patrick.net

ZippyDDoodah says

tatupo, because AM radio taught me to think for myself ;), I noted that in the context of your CRA comment, your posted map of Philadelphia redlining is dated 1937, whereas the CRA was passed 40 years later in 1977. Just so you know, demographics and neighborhoods in Philadelphia changed significantly between 1937 and 1977.
CRA was govt interference to address ALLEGED discrimination in lending practices. Low income neighborhood residents often do not have the resources or earnings to qualify for home loans, so govt interfered to lower lending standards and intimidate banks into making loans to uncreditworthy individuals or individuals who could not otherwise qualify. That philosophy was a driving force behind this government mandate too in 1999 –> http://ur.lc/5vf which drove the housing bubble/crash.

This was posted to clarify how and what redlining involved, It clearly stated "Regardless of the demographics.." For all we know, in 1937 there could have been a group of Pilgrim settlers in the area.

ZippyDDoodah says

tatupo, because AM radio taught me to think for myself ;), I noted that in the context of your CRA comment, your posted map of Philadelphia redlining is dated 1937, whereas the CRA was passed 40 years later in 1977. Just so you know, demographics and neighborhoods in Philadelphia changed significantly between 1937 and 1977.

No offense--but I didn't post that.

Bap33 says

Churchill was scoffed at by the media and elite of his time too

Wow--you're comparing Rush Limbaugh to Winston Churchill?? OK, now I'm really laughing...

ZippyDDoodah says

CRA was govt interference to address ALLEGED discrimination in lending practices. Low income neighborhood residents often do not have the resources or earnings to qualify for home loans, so govt interfered to lower lending standards and intimidate banks into making loans to uncreditworthy individuals or individuals who could not otherwise qualify. That philosophy was a driving force behind this government mandate too in 1999 –> http://ur.lc/5vf which drove the housing bubble/crash.

Wrong again--show me any evidence of government interfrence to lower lending standards or intimidate banks. Surely there must be many bank executives crying to the media about how the government forced them to lower their lending standards, right?

@BAP

You're the victim now? You're being targeted? How exactly is that?

TATUPU-banks could not move into new lines of business unless they had a "satisfactory" CRA score. That is the government interference you seem to be ignoring. BTW, another good site to log on is www.dollarcollapse.com. Try it, you might like it. Love, Abe

tatupu70 says

Bap33 says

Churchill was scoffed at by the media and elite of his time too

Wow–you’re comparing Rush Limbaugh to Winston Churchill?? OK, now I’m really laughing…

Only in the areas they share. Being right is one of those areas. Being unpopular with the Nazi's and their sheeple being another. But, other than a few other areas I dont really equate Churchill w/ Rush .... or vise versa.

tatupu70 says

@BAP
You’re the victim now? You’re being targeted? How exactly is that?

ummm ... hmmm .... I wrote "target", and you wrote "victim"...... see the differences between consevative and liberal views now? But, ya, I have been victimized by liberal activist judges in mexifornia ... but I choose to stay and keep in the struggle ... and complain about it on here. lol.
Cheers.

Honest Abe says

That is the government interference you seem to be ignoring.

I'm not ignoring it. On the contrary, it's been examined and disproven as a cause of the housing bubble and crash.

Wrong again–show me any evidence of government interfrence to lower lending standards

Yet in the very post you are responding to is a link to a NY Times article on govt forced lowering of lending standards. Let me highlight it since you seem to be willfully ignorant: "In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders."

Can you read English? Govt. mandated lowering of credit standards. CRA scored banks who had FDIC insurance (which is a requirement if they want to attract depositors) on the basis of their loans into low income communities, and that is clear intimidation. The ENTIRE IDEA behind the CRA was to lower credit requirements for lending to selected communities. Lowering of credit standards and intimidation of banks is the entire basis for the CRA, and subsequent legislation which evolved from the philosophy behind the CRA

On the contrary, it’s been examined and disproven as a cause of the housing bubble and crash

Show us where it was "disproven". You're simply making things up, repeating false statements hoping no one notices

ZippyDDoodah says

Yet in the very post you are responding to is a link to a NY Times article on govt forced lowering of lending standards. Let me highlight it since you seem to be willfully ignorant: “In a move that could help increase home ownership rates among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from banks and other lenders.”

I'm sorry. I read the article and I saw exactly zero mentions of the CRA. Not sure how it's relevant at all. Look--we can go back and forth on this all day. The idea of the CRA wasn't to lower credit requirements. There is no evidence of any intimidation. Again--if bankers were being intimidated by the government, don't you think a few of them would have come forward saying that they didn't want to make these bad loans but the big bad government forced them to?

If you'll read the entire thread, you'll see that there have been several posts explaining why the CRA cannot be the cause...

There is no evidence of any intimidation. Again–if bankers were being intimidated by the government, don’t you think a few of them would have come forward saying that they didn’t want to make these bad loans but the big bad government forced them to?

Can you imagine what would have happened if the leader of large bank came out publicly against civil rights legislation like the CRA? Banks were already being smeared by leftists as being racist in their lending practices. Their competitors would have seized upon that and chewed them to pieces. Much easier to go along with the regulators, especially when all the other banks had to play under the same rules. 'Redlining' is an unproven allegation of racist lending practices used to justify CRA intimidation. If bankers wanted to remain in good standing with the Feds, they had to go along to maintain a good CRA score. Regulators directly instructed banks to consider alternatives to using traditional credit histories because CRA targeted borrowers who often lacked any credit histories. Read for yourself: http://ur.lc/dub. Here is a Fed governor at a CRA conference in 1998 telling banks they better start making no-money down loans http://ur.lc/duf . Search the document for the phrase "100 percent loan-to-value ratios". And please stop pretending that the CRA was some sort of static legislation that wasn't evolving significantly over time

A banker who refused to relax lending standards risked being in noncompliance with the CRA. More lax lending standards were the only way of satisfying the CRA regulators. Making matters worse, the govt. pushed for greater mortgage securitization in an effort to increase CRA lending. Google HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo's promise of $2 trillion in Fannie and Freddie backed “affordable” mortgages. CRA is the genesis and driving force of this disaster backed by liberals who believed it was unfair not provide loans to "underpriveleged" individuals who otherwise would not have qualified for a loan

ZippyDDoodah - I couldn't have said it better myself. It seems you can't reason with unreasonable people (who refuse to acknowledge the obvious).

Tatupu, show me evidence of government intimidation that forces people to pay "voluntary" taxes. You can't, but most pay taxes anyway (out of fear). That same method worked with banks too. Besides if banks didn't comply with CRA, they couldn't grow and expand into other profitable businesses. That was enough intimidation for the government to get what it wanted. By the way, now I'm curious...what principals do you endorse??? What books are you reading??

CRA Troofers are like Moon Landing conspiracy fanatics, you will NEVER get them to admit they are wrong.

@Zippy

You crack me up. I read your articles and I'm not sure where you are coming from. Nowhere in either paper does it ever mention anything about undo pressure on banks. Bankers were encouraged to do extra research to find QUALIFIED applicants. It may be hard for you to believe, but they were out there... End of story. And guess what--all these loans that were the result of "lax lending standards" as you put it actually performed much better than the rest of the mortgage industry. Yes, that's right. CRA loans defaulted at a rate that would be expected during a recession--not at the bubble bursting rate of the market in general.

@Abe

You're comparing paying taxes to the CRA regulation? You go to jail if you don't pay taxes. Not quite the same thing. But in any event--you still didn't answer my question. After this whole mess unraveled and bankers became public enemy #1, don't you think a few of them would have said--"we didn't want to make these loans, but the Gov't told us we had to in order to be in compliance with the CRA" We wouldn't be watching it on 60 minutes? But we aren't. Because it's a fairy tale.

Oh-the last book I read was A B C by Dr. Seuss. My 2 yr old loves it. He knows all the letters except for Q...

tatupo70 wrote:

Bankers were encouraged to do extra research to find QUALIFIED applicants

Of course! they were only being "encouraged" with mandatory CRA scoring which could disqualify them from FDIC insurance. Only a little nudge, you see to help them see the light..tatupo, you are a perfect example of a closed minded zealot, ignoring all facts and evidence which contradict your position. Hilarious to read you lecturing others on being brainwashed by AM radio.

@ Zippy

You have facts? And evidence? Please share. I'm looking for something showing the link between the CRA and the foreclosure crisis. Not "read between the lines" stuff. Not Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae stuff. Something showing how the CRA caused the housing crisis. It should be easy to find--there are a ton of articles describing what happened and why. Showing what types of loans, where the foreclosures are taking place, etc. Please give me some facts.

It sounds like we dont care about providing affordable housing to the poor and want to attempt to make the claim that investing in these neighborhoods caused the crash. However, many more took out Alt-A loans in the more expensive neighborhoods.

I really didnt see any homes over 400K in compton, watts, los angeles....but there were plenty in Pasadena. I think this it is a moot point to say CRA caused the crash when Patrick clearly stated GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY was the root cause.

Do away with GLB and you limit CRA ability to deliver on their promise. Period.

Elvis & friends,

Investment & commercial banks & mortgage lenders all GAMBLING & committing FRAUD is what got us into this mess. Your kind would have us believe the CRA storm troopers were out there enforcing NINJA loans, or at best looking the other way. While somehow absolving the bankers of FRAUD plain and simple.

You remind me of this story:

A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: "What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise." The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, "What is the tortoise standing on?" "You're very clever, young man, very clever", said the old lady. "But it's turtles all the way down!"[1]

elvis says

I don’t think so, the GLB Act simply allowed commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms and insurance companies to merge. Another stupid government boondoggle, but it was CRA that lowered lending standards.
Freedom leads to prosperity. America would have more prosperity if we had freedom from CRA. Freedom from GLB. Freedom from Fannie Mae. Freedom from Freddie Mac. Freedom from the Department of Energy. Freedom from punitive progressive taxes. Freedom from oppressive government. Freedom from subsidies. Freedom from government waste. Freedom from political correctness. Freedom from lawsuit abuse. Freedom from inflation. Freedom from the Federal Reserve Bank (which most of us know is not federal, has no reserves and isn’t even a bank). Freedom from stimulus plans. Freedom from bailouts. Freedom from deficit spending. Big government isn’t the solution, big government is the problem.
The bottom line? America is loosing its prosperity because we’re loosing our freedom. The solution: more freedom, more independence from government, liberty for all, and the thing that made America truly the land of opportunity…….capitalism.
For a stirring rendition of “America” by Ray Charles, log on You Tube, type in his name and look for “America”. If that doesn’t give you goose bumps nothing will. But be forewarned, its got the “G” word (god).

Right, and we would also have less opportunities afforded to the poor. I wouldnt say we want to end these programs, just reform them so that we dont have any waste.

I think this it is a moot point to say CRA caused the crash when Patrick clearly stated GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY was the root cause

Well then, the issue is settled!! Especially if Patrick has already "clearly stated" the explanation. No need then to deal with contradictory facts and arguments to his/your assertions. Tiny little minds who follow...

Clarance, you're getting close.The poor of all nationalities have the same OPPORTUNITY, but it's the government itself that puts up roadblocks and keeps people impovishered. For example, a single non-working mother of two can get approximately $19,500 in benefits...for not working. That same person would need to earn approximately $30,000 to earn more than if she didn't work. Even then she'd only earn about $700 more. Its hardley worth the $700 to work all year. This is a government program guaranteed to keep tens of millions in poverty and totally DEPENDENT on government. Bad for the people but good government politicians, especially when pandering for votes.

And who would "reform" the countless wasteful programs we already have....a whole new layer of government??? Government has PROVEN itself to be an unreliable and untrustworthy partner in guarding the promise of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

You cannot destroy the free market to save it, you cannot take away freedom to protect it, and you cannot uphold freedom of speech by silencing those who disagree with the direction of our country.
Both parties are dividing the people but taking us to the same place. Debt. Servitude. Serfdom. Socialsim. Is that REALLY what we want to leave for our children and grandchildren?

Those who vote republician get bigger government, more spending and war. Those who vote democratic get bigger government, more spending and war. I'm afraid America is at a crossroad. Either a return to what made America great in the first place: freedom, liberty, opportunity, following the Constitution, limited government, sound money and capitalism. Or the loss of freedom, the loss or opportunity, the loss of liberty, oppressive government, worthless money and socialism. Which sounds better to you?

Honest Abe says

Clarance, you’re getting close.The poor of all nationalities have the same OPPORTUNITY, but it’s the government itself that puts up roadblocks and keeps people impovishered. For example, a single non-working mother of two can get approximately $19,500 in benefits…for not working. That same person would need to earn approximately $30,000 to earn more than if she didn’t work. Even then she’d only earn about $700 more. Its hardley worth the $700 to work all year. This is a government program guaranteed to keep tens of millions in poverty and totally DEPENDENT on government. Bad for the people but good government politicians, especially when pandering for votes.
And who would “reform” the countless wasteful programs we already have….a whole new layer of government??? Government has PROVEN itself to be an unreliable and untrustworthy partner in guarding the promise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
You cannot destroy the free market to save it, you cannot take away freedom to protect it, and you cannot uphold freedom of speech by silencing those who disagree with the direction of our country.
Both parties are dividing the people but taking us to the same place. Debt. Servitude. Serfdom. Socialsim. Is that REALLY what we want to leave for our children and grandchildren?
Those who vote republician get bigger government, more spending and war. Those who vote democratic get bigger government, more spending and war. I’m afraid America is at a crossroad. Either a return to what made America great in the first place: freedom, liberty, opportunity, following the Constitution, limited government, sound money and capitalism. Or the loss of freedom, the loss or opportunity, the loss of liberty, oppressive government, worthless money and socialism. Which sounds better to you?

Right, this is why these programs need to be reformed to kick people out after 18 mos at which point that same mother would then require daycare. I am not sure which is cheaper, daycare or to keep her on welfare...but California Republican Governor just did away with the daycare programs so I have to assume it is cheaper to enable the welfare queens.

ZippyDDoodah says

Especially if Patrick has already “clearly stated” the explanation. No need then to deal with contradictory facts and arguments to his/your assertions.

The problem is Elvis & Co. didn't bring any FACTS just arguments. Simply having an OPINION doesn't mean you are right. It's like watching the "argument sketch" in Monty Python. Bap33 & Elvis and what not prefer to not to reference billions in securities fraud and other IN YOUR FACE facts about misbehaviour & misdeeds, they prefer to say how "obviously" this must have all been caused by the unenforced CRA. It is not enough to watch as it is clearly revealed that men like Angelo Mozilo DECEIVED & looted customers and their own company, there must be some LIBRUL conspiracy behind it if we look hard enough. Flouridation is "obviously" a cause of tooth decay, and vaccinations are "obviously" a cause of autism for quite a lot of nutcases.

elvis says

The real question is how to reform the system.

Forgive me if I say it's the VOTERS who need reforming. Get up off the fricking couch and get involved or quit whining about it. Structural fiddling with the rules means jack squat when incumbents are typically voted back in no matter what they do.

ZippyDDoodah says

I think this it is a moot point to say CRA caused the crash when Patrick clearly stated GRAMM-LEACH-BLILEY was the root cause

Well then, the issue is settled!! Especially if Patrick has already “clearly stated” the explanation. No need then to deal with contradictory facts and arguments to his/your assertions. Tiny little minds who follow…

Patrick:

It sounds like ZIPPY takes issue with your 12 point manifesto, which I take personally with my tiny little mind. What are your thoughts on the CRA, GLB?

Our tiny little minds want to know?

Elvis,

As a former staunch Republican since Reagan I feel confident in saying that a lot of people have made the same turning as I. It has nothing to do with "voting for freebies" as the NeoCons would tell me. It has much more to do with the center of what used to be "conservatives" seeing quite clearly they got fleeced for the last few decades. Sheared like sheep on a regular basis and it has little to do with who sits in the White House or Congress on any particular day of the week. It has a lot to do with the fact that they all work for the corporations and the banks, and not for the people. The belief in the SYSTEM of which government is merely one component, is at all time low.

my mind only looks tiny next to my enormous ..... ears.

And for the USPS haters....

UPS to raise rates next year.

Fedex & UPS losing billions, and getting special breaks to keep them afloat like all big corporations. Those of you who say USPS are just "pigs at the public trough" frankly I can't see any way in which the supposedly wonderful private delivery system is superior. Have several co-workers who in younger days worked for what they call "the Package Nazis" and are glad they moved on.

USPS,banks,wall street,home owners.....all needs money from taxpayers. If all of us wants to keep living American way of life get ready to pay heavy taxes in coming years. I don't see any way out of this mess other than heavy taxation.

America doesn't have an tax problem, we have a SPENDING problem. For politicians spending is always equal to or greater than income. No matter how much we are taxed it will NEVER be enough. Socipathic politicians always have new spending plans up their sleeve. They will never be able to satisfy the unlimited demand placed on them. The harder they try to satisfy everyone the quicker the money will run out.

The best cure for America's problems is not to further empower an already massive federal government beyond its constitutional limit, but to return to its founding principals. A free people working in self-interested cooperation and a government operating within the limits of its authority promote more prosperity, opportunity and happiness for more people than any other alternative.
[BTW, I wish I could take 100% credit for this post, however in the spirit of full disclosure I must say I plagerized this from various sources].

I believe that until our govt addresses the basic structural problems in our financial system of too much debt, we will not have a sustainable recovery. So while the stock market can stay irrational in the shorter term, in the long run I believe it will go back to reflecting the fundamentals of our boom and bust economy. And that's why I continue to feel that for long term investors a better portfolio allocation is in cash and gold. I think the gold price will continue to rise due to a lack of faith in central banks' policies and in fiat currencies. I recently saw a very interesting articles called Gold Price Up, Dollar Down - Does it Really Matter? which I think is particularly useful for investors to read to get a better sense of what's going on in the economy and the govt's role in influencing it.

Dependency (on Government) breeds bondage, bondage is slavery.

Geez, you folks still debating whether CRA caused the crash. Hasnt someone come up with an answer?...LOL

Nomograph .... I find it interesting that those on the left always cite as the source of all conservative thought "talk radio", i.e. Rush Limbaugh, et all. I also find it interesting that these very same people on the left almost never listen to any conservative talk radio and typically can't provide specific examples to back up their assertions. I'm a casual listener to talk radio, but enough so that I know the charges on the left are usually exagerated and unfounded. I personally don't like Limbaugh, but, have defended him on several occasions with those on the left that write him off as a "big fat liar". Whenever I have asked for specific examples of his "lies" I am met with blank, empty and silent stares as if they have been confronted with reality and don't know what to say or do. A typical example is the latest NFL controversy in which Limbaugh was supposed to have said over 10 years ago that "slavery was a good thing". The fact that this proved to be a complete, and total fabrication doesn't seem to change anything. They hate him, so therefore, it must be true. Whenever you have emotions that rule and facts are ignored, you typically have liberal "thought". I was a radical liberal myself but left that simple "touchy feely" thought process about the age of 16. If you can't back up your postitions by facts, it's time for you to grow up as well.

FINAL ANSWER: YUP.

elvis says

Let me spell it out. Here is what the left wants: LARGER government, MORE socialism, NEW government expenditures, NEW taxes, MORE government control, LESS freedom of choice, MORE abortion, LESS oil, MORE job killing laws, LESS free enterprise, MORE government bureaucracies, MORE government spending, MORE liberal judges, LESS Constitutional constraint, a WEAK dollar, LESS individual rights, MORE business regulation, MORE bad changes, have LESS - pay MORE.

This is a good example of the way AM talk radio distorts the issues and lies. The radio host will make a statement like yours above about what "liberals" want--"more job killing laws or more abortion" then argue why that is wrong. Their argument sounds great, and is actually true. The problem is that noone really wants those things. It's a false choice. That's AM talk radio 101.

Elvis--

Really? So, do you really believe what you wrote? The bills in CA are designed to kill jobs? That is their purpose? Because that seems to be what you are implying. You really believe that liberals want to kill jobs??

And I believe that Obama reinstated the foreign aid to family planning. Which is a whole lot different than abortion. Again--distortion and half truths. Do you really see the world in such black and white?

Sorry Elvis,

Thought you just wanted a final answer. As I pointed out in a prior post, the law (Yes the CRA law that actually has words, written words that anyone with a web browser can find) specifically states the credit needs of the community must be "consistent with the safe and sound operation of such institution." It is re-iterated in the Federal Regulations interpreting the law: Lending to low and moderate income is to be done in a "safe and sound manner." (More of those silly quotes from the actual Regulation.)

Sorry, I fail to see the provision in CRA or its Regs that says, "make bogus loans with no documentation of income or loans using teaser rates that will expire knowing full well the people will not have the income to pay off the loan." May be I missed it. But, that seems to be the opposite of "consistent with the safe and sound operation of such institution."

There was a failure of government to reign in the banks, but that still exists today. Goldman Sachs bonuses. :-(

Last time I left open the question of what happens if a bank gets a poor rating for serving their community. Are they shut down? No. Do they have to pay a fine? No. Are their CEOs carted off to jail? No. Then, what? Well, here is the big scary punishment:

Their rating (poor or otherwise) will be TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION when the bank applies to open a new branch (limited to those that accept deposits and yes there are bank branches out there that do not accept deposits), wants to move their headquarters, want to do a merger or acquisition, or charter a new institution. OMG, nothing happens to them unless they want to grow and, if they want to grow, the poor rating will not necessarily stop them because it's only a "CONSIDERATION." Not an absolute denial, not a determining factor, not even a slap on the wrist. Read the law and weep for them. Or just frakin read the law.

So let's say own a bank making modest profits and you are happy with your profit margin and size. 1) You probably are serving your community as opposed to trying to drain them of every penny. But, 2) you could probably ignore the law altogether. In reality, CRA and its regulations treat small banks different than large, but that is another discussion.

Or we could stick with my short answer: Yup.

elvis says

I’m going to settle this once and for all. FINAL ANSWER. CRA was the root cause of the meltdown.
Big government wants to extinguish the possibility of independent thought, wants uniformity of opinion on all matters, and complete obedience to the state. Prosperity can not survive in a heavily regulated society where everyone moves in lock-step, where inequality is eliminated, and innovation is curtailed by government intervention.
I don’t think the far right are, as you say “almost identical” to the far left. Let me spell it out. Here is what the left wants: LARGER government, MORE socialism, NEW government expenditures, NEW taxes, MORE government control, LESS freedom of choice, MORE abortion, LESS oil, MORE job killing laws, LESS free enterprise, MORE government bureaucracies, MORE government spending, MORE liberal judges, LESS Constitutional constraint, a WEAK dollar, LESS individual rights, MORE business regulation, MORE bad changes, have LESS - pay MORE.
No, I don’t think many right wingers want these things, only liberals do. Am I wrong????

I think what you have done is summed up the ideals of both parties, they are one and the same today. Republicans are no longer conservative and Dems are no longer liberal.

Ronald Reagan removed regulations of the S&L banks which led to the crisis of 1989..he is a Republican
George Bush Sr. bailed out the banks during the S&L Crisis...he is Republican
George Bush Sr. drafted the GLB act in 1990...he is a Republican
Bill Clinton signed GLB into law...He is a Democrat
George Bush Jr. sent us to war with the use of our socialist military...He is a Republican
George Bush Jr. increased social spending by 30%...He is a Republican
George Bush Jr. signed no child left behind...He is a Republican
Obama bailed out the banks, auto industry...He is a Democrat
Obama signed the American Recovery act, which 5-10 Republicans voted for...he is democrat
Obama is pushing for universal healthcare...He is a Democrat
Congress approved an extention of the 8k tax credit....both parties

Both conservatives and liberal strategist agree that social programs are necessary part of government but they disagree on how much of it we need. I believe we need to get these programs reformed under Toyota's lean manufacturing concepts which mandate a reduction in the 7 wastes. However, it would be counter productive as the government employees only know one thing...spend as much as you can because if you dont, you wont get it next year.

Social programs are a necessary service that should be provided by every government. Let me know how many of the following programs you believe we could do without:

Social Security
• Medicare/Medicaid
• State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP)
• Police, Fire, and Emergency Services
• US Postal Service
• Roads and Highways
• Air Travel (regulated by the socialist FAA)
• The US Railway System
• Public Subways and Metro Systems
• Public Bus and Lightrail Systems
• Rest Areas on Highways
• Sidewalks
• All Government-Funded Local/State Projects (e.g., see Iowa 2009 federal senate appropriations)
• Public Water and Sewer Services (goodbye socialist toilet, shower, dishwasher, kitchen sink, outdoor hose!)
• Public and State Universities and Colleges
• Public Primary and Secondary Schools
• Sesame Street
• Publicly Funded Anti-Drug Use Education for Children
• Public Museums
• Libraries
• Public Parks and Beaches
• State and National Parks
• Public Zoos
• Unemployment Insurance
• Municipal Garbage and Recycling Services
• Treatment at Any Hospital or Clinic That Ever Received Funding From Local, State or Federal Government (pretty much all of them)
• Medical Services and Medications That Were Created or Derived From Any Government Grant or Research Funding (again, pretty much all of them)
• Socialist Byproducts of Government Investment Such as Duct Tape and Velcro (Nazi-NASA Inventions)
• Use of the Internets, email, and networked computers, as the DoD’s ARPANET was the basis for subsequent computer networking
• Foodstuffs, Meats, Produce and Crops That Were Grown With, Fed With, Raised With or That Contain Inputs From Crops Grown With Government Subsidies
• Clothing Made from Crops (e.g. cotton) That Were Grown With or That Contain Inputs From Government Subsidies

Nomograph says

elvis says

I’m going to settle this once and for all. FINAL ANSWER. CRA was the root cause of the meltdown.

It sounds as if you are getting frustrated because your arguments are so easily discredited. Maybe you need to pack up your toys, get out of the sandbox, and go listen to a few hundred more hours of AM talk radio

I agree, but also believe that we should try not to engage each other negatively as both parties want us to infight against each other. This is how they get your vote, divide and conquer. In this case, liberals vs. conservatives.

This is not a conservative vs liberal issue..both parties vote for the same things that Elvis is speaking of.

E-man says

I think 4X is smart and articulate. I hope he owns a home, too.

I am waiting for home prices to show a steady 6mos to 1 year of stable prices before I move to purchase. Even then, I might wait it out because I will only lose 3-5% on the home price. I think this is better than buying now and risking a loss of 25-50% in equity, then having to wait it out 10 years because I cant rent the place out at the cost of the mortgage. I dont think CRA is the cause of the bubble, it was simply all the alt-A loans (interest only, second mortgages, etc.) that were floating around that allowed families to buy homes which they could not afford. Gramm-Leach-Bliley loosened the restrictions and allowed mergers to occur.