinton spoke about on an ABC Sunday Morning show. She described her plan for funding her universal health care program, but the most revealing detail of her plan was that she would garnish the wages of those workers who could afford health care coverage, but chose not to buy it or participate in a universal health care plan.
Clinton Said, “I think you can automatically enroll people, and you will then say, ‘You’ve got to be part of this.’”
Watch The State Of The Union Address This Monday Night
January 26, 2008 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Consumer News, Economy, Politics
I know that many of you fall asleep even with the thought of watching the Presidential State of the Union address performed by the president at the beginning of each year. But, this year’s might be a little different. The last three or four addresses have been dominated with the war in Iraq, but now that we are succeeding in Iraq, the media has completely ignored it, because bad news sells newspapers. This year’s address will be dominated by the state of the economy, which directly affects you and your bank account. It is important for us to stay current with what decisions our politicians are making about taxes, the housing market, interest rates, and small business regulations.
The Presidential Candidate’s Net Worth (Somewhat) Revealed
December 14, 2007 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Politics, Spending and Saving
Go check out the net worth of Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls on CNN.com. It shouldn’t matter how much money someone is worth to qualify them to be president, but the sad thing is that it really does matter. You must have SOME kind of money in order to run for president, or you better be an amazing fundraiser. I think it does tell us something about the candidates and how they handle their money and investments.
The Democrats
Bush Bails Out Some Americans From the Subprime Loan and Foreclosure Crisis
December 6, 2007 by Erik Folgate
Filed under Economy, Politics, Real Estate
Today, Bush announced a plan to freeze introductory mortgage interest rates for those homeowners that bought variable interest rate mortgages in order to qualify for a house they could not afford with conventional home loans. With all of the “scares” from economists about a possible economic recession, the spike in foreclosures around the country, and a very important presidential election less than a year away, Bush caved in and put together a plan to give relief to some Americans. I say “some” Americans because his plan will only apply to about 10 to 20% of the Americans affected by the subprime mortgage meltdown.
