DISGUSTING!

I am furious by a article that I just read. Its about a art student from Yale University who has intentionally miscarriaged multiple times in order to use the blood for a art project. Apparently over the last nine months she has been artificially inseminating herself with tadpoles from various donors while taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. She plans on using it all for an art exhibition on campus! Read the article here. MY HELL, this is ridiculous.

First off, why on earth is Yale University (one of our country's finest), allowing this to take place. The exhibition will show recorded videos of the miscarraiges and will be a cube wrapped in plastic sheeting. In between the layers of plastic sheeting will be the blood from her miscarriages mixed with vaseline to prevent it from going bad. Wonder how much that piece of art will go for?

It sickens me that we have become so caught up in being so-called "politically correct", that we have defiled the sacred and divine gifts from our Creator. The line must be drawn between freedom of expression and invasion of privacy. What do you think, where is the line? Should something like this be allowed? Why or Why not?

A call for Passion once more

I'm an American, true and blue. Those from other countries may not fully understand the pride of some Americans. They may view it as arrogance, and view things like the war in Iraq as proof. I recently read an article about the future movie that is currently in production called "W". A movie about our current President George W. Bush. The script was recently given to Bush biographers for review. The biographers stated that some parts were accurate but others were made up; for example, the script shows Bush discussing high policy in a casual frat house manner. You can read one article here, there are many others.

The current state of our society worries me. Too often we let the press control our lifes--letting the power of opinion also plague us. We easily take some opinions and news as hard truth, while we reject others as heresy. I fear Americans are losing to the desire to form their own opinion, rather use the ease of technology to echo what one has already said. We are all guilty of spending more time talking about what we think than actually thinking.

This country has never survived without passion and unity. It is the root of our accomplishments. It was our passion and thought that brought the colonies together to declare independence and proclaim their freedom. It was once again our passion and unity that created a constitution divinely inspired by God. And it was our passion and unity that forged our country through the trials of the world wars.

There has always been opposition to thought; opposition generates creativity and helps “think outside the box.” America has always been blessed with the diversity required to generate new ideas. However, when our opposition destroys our unity we should be concerned. I may be a republican and you may be a democrat, but we are both Americans. Too often our government passes some legislation that doesn’t effectively address the problem because two political parties opposition hindered their ability to work together.

The passion of America begins with the passion of its citizens. NOW is the time to let your voice be heard. What might happen if you do not? I doubt our country will collapse, or even lose its status of a large world player; however, we may lose some of the freedoms that are endowed to us by our creator and the protection of those rights by our government. Life will continue, but America was never meant for mediocrity.

Ok, so that’s my soap box, comment what you desire.

Consequences are essential after mistakes

I know its been ages since I have updated this blog. This last month has been kinda crazy at times, and I'm doing it now to get a release from a very busy week. I'll preface this post by telling all homeowners I do not target any of you who have sacrificed and worked hard for your home, I admire you. There are a number of things I have on my mind lately, though, this seems the easiest to talk about at the moment. Future posts will involve global warming and a broader view on the economy (boring you say, just look for my dry sarcasm I say).

If you haven't paid attention to the news for the last 6 months than maybe you've missed everything that is happening with the US housing market; step out of your cave. I've read some interesting articles lately about southern California and a 20% decrease in prices due to our current market; read for yourself here and here. This isn't completely tied to the United States either the UK is expected to face some pricing decreases also, read about it here. Though there is some good news, especially if you live in st. george which is one of the 30 or so U.S. cities that have seen increases in growth. Some economists have argued the housing market fiasco is the underlying cause to our inevitable recession. I agree in part, mainly because of the irresponsibility of those Americans and corporations that got themselves mixed up in the subprime crisis.

You may have heard about the countless number of losses large financial services firms have booked, and keep booking, for their valuation of their mortgages. Empires like Citibank have easily booked over $10 billion in losses due to their overly aggressive and greed driven business tactics. As the number of defaults on loans increases and the degree to which overly complex loans are increasingly being written off the books, Americans are screaming for help. What should be done?

In the words of Warren Buffett (who in my opinion is one of the smartest men alive), this is little but "poetic justice". Each candidate has their own stance on the situation, though, you might as well sum them up as spend alot of money or hold off. Both Obama and Clinton propose $30 billion in help to those who risk default on their mortgage; while Obama covers up the fact that its a bailout by using different terminology, Clinton calls it a bailout. John McCain proposes little if nothing be done and we let the market run its course--stating that he will talk with key advisers on further actions that need to be taken (remember fiscal policy is not his strong point). Wow, I'm sure glad that each one of those candidates in the running don't seem to be very well versed in fiscal policy. "Don't worry," the Obama fans will tell you, "he's charismatic and a true leader." I don't wish to pick on any one of the candidates stances only to say that none of them are great. Spending $30 billion to help people who deserve consequences for their stupid actions will merely commend people for making idiotic decisions (as the video at the top of the screen so excellently explains). Additionally, doing nothing at all is risky. While I am a big believer in the free market, there is a degree of government interaction that is healthy and needed.

Ben Bernanke (current fed chair) has aggressively cut interest rates in order to curb our economy's pain and encourage spending. However, is that really the right course of action? And further, should he have done it so drastically. Though I should not blame Bernanke, Alan Greenspan (while revered by many), helped our economy arrive at its overpriced position with his somewhat aggressive management through the Clinton and Bush years (though I have a great deal of respect for the man).

So what should be done? I want your opinion, what action do we take towards the current housing crisis