Imagine The Arrogance

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had the worst coronavirus response in the country. Why should anyone read his book?---The Washington Examiner

"Gov. Cuomo, who presided over the worst pandemic response in the country and whose policy actively and directly made it worse, has no business writing a book to congratulate himself on a job well done. He deserves exactly zero plaudits for good leadership and should be remembered for, if anything, his “impossible mountain” of death."--Dr. Kevin Pham, MD.

Nobody should read Governor Cuomo's book, and given his horrific performance in dealing with the virus, it is astounding that he had the arrogance to write one.

Much of New York City remains shut down further exacerbating an economic catastrophe, with no tourism and local businesses engaging in guesswork to find out when they may fully reopen.

Cuomo is a disgusting individual, a leftist intellectual elite who thinks he knows how you should live your life better than you do. He should be promptly disposed from holding political office.

Appraisal Risk Exceeds Reward

The National Appraisal Congress recently announced the formation of the Society of Young Appraisal Professionals, described by DS News as an NAC subcommittee focused on addressing the declining workforce in the residential valuation space.

It is hard to imagine this story was not printed on April Fools Day.

They need a subcommittee to investigate the increasing shortage of residential appraisers?

Are the reasons not obvious?

Much, if not all, of the fault for the destruction of this industry, of which I am a professional in, stems from the passage of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, a piece of punitive legislation spearheaded by the former Attorney General and now New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D).  This is a big government piece of legislation, heavy on regulation, most notably forcing those who order appraisals for lending institutions to utilize Appraisal Management Companies.  These AMC's, most of which are partially owned or have fiduciary relationships with the banks, dictate the appraisal process, and sometimes the content, while "confiscating" half the fee.

As Ronald Reagan so eloquently stated, "I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts."

With the implementation of extensive government regulation of appraisers through the HVCC, the reduction of fees through mandatory use of AMC's and restrictions placed on the subjectivity of the appraiser, the risk of appraising in many cases has grown to exceed the reward.

It appears the free market has just officially informed us of just that.

Does Shakedown Become Takedown?

According to President Obama, the economy is growing, jobs are being created with the unemployment rate decreasing and everything is just fine.  Thanks to him.

Obviously, this is Orwellian doublespeak, and nothing could be further from the truth.

The economy is growing, but at a historically small rate buoyed by exponential levels of stimulus, and the figures are certainly massaged.  Jobs are being created, but more jobs are being lost.  The unemployment rate is decreasing, because the pool of those counted continues to decline as less people are looking for work, as they recognized few job opportunities exist.  For a real gauge of the health of the American workforce, see the labor participation rate for full time workers, which is at rates not seen since the Carter administration.

Not withstanding the horrendous economic policies of the Obama administration, job killers most, perhaps the real culprit for job loss is Obamacare.  Yes, I know that Obama and his legion of handlers and yes men claim the opposite, but they have no idea what the truth is they lie so much.



Kathleen Sebelius/Washington Post

On Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was in Orlando speaking to boost enrollment in the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and presented an enthusiastic proclamation that the job market is gaining health and that Obamacare has not been responsible for any job losses.

There is absolutely no evidence -- and every economist will tell you this -- that there is any job loss related to the Affordable Care Act. Part-time positions are actually down since 2010, not up. The number of full-time workers continues to increase, so I know that that's a popular myth that continues to be repeated, but it just is not accurate.

The administration rarely checks facts on the ground, given they make up their own statistics, but had Sebelius taken the pulse of the Orlando market in recent days, she would have seen an article on the front page of The Orlando Sentinel within the prior week discussing how a major local employer in the mortgage industry was set to layoff approximately 750 staff members, although many may remain on in part time or independent contractor status and the company adopts a hybrid workforce model.

Certainly, real estate industries, from appraisers, who were already staggering from Andrew Cuomo's brainchild of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct regulations to mortgagers, who are reeling as 63% of residential sales in December in Florida were cash sales, are in turmoil in part thanks to governmental interference in the marketplace. Homebuilder sentiment is crashing, housing starts are dreadful and mortgage applications have hit a two decade low due to what Obama and Sebelius cannot see; a horrendous economic market and a bleak job market led by their orchestration.

As a company evaluates making the painful decision to layoff workers, not a signal of a healthy enterprise, each and every factor of where costs can be saved is thoroughly examined.  While a single reason may sometimes result in corporate layoffs, perhaps the loss of a major client, it is most often a collection of issues which make the move necessary.

In this day an age, notwithstanding the idiot thugs running our federal government, Obamacare is without question a major contributing factor to the greater majority of any layoffs taking place. 

However, this may not be stated publicly.

As Chris Stirewait, A FOX News contributor reports, the thought police are in control.  It seems that in the latest unconstitutional delay of Obamacare regulations, firms will be required to certify to the IRS – under penalty of perjury – that ObamaCare was not a motivating factor in their staffing decisions.

A corporate executive who certifies and signs such a document would be committing fraud, particularly if a public company, as a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders to present all facts as known, which would be inclusive of causation for employee layoffs, exists.

So, the IRS is willingly forcing executives to commit fraud, potentially placing themselves and their company in a box without escape, illegally, in an effort to prohibit Obamacare from facing negative publicity and shield the public from he hard truths of not only this horrendous piece of legislation, but the great level of peril our economy is statused in.

Governmental thugs should not dictate to public or private companies what their correspondence to employees, clients, partners or customers should be.  Sadly, many companies who, for whatever reason have found themselves in bed with the government, find that corporate independence quickly eludes management.  GM and the banks are classic, timely examples.

America is facing a coup from within.  As promised, the fundamental transformation of America by the takeover of major industries either through legal legislation and executive orders to legal and potentially illegal intimidation to unchallenged and potentially illegal regulatory and legal action.

Controlled lawlessness with a complicit electorate and mainstream media drunk on power.

It is far time for this encroachment to be thwarted by any and all legal means necessary.  In a seemingly obvious statement, it will take more than a handful of republicans; it will require you.

Help freedom loving America stop the shakedown before it is officially scored a takedown.

In The Blessing of His Words

Our nation is one week removed from the unspeakable tragedies which took place in the lovely community of Newtown, Connecticut, just north of Long Island Sound.  Along with a conflicted Mother and five our heroes, twenty little student angels we lost, and the pain continues to be felt across our fruited plain. On this day, the final victims of the massacre will be laid to rest.

In Washington, the effort to utilize this tragedy to attack the Second Amendment, a longtime opponent of the left, began almost immediately.  Progressives in New York could not allow time for grieving before implementing political action. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, flanked by armed security, called for President Obama to go after the guns and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, an aspiring dictator, announced he will outline a gun proposal, where in contrast to the Constitution, "confiscation could be an option."

One would have hoped our elected officials would seek answers to the issues surrounding  this type of violence by engaging in a comprehensive examination of the multitude of issues which may or may not be at play.  No such luck.

The National Rifle Association, of which I am not a member, held a news conference on Friday to in large measure defend themselves from the onslaught of vicious and ignorant attacks they have been hit with.  NRA President Wayne LaPierre spoke candidly, and sensibly, calling for much higher security at perhaps the most important places in America; our schools.

Since the NRA, and the Second Amendment, are targets of the left, all the reasonable comments and ideas put forth by Lapierre was met with skepticism at best by most of Washington, and mocked by the media elite.

If we were engaged in a conversation about what issues lead people to plan and perpetrate these senseless attacks, one topic would be how God has been pushed out of our public discourse, and in particular, the schools.  Becky Kowalski, whose adorable son Chase was killerd in the massacre, has set up The Chase Kowalski Scholarship Fund to among other things, advocate to "bring God back to America."

With the assault, pun intended, on The Second Amendment on the fast track, we must step aside and recognize that government is not the solution to our problems; in many ways, government is the problem.  With the assistance of a complicit media, they continue to use areas of crisis to gain political ground in promotion of ideas limiting freedom and increasing of government control.

A poem written by Darrell Scott, whose lovely daughter Rachel was killed at Columbine in 1999, which he presented to a House Committee, rings loud and true today.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!

The memory of Rachel Joy Scott lives on through Rachel's Challenge, a foundation that among other things, creates safer learning environments and does outstanding work.

We will not find the answers we seek in Washington.  We must look amongst ourselves, and there is hope.  In fact, a message of hope was presented last Sunday by Dr. David Swanson of First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. Please take a listen:



Amongst a national tragedy, America seeks answers and help in understanding how we overcome this darkness.  Help has come, as Our Savior is born.  We must seek counsel, not from an oppressive government, but in individual freedom and the teachings of Christ Our Lord.  Good news has come, in the blessings of His words.

Sea of Red

When George W. Bush had his approval rating hit news lows, this was breaking news over on CNN. Wolf Blitzer was beset with glee!

A recent CBS poll showed a record low number of Americans approve of the job President Obama is doing. The number is reported to be 41%. It is much worse than that, and rightfully so.

Unless there is exponential levels of voter fraud, which is possible with dead people voting, or our country has morphed into a collection of village idiots, there is no way Obama will win re-election.

I could go into the thousands of negative things Obama has done and continues to do, but by the time I would finish, the NCAA tournament would be over and we would be turning our attention to the NFL draft.

The economy is not getting better. Revenues may have stabilized or perhaps experienced a dead cat bounce off historic lows, but costs through regulation, inflation and taxation are rapidly increasing, and when coupled with $5 a gallon gas, revenue slowdown is imminent. Recent stock market highs are great for companies, like Coca Cola, of which I am a shareholder, who have international exposure and have access to low cost capital, but Aunt Mary and Uncle Bob are scared about retaining employment and have limited access to cheap capital.

Below is my prediction for the final electoral college tabulation. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum or Foghorn Leghorn, it does not matter. This country does not appreciate top down government control being exercised on our citizens by elites who think they know better.


We will see how if shakes out, but America looks like a football Saturday in Nebraska, a Sea of Red.

Listening to the mainstream media forecast, or better stated cheer lead, Obama for his accomplishments most of the country is too absent to comprehend is a waste of time. Out here in the real world, those working the streets know better.

If Obama wins, freedoms you enjoy our ancestors fought and died for will quickly contract. The government, who knows best, will rule your decisions. If not, we have a chance.

That being said, 2016 will be the real battle. Assuming Obama loses, the decisions he made will bear down on America and whoever is Commander in Chief will have their hands full. Debt is debt, and it must be paid. There is no free lunch.

Even left wing pundits are contemplating this, as evidenced by a recent editorial in Investors Business Daily.

Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton lead the Progressive bench, but they are up in years. Andrew Cuomo is fooling a lot of folks in New York, but the reality is he is the Architect of Ruin and is in deep with and among those who crashed the housing market. Perhaps others among Martin O'Malley, Ed Rendell, Elizabeth Warren, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Cory Booker, Claire MaCaskill or maybe Howard Dean would try again. Anyhow, at this juncture, this looks bleak for the Democrats.

Provided we have a country left, either Romney or Santorum will likely be primaried. Although things will be improving, it will not seem like it. Who could be among those that could challenge? I suspect Marco Rubio will be VP, so his time will come later. That would leave a bench consisting of Paul Ryan, Rick Sanotrum (if he loses to Romney), Chris Christie, Sarah Palin, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal and re-runs potentially by Michele Bachmann or Mike Huckabee.

Top down government control against free market capitalism. Let freedom ring!

Information Misrepresentation: Appraisals

Information presented to the Public by various outlets is being crafted to misrepresent reality in an effort to skew political thinking, gain economic advantage and nudge social justice further down the American psyche. This is the first in a series of blog posts detailing instances in this regard, as it is imperative the Public recognize the significant level of misrepresentation and how vast the manipulation is.

Information Misrepresentation: Appraisals

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported this week one out of every three of its builder members has lost a sale during the last six months because of home values reported by appraisers.

NAHB Chairman Bob Nielson said, "The inappropriate use of distressed and foreclosed sales as comparables in determining new home values is needlessly driving down home prices, killing home sales, causing more workers to lose their jobs and delaying a housing and economic recovery."

The NAHB did not stop there, further hammering appraisers with the following:

* According the Association, appraisers are using "faulty" practices by utilizing distressed homes as potential comparable sales against new homes. Mr Nielson said in a statement that "This is not only unfair and unreasonable, but it perpetuates the cycle of declining home values, drives more home owners underwater, harms local economic activity and acts as an obstacle to the recovery of the housing market."

* Mr Nielson notes that in many cases, new home appraisals are coming in below the cost of construction, because of flawed appraisals for utilizing existing and potentially distressed homes.

* Per the NAHB, These appraisal practices are a major contributing factor to the current acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) lending crisis that has choked off credit for home builders and threatens to prolong the current housing downturn. Falling appraised values for land and subdivisions under development have led some financial institutions to stop lending to developers and builders, to demand additional equity and even to call performing loans.

* The NAHB has been having summits, with leaders throughout the housing industry in an effort to find solutions that will allow appraisers to develop realistic valuations based on sales that are truly comparable.

Mr Nielson and the NAHB concludes that, you guessed it, “Major reforms in appraisal practices and oversight are needed to ensure that appraisals accurately reflect true market values and don’t contribute to price volatility or harm aspiring home owners and move-up buyers.”

One thing I know from the real estate world: It is always the appraisers fault. NOT! What we do have from the NAHB is information misrepresentation.

This must have been some series of summits. A bunch of bureaucrats gathered together to central plan the housing recovery, culminating in the one thing we need less, not more, of; additional regulations.

If additional regulations were the answer, the sweeping regulatory action spearheaded by former HUD Secretary and Architect of Ruin Andrew Cuomo, The Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC), would have done the trick. Instead, it has wrecked the appraisal industry, leaving unregulated Appraisal Management Companies to coordinate, and in many cases dictate, appraisal performance.

Since distressed properties make up approximately 65% of the market here in Florida, it would be highly inappropriate to fail to consider these as potential comparable sales, provided the gross living area, age, amenities, and, of course, condition, were reasonably similar.

By applying political pressure to "develop realistic valuations," made as instructed will become a reality and as a result, valuations will be lacking in adequate support and accurate value.

Appraisal practices, as governed by the Uniform Standards of Appraisal Practice (USPAP), provide a framework for appraisers nationwide to adhere to in an effort to provide consistent and accurate valuation through the three approaches to value. These voluminous guidelines are a contributing factor to providing the industry with appraisal reports arriving at well supported value indications , not further deteriorating the housing crisis as the NAHB says.

Conspicuously absent from the many factors cited by the NAHB for the continued downward pressure on the housing market are the actions of the Obama administration. It is well documented that the origins of the collapse centered around the governments efforts to provide housing to buyers the marketplace weeded out. These potential buyers were not weeded out due to race, as ACORN would have you believe, but due to the higher risk associated with their ability to repay the loan. Before political correctness ran amok, his used to be referred to as sound business practice.

Among those applying pressure to the banks in the form of threatening race related boycotts was a young attorney for ACORN, Barack Obama.

While George Bush made failed attempts at forcing Congress to rein in the Government Sponsored Entities known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, under House Finance Chairman Barney Frank, the Congress looked the other way.

Meanwhile, instead of letting the market cleanse itself, the administration has invented program after program to reward bad behavior and prop up the values of housing, which has only prolonged the pain and the problem. Government, who cannot be trusted, should leave the housing marketplace and let the free market establish a base for prices. In fact, we now learn the housing numbers have astonishingly been inflated.

Housing is not the only place numbers are inflated. Government spending, regulation and taxation is what is crushing the job market, with unemployment actually around 12% rather than the reported 8.6%, and for buyers to feel comfortable making large purchases in the form of housing, the job market needs to be at worst steady. Under this administration, there is no job creation, debt is expanding exponentially and Americans are in fear for the future.

Until jobs can be created in large numbers and the government diminishes involvement in what should be private sector activity, continued negative pressure on the housing market and America will remain.

As Ronald Reagan accurately said, "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem."

Regulations Eroding Economic Lifeline: Credit

While many of our citizens remain unaware, a slow creep of regulatory instruments are eroding the lifeline of our economy; credit. If you are working hard to make ends meet and catch bits and pieces of newscasts from national and local news outlets in the mainstream media, you likely have no knowledge of how serious this issue is.

Rahm Emanuel, former Chief of Staff of President Obama said the administration should never let a crisis go to waste. They took advantage of the fear in the aftermath of the banking crisis to power grab much of your liberty when it comes to your finances, likely without your understanding of the "small print."

It has been three years since Lehman Brothers collapsed, and although many of the experts say Uncle Sams balance sheet is improved and the worst is behind us, I don't buy it. Neither does Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, who joins Mary Thompson, David Faber and Joe Kernen for a frank discussion on CNBC's Sqauwk Box this morning. Take a listen:



The experts are almost always wrong. Discredited economist Paul Krugman and social economic pontificator Jared Bernstein coupled with comments such as "The housing crisis is contained" and "Pass the stimulus and unemployment will not exceed 8%" come to mind.

Bernie Marcus is not wrong, and listening to him will get you more saving, more doing.

With a new wave of foreclosures coming, property owners will be seeking opportunities for refinancing among banks, but the big banks are not able to extend the necessary credit due to strict regulations. These banks can borrow from the FED at zero and lend to the public at 5%, and a banker can have a fine career in banking doing that. But this lending is not taking place, and the alternative option of small banks is being crushed by Dodd-Frank, which quite simply is killing small banks. Regulations have wrecked the residential appraisal industry, spearheaded by The Architect of Ruin, Andrew Cuomo. These regualtions allow the government to pick winners and losers as well, which raises costs and handicaps the entrepreneur.

The markets have been up this week, and given all the horrendous economic news this week, such as an unexpected rise in jobless claims, inflation and sobering news on poverty, you may wonder why. Euro Tarp! You got it, the FED is essentially bailing out Europe, which can be equated to QE3, a new installment of quantitative easing on a global scale. A socialist European dream! Of Course, I am quite sure this will fix the problem with the PIGS? Well, it won't work!

The economy is in crisis, and we are far from out of the woods. Uncle Sam is a major event way from taking a substantial leg down, and the FED is short on tools to fight the problem due the poor crony capitalism decisions made under Obama and Bernanke. Could the crisis in Europe be such an event? If so, will global governance, all for our benefit no doubt, claim more of our liberty in creating a global banking system, which could lead to a dollar collapse?

The big banks continue to get bailed out while the small banks are being killed off by excessive regulation, crippling the credit line for consumers, who are on life support. Collusion between the administration and the FED is extremely alarming, contributing to the unnecessary extension of the economic crisis we are in.

All these goings on are the antithesis of what should be taking place, and strongly appear to be orchestrated. These are critically troubling times, and our country as we know it could hang in the balance. As I pray we make it to November 2012, we must hold our freedoms dear, protect our sovereignty and remember that free market capitalism is indeed the best path to prosperity.

Crazy 8 Voting Guide

The November mid term election is fast approaching, and polling evidence suggests a significant victory by the Republicans, as well it should given the calamity caused by the Democratic Congress and the Socialist in Chief.

I have already proclaimed I will not be supporting any Democratic candidates. However, given my vast readership all across the fruited plain, I felt compelled to issue a voters guide, highlighting in no particular order eight individuals that in no way deserve your vote. No need to consult your Magic 8 ball, just read on.

California's Barbara Boxer.

Among the most arrogant moon bat leftists around, Boxer harbors a complete disdain for the US military, as do most on the left. An exchange Boxer had with Brigadier General Micheal Walsh earlier this year should give clear indication that even if you subscribe to her positions, you cannot allow this level of arrogance to have governing power: Please review:



Connecticut's Richard Bluementhal.

Not only did this guy lie repeatedly about his military service before being caught, as AG of Connecticut he launched a government assault on AIG workers, without being able to cite under which law he had the power to act. Again, the lack principles that would allow an acting attorney general to act without understanding his governing authority displays an incompetent official drunk on his power. An interview with Glenn Beck is simply astonishing:


New York's Andrew Cuomo.

I could go on for days about this individual. As NY AG Cuomo felt compelled to act in response to the national housing crisis by spearheading the HVCC Home Code of Conduct, which has destroyed the residential real estate appraisal business. Even CNBC's Jim Cramer sounded the alarm about Cuomo's activities in 2007. That Cuomo got the political establishment behind him on this is mind boggling, since, as outlined by Doug Ross in an outstanding compilation of Cuomo's history titled "The Architect of Ruin", Cuomo was a central player in causing the housing crisis. After reading the piece, no sane individual could cast a ballot for him, no matter how crazy Carl Paladino may or may not be. Curtis Sliwa, in very entertaining fashion, throws Cuomo under the bus. Here is Cuomo and HUD Secretary is his own words detailing his involvement in the sub prime crisis.


Nevada Senator Harry Reid.

Nevada is in dire straits as the housing crisis has decimated the state. Meanwhile, as Senate Majority Leader, Reid has been a vocal supporter and leader of the implementation of the socialistic transformation of America under President Obama. During the Bush Administration, this disgraceful idiot found time to degrade our troops, incorrectly call the surge a failure and throw in the towel in the war in Iraq. In his own words:



New York's Charlie Rangel.

For a guy who helped write the tax code, it seems implausible he forgot to pay taxes on several real estate properties he forgot he owned. I own residential real estate properties and would be in the gray bar hotel if I played that game. In yet another sickening display of arrogance, Rangel thinks the rules do not apply to him and is quite content gaming the system in his favor. As if that is not bad enough, his attitude when confronted on these subjects is not becoming a representative of this country. In his own words:



Massachusetts Democratic Congressman Barney Frank.

Perhaps the individual most responsible for the housing crisis is Barney Frank. As Chairman of the House Banking Committee, Frank oversaw the government sponsored entities Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Continuously over the last decade, Frank publicly championed the accomplishments for Fannie & Freddie repeatedly, all the while they were imploding. Since i think we can conclude Frank is not incompetent, one has to wonder if he and his counterpart, Senator Chris Dodd (D:CT), should be in federal lockup. The scandal ridden Frank must be sent packing. Frank's opponent, Sean Bielat, put out this outstanding ad highlighting the timeline:



Florida's Charlie Crist.

I voted for Charlie Crist, a Republican, for Governor of Florida. Since his election, a troubling trend of trolling for advancement became apparent as he positioned himself aboard the John McCain bandwagon hoping for the VP slot. Crist, behind his enthusiastic support of McCain, helped the Maverick gain a surprising win in Florida, an unfortunate development in the Florida primary. After the victory of Obama, Crist then openly began supporting Obama policies, most notably the stimulus package, and announced his run for the US Senate. Crist, getting crushed by Marco Rubio in the primary, after pledging not to do so, became an independent and has now targeted the Tea Party members as extremist he will stand against. Well, I stand firmly against him. Fortunately, it appears so does the majority of Florida. Upon losing, I expect Crist to take a spot in the Obama administration, where he belongs, at least until the wind turns east.

Florida Congressman Alan Grayson.

I cannot think of a public servant who employs such a disrespectful opinion of, not only his fellow members of Congress, but of his constituency as Grayson. Not only in the course of a campaign, but in everyday action, his rhetoric and decorum is simply disgraceful. Grayson buys into the socialistic policies of Obama and Pelosi, but beyond that, has done nothing but insult those of us here in Central Florida. The first vote I cast on November 2 will be for his opponent, Daniel Webster. Recent news stories indicated the Democratic party has pulled funding from him, declaring his race over. As the Captain said, Can I get an AMEN! Looks like the tenure of Grayson as our Congressman will thankfully die quickly.

Such Joy In Crackerbox Palace

These days, every day is a real head scratcher. A whip around the news of the day leaves you wondering when you passed through the worm hole. As astonishing as it is, you cannot wake up from it, for it is real. Welcome to Crackerbox Palace!

There are hundreds, but here are three cases in point.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Giethner, who failed to pay his taxes unlike the rest of us, wrote a recent editorial in The New York Times that welcomes us to the recovery. Is he just this stupid, or does he think flyover country is stupid or is he just outright lying to our face. There is no recovery going on. President Obama claims under his direction, we are on the right track and the worst is behind us. One would hope with all the stimulus, a recovery could be sparked, but it has not happened with unemployment on the rise and the housing crisis that at best could claim it is gaining stabilization, a double dip recession, or perhaps a continuation of the one we have been in, is coming.

Radical Islamists are attempting to build a mega mosque 600 feet away from Ground Zero, which you would think would be immediately thwarted by sound thinking government officials. Nope. In fact, they are embracing the potential construction citing harmony. I am vehemently against the mosque, and have blogged on the subject not once, but twice. However, this is no doubt the best example of political correctness gone amok I have ever seen. Oh, it gets worse.

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a Kuwait-born Muslim, leads the Cordoba Initiative project. A supporter of Hamas and one who feels the US brought 9-11 upon ourselves, has been given funding by the State Department to go to the middle east to spread goodwill and raise money for the project. On our dime? We are joining the terrorists in financing this mosque? No way! Most media could not care less, but Sean Hannity is not pleased, and neither is Glenn Beck, who goes off in a must see monologue.

Those who do not understand the financial markets should not be falling all over themselves to craft regulatory reform of the financial markets. They are and they did, as the financial reform bill passed. The bill was crafted by Rep. Barney Frank, D:MA, and Senator Christopher Dodd, D:CT, both of whom are lucky not to be in the federal lockup.

Central to the housing crisis is the mismanagement of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, government sponsored entities who play monopoly in the mortgage markets. Frank, chairman of the committee that oversees this bunch, joined Andrew Cuomo, The Architect of Ruin, in failing miserably to adequately manage these GSE's. The amount of wealth destroyed by this mismanagement is historic. So, Frank is an idiot at best. Dodd, who dances around ethical behavior, got a sweetheart loan from Countrywide, now a part of Bank America (BA:NYSE) and the first major mortgage company to bite the dust. The arrogance of these men is astounding, but that our Congress would allow these two clowns to craft the unnecessary regulatory reform bill (FINREG) is mind boggling. No doubt Jethro Bodine was unavailable.

When we elect these idiots like this, we get what we deserve. And what did we get with FINREG? Fannie and Freddie, bleeding cash as if they are swimming in a piranha tank, were not included in the bill. So the centerpiece of the fraud, that Dodd participated in, Fannie and Freddie, fail to make the list of things to reform? Oh my!

The mind boggling decisions we witness that are made almost daily, by each branch of government, cannot be the result of incompetence. The destruction of our country, and our Constitution, is unfortunately deliberate. It is time to pull your head of out the sand and draw a firm line in it.

Don't you get it? While we were busy living our lives, we have checked into Crackerbox Palace. The Progressives have been expecting us.




Check out time is the first Tuesday in November!

A King In His Own Court

Andrew Cuomo, who is running for Governor of New York, thinks quite highly of himself. Curtis Sliwa goes on the offensive to call Cuomo out at a recent convention of Democratic leaders.



Need a refresher on the origins of the housing crisis?



Andrew Cuomo was Housing and Urban Development Secretary under President Bill Clinton and forced Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make loans to low income candidates who under normal criteria would fail to get loans. This practice directly led to the collapse of the housing market when values backed up, unemployment rose and those sub prime loan recipients failed to satisfy their obligations.

Cuomo was not done. In the aftermath of the crisis, he implemented the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, which has turned the appraisal market upside down, killing jobs and lowering the quality of appraisals under non regulated appraisal management companies. This law is a direct assault on free market capitalism and allows the government, rather thean the free market, to be the heavy hand in picking winners and losers.

Cuomo represents that government, under elected officials who "are much smarter than you are", implement regulatory action that business owners must adhere to, raising costs to all associated. These regulatory actions serve as a tax, which increases costs, limits choice and hampers economic activity.

Andrew Cuomo is a candidate who has caused excessive damage to our economic system through his efforts in affirmative action and has not been held accountable. I hope the voters in New York will do just that, hold Cuomo accountable and deny his bid to become Governor of New York.

HVCC Wreaks Appraisal Havoc

Some inside baseball....

On May 1, 2009, the Home Valuation Code of Conduct became law as a regulatory mechanism on the hiring and management of the appraisal process.

Since many feel, inaccurately, that appraisers are central to the fraud associated with the Housing Crisis, the government, led by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, has implemented the HVCC. Although no governmental official is apparently interested in investigating the role of many of their own, inclusive of Chris Dodd, D-CT, with his sweetheart loan from Countrywide's Angelo Mozillo and/or Barney Frank, D-MA, who was the regulator of Fannie and Freddie while accepting campaign contributions from both, in the housing crisis, they did determine that legislation regulating appraisers was in order. Of course, as you may imagine, there already exists regulatory bodies that can examine appraisers conduct and the quality of the work through the Uniform Standards of Appraisal Practice. As is the case with Realtors and Brokers, licenses can be suspended or revoked and fines can be imposed.

The HVCC mandates that for an appraisal on a conventional loan, the appraisal must be ordered through a third party, referred to as Appraisal Management Companies, which are unregulated. The companies often receive orders from the lender and then employ an appraiser who has registered with the company to perform the appraisal. The fees are generally split, thus cutting the appraisers fee in half.

Beyond that, previous relationships the appraiser has worked hard to obtain and cultivate are lost. Needless to say, this legislation impacted the revenues of most appraisers as conventional appraisals now make up about 40% of the market. In addition, fees obtained by the appraiser for those orders they are fortunate enough to receive are halved.

Due primarily to having to meet strict time constraints, the quality of work delivered by appraisers under this system is diminished. With appraisers looking to recoup lost revenues, appraisers may be inclined to accept work in areas they are not particularly familiar with and in striving to meet time deadlines, they may not perform as much research as they commonly do.

Miller Samuel CEO Jonathan Miller speaks with Brian Sullivan and Dagan McDowell of the FOX Business Network about the HVCC. Take a listen:



The Orlando Sentinel recently presented an article outlining many of the issue swirling around the HVCC.

When an appraiser signs a report, that appraiser is responsible for its contents and must be able to defend the indicated value of the subject. If challenged by the current appraisal regulatory bodies, penalties, inclusive of loss of license (and ability to work in the business) are possible.

As usual, the government has infiltrated a business environment and caused more problems than they set out to correct. Whose to say the Appraisal Management Companies will not pressure appraisers for a value?

Free Market Capitalism, one where government regulation does not prohibit a business owner from doing business with his clients, is the best path to prosperity. Prosperity seems to be hiding these days, and I know why.