Snoop ft J. Black - XMAS

I always love to show support to good music out there... Check out this suprisingly hot Christmas song called "XMAS" by Snoop ft J Black, produced by Terrance Martin and DJ Quik on the boards.



http://allhiphop.com/stories/multimedia__music/archive/2008/12/11/20747082.aspx



Merry Christmas Everyone

Sports Talk Blog is Going Live on Dec 1

Regular Guy with alot to Say is now launching the new Nuttn But Sports Talk Blog on December 1st. Check out the launch with is candid views and opinions about Notre Dame's head coach Charlie Weiss; Are the Atlanta Hawks for real; What's the future for Georgia Tech's football program after a impressive first season under their new coach; and what can we say about the Atlanta Falcons.

In addition to Regular Guy's commentation there will be blogs written by guess bloggers and fellow Sports Enthusiasts and experts. This blog is all about the regular guys sitting at the sports talking sports... so get ready, visit often and be sure to comment...

Launching Dec 15th http://nuttnbutsportstalk.blogspot.com/

The Reason for Christmas is no Longer to Celebrate Birth of Christ

Black Friday is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It's a day where many retailers slash prices and offer unheard of door buster deals to kick off the holiday shopping season. The commercialization of the Christmas holiday is not new, however, after reading two articles about events that occurred yesterday shows that the Christmas holiday season has lost its true meaning.

I am sure that everyone has heard about the incident at New York area Wal-Mart where a temporary employee was killed after being trampled by hundreds of shoppers trying to rush into the store to get a good deal (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081129/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death;_ylt=AkRgsbifyvHEwV4iR085405vzwcF). Then there is the double murder at a California area Toys R Us (http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/11/28/national/main4637468.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4637468) where two women started fighting and then their mates pulled out guns and shot and killed each other. In addition to these acts of violence, there are numerous articles of people getting arrested, bloody fights breaking out and for what...a toy?

Is buying a 50" Plasma for $799 worth killing someone over? Is it worth losing your freedom over if you are caught, arrested and charged for their murder? Is it worth for the lack of piece of mind, because we know there are going to be some who are going to have nightmares about their foot stepping on something that felt like a human. I understand that we want to spoil our loved ones and want to make sure the kids (for those that have them) have a special memory of Christmas, but what it's not worth getting arrested or even killed over? The reason for this holiday is not about the gifts solely, but about celebration of the Birth of Christ. This is a season where one is to help the less fortunate, enjoy and reflect on the past year, embrace family and togetherness. Its not all about the shopping and toys; it's not about what can I get and what can I get for the next person. The holiday shopping rage is completely out of hand and if someone doesn't agree with me then you are part of the problem.

In light of these tragedies, let's do something different from this point forward. Still do your Christmas shopping, but stop being a maniac about it; if you don't get that Elmo kitchen with the dancing Elmo next to it, it will not kill your child. Heck I am sure if you get the kid a few other things he/she will be excited still, but if they aren't, then hey maybe you should look in the mirror and ask yourself "am I raising my child up on a value based system that will not make them a rude, obnoxious ass or am I teaching them the correct principles?" If they are upset and spoiled then hey we know which is the correct answer. Seriously, to those people in New York that trampled someone who was trying to work probably to raise more money to ensure his family had a great holiday as well, will never get that chance; when you are sitting there on Christmas morning watching your kids and loved ones open those presents which you got as a result of killing someone, ask yourself... "Was it worth it?".

Where the Heck are the Parents?

I give no apologies for what I am about to say and will start off with a parental advisory disclaimer. Where in the hell are the parents?!?!?!? I just read a disturbing story on AJC.com about the rise of teenager violence in Clayton County (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/clayton/stories//2008/11/23/clayton_kids_killings.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab), a metro area of Atlanta, GA. Okay I know there has been an increase of violent crimes around the country especially because of the increase in the poverty rate, but Clayton County is something special.

Clayton County, Clayton County, Clayton County what else is there to say about Clayton County? First they allow for SACS to pull their accreditation so now no one who graduates from that school district will be able to get into college. Secondly, their school board is marred in utter scandal including a newly hired Superintendent that has a sketchy background; and even though SACS said don't do it they did it anyway. Here we are today and the question must be asked "What Now? Where the Hell are the Parents?". This is starting to be all to common in areas of poverty especially within the Black Community. When is the Black family unit going to step up and say "Damn it sit your ass down and read a book"; "Pull Your Damn Pants Up?"; "Bring yo ass in this house right now?". I mean it's as if parents are waiting for someone to do their job.

Yea, Yea, Yea I hear the excuses all the time... there are no Black male role models or their are no Fathers in the house... Hell this was the excuse when I was kid back in the 80s and 90s and is still the predominant excuse nowadays. Even though we know this, we keep doing the same thing over and over again fueling the problem. Why are Black communities so depressed? Before it was we didn't own homes and we were not primary taxpayers within the community; but what about now? We own tons of homes now even with foreclosures on the rise, we own a lot of our communities but we still don't care. We still want to drive our areas into the ground. WHY! WHY IS THAT?

Everyone asks, including me, Where are our Black leaders at? Where is the NAACP or Urban League? Forget that where the hell are the parents? You have a child right! Raise it damn it... Oh just in the next excuse... "I have to work 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet for them" Okay times are hard damn it, but maybe you are living to high? How about taking advantage of many of these free programs that are being offered in this State? I mean damn our community is nothing but excuse after excuse after excuse and it is getting freaking old. 20 years ago it was "...We don't have anyone helping us see what opportunities our out there"; what about now? Hell you can get on the internet via your phone even with most prepaid cells. Wait hold on let me pump the brakes... there is a brick building on the bus line or in your neighborhood called the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y and they have free Internet and BOOKS that can help you get better skills or guide you to the right sources.

To the Young People:
Now I am going to set professionalism to the side for this segment: To the Young Black Women and Men out there... You can be anything you want to be, look at President - Elect Barack Obama, look at Richard Parsons (Chairman of the Board for Time Warner), etc, etc, etc I can keep going on and on. I know you want to get that money and make it happen but you are a teenager, you haven't begun to live life yet. Selling that is a dead end road B, there is nothing positive that is going to come out of it. There is and will always be a glass ceiling in the game and in the end you will be dead, in jail or even worst stuck to live a life of struggle that has been marred by a criminal background. When you can not get ahead even after you turned the corner, you will ask yourself then "Was it all worth it?". You have your whole life ahead of you...you are not missing out on anything. Yo be a kid, enjoy it because when you have to be an adult its gonna be hard and real; Mommy and Daddy will not be there to help you out.

Back to the Agenda
What is it going to take? When is the talking and debate going to stop and a true plan of action going to take place? Check out my blog in Jan 2009 for an announcement as to what I plan on doing to help. It would be useless to be just another talker and not do anything about it. Not pointing fingers but there are a lot of Atlanta Celebs that aren't do anything ... all talk no actions... it's cool though

My Proposal for the Big 3

The Senate announced yesterday that the Big 3 will need to submit a proposal on how they intend to get back to profitability and why they require Government money. The deadline for submission is Dec 2nd, 2008 and hopefully this time they will fly down on regular jets instead of $20,000 private jets. Ok I digress...If I were the CEO of one of these firms I would submit this plan...

- Condense the Dealer Network:
I would cut my dealer network down by 50-60% by offering a buyout equal to their average net profit excluding marketing cost for a 5 year period of time and allow them to retain their real estate. This buyout would be to acquire their current inventory and buyout their dealership rights to sell our products at that location.

Start date would be 1/2/2009 and be completed by no later than 4/30/2009. Once the paperwork is signed we will immediately secure the inventory and ship to holding warehouses for distribution to our remaining partners. This inventory would be slashed to cost + 4% and dealers would not be able to exceed costs + 10% to sell it. We would handle all marketing for these vehicles so the remaining network would not have to incur marketing costs.

As for the labor that worked at these dealerships, I would buy them out or negotiate transfers to new dealerships. They would be bought out according this schedule:

- 6 months - 2 years of service - 6 months of pay, benefits for 1 year, Job Placement Assistance for 1 year

- 2 years 1 day - 3 years of service - 9 months of pay, benefits for 1 year, Job Placement Assistance for 1 year

- 3 years and 1 day - 5 years of service - 1 year of pay, benefits for 1 year, Job Placement Assistance for 1 year

- 5+ years of service - an additional month of pay for each year of service, benefits for 1 year , Job Placement Assistance for 1 year.

Everyone would receive options in the company with an expiration date of 5 years.

The only stipulation is they can not be re-hired by a affiliate dealership for 2 years. They can go work for a competitor but they could not work for a GM dealership for example if they were bought out from a GM dealership.

Key to making this work is everything has to be done within 120 days.

Production of new vehicles:
I would halt the production of new vehicles for 90 days and have crews work around the clock [24 hours a day x 7 days a week] to retool our facilities so the production lines can be changed to address market demand. If a island can be built in 2.5 years large enough to be seen from space with the naked eye...we can retool our manufacturing facilities in 90 days.

Then I will earmark $3 Billion Dollars to build 3 new large super facilities that have distribution, warehousing and production capabilities. One would be placed in Michigan, one in the Midwest and one in Southeast. Again around the clock building non-stop for 18 months. While this is in development, we design a on demand logistics system similar to what KIA has to avert increase in production delays which drive up costs.

This would begin 1/1/2009

Spin Offs:
I would identify strong brand lines and spin them off and retain a minority ownership within the firm [no less than 20%]. This would begin 1/2/2009 but probably take two years to execute accurately. This will reduce direct costs and expenses, however allow for the Parent company to reap the rewards of profitability. Saturn, Hummer, Lincoln, and Dodge are a few that probably can be successful as stand alone companies.

UAW
We would have to de-unionize the firm in order for us to maintain a competitive advantage or even playing field with the World. Union employees would be offered an opportunity to opt out and join the company directly, but if not, then Union employees would be replaced with non-union employees. UAW was beneficial years ago, but now it is draining the lifeblood out of the big 3. Yes there would be a ton of lawsuits, but it is what it is.

All current Retirees would be offered a lump sum one time payment to buyout their benefits. Retirees with current life threatening illnesses or potential insurability issues would be left in the plan at a reduced co-share costs, however, everyone else would be required to obtain their own benefits. We would justly compensate retirees benefit costs, however, the metrics of the business and the current global environment is no longer suitable for the company to cover all benefit costs on a life expectancy basis. No solution is going to make anyone happy, however, we want to create as close to possible a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Something has to give otherwise this would be the end of an American Heritage and a exponential increase in unemployment.

Save the Big 3?

This blog post is sponsored by Genmags.com's Holiday Promotion - http://www.genmags.com

The talk of the street is whether or not the US Government should bail out the Auto Industry, especially with GM nearly out of cash to cover operating costs. The question is should we save them? It will be catastrophic if one or all of them file for bankruptcy, but on the flip side, their business model is not working. What about the UAW? How do we handle that aspect of their business which is non-existent in the business model of our foreign competitors?

The Big 3 where on Capitol Hill today pleading their case for an acceleration of the $25 Billion dollar loan money already made available as well as an additional $25 Billion in bailout funds. The situation at hand is that providing this bailout money will only stave off a bankruptcy filing for a few months. Costs are out of control, the product line is archaic, pricing/profitability will not be achieved on a vast majority of product offerings in this current market, and it is going to take too long to retool the product line to compete with current rivals. A big contributing factor to cost is the expense of labor that has been driven up significantly over the years by the UAW.

The UAW is currently arguing that they have made plenty of concessions and that they are no longer going to concede anything else to the Big 3. They feel that they have lowered starting salaries of new employees more in line with the competition as well as agreed to incur health care benefits after GM pays their required $25 Billion. All one can say is WOW-W-W-W and they said they have done enough. The fact remains is that UAW is a major contributor to the death of the American Auto Manufacturing Industry, but they are not the sole problem. How can we justify paying a assembly-line working $60-80K a year for screwing in a bolt or putting in a seat? Many say that if we cut corners or lower salaries these workers won't care any more and will put out a less than quality product... Wait doesn't that already happen? Now don't get me wrong I feel that they should be compensated accordingly, but what happened to pay for performance? What happened to profit sharing if and when the company meets and exceeds their numbers? It seems like these are oxymorons in this industry.

Another issue as hinted to earlier, the product lines are not competing effectively with that of our competitors. Our competitors are changing their vehicle offerings often while maintain a margin that is achievable. Take the Crown Victoria for example; I believe I read something a few years ago that said this was the most profitable vehicle in the American Auto Industry because it is basically built on the same chasis as the original model that was first introduced with a few minor cosmetic changes. That is ridiculious in my opinion; and this is why. Lexus {a Toyota company} has a car now that can parallel park itself...pretty much Nissan's full line is now keyless start; and here we are with a car that can't do any of that and will Ford change it so that it is more technologically advanced? NOPE!!!! It's time to get back to innovation and quality, but it appears the CEOs of these firms don't want that right now.

I am glad the Senate postponed the vote until the Auto Industry can decide whether or not they want to really move forward.

Check the next post about my proposed plan for these 3

T.I.- Whatever You Like - (Obama Spoof) - Actually Pretty Good

To show a lighter side instead of all the hardcore in your face facts lol... here is a video from YouTube that a friend of mine sent to me. It's actually pretty good and funny... Check it out:

Congratulations President Elect Barack Obama

First I want to apologize for being away from the board for sometime. November will be a more active month on the blogs with the inclusions of a new Fashion and Sports segment.

On to the topic at hand...November 4th, 2008 will be etched in the memories of everyone for a lifetime. The First Black President of the United States of America was elected to office in a over-whelming landslide that showed little chance of being derailed even as early as the first set of polls closing. President Elect Barack Obama, congratulations and we support you as you embark upon a challenging journey.

President-Elect is off to a fast start beginning to name individuals to their respective cabinet positions which appears to show songs that President Elect will govern more center than to the extreme left. I support this agenda of governing center at this crucial time in our country. I believe there should be several immediate focus':

1) Begin to heal the country by mending party relationships

• Many campaigns turned quite nasty and have caused damage among relationships and voters in their perspective districts. I believe that this can be accomplished via a bipartisan cabinet

2) Get Congress on the same page as President Elect and attempt to curb potential abuses of power.

• Democrats are enjoying a continued majority control of Congress and now the White House. President Elect has to ensure that Congress acts responsibly in favor of the American people and not in favor of their own personal agenda.
  
• This is a sensitive time and we have to make sure that Pelosi and the House do not abuse the majority and succumb to bad practices such as the American people experienced under W.

3) Strong Fiscal Policy

• We need to create a budget that begins to curb spending and allows for some capital to be used to pay down our deficit immediately. Our brothers and sisters fighting in Iraq need to begin to come home. I feel a 50% troop reduction in 2009 must be achieved and any immediate budget savings should be directed to reducing our deficit.
  
• We need to encourage investor growth and this can be achieved through not increasing capital gains tax higher than 20%. Numerous rumors and reports are stating that a increase to 24% is currently being discussed, however, that will be too high and will limit investment flows. 20% is what the capital gains tax was set at under the Clinton Administrator and is what the tax would increase to in 2011 once the current tax relief act comes to an end.
  
• We should explore modifying our current tax code. Instead of paying tax payers money, maybe consider adjusting our progressive tax levels. For example, the first $6,000 of every one's income is tax free; let's consider increasing that to the first $8,000 or $10,000 which would give middle, working and lower class individuals an instant tax break.
  

4) We need to hire a strong Treasury Secretary

5) Appoint a Secretary of Education that has some teaching and State Education experience.

• This will be a great opportunity to appoint someone who will initiate, execute and oversee strong education policies that will help increase the educational opportunities and experiences for the US. We are one of the richest countries in the World however, our education is no where close in comparison.

These are just a few points I wanted to discuss in this blog. In the upcoming days I will elaborate on these ideas in further detail. It was an awesome feat to see President Elect Barack Obama win the election in such grand fashion, however, the road will be an uphill battle to right the errors from 8 years of bad policies.

Let's Spend Money We Don't Have to Fix A City I Ruined

Oh Mayor Shirley Franklin, how art thou we loathe thee... definitely is not love thee. According to the AJC.com (10/16/2008, http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/10/15/atlanta_budget_crisis.html), Mayor Franklin wants to spend $850,000 to hire a team of two groups to come in to review Atlanta's Finance department and help the city return to black on the balance sheet. Then she would like to hire Deloitte Consulting to come in and create a turnaround plan; Deloitte Consulting stated they would do it on a pro-bono basis. Finally she announced that she is hiring a new CFO to replace the one that resigned earlier this year after saying the city's financial management habits deserved a F. Mayor Franklin believes that she can rite the city's poor financial ways and return to black by year end 2009.

Here is the situation, when Mayor Franklin came into office the city had a surplus, a booming economy, it was attractive to new business, and offered a good balance to all. During her tenure the city's muni bond rating dropped to junk, the city is as much as $200 million budget deficit, new business has come to a halt, built a number of new residential project of which a strong majority sit dark even prior to the mortgage debacle, under funded public service departments, etc, etc, etc. It's a dark, dismal current picture and outlook, however, now she would like to spend money the city does not have to develop an agenda that may or may not even work, thus adding to the waste the city has already amassed. What is a good option to get the city out of debt and back into the black? Here are a few ideas:

- First, let's reverse the Sunday Food and Alcohol sales regulation that has been on the books since the 70s and not even the mayor who was in charge at the time the regulation was passed, did not enforce. This will immediately begin to bring in some new, desperately needed tax revenue. This will help small business contributors such as bars, pubs, nightclubs, etc to maybe survive in business since a new day of business will be added to their books.

- Second, release the death grip that the city has on festivals and large scale events in this city. There was a time when this city had a festival or large scale event every week, sometimes 2 or 3 during peek times. During her tenure we have seen festivals such as Concert on the Bricks, 99x Free Concert Series, Music Midtown, Vibe Music Festival, and more either reduce drastically in size or just plain closed up shop. There have been a variety of factors that have contributed to this, however each promoter has stated that a major contributor was due to a rise in expenses and unfavorable city guidelines that were changed under Mayor Franklin's tenure. When you have the NBA saying they will more than likely never bring the All-Star Game back to this city because of the way she ruined the activities with a poor traffic strategy, let's one know that she is not one to encourage growth.

- Next, commission a new city brand marketing team that will get away from this gimmick marketing that is lead by Mayor Franklin, but a true brand marketing approach that shows the value of the city to convention and tourist traffic. Brand Atlanta canceled the highly, unsuccessful "Where Everyday is Opening Day" campaign to a even more unsuccessful campaign of "City Lights and Southern Nights" (www.brandatlanta.com). There has to be several on-going campaigns not just one; There has to be a business attraction campaign that needs to launch now attempting to attract new business to Atlanta in late 2009 and 2010 once projects such as the 14th Street bridge and expansion of the Connector project will be completed. There has to be a stronger tourist branding campaign instead of relying solely on word of mouth traffic about the Aquarium and World Coke projects. A stronger campaign(s) can be created through pushing an agendas forward on the first 2 suggestions.

These are only a few examples of how the city can easily begin to turn itself around without spending a lot of money, but begin generating much needed revenue. If anyone from Brand Atlanta is reading this blog, feel free to contact me I have several campaign ideas that will work and drive tourism growth.

Let's get back to the topic...Just a few months ago Mayor Franklin threatened to veto spending $1.1 Million to keep certain firehouses in the city open and stated that the city did not have the money, however the city has the money to pay for this? At the end of the day, Mayor Franklin has thrown fiscal responsibility out of the window and even when the City of Atlanta is facing a steep crunch, she still wants to keep spending. Good thing the Metro area only has to deal with her for 2 more years and then she is gone. Who will the mantle be passed too? Will they be able to turn this city around? Only time will tell

Jazz for Barack, Jack - Cool Video

Here is a really cool song that a Jazz Orchestra posted on Youtube a few weeks ago. It's a cool catchy song I do say.

Here are the lyrics:

Hate to see the nation being run by a hack
Dig the situation that he dug in Iraq
Half the population wants to give him the sack
And now he’s lookin’ round for somebody else to attack
We need somebody great to get us back on the track

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Choo Choo, Change to believe in
Woo woo, we can achieve it
Choo Choo, Change to believe in
Takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Now that global warming is a matter of fact
The only real question is just how to react
The new administration needs the guts to enact
Drastic legislation, leave the planet intact
We can’t be foolin’ round with some Republican Mac

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Choo Choo….

He only gets his money from your regular macs
Doesn’t take a penny from some whackity PAC’s
For bringin’ folk together he’s the man with the knack
And he’ll supply the hope and inspiration we lack
Cause he’s the best we got and did I ….mention he’s black?

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Financial Crisis has a Stranglehold On the World

The world's markets are down 5 straight days with the Dow Jones Index being around 9400 points as of yesterday. The bailout has been approved, the Fed has released nearly $900 billion in emergency funds to begin issuing loans, shore up money markets, and provide emergency relief to the financial markets. Everyone is calling for a united front from the World Banks however where are the retail banks at in this equation?

The source of this crisis involves only 6% of all mortgages and a immediate relief can come if banks such as Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Thornburg Mortgage, etc begin rapidly refinancing mortgages immediately to save homes. As mentioned in my previous blogs executing a 40-45 year fix rate mortgage refi would begin to save the housing market. In addition, begin issuing new loans to help restart Main Street. It appears that many of these banks are like "I made my money now time to jump ship." I think the Treasury department is doing the correct thing in holding off on buying these mortgages due to the fact that the banks aren't doing anything yet to stop the bleeding. The tourniquet will begin with them not with the government. Congress press banks to refinance these mortgages and then use the bailout money to buy quality investments. Intervention must start now...they must be waiting for an open invitation; ok so here it is, it's pretty bad for your customer base lets do something.

Positive Note

One may say what is positive here, but there is always something positive in every situation. Over 2 trillion dollars have been lost in shareholder value over recent weeks, however, this can create some tremendous buying opportunities for the long term. This may be the time or nearing the time to begin buying investments in strong, steadfast companies that would have otherwise been too expensive previously such as Mcdonalds, Coke, Procter and Gamble, etc. It's not consoling but remember it will not always be bad, the markets and the economy will get better.

In the meantime, let's begin to petition our Congress persons, the Presidential Candidates, our State officials to begin to press banks and financial institutions to begin helping these homeowners out in drones and now. With the first country on the brink of going bankrupt, yes country, let's press them to do something now and save our world.

Bailout Passed Now What?

After adding about $140 Billion dollars worth of tax cuts and spending to the bill, the House Republicans sided with bipartisan lines and passed the Rescue package. Now that the bill has been signed into legislation, what now? Over a 159,000 jobs were lost in the month of September alone and this country is heading towards a vicious halt. Sec. Paulson is now tasked with purchasing these bank assets to free up the credit markets so that institutions will begin lending to each other and businesses again.

In previous blogs I have supported the bailout and I am not wavering, but as I stated if the banks do not begin to lend then the bailout was all in vain. Lending means to all not just to one segment of the community. To re-start this economy we can not sit back and wait for trickle down to consumers; Sec. Paulson has to immediately lay out new lending requirements for Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac and have a team immediately look into which mortgages can be re-financed immediately and which ones are going to take some time. We have to get as many assets refinanced as soon as possible otherwise we will waste the $700 billion.

My suggestion is to offer a 40-45 year fixed mortgage @ 4.5% to anyone that is in foreclosure, pending foreclosure, slow pay, in a variable rate mortgage and still has the means to pay the note. Next offer anyone in a high interest rate the ability to re-fi to a lower rate. Once the re-fi is complete, the mortgage would be transferred to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to manage. This could potentially increase the quality of the mortgage backed securities that the bailout will buy, thus proving to be profitable to the American taxpayer. It will delay the build up in equity in the home if only the required monthly is paid, however, the goal will be to get the house to a affordable payment so the homeowner can pay more than what is required.

Another positive benefit is this refinancing strategy could potentially free up some immediate liquidity for consumers thus providing the lubrication for restarting our economy. If consumer spending increased this will potentially lead to an increase in a business' budget thus requiring more people to be hired. The flow of money has to re-start, but I am all for a period of 3 months where Americans are spending less and saving more. Saving will be a primary catalyst to increasing current deposits on hand with banks, thus allowing for institutional lending to resume with confidence.

Patience and prudence must prevail during this period of our life. The unfortunate circumstance is that our country is in a election year which adds more political red tape to the equation. We have to create more jobs...allow for stem cell research to resume, allow for more technological and alternative energy innovation, etc. As a country, we have to focus on wealth building, education, and health care; this is the only way we will be able to restore our super power status.

Discussion of the Day: Mandatory 401K Participation

At a roundtable discussion the other day, a few of us raised this question "Should the U.S. Government pass legislation to mandate participation in Company sponsored Retirement plans (401K, 403B, etc)". QDIA Legisation was passed last November that allows companies to automatically enroll employees into their retirement plans and expand default investment options, but do you feel that expanding this to a mandated program would be a good option?

The theory behind this is requiring all U.S. employees 18 and older to contribute 1% of their pre-tax income to a 401K or Qualified retirement plan. In addition, their employer would be required to match that 1% dollar for dollar with fully vested dollars.

As it relates to the default investment option, the 1% would be invested into the most conservative investment such as a money market, cash equivelant, etc. The employee would be able to change this investment mix at anytime. The only stipulation to changing the alignment is that at least 10% of the overall portfolio value must remain in a conservative cash investment at all times(Again this is my theory).

During our discussion a good question was raised "Should the employee be allowed to access the funds on the account at anytime?" My response to that is that anything contributed above and beyond the mandated 1% could be used for a 401K loan, Withdrawal, etc. Even in the event of termination of employment mandated investment (principle and earnings) must be rolled over to another qualified retirement account. If the employee did not have one, one could be opened for them at the time of distribution. Now since retirement savings, under this theory, would be mandatory one could explore lowering the retirement age to 55 for example.

Another good question that was raised is "How would management fees be assessed?" The management fee associated with the mandated contribution would not be able tp exceed 10 basis points or .1%. Anything above and beyond that would be subject to standard management and expense ratio fees. This way costs are controlled at all times since individuals would be required to participate in the program.

There are many other aspects to discuss however this program could prove to be beneficial for all. One it would lower the number of senior citizens that are unprepared financially for retirement. Secondly, it would aim to build wealth amongst the middle and working class Americans. Next, it would also go to addressing rising concerns about the Social Security system and how young people nowadays will not be able to benefit from the program in the future. This program could potentially eliviate some of the pressures on Medicare as well since individuals should be in a position to take care of some if not all of their medical expenses. There still needs to be healthcare reform in this country, but generating wealth could be a step in the right direction.

If this were ever to become a significant topic of discussion, I assume there would be a lot of nay sayers, but how could one be against this plan? 1% of a person's pre-tax income is an amount that would more than like not be missed from the paycheck. It equates to $1 per $100 of earned income which would not set a household back. Will this strategy make millionaires, probably not, but it is a good start in the correct direction.

A Sad Day for the American Economy

A letter to my readers:

It's a sad day for America today; our economy and homeowners needed that legislation. The 3rd revision was a strong policy that could of helped build a foundation for the U.S. to regain stability in the equity and credit markets. Instead many people lost 20-30% in value in their 401Ks and retirement accounts today after already being down 20-45% YTD. We have lost 5 large banks (Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia, Washington Mutual, Bear Sterns) of which 3 were historical institutions (Merrill Lynch, Bear Sterns, Lehman Brothers), unemployment is up to above 6%, 10's of thousands of layoffs earmarked due to consolidation in the markets. In addition, small businesses and consumers no longer have access to credit to sustain operations or life and now the economy teeters the balance of falling into a deep recession of which may take years for us to pull ourselves out.

No one wants to spend this money however, something needs to happen. Popular media is blaming Wall Street, however, we need to blame not only Wall Street, but Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, (Underwriting No Doc loans and accepting a large number of Alt-A loans), Home builders, Americans dangerous passion of obtaining more credit than liquidity, our Government for lack of oversight, etc. We didn't get here overnight and we won't get out of it overnight, however, we need a clear starting point and this bailout will be one. There is no guarantees that it will work however homeowners in bad mortgages, foreclosure, pending foreclosure had the ability to re-negotiate with the Fed for better rates to save their homes, preferred equity would of been transferred to the Fed from companies participating in the bailout program allowing for taxpayers to realize capital gains as the markets recover along with dividend premiums paid quarterly. Also, Executives lost the ability to earn golden parachutes as a result of their companies rebounding, and anyone who owned preferred equity in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that bailed on the company in recent months thus aiding the share price to plummet would be required to pay higher taxes. This was much more favorable legislation than the 1st 2 proposals.

Review the new legislation and weigh the pros and cons, the unfortunate thing is that this could be the beginning to the end of the U.S. being a true Economic Super Power for years to come.

Let's pray that something can happen before the election otherwise whomever takes the White House may already be in a hole to deep to dig themselves out of in 4 years.

Jouran

Bailout of Wall Street is Near Reality...Will it be a Good Plan?

Here is the tentative agreement that looks poised to pass in the next few days (http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idINN2732937820080927?rpc=44):

Following are provisions compromise legislation is expected
to incorporate, based on a draft bill and comments from
lawmakers about the state of negotiations.

- The bill would create a Troubled Assets Relief Program
(TARP) to purchase mortgage-related assets originated or issued
on or before March 14, or any assets if needed to promote
financial stability.

- $700 billion overall to be authorized in installments of
$250 billion. That could be increased to $350 billion upon
notification to Congress by the president.

- Assets could be purchased from any financial institution
having significant operations in the United States.

- Government to get warrants for equity in participating
companies as a way of protecting taxpayers and allowing them to
benefit from any profit gains.

- Foreclosure mitigation for Americans at risk of losing
home. However, a provision House Democrats had sought to help
save homes in bankruptcy proceedings has been dropped.

- Restrictions on executive compensation at companies that
participate.

- Incorporates House Republican proposal to allow for
private-sector funded mortgage insurance program as an option
for Treasury secretary.

- Financial Stability Oversight Board comprised of the
chairmen of the Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange
Commission and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, and two members
appointed by Congress to oversee activities of the program.

- Requires a government investigation into causes of
crisis, with report delivered to Congress by June 2009.

- Regular and detailed reports on transactions and other
activities under the rescue program.

- Establishes a congressional oversight panel that would
also submit a report on regulatory reform no later than Jan.
20, 2009, the date a new president takes office.

- Would direct 20 percent of any future profits from the
bailout fund to the Affordable Housing Fund and the Capital
Magnet Fund to meet U.S. housing needs. House Republicans,
however, have made clear they oppose this provision.

- Authorizes a temporary money market mutual fund guarantee
program for up to one year. Requires U.S. Treasury to restore
any funds to the Exchange Stabilization Fund that had been used
for that purpose and prohibits their further use.

- Requires federal financial regulatory agencies to
cooperate with federal law enforcement to investigate fraud or
misrepresentation with respect to financial products.

- Investors who sold preferred stock in mortgage finance
giants Fannie Mae (FNM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Freddie Mac (FRE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), between Jan.
1, 2008, and before Sept. 7, 2008, to pay higher ordinary
income taxes on any gains rather than the lower capital gains
tax. The government announced the seizure of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac on Sept. 7.
(Compiled by Reuters' Washington bureau, editing by Patricia
Zengerle)

It appears to be a bipartisan agreement with both sides of the aisle agreeing to joint concessions in order for a deal to get done. I think it is a great foundation for moving forward and hopefully establishing some stability in the capital and credit markets. The key to success will be how soon will the banks begin re-lending money? I think if banks decide to freeze lending, then this plan was in vain and will cause the taxpayers to shoulder a significant burden. Banks should begin generating loans immediately and get rid of products such as no-document mortgages (aka liar loans), ARMs for individuals who don't have strong credit or are buying too much home, and the issuance of loans greater than 3xs household income. Sub-prime lending has to continue in this country, especially now since many individuals have been negatively impacted by this crisis, this market probably has grown by 2 fold. The question that still is left to be understood is will Congress allow for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to still operate as a Government Sponsored Entity (GSE) and be publicly traded? It's my opinion that they should remain a publicly traded entity with more Government Oversight, however, many Americans lost money in these companies and they should be given the opportunity to re-coup some of those losses.

If this legislation is passed there will be several significant advantages like homeowners who not currently in the bankruptcy court will be allowed to re-negotiate their mortgages to more favorable rates, any company that participates in the program their executive compensation will be subject to mandated guidelines, and the Federal Government will be able to receive preferred stock warrants which generally pay dividends and trade at higher prices as a means to generate repayment for the taxpayer dollars that are being distributed. These concessions are big and make the legislation more taxpayer friendly rather corporate friendly. The next step will be constructing favorable job creation legislation, however that is a topic for another discussion.

Many Americans are not high on this legislation, but it is something that is needed right now. Moving forward we all have to look at our finances more responsibly, begin to shifting each household from credit base to more savings deposit based thus allowing for each household to become more liquid and able to handle rising pressures that may affect our everyday lives. Many lessons have been learned as a result of this crisis and it is up to everyone to put those lessons learned into action and attempt to avert this catastrophe from happening again in the future.

Do We Need This Bailout

I am not a George Bush Fan, however on Wed night he gave a compelling speech. I believe that President Bush made a sincere plea to Americans and Washington Politicians to pass some sort of legislation that will help begin to restart this economy. That restart is in the form of a financial bailout up to $700 Billion dollars. This money would be used to purchase mortgage back securities and other credit derivatives that are grappling and seize the books of financial institutions both large and small. The theory is that if these securities were transferred off the books, that would begin to free up liquidity for banks to begin issuing new loans, refinancing existing loans, and hopefully restart the extension of credit to various entities. Question, how much is required, who will manage it, what risk will the taxpayer incur, will it be enough, and what does the general public get out of it? These questions and more are reasons why the bailout has yet to be approved.

Now I will not be able to provide the exact answers to these questions because no one in the general public has seen the full scope of the plan as of yet, but I will offer some of my intellectual opinions. Let's attack the first question which is "How Much Is Required"...$700 Billion dollars is a large number. That is nearly 2xs the size of Wal-Mart's gross annual sales , but is this enough? Is this too much? I believe that a line of credit up to $1 trillion dollars should be extended however maybe only $300 Billion should be utilized right now to begin bailing out Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo, Community and Regional Banks. When it comes to the large institutions such as Wachovia, Bank of America and JP MorganChase for example extensions of credit should used since they are well capitalized however their negative, bad subprime debt could be sold to the government. The way it should be controlled is that good debt could be purchase at no less than 40 cents on the dollar and no more than 60 cents on the dollar. Bad, defaulted or pending default debt should be sold to the government at no less than 10 cents on the dollar to no more than 30 cents on the dollar. Is this extremely low, yes, however, if you want to be bailed out and get it off the books why not sell it to the taxpayers for a discount? From there the banks can receive an loan from the Fed to begin opening the credit markets at competitive short term rates. This strategy should encourage companies to retain good debt and not just unload everything off onto the taxpayer.

What Does the Fed do with the debt?
Now here is where the homeowners receive their bailout. Once the debt is transferred to the Fed, a series of teams will begin to feverishly unwind the derivatives and begin to put a face to the note. Any loan under $417,000 that was put into a bad loan, is pending foreclosure, or currently in foreclosure should be forced to refinance with no questions asked. If the homeowner refuses to accept the forced re-fi then the government has the right to seize the asset and sell it in a government auctions. The good loans over that amount could be repackaged and re-sold to to banking firms and mortgage outfits. Inorder for this option to be successful, it would require an extension of credit from the government however it could be a situation where preferred equity in the company is exchanged with the government for the sale of the packaged securities. Then at a time when the government feels they have received max value from the sale, they can liquidate the securities on the open market.


I think there comes a point in time when we all have to put partisanship to the side and begin to move this effort forward in executing a plan that will benefit both America and the U.S. people.

originally written on 9/24/2008

We Have Gas Everywhere...No Wait That's Water, My Bad

September 2008 will be forever ingrained in everyone's memory and it has nothing to do with the first Presidential debate that involves a Black Presidential nomination. This month will be known as the "Gas Illusion Month" because Governor Sonny Perdue had to be looking at a mirage on his computer screen when made the comment that “There is ample fuel in the city,” he said. “It’s not everywhere it needs to be, but we do not have a crisis in the sense that we don’t have fuel coming in.” (http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/09/24/atlanta_gas_governor.html).

Hey Sonny, Hey Sonny where is this gas at? I just had to drive to 5 gas stations and wait for 45 min just to have the pump run out of gas while I was attempting to fill up. I think what he meant was that there was ample supply at the governor mansion, so there was no true reason to be seriously concerned yet. Ok, I am showing a bit of sarcasm, however, when one drives around the Metro area almost every single gas station is out of gas. One gas attendant said today that on this past Saturday evening he received a delivery of 3000 gallons, but he ran out by Sunday night less than 18 hours later. No disrespect governor, this is a supply crisis, regardless of how well you would like to spin it.

Now is the Governor completely at fault for his delusion? No, the people of Atlanta have to shoulder some of this blame. I have to ask this question, but is it the end of the world? Is there a Cat 5 Hurricane on the verge of hitting Atlanta within the next few hours? Why are we panicking so much and stockpiling gas at prices as high as $5.00 gallon? Do you realize that the rest of the nation is selling gas for $3.49 or less, I don't think we do. As I waited to get some gas today, the patron in front of me had a 20 gallon gas jug he filled up as well as his Benz SUV at $4.45 a gallon. He easily spent near $200 for that one purchase; now if the supply returns by this weekend and gas goes down to $3.75 that is a loss of $50.25 assuming that the Benz SUV is a 20 gallon tank. Now I have quite a bit of education and several professional licenses however it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that is a dumb move...LOL. Demand can never return to normal if we are draining every gas station as soon as they re-up supplies. Hey Governor, this may be a good time to institute a state-wide $20 cap and not worry about bringing in a ton of tax revenue.

For the Perdue fans, yes Perdue was able to get the EPA to allow for dirty gas to be sold, but at what expense? Maybe if Atlanta had a stronger public transportation system then we would not have to worry about gas crunches; oh wait that is another ball that was dropped. In 2006, Marta received less than 1% of the State of Georgia total revenue source for capital funds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARTA). In addition the State is experiencing a $1 Billion dollar shortfall in transportation and infrastructure spending.It just appears that for the most part Atlanta is not a major concern for the current State Administration.

Final Note: Hurricanes in the Gulf Coast are a normal occurance which means there will always be a gas shortage for some period of time or another. How about we work with the Petro firms and build a series of emergency reserves and strategically place them around the State. When situations like this arise, or increases in overall market price, The State will have a reserve that they can tap to help keep stability in the marketplace. Its time for politicans to stop reacting to situations and begin to be proactive; otherwise why are our tax dollars being spent to pay you to not run out City, County, and State properly.

Wow the New Tom Foolery

If you haven't heard now you will, Bishop Weeks, former husband of Juanita Bynum has stooped to an all time low from the pulpit in my opinion. Now that his divorce is final and his probation for hitting his ex-wife is in full swing, this joke of a pastor has started a reality show to find his 3rd wife; are you serious...LOL.

Here are his exact words about what he and his "help" are looking for:

"The group concludes the woman should be at least 25 years old but "with special exemptions for 21 and up if they are classy," Weeks said. She also must want to have children with him...This woman has to be very discerning, and very intimate, and very social and very sensual," Weeks says, laughing. "And on the ministry side she has to be very diverse. She can't be ugly." (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26792417/)

Yes you read that right the epitome of what we call a mockery of the pulpit. He has classified this as a Christian reality dating show however, it does not appear to uphold the morals of the Church. The crazy thing is most are probably going to allow this kind of behavior and classify it as all in good fun. Now I am not trying to judge anyone; no one has the right to pass judgment but GOD, however, this is ridiculous. Is it that serious to be married especially after two failed marriages? And the world says that their are no positive Black men anymore...come on really...LOL...

Seriously, how can he speak about raising a strong, healthy household or encourage a dead beat Black husband to turn the corner and be a strong black role model to his home? I guess it's all about self and cares what the repercussions are or will be. Word to the wise brother...wake up and kill the show. Nothing absolutely nothing positive can come out of this circus of the pulpit, but hey what do I know...

White Americans It's Time To Accept Change

Today AP-Yahoo News released a disturbing poll that shows that a third of White registered Democrat voters don't support Barack Obama because of his race (http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-race). America when are we going to wake the heck up and realize that White is Not Right?

I am not sure if individuals have looked out the window lately or drove around the country and seen that there is more than two races here in this country. It's sad that in this country we are still lead by and pick our leaders based on propaganda and not based on qualifications, credentials, and platform. What is even more interesting in a period of time where the World is against us because of lack of a foreign policy, Americans are losing jobs and benefits everyday, the financial markets are in disarray with historical pillars of the markets are no more, and not to mention gas is at its highest levels hurting everyone who drives a car; that there are a strong minority of individuals that say "I will not vote for a Black Man".

Here are a few of the survey results (excerpts taken from "Political Pulse: AP-Yahoo News Poll)

...Given a choice of several positive and negative adjectives that might describe blacks, 20 percent of all whites said the word "violent" strongly applied. Among other words, 22 percent agreed with "boastful," 29 percent "complaining," 13 percent "lazy" and 11 percent "irresponsible." When asked about positive adjectives, whites were more likely to stay on the fence than give a strongly positive assessment

....Among white independents, racial stereotyping is not uncommon. For example, while about 20 percent of independent voters called blacks "intelligent" or "smart," more than one third latched on the adjective "complaining" and 24 percent said blacks were "violent

....Among white Democrats, Clinton supporters were nearly twice as likely as Obama backers to say at least one negative adjective described blacks well, a finding that suggests many of her supporters in the primaries — particularly whites with high school education or less — were motivated in part by racial attitudes.

Nearly four in 10 white independents agreed that blacks would be better off if they "try harder."

Here is a interesting direct quote cited in the article:

"We still don't like black people," said John Clouse, 57, reflecting the sentiments of his pals gathered at a coffee shop in Somerset, Ohio.

Question, how do you feel about what was just said? To my White readers, does this represent how you truly feel? What is so interesting about the quote is that this individual and his associates will probably throw their vote to John McCain, but Ohio currently sports a 7.4% unemployment rate[national average in August was 6.1] (Akron Beacon Journal, http://www.ohio.com/business/28685524.html). It just baffles me how a State such as Ohio can be Republican when Republicans have done little for this State throughout the years; remember Ohio is the State that delivered the election to Bush in 2004.

If the numbers play out on a large scale come November 4th and McCain/Palin is elected, Ohio, White Democrats, and Minorities who feel their vote will not count and do not cast it; be prepared for 4 more years of a failed policy and no plan for change. We think times are hard now, wait until McCain who has outright admitted that he has no economic experience, who just this week on a day where there was a 505 point Dow loss that wiped out $700 Billion dollars in shareholder value that "...the fundamentals of our economy are strong". He also said that if he were President right now and the SEC Chairman was instituting these bail outs he would fire him immediately; hmmm makes one wonder if this is truly the man suitable for the job. Let's not forget his running Sarah Palin who just obtained her first passport last year, has requested more pork per capita than any State, has allegedly abused her power on several occasions during her short stent as Alaska Governor, who turned down money to pay for the $450 million project, however requested money to pay for the $600 million bridge from the largest city in Alaska to one of the smallest cities in Alaska (Wasilla, AK yep the city where she was elected Mayor)...we think times are hard now my friend; in my opinion we have not seen anything yet.

Final note: The world is moving past us fast and if we don't watch out we are going to be a 3rd World Country. Sounds extreme but look at the factors, our trade deficit even with a weak dollar remains overwhelming high, most of our jobs have been moved to many 3rd World or rapidly developing Nations around the World, inflation is insurmountably high, and the economic engine known as the U.S. economy is rapidly coming to a halt. Countries like China that have 1.3 billion people and India with 990 million people will figure it out and when they do, who is to say that the U.S. with its 330 million people will still be the coveted country? I love my Country, I love my home and that is undeniable, but what we all have come to know and love is dangerously close to being no more. Many countries around the world have already been a proponent of change and have gone outside the box with their political makeup, but the U.S. is slow to change with a strong minority holding tight to bigot based morals. Voting based on a person’s skin color makes a mockery of election integrities. I can not stress it enough and the proof is in the writing, a McCain/Palin lead White House will not have a positive result. Do the research and see what McCain has said about this economy in recent weeks and then look at your 401Ks, Bank Accounts, and Jobs and ask does his views line up with my views? If you are considered working or middle class, the answer will be no...unless you are one of those fortunate working class members who makes $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 a year. Yea McCain stated that middle/working class in the U.S. is anyone who makes less than $5,000,000 a year. Do your research people; I am sure Mr. John Clouse does not make that much money a year.

500+ Falling Rock better known as the DOW on 9/15

According to numerous reports, over $700 Billion dollars in shareholder value was wiped out today in one single day of trading. This is after weeks of continued falling markets as a result of numerous outside pressures; so what do we do? Do we run scared screaming towards the hills, re-opening the doomsday shelters constructed in the 60s, and be like chicken little and say "...the sky is falling...the sky is falling?" Or do we do the complete opposite and say its going to be alright, act calm and practice the teachings of the Zen Dynasty. Regardless of your reaction there is a serious cause for concern, but maybe not outright panic just yet.

The deal is that this market is beating the hell out of the whole world and it is quite apparent that no one is making the right call to stop the bleeding. It is easy to point the finger at the world in hindsight and say this person is to blame and that person is to blame, but at the end of the day that is all old news and we should be like okay today is day 1 of the future. A combination of things need to happen right now and the answer is not lowering the interest rate to further devalue the U.S. dollar nor approving a stimulus package that is going to put cash in the U.S taxpayer's hand as a means to restart the economy. We need to save American Business and we need to save it now before it is completely gone. The world needs us and we need them, and as the saying goes..."as we go so does the rest of the world."

The morning after the scare is 9/16/2008; the first day to the rest of our lives. What are we going to do fellow Americans? Are we going to pull our money out tuck it under the mattress and hide our tail between our legs? Don't do that, that is what caused the Great Depression. Are we going to go buying crazy and buy up the world? Could work, but would it just prolong the inevitable? Here is a glimpse of my idea ... take a page out of FDRs book. Instead of throwing continued lifelines to Wall Street let's throw a lifeline to the American people and take a page out of FDR's policy and rebuild America. Let's put Americans back to work... we have bridges that need repair, roads that need to be fixed, intelligence software that needs to be developed, fiber lines that need to be laid, high speed rails that need to be constructed, hospitals that need to be built and staffed, etc. If we can put over $200 Billion into the markets we can throw that into the economy in a partisan, without the bureaucratic bs and put Americans back to work. If Americans are working then the cycle of the economy will flow properly. Right now its hiccuping because you have a class based society rapidly forming which is comprised of two classes the rich and the poor. Working class is fading way and it needs to remain strong or here we come 3rd world economy. The U.S. has remained resilient and strong throughout the years due to the fact that we had the working class/middle class; eliminate that and all hell breaks loose...this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Where does it begin...it begins by putting people into power that are focused on moving America forward. It starts with the baby boomer generation acknowledging that they don't know everything and relinquishing the death grip they have on this economy and allowing for the young professionals and workers continue to grow this Country. Yes we need to think Globally...its the way of the world is going to go, heck I have a International Business BA, but in order for us to be global we need to take care of home first. Let's get things straight and right so that this ship does not sink. Once right ourselves then we can help the world out... right now we are functioning under a failed policy and things must change otherwise DOW 8500 here we come...

The Mortgage Crisis

More than a year has gone by and there is no end in sight for this mortgage and housing crisis. It appears that many financial institutions have elected to just close their doors instead of address the root cause of this debacle which is a lack of oversight and a hefty dose of greed. First Bear Sterns 80 year storied tradition absorb by JPMorgan Chase for the low price of $10 a share. Now the countdown clock has began on 140+ years of tradition possibly fading away with a potential pilfering asset or complete sale of Lehman Brothers. Regional banks are going under or being put on notice by the FDIC to shore up their balance sheets or else. In the meantime, hundreds of homeowners are losing their homes or pending foreclosure, new home sales are sinking faster than a ship with a hole in it, and credit [which our country is built on] is disappearing fast. All the while the dollar's devaluation against the world's currency is becoming the laughing stock of the market. 

What have we done? The Fed is doing everything possible to introduce more liquidity to the capital markets but that is not enough. Now Congress [primarily Democrats] are asking for a temporary stay on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages in foreclosures, but will that be enough? In my opinion no, because if the individual was not able to afford the house then how will they afford the house after the stay. We are basically inessence holding off the inevitable. What can we do? How can this industry find its footing on solid ground and begin moving forward? How can the economy restart itself and begin to push forward towards righting this ship that has gone astray? In my opinion, 40 year mortgages and/or mandatory refinancing. 

Here is my theory, many of these homeowners were put into mortgages that they were unable to afford or purchased homes that exceeded their individual incomes by upwards to 5 and 10 times their individual salaries. I think that we should force everyone in a high interest rate variable mortgage into automatic fix rate and add up to 10 additional years max to get the payments down lower. In addition guarantee a percentage out of each payment will go towards the equity in the home to ensure that the homeowner is still allowed to build some equity. To qualify for this program one must be gainfully employed behind by at least 2 months in their mortgage and if they are in a high credit card and/or auto loan debt willing to have the debt refinanced to the point where if necessary they are given a new more affordable vehicle and forced to give up credit cards in order to receive lower favorable rates. Finally each individual will be required to go through a financial workshop that will teach them how to save, pay bills, balance a check book, etc. 

Now one may think this is not in the interest of the homeowner and the banks will win because of the potential to receive more money in interest payments, but I beg to differ. Now what will happen is we force individuals to get more conscience about their finances while allowing them to be able to keep a quality roof over their head for them and their families. Secondly, it will potential help to increase deposits in banking institutions which will help begin to re-stablize the balance sheet. Next it will actually force banks to be more responsible regarding interest rates rendered, lending practices, and foreclosure proceedings. It may not be the final solution however it will be better than what is happening now which is nothing. This too will help individuals begin moving money into banks and financial instutions as confidence in the equity markets increase. The alternative will be to allow for banks to not lend money [because there is no money to lend] and allow for the rug to be pulled out from underneath our financial system. 

The final suggestion is for Congress to pass a stimulus package that not only puts additional money into taxpayers hands however greater incentives for businesses to begin investing back into U.S. employee as a result of creating new jobs on U.S. soil at a good wage (not purposely under paying for a position that demands a higher skill level to save a buck). We need to put our employees back to work and look at reducing college education for U.S. citizens. The world is passing us by fast and we are doing nothing to plug this drain hole... 

Let's wake up America  

A Comedy Great Has Passed: Bernie Mac

Today the comedy world has lost a modern day great in the passing of Bernie Mac (1957-2008). According to CNN.com, Bernie Mac has passed away due to complications of pneumonia this morning (http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/09/bernie.mac/index.html).

Bernie Mac's illustrious career has taken him from roles as the door man in Wayan's Mo Money (1992) to three role run in everyone's favorite the Ocean series "Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen". Bernie Mac was able to cross color lines with his off color comedy and I don't care what you think attitude with a style that was reminiscent of the great Robin Harris. Just the other day I was watching "Bad Santa" where Mac starred alongside of the late John Ritter, Billy Bob Thornton, and Tony Cox; I remember one of my favorite scenes where Billy Bob comes to Santa's chair and passes out drunk after he completely crushed a mule, then Bernie Mac and Tony Cox have one of the funniest exchanges of humor on screen lol (check the embeded video)




Countless humor back to the Def Comedy Jam Days... I remember watching Bernie Mac on Def Comedy Jam



Raunchy, hiliarous, and black out comedy is just a few words that will describe this great comedian. Note to comedians of this generation take a page out of his book and learn how to be truly funny, Bernie Mac you will definitely be missed - Rest in Peace

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005170/

Has the Black Voter Become Ignorant?

First this is not a racist or redneck posting this blog, I am Black myself, but I have to pose this question due to the recent news. The question is "Has the Black Voter Become Ignorant?" I do not want to succumb to generalization, however, one has to wonder why is that many of the Black voters in Urban America still gauging their information based on propaganda rather than facts and research.Currently we have one of the most qualified Black Politicians running for President with a strong chance to win the sit. Presidential Candidate Barack Obama has the backing of the global community, a vast majority of White democrats, crossover Republicans, growing in the winning numbers of swing voters, but then there is the Black vote. One would believe that the Black vote would be overwhelmingly strong, but its not, its actually probably waning among lower to middle class Black voters (opinion). Why you ask? because we have subjected ourselves to the ignorant b.s. spewed by not only White media but our own "Black Representatives". First you have the self-appointed charlatan Jesse Jackson (i refuse to call him a minister of the church). As we all know, several weeks ago he degraded the Presidential Candidate Barak Obama with derogatory comments twice; then you have Blacks protesting and challenge Obama on basically blackness. Remember when President George Bush won his second term, he received a significant increase in the Black vote primarily the crossover Democratic vote due to the fact that individuals did not agree with gay marriage and abortion; two things that are subjective topics. Here we are again 4 years later and the better of the candidates (Obama) is silipping in the polls (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080804/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_obama_poll;_ylt=AoLFTTHh4Esc3R.gktgDHuCyFz4D). McCain is not discussing anything of substance, but is gaining in the polls.Do I believe that Blacks should vote for Obama because he is Black? The answer is no, however, I believe that Blacks should begin to focus on facts and the overall picture instead of ignorance. Ludacris dropped a song a week or so ago talking about Clinton, McCain and others (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama_hip_hop_3), but what is so crazy is that people are actually standing up against for distancing himself from Luda at this time. I respect Luda, but why is it that we have to resort to propaganda to spread a positive message. We all are not going to like everything about everyone, share it in the proper context and forum, but why is it that for our community we have to gauge another black person's acceptability on their revolutionary or defiance factors? Here we are 3 months from the election and one community that is comprised of a significant amount of Democratic voters and they are protesting their own qualified candidate.So what is it going to take? Is it going to take Obama to support the ignorance for him to win the black vote? When are we going to ask for true political leaders to represent the Black community rather than swindles like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Cynthia Mckinney, etc. Black folks let's wake up and let's take action. Base your opinions on fact not fiction.

Review: Talib and Nas Atlanta Show - 7/31

Choosing the right words to summarize the first show (we will get into the second show in a moment) of Talib and Nas concert are hard to conjure up and not sound like a groupie, so we will just say it in the only way to pay the show homage... the show was "FRESH". Imagine a venue with stadium style seating a open floor, but only holds about 1500 people and not one person sitting still, every single head on extra hard nod with more than 90% of the venue singing every single word, flow, verse verbatim and that still does not describe the first show in detail.

Kweli hit the stage and blessed the audience with selections from Ear Drum to vintage tracks from the Black Star days. The crowd quickly warmed up to him and showed the appreciation spitting back at him the lyrical fire that was being sprayed. The unusual suspects were delivered but surprise bangers like 'The Perfect Beat" mixed into the original "Sound of the Police" - KRS One that just made the crowd go bananas, Move Somethin and Definition (yah yall not ready) . The homage tributes continued the set DJ (forgive me forgot the name) slid in some Mr. Robert Nesta Marley that just added full completion to the intro. No one was prepared for the finishing act "Get By" nuff said - Nas was given the rightful set up with a introduction that only another headliner could provide. *Off topic* Yo definitely appreciate the chance to watch the second set from backstage...far from the superstar ego that has plauged many in this industry...My peoples and I appreciate it again *Back On Topic*....

* Side Bar - Second show yall missed out -- why did Rival even add a second show - The venue sold out but the crowd was dead as hell - I digress *

Back to the first show...fast forward to Green Lantern...he didn't have to do much to ignite the already gasoline doused crowd that blew the hell up when God Son hit the stage taking a bat to the dome with the first song being Nig*er. Album dropped two weeks ago, but you would of never known because we still spit every line. In the words of Nas from last night "...We have History together..." and God Son took us on a walk from the young, hungry illmatic and It Was Written days, club bangers from Nastradomus, Street Disciples, God Son, and more. Selections like "If I Ruled the World", "N.Y. State of Mind", "Street Dreams", "Hip Hop is Dead", "Shoot Em Up", "Hate Me Now"...songs for the ladies like "Oochie Wally", and audience driven tracks like "Bravehearts" and "One Mic" (meaning we spit more than Nas). Much like Talib's set, the only thing expected was the unexpected and Nas definitely delivered "...For the People". The audience chanted songs we wanted to hear that were off the set list more than likely and Nas never disappointed. Energy? There was enough electricity that the venue could of been powered just by pure excitement. I mean there was even a track that he refused to do but as Nas said "I am here for the people...let's do this" ended the set with a big ass laugh a 2 line spit and exit stage left... No need to know what it was should of been at the show. The mere fact we heard the beat was satisfying enough for the crowd.

Hip Hop is dead and Urban Radio/Backdoor Payola killed it but as long as we have Nas and Kweli doing what they do and not giving a f*ck about the media and hatrics I mean critics, yo there could be some sort of resuscitate to the genre. There is no need to say this is "Real Hip Hop" because they other stuff is just rap (I listen to the rap out there at times you gotta hit Mickey D's every now and again to get a dose of grease...lol)

*Back to the second show* Yo they were dead in my opinion they should of just did one show and let the artist run their allotted limits because it was not worth it ... Again my opinion. Talib and Nas both did their thing yet again but it was like performing infront of the Idol judges no energy, no excitement, simple reactions of "I am just here cuz my homeboy said they were good". I commend those dudes for still delivering after seeing the first set's audience blow the damn roof off the house I am sure it was all worth it for them.

(photos: Talib Kweli - taken from Slynation.com; Nas - Ajc.com)

Movie Review: Hancock

Will Smith has done it again by putting out another surefire summer hit that will guarantee to fill movie theater seats at $10.00 a ticket. The question is does the movie live up to all the weeks of hype that has been generated? To honestly answer that question, I will have to say ummmm welll somewhat. I think the hype was necessary, but the many different trailers for this film did not really leave the moviegoer with much to anticipate; parts just appeared to be a rehashing of the trailer.


The film was quite comical which was a welcome changed from Smith's most recent films which carried a more serious under-tone. This film showed the versatility that Will Smith can bring to a film while drawing the audience in deeper, never allowing their attention to venture from the screen. The supporting actors Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman played their roles well backing up the performance of Will Smith. These characters helped develop the plot and the few surprising twist that the movie has to offer. Bateman's character does get a bit redundant in the film and really kind of loses his place in the movie.



All in all it was a decent movie; but it wasn't this cast best or worst films. Wild Wild West and Aeon Flux lol enough said lol...My scale rating system is 5 meals and this film gets a soild 3 meals, middle of the road. It was enjoyable and will be bought on DVD because I am a fan, but it won't be a first day drop purchase. It's one of those when I get around to it I will pick it up. Sorry man...but looking forward to seeing your son's new film later this year.

Did you Hear the 50 Cent and Young Buck Phone Call? Kayne were you HIGH comparing Soulja Boy to Nas LOL

http://theinfamoussyndicate.blogspot.com/2008/06/young-buck-50-cent-full-16-minute.html
Many have heard it already, but for the few that haven't yet there is the link for you to check it out. Trust you will definitely drop a Flava Flav WOOOOOOOOOOW on it lol. Was it dirty to do Buck like that, yea but that's 50. Was it crazy for Buck to put himself out there like that, yea that was too. At the end of the day some conversations should be done on a face to face basis and this is one of them. Could it have been leaked some other way? Yea I am sure it would have been, but at the end of the day, all this could have been avoided if he just man'd up and spoke to him face to face...Damn Buck say it ain't so, say it ain't so...lol

http://www.mediatakeout.com/24545/kanye_west_ice_t_should_shut_up__soulja_boy_is_as_good_a_rapper_as_nas.html
Okay most now that there has been a war of words between Ice T and Soulja Boy, but if you didn't yea there has been a war of words between Ice T and Soulja boy (do a search on Youtube and you can find the videos). Kanye chims in and says what hip hop is to him and then compares Soulja Boy to the likes of Nas. Okay now I know what Kayne was trying to get it that basically the styles and metaphors are like minded (not in my opinion), but it would have been better to compare Soulja Boy to the likes of Luke or Lil John back in the 90s when most were sampling and they came out with a fresh new sound. Like they say on MediaTakeOut.com yea bruh the Nas comparison is a bit of a stretch... LOL

Soulja Boy should be happy that a heavy weight in today's hip hop game is throwing some power behind him and a star from the old school is giving him some PR... now build off it and expand the music you do, but Gettn Silly won't cut it lol. The gimmack music will come to a end so my suggestion is find a good Financial Advisor and stack.

Review of Lil Wayne’s Dr. Carter

The track first off is sick; Swizz drops another heater reminding one of days of early hip hop tracks that used a easy bass and drum pattern. I can hear a variety of different MCs spitting over this track and Move n the Crowd (hint hint).

Wayne pulls together a track similiar to the way he did his first album taking you on a journey patient by patient and painting a story about what's going on drawing you further into the track. Question, where has this Wayne been? The recycling line yo its biting lol not recycling...lol just a word to the wise.

The first two verses were unexpected but here comes the final verse and here it comes back gushing fast and hard the weak side of Wayne. The cockiness that he has saved hip hop's life...nah not so much. If Wayne were to drop consistent flows similiar to the first two verses on a regular basis then I would say here is a ray of hope.

The delivery throughout the song was good, it made sense and was not a bunch of gibberish. He didn't just keep saying the same thing over and over and over again, but chill with the female references man. I mean its like in every song he has to let the world know he is straight; I mean stop kissing another man infront of the cameras and there will be no issues.

The track is ok but not overly impressed with it. On a scale of 5 meals I will give this a 3.5 as well. Pointing in the right direction but not greatness

Review of Lil Wayne’s Mr. Carter ft Jay-Z

Ok a friend of mine told me to check out these two tracks from Lil Wayne's The Carter III; this was the first track. The beat is sick but Wayne lost me with the school girl rambling at the beginning of the song. I understand he is thankful to be on a track with Jay-Z but still just be like "It's a honor"...or "Imma come with it thanks Jay..." something would of been better than that introduction.

On to the flow, he starts off ok reminiscent of his earlier days stringing together something that symbolized a decent flow. The second verse he came with it a bit to the point where I began to enjoy the track but he lost me with the last line of the song leading into Jay... why man that was unnecessary.

Jay drops in and pulls the track together like glue with a simplistic verse ending the verse by passing the torch to Wayne. Jay could of just unloaded on the track and washed out any thoughts of Wayne being talked about on this track (i.e. Renegade - Jay-Z ft Slim Shady... sorry man he came harder than Jay on this track and no one talks about Jay lol).

After the torch is passed another let down happened; Wayne comes out hard as hell with a light of inspiration then the last line is a let down. You not there man, you are not on their level yet no where close. Revert to the Carter I album days with lyrical flows that rival that of Andre 3000 (lyrically is the best thang out of the South and has never gotten respect for it... Give Outkast their Hip Hop Honors Hall of Fame Induction and stop bsing ... I digress) then you will be on pace to be mentioned in the same category.

All in all on a scale of 5 meals which is a full course I give the track a 3.5. He didn't overly disappoint but it was not great.

Saddened by today’s events at the DNC Meeting

The great thing is that a compromise has been reached to split the delegates among both remaining Democratic candidates; however the backlash and anger at the event was not becoming of the party. Right now the U.S. Presidential race has created history with the two remaining candidates vying for the nomination being a Black male and a Woman. Never in our history have we seen either come this close to running for the top political seat in our country, but in the midst of this event, I feel history is being tarnished.

The Clinton campaign is losing in the popular, delegate and super-delegate vote; the party as a whole is clearly backing Senator Barack Obama for the nod; her campaign is racking up millions in debt by the day, but yet she will not concede the race to the better of the two at this moment. Leading up to the primaries this year, Senator Hilary Clinton had an overwhelming majority in favor of voting for her to be the first Woman President of the United States, but the tides have turned. Now with Clinton being dealt a blow at the DNC meeting today it appears that her campaign is ready to drag out this race further delaying the Democrats offensive against the Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain and debate the merits of his platform.

At the meeting today many Clinton supporters lashed and spewed ignorant, negative comments that have no place in a organized political forum. The meetings were meant to answer questions that hung in the balance and bring about unity, however, the Clinton campaign and supporters are hindering this process. I understand the ego is bruised, no one wants to be a quitter, but the tactics that former President Bill Clinton used to win his initial campaign will not work in this matter. Regardless of whom she may think is the better, more qualified candidate, the fact remains is that she has lost and can only win if all the super delegates begin to back her; a feat that is more than likely not going to happen.

In light of this ordeal, it is apparent that Senator Clinton is not ready for the White House. If she can not handle conceding when all the cards are down and negotiating a compromise, it appears that she is no better than our current Chief of Staff, President Bush. President Bush did not want to concede that the evidence used to initiate the Iraq War was circumstantial in nature, and pride would not allow him to back down. Look at the end results of those actions: trillions pulled out of our economy to fund a war that started with a solid basis, but continues with no merit, misappropriation of our valuable Military resources and the lost of thousands of our Men and Women in Uniform.

There is no anger behind this blog just a sadden stance. Regardless of whose party one may support or who is one's favorite, the Clinton campaign is making a mockery of our political system and is teetering the balance of bringing all out shame on an organized campaign system. If an appeal is filed, would we not consider this a repeat of the after effects in the 2000 Presidential campaign? The election that many analyst, constituents and politicians feel the Republicans stole because of appeals, recounts and recants? Think about it like this, regardless of whom you support, do we really want another leader that fuels their stance based on encouraging propaganda and inciting controversy? Let me be the first to answer by saying not I.

Good Facts of Life - By Bill Gates

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world willexpect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. Youwon't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparentshad a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whineabout your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they arenow.. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothesand listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So beforeyou save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation,try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but lifeHAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'llgive you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn'tbear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers offand very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Dothat on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually haveto leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.