I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chik-Fil-A
I do not believe there is a better breakfast in all the land than a deep fried piece of chicken tossed onto a homemade buttermilk biscuit (except for WhatABurger's because there biscuit is also covered in butter and honey), but I cannot/will not eat another Chik-Fil-A meal until they understand that they must not support an anti-homosexual agenda. They must not donate time, food, or money to anyone who supports an anti-gay agenda.
Until they can show me they believe in equality for ALL, I will have to eat breakfast bars at my desk.
Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Money. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Post Where I Eventually Wish You a Happy Holiday!
On the way home from work on Tuesday, the NPR station out of Tallahassee was being flaky, so I was flipping through the dial looking for some Christmas music and came across some Talk Radio program that I had never heard. The host was a guest host or something, and the discussion was on this newly proposed Constitutional Amendment where the states could vote to overthrow the Federal government. What? That isn’t what is being proposed? Maybe not, but it sure seems like the states want the right to tell Washington to “Go to Hell!” Or at least be able to say, “We don’t have to have health care if we don’t want it.” Which, of course, is where the idea of and the push for this Amendment started.
But I digress.
The host went off on what he called “the allegedly fiscally responsible Republican party” and lambasted my beloved state for the monstrosity it just spent millions on for the Florida Supreme Court. He said he didn’t want to allow Florida (he was in Tampa) to spend his tax dollars if they couldn’t do better than that and he wanted callers to tell him why their state was better.
Of course no one could.
But the next caller didn’t even try. He just said Hi and started being critical of the new law passed to allow more inspections of food. Apparently this new law is going to cost the taxpayers over a billion dollars a year. Wow.
But I don’t mind an extra billion being spent to ensure my food is safe, even as I plan to try to grow more of it at home myself. (TRY being the operative word here) I don’t mind an extra billion being spent to ensure equality. I don’t mind an extra billion being spent on AIDS research.
I do mind when extra billions are put into the hands of those who already have more money than they or their descendants will ever need, but the long term unemployed can go EFF themselves. I do mind when extra billions are spent propping up wobbly dictators, but our military with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) cannot get the best cognitive care available because it will run over $50,000 per soldier/sailor/airman. And then many trillions are spent sending in the troops to take out those dictators once we no longer find him (or her!) useful, but still no money for TBI rehabilitation.
Still, it is the holiday season, whether your holidays include Christmas, Hanukah, Ramadan, Winter Solstice Celebrations, or just a couple of extra days off work and I would like to think that I can count my blessings.
1. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is now just a fading nightmare for many. It is not yet perfect, and it will take months to allow gay service members to live their lives openly and honestly, but it will happen now. I hope this is a sign of the equality to come.
2. My taxes are not going up. With DSD still out of work (he has completed 2 years of unemployment) things are getting a little tighter and I don’t think we could afford a tax hike right now.
3. My step daughter and I have patched up our relationship and I am enjoying this grandparent thing. And my growing friendship with her.
4. I can see the end in sight for my Bachelor’s Degree. About 18 more months and I can make the walk. It is going to be work for those 18 months, but I will have that degree.
5. The Republicans didn’t win the House.
6. W is still no longer President.
7. Health. Mine. DSD’s. My in-laws who are in their 70s. My parents who are in their 60s. The children. A friend’s mother lost her battle with cancer last night. My heart breaks for the family even while I rejoice in the health that we have.
8. All of you in blog land who stick by me even when I have no time for you. Who post the things I wish I had written. Who make me laugh and cry and so thankful.
Happy Holidays from me to you. I hope yours are the best ever.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The News Is Overwhelming
It makes me sad that I have spent the last 4 months with my head stuck in books attempting to get a degree in Political Science and I have had almost 0 opportunity to figure out what is going on in this country politically.
One of the classes I took Term 2 (Oct - Dec) was State and Local Politics. It was a tough class, but I really enjoyed the way the instructor taught it. It has to be difficult to try to actually teach an online class, I think. So, we had weekly quizzes which guaranteed that we read the chapters. I learned quite a bit about the actual processes used in different states, about different state constitutions and that I need to start paying closer attention to what is happening locally, because there is probably more I can do there. One of the requirements of the class was to attend, and write a report on, a local meeting. I chose the Bay County Commission Meeting of 3 Nov. It was interesting. It was also held in the brand new Bay County Government Center, with almost no one there. Where did this money come from, I wonder? This room would have held several hundred people and it was NICE. Maybe I should run for county commissioner if I ever graduate? It is a part time job and pays more than I am making now.
The brand new library was right next door. I knew this was being built, because the old one had leaking walls and the books were being ruined. I didn't know it was going to as big as it is or as nice. It is a library. Why does it need huge glass windows? In hurricane country? I looked for a picture or link online, but couldn't find one. Shouldn't they be proud of this monstrosity?
My tax dollars are wasted every single place they are touched, not just on a federal level. Isn't that just great?
One of the classes I took Term 2 (Oct - Dec) was State and Local Politics. It was a tough class, but I really enjoyed the way the instructor taught it. It has to be difficult to try to actually teach an online class, I think. So, we had weekly quizzes which guaranteed that we read the chapters. I learned quite a bit about the actual processes used in different states, about different state constitutions and that I need to start paying closer attention to what is happening locally, because there is probably more I can do there. One of the requirements of the class was to attend, and write a report on, a local meeting. I chose the Bay County Commission Meeting of 3 Nov. It was interesting. It was also held in the brand new Bay County Government Center, with almost no one there. Where did this money come from, I wonder? This room would have held several hundred people and it was NICE. Maybe I should run for county commissioner if I ever graduate? It is a part time job and pays more than I am making now.
The brand new library was right next door. I knew this was being built, because the old one had leaking walls and the books were being ruined. I didn't know it was going to as big as it is or as nice. It is a library. Why does it need huge glass windows? In hurricane country? I looked for a picture or link online, but couldn't find one. Shouldn't they be proud of this monstrosity?
My tax dollars are wasted every single place they are touched, not just on a federal level. Isn't that just great?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
On the Other Hand...
Jill over at ModernMommyblog has a really great post up on health care in America. She has great statistics on who is living without health care in this country, great links on where to find more information and she explains that she believes that health care is a right, not a privilege.
I happen to agree with her 100%, so I do not want this post to be taken (by anyone, but especially by Jill) as a snarky attack on her or her beliefs or on the millions in this country who live each day in fear of an illness which will make working impossible and which they do not have health care coverage to survive. Living in this country should guarantee a person the RIGHT to vaccinations, to doctor's visits and, especially, to coverage during an illness that may be catastrophic without it. And a person should not have to cash in their retirement or that of their spouse to have access to it!
But let me tell you a story. I will keep it as brief as I can, but it is fairly long and involved. I hope it is not too boring.
I have not taken the coverage offered by my company since I got married due to the fact that DSD is retired Navy and once we were married, we (my son and I) were automatically covered under Tricare Standard. My employment history (since I got out of the AF in 2000) is a little difficult to explain, but I have never NOT had coverage during that time. When I was hired for my first post AF job, my friend told me I was asking for too much money. I explained that I could just stay in the AF if I was not given my asking amount because I HAD TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD the insurance. Sure, it was more money than I was making on active duty, but none of it was tax free and I was paying my own insurance premiums, so I was actually taking home less money.
This brings me to Sandy. I have worked with Sandy on and off since that first post AF job in 2000. We work for the exact some company. She (at that time) was the single mother of a teen age daughter. I was (at that time) a single mother of a pre teen boy. Since then her daughter has grown up, left home and reproduced THREE times at government expense. Her children are still covered by Medicaid. Sandy CHOSE, all this time, to NOT sign up for the company health plan. Even now, when new employees must provide proof that they have other health care coverage or take the company insurance, she doesn't have to because she is grandfathered.
Sandy was in a pretty bad car accident a little over a month and a half ago. She is still not functioning too well; she still has some pain in her back and in her knee and she can not afford to go to the doctor as often as she needs to be seen. It has been recommended that she get an MRI. She can't afford it. Physical therapy is probably necessary. She can't afford it. I don't know what else she probably needs, but she can't afford it. She has been known to beg for narcotic painkillers from some of the people we work with. People for whom it would be illegal to give her those drugs.
I know that health care coverage in this country is expensive. Our company actually provided great coverage at a fairly reasonable price. BlueCross/BlueShield for 1 adult, 1 child was costing me less than $250 a month at the time I got married. Still expensive, yes, but I managed to pay it and (according to Sandy) I make almost $10,000 a year less than she does.
I do believe that this country should do something to help the uninsured. But I also believe that people like Sandy make it so much harder for those who are really struggling to pay their premiums, whose children aren't covered or are sick and can't get help because they don't have insurance.
I know there are those who believe it inhibits their rights to be forced to buy health care, either company or government. But it is people like Sandy who are ruining it all for the rest of us.
I happen to agree with her 100%, so I do not want this post to be taken (by anyone, but especially by Jill) as a snarky attack on her or her beliefs or on the millions in this country who live each day in fear of an illness which will make working impossible and which they do not have health care coverage to survive. Living in this country should guarantee a person the RIGHT to vaccinations, to doctor's visits and, especially, to coverage during an illness that may be catastrophic without it. And a person should not have to cash in their retirement or that of their spouse to have access to it!
But let me tell you a story. I will keep it as brief as I can, but it is fairly long and involved. I hope it is not too boring.
I have not taken the coverage offered by my company since I got married due to the fact that DSD is retired Navy and once we were married, we (my son and I) were automatically covered under Tricare Standard. My employment history (since I got out of the AF in 2000) is a little difficult to explain, but I have never NOT had coverage during that time. When I was hired for my first post AF job, my friend told me I was asking for too much money. I explained that I could just stay in the AF if I was not given my asking amount because I HAD TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD the insurance. Sure, it was more money than I was making on active duty, but none of it was tax free and I was paying my own insurance premiums, so I was actually taking home less money.
This brings me to Sandy. I have worked with Sandy on and off since that first post AF job in 2000. We work for the exact some company. She (at that time) was the single mother of a teen age daughter. I was (at that time) a single mother of a pre teen boy. Since then her daughter has grown up, left home and reproduced THREE times at government expense. Her children are still covered by Medicaid. Sandy CHOSE, all this time, to NOT sign up for the company health plan. Even now, when new employees must provide proof that they have other health care coverage or take the company insurance, she doesn't have to because she is grandfathered.
Sandy was in a pretty bad car accident a little over a month and a half ago. She is still not functioning too well; she still has some pain in her back and in her knee and she can not afford to go to the doctor as often as she needs to be seen. It has been recommended that she get an MRI. She can't afford it. Physical therapy is probably necessary. She can't afford it. I don't know what else she probably needs, but she can't afford it. She has been known to beg for narcotic painkillers from some of the people we work with. People for whom it would be illegal to give her those drugs.
I know that health care coverage in this country is expensive. Our company actually provided great coverage at a fairly reasonable price. BlueCross/BlueShield for 1 adult, 1 child was costing me less than $250 a month at the time I got married. Still expensive, yes, but I managed to pay it and (according to Sandy) I make almost $10,000 a year less than she does.
I do believe that this country should do something to help the uninsured. But I also believe that people like Sandy make it so much harder for those who are really struggling to pay their premiums, whose children aren't covered or are sick and can't get help because they don't have insurance.
I know there are those who believe it inhibits their rights to be forced to buy health care, either company or government. But it is people like Sandy who are ruining it all for the rest of us.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Well, No Shit, Sherlock
The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in a recession since December 2007.
IT took them 12 months to discover what each and every one of us who watches the news and lives in this world has known for 11 1/2 months? I need a raise.
And could any of this be avoided?
The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown
Maybe I should be an economist. I knew this was happening. I knew the housing bubble was going to burst. I knew there were problems.
I have nothing else to say.
IT took them 12 months to discover what each and every one of us who watches the news and lives in this world has known for 11 1/2 months? I need a raise.
And could any of this be avoided?
The Bush administration backed off proposed crackdowns on no-money-down, interest-only mortgages years before the economy collapsed, buckling to pressure from some of the same banks that have now failed. It ignored remarkably prescient warnings that foretold the financial meltdown
Maybe I should be an economist. I knew this was happening. I knew the housing bubble was going to burst. I knew there were problems.
I have nothing else to say.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Smarter than them all
Ok, I've known for years that I was smarter than George Bush, not as rich, not as sneaky, not as educated, and not as powerful, but smarter in the good ol' common sense way. I KNEW, without any intelligence or advisors, maybe just women's intuition, that there were no WMDs before the end of 2002, months before the first shot was fired.
But I had hoped that the rest of our elected officials were smarter than I am. I have never claimed to understand economics. I hated the class and only passed because we were allowed to write our notes on a 3x5 card for the test. Do you know how many notes you can get on a 3x5 card using 5 font? ALL of them. And I still only got a B.
But I have known that we were living in a housing bubble since the end of 2004 when I was house hunting for my bff, P's, family before they returned to the Riviera from the West coast. They owned a home when they left, had been gone for just over 3 years and wanted to buy when they returned here. I spent several Saturdays and holidays in the company of realtors trying to find the perfect house for P's growing family. You know what I found? A BUNCH of overpriced houses. And this was before the market around here completely lost its mind. You could still find a place to live for almost a reasonable amount of money. That stopped happening in 2005.
I could look around at the housing prices and realized that the market could not sustain these prices. I realized that there was a huge bubble, that it would eventually burst and many of these people would be sitting in houses that were less in value than what they owed. P and I had many discussions on this issue when I urged her not to buy. She was caught up in the house buying mania and (in her defense) everyone else in the entire world was telling her to buy. Own. Get a little piece of the homeownership heaven. Stop throwing your money down the toilet.*
Circumstances prevented P and her husband from buying a home at that time and we are all incredibly grateful for that, because now she lives in another state and would still be paying a mortgage in this one. A mortgage on a house that was worth less than she owed.
So why could I figure that out and Congress couldn't? Why have I felt that this country's economy was headed for a huge depression and this is a shock to Congress? How is this a shock? Have they not been paying attention? Too busy campaigning? Too busy throwing my tax dollars at Iraq? NOW this is an emergency? Funny, there are people in this country who have been looking for work for YEARS, tell them the economic tide JUST turned.
I don't know what the answers are. Bail out? No bail out? Depression vs recession. Months vs years. But I am pretty sure that I am voting against every single one of those on Capital Hill right now. Get them all out of there. At least next time there is a problem of this magnitude, if there are all new Congresspersons, they will have a REASON to look stunned.
*I've never understood this. How am I throwing my money away if I am renting? I have a roof over my head and NO responsibilities. Roof leaking? Call the landlord. Broken dishwasher? Call the landlord. Water heater just caught fire? Call the landlord. I have not made enough back in interest and taxes to pay for all of the issues listed above and I had the stress as well as the financial outlay. I love my house, but there is nothing wrong with renting.
But I had hoped that the rest of our elected officials were smarter than I am. I have never claimed to understand economics. I hated the class and only passed because we were allowed to write our notes on a 3x5 card for the test. Do you know how many notes you can get on a 3x5 card using 5 font? ALL of them. And I still only got a B.
But I have known that we were living in a housing bubble since the end of 2004 when I was house hunting for my bff, P's, family before they returned to the Riviera from the West coast. They owned a home when they left, had been gone for just over 3 years and wanted to buy when they returned here. I spent several Saturdays and holidays in the company of realtors trying to find the perfect house for P's growing family. You know what I found? A BUNCH of overpriced houses. And this was before the market around here completely lost its mind. You could still find a place to live for almost a reasonable amount of money. That stopped happening in 2005.
I could look around at the housing prices and realized that the market could not sustain these prices. I realized that there was a huge bubble, that it would eventually burst and many of these people would be sitting in houses that were less in value than what they owed. P and I had many discussions on this issue when I urged her not to buy. She was caught up in the house buying mania and (in her defense) everyone else in the entire world was telling her to buy. Own. Get a little piece of the homeownership heaven. Stop throwing your money down the toilet.*
Circumstances prevented P and her husband from buying a home at that time and we are all incredibly grateful for that, because now she lives in another state and would still be paying a mortgage in this one. A mortgage on a house that was worth less than she owed.
So why could I figure that out and Congress couldn't? Why have I felt that this country's economy was headed for a huge depression and this is a shock to Congress? How is this a shock? Have they not been paying attention? Too busy campaigning? Too busy throwing my tax dollars at Iraq? NOW this is an emergency? Funny, there are people in this country who have been looking for work for YEARS, tell them the economic tide JUST turned.
I don't know what the answers are. Bail out? No bail out? Depression vs recession. Months vs years. But I am pretty sure that I am voting against every single one of those on Capital Hill right now. Get them all out of there. At least next time there is a problem of this magnitude, if there are all new Congresspersons, they will have a REASON to look stunned.
*I've never understood this. How am I throwing my money away if I am renting? I have a roof over my head and NO responsibilities. Roof leaking? Call the landlord. Broken dishwasher? Call the landlord. Water heater just caught fire? Call the landlord. I have not made enough back in interest and taxes to pay for all of the issues listed above and I had the stress as well as the financial outlay. I love my house, but there is nothing wrong with renting.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Contact your Senator!
CNN is carrying the story of how the House of Representatives have turned their back on the environment and have passed HR 6899. This will (if passed by the Senate) allow drilling off the coast of the United States (not just in the Gulf) as close as 50 miles offshore.
Many Republicans opposed the bill because it would allow new oil drilling only between 50 and 100 miles offshore. Republicans generally want to allow new drilling starting 3 miles from shore.
Great, the Republicans wanted drilling closer, but I don't want additional drilling at all! I want alternative fuel. Allowing additional drilling will only slow down anyone looking for new ways to fuel our vehicles. And it is not going to help with the ridiculous gas prices we are all paying.
The Senate, meanwhile, could vote on various energy proposals, including more offshore drilling, as early as this week.
Write your Senators and tell them how you feel on this. Write your Congressman and tell them why you don't like the way they voted. Or, if you don't understand the impact this will have (and will not) have on the future of our planet, write them and tell them you think they are swell.
This entire thing makes me sick. Can we fire Congress?
Many Republicans opposed the bill because it would allow new oil drilling only between 50 and 100 miles offshore. Republicans generally want to allow new drilling starting 3 miles from shore.
Great, the Republicans wanted drilling closer, but I don't want additional drilling at all! I want alternative fuel. Allowing additional drilling will only slow down anyone looking for new ways to fuel our vehicles. And it is not going to help with the ridiculous gas prices we are all paying.
The Senate, meanwhile, could vote on various energy proposals, including more offshore drilling, as early as this week.
Write your Senators and tell them how you feel on this. Write your Congressman and tell them why you don't like the way they voted. Or, if you don't understand the impact this will have (and will not) have on the future of our planet, write them and tell them you think they are swell.
This entire thing makes me sick. Can we fire Congress?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
And the Economic Downturn Lowers the Boom On the LeftLeaning Household
My husband (and his entire dept) had a meeting with the general manager scheduled for 10:00 this morning. They thought it was to go over the fall schedule, which is when their department is normally the busiest. It was not. It was to receive their walking papers. Nice.
They were told it was due to downsizing, but, come on. Every one of the supervisors were let go? At the beginning of their busiest time? Leanne (GM) has been a pain to them for a while and they (possibly DSD especially) has been very vocal about her attempts to micro-manage their department. So, I think she decided to use this as an excuse to clean house.
We will be fine. He is retired Navy and his retirement covers all of the bills he pays for the household. And he has savings (which is good, because his retirement does not cover his child support) and we have savings together. I think we will hold off on the new windows and siding for a bit, just to be on the safe side.
But, one of the men who was let go is NOT retired and he depends on this paycheck. He also does not drive. He walks to work, because it is only a few blocks from his house to work. (I have no idea WHY he does not drive) Where is he supposed to find another job? This one was perfect for him.
And, of course, there are not a lot of jobs to be had anywhere right now.
Please think happy thoughts for us.
They were told it was due to downsizing, but, come on. Every one of the supervisors were let go? At the beginning of their busiest time? Leanne (GM) has been a pain to them for a while and they (possibly DSD especially) has been very vocal about her attempts to micro-manage their department. So, I think she decided to use this as an excuse to clean house.
We will be fine. He is retired Navy and his retirement covers all of the bills he pays for the household. And he has savings (which is good, because his retirement does not cover his child support) and we have savings together. I think we will hold off on the new windows and siding for a bit, just to be on the safe side.
But, one of the men who was let go is NOT retired and he depends on this paycheck. He also does not drive. He walks to work, because it is only a few blocks from his house to work. (I have no idea WHY he does not drive) Where is he supposed to find another job? This one was perfect for him.
And, of course, there are not a lot of jobs to be had anywhere right now.
Please think happy thoughts for us.
Fill Up Your Car Today!
It is all just a gimmick to get your money. As companies crumble or wait for a bail out from the feds, as people lose their jobs and/or their homes, as more Americans end up shopping at Food Pantries or living in their cars, OPEC is concerned that its members may not be able to buy entire countries next year.
OPEC oil ministers agreed Wednesday to trim overall output by more than 500,000 barrels a day in a compromise meant to avoid new turmoil in crude markets while seeking to bolster falling prices.
Yes, you read this correctly. Bolster.Falling.Gas.Prices.
Now I don't know about you, but $3.64/gallon is not what I call cheapo gas. Yes this is down about $.35 -$.40 from the average high around here several months ago, but it is still up tremendously from the $2.50/gallon it was this time last year.
OPEC is just out to get us and the only alternative is to get away from oil dependance. Not just dependance on foreign oil, but dependance on oil period.
Don't drill in the Gulf. Find another way.
OPEC oil ministers agreed Wednesday to trim overall output by more than 500,000 barrels a day in a compromise meant to avoid new turmoil in crude markets while seeking to bolster falling prices.
Yes, you read this correctly. Bolster.Falling.Gas.Prices.
Now I don't know about you, but $3.64/gallon is not what I call cheapo gas. Yes this is down about $.35 -$.40 from the average high around here several months ago, but it is still up tremendously from the $2.50/gallon it was this time last year.
OPEC is just out to get us and the only alternative is to get away from oil dependance. Not just dependance on foreign oil, but dependance on oil period.
Don't drill in the Gulf. Find another way.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The Unsympathetic Me Part I
I have a confession to make. It makes me sound (and somewhat feel) like someone with no compassion and no empathy for my fellow man and woman. Like, maybe, I should register as a Republican. I try to dig deep down to pull out a smidgeon of sympathy, but it just isn't there.
I don't feel too terribly bad for some of the people who have lost their houses and I am not sure the government should bail them out. Nor do I feel horrible for a lot of the banks who are losing their shorts. *
There, I said it.
Now, let me clarify.
I feel horrible for the children. I feel rotten for those who have lost their jobs and have had no success finding another one and have, due to this, lost their homes. I feel sick inside for those who have fallen ill, can't work and have lost everything due to illness or accident.
I don't feel a bit bad for those who bought houses they could not afford. Who financed with an ARM without doing the research and whose payments have now gone through the roof. Who KNEW they were getting behind on the payments, put the house on the market and then refused to sell for a resonable price. Or, as one person I know personally did, refused to pay a realtor, tried doing a For Sale by Owner, and lost the house because no one came to look at it.
While homeownership has never been my dream when I decided it was time to buy, I did my research. I talked to other homeowners, I contacted a realtor, I read articles online, I prequalified for a mortgage. Yes, and then I looked at my income and realized I could never make the payments if I bought a house that cost that much. So, I sat down with a calculator and pen and paper and worked out a budget: how much mortgage payment, closing costs, moving expenses, utility change expenses, etc. It was, of course, more than I had anticipated and I managed to leave almost nothing in my emergency account, but I could make my payments with money left over to put back in my emergency account at the end of the month. And this was before the proliferation of "calculators" on the 'net that allows you to see almost to the penny what your mortgage payments will be.
My house is not fancy. It is actually quite small by some standards. 3BR/2BA 1400 square feet. The bedrooms are tiny, but the living room and kitchen/dining room combo are a great size, for the family, for entertaining. I would have liked 2000 sq ft. I would have like a den, an office, a guest room and a separate formal dining room, but I could not afford that house. I bought what I could afford.
Now people all across this country are crying the blues because they can't make their mortgage payments and they are being evicted from their homes. People all across this country are crying for help from the national government. And I do not have a bit of sympathy for them and I do not think it is the government's job to use my tax dollars to bail out homeowners living in my dream house who can not afford it anymore than I can.
*See next post for the continuation of this rant.
I don't feel too terribly bad for some of the people who have lost their houses and I am not sure the government should bail them out. Nor do I feel horrible for a lot of the banks who are losing their shorts. *
There, I said it.
Now, let me clarify.
I feel horrible for the children. I feel rotten for those who have lost their jobs and have had no success finding another one and have, due to this, lost their homes. I feel sick inside for those who have fallen ill, can't work and have lost everything due to illness or accident.
I don't feel a bit bad for those who bought houses they could not afford. Who financed with an ARM without doing the research and whose payments have now gone through the roof. Who KNEW they were getting behind on the payments, put the house on the market and then refused to sell for a resonable price. Or, as one person I know personally did, refused to pay a realtor, tried doing a For Sale by Owner, and lost the house because no one came to look at it.
While homeownership has never been my dream when I decided it was time to buy, I did my research. I talked to other homeowners, I contacted a realtor, I read articles online, I prequalified for a mortgage. Yes, and then I looked at my income and realized I could never make the payments if I bought a house that cost that much. So, I sat down with a calculator and pen and paper and worked out a budget: how much mortgage payment, closing costs, moving expenses, utility change expenses, etc. It was, of course, more than I had anticipated and I managed to leave almost nothing in my emergency account, but I could make my payments with money left over to put back in my emergency account at the end of the month. And this was before the proliferation of "calculators" on the 'net that allows you to see almost to the penny what your mortgage payments will be.
My house is not fancy. It is actually quite small by some standards. 3BR/2BA 1400 square feet. The bedrooms are tiny, but the living room and kitchen/dining room combo are a great size, for the family, for entertaining. I would have liked 2000 sq ft. I would have like a den, an office, a guest room and a separate formal dining room, but I could not afford that house. I bought what I could afford.
Now people all across this country are crying the blues because they can't make their mortgage payments and they are being evicted from their homes. People all across this country are crying for help from the national government. And I do not have a bit of sympathy for them and I do not think it is the government's job to use my tax dollars to bail out homeowners living in my dream house who can not afford it anymore than I can.
*See next post for the continuation of this rant.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Confusion in a Confusing World
There are some things I really don't understand even if I manage to deal with them when I have to. Health insurance makes no sense to me. I am really lucky that I have never had a debilitating disease or accident, because I doubt I could navigate the red tape. I would probably end up dead. The stock market is a mass of confusion. People make money on it? How? I have trouble with my 401K! And mortgages.
I bought my house in the spring of 2001. Homeownership was NEVER something I aspired to. I felt no desire to own, no need for roots. I figured if I continued to rent, all the repairs, the details would be someone else's problem. "You're throwing your money away," I was told. This just confused me. I had a roof over my head and someone else to fix the A/C, the roof, the dishwasher. It seemed like a good deal to me. But there was Chance*, my 80lb four-legged baby. Love of my son's life. Do you know how hard it is to rent a place with an 80 pound dog?
So, when the owner of the house I was renting returned to to the states from overseas, I started looking at homes for sale. It was a good time to buy, prices were much much lower than they are now. I looked for a couple of months before I bought and I think I got a really good buy. My mortgage payment for a 3BR/2BA house with a garage, a pool and a fenced yard cost less than rent on an apartment. And I have grown to enjoy homeownership, despite the $4000 for the new roof (before the really bad hurricane seasons), the fire in the garage, the leaks, the OUTRAGEOUS jump in wind insurance (after the really bad hurricane seasons) the... you know, homeownership woes. It is nice to know it is mine as long as I make the payments. And, I have built a lot of equity.
Then last month I received a notice from my mortgage company that my payment was going up almost $300 a month OR I could pay them a nice sum of $2000, because my escrow account was short, for the 7th year in a row. Now, I don't like to criticize much, but isn't it the mortgage companies job to plan for this sort of thing? My taxes and insurance barely went up for the first 5 years I owned the house, why did I have to write a check every February to make up the difference? I understood last years check of $1100, my insurance went up... but only about $700. The difference this year was about $1000 so why the huge check? So I decided to refinance, without an escrow account, paying my own taxes and insurance. And now I am in a quandry.
Closing is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00. I am taking a loan for $110,000, taking out a small portion of the equity to get myself a brand new fancy kitchen. I was told that closing costs would be about 2.5% of the loan. I can do math. 2.5% of 110,000 is 2750. I was given the total on closing this afternoon and it is $4900. Do you see my problem? I had even figured closing might be $3000, but that is almost a $2000 difference. Am I a moron? Do I just not understand the way these things work?
Plus, some of the 'fees' seem fishy. I understand the 1.5% origination fee, but then why am I paying another $695 to the bank? The original paperwork said there was $175 for the NOTARY, but the final paperwork (which they sent me because I was yelling) changed the $175 fee to an escrow fee. Did I mention that I am not going to use an escrow account? I am paying my taxes and insurance myself.
Of course, the interest rates are on the rise again (how can that be?), so if I don't use this loan, I could end up .25% or .5% higher rate and then I am not even sure it would be worth it to refinance. And I don't know anyone to ask. DSD is just as lost and confused as I am.
What to do? Hopefully I will figure it out, but if anyone out there in Blogland has some advice, I am listening!!
*Chance passed away about 2:00 AM on January 2, 2005. I miss him every day.
I bought my house in the spring of 2001. Homeownership was NEVER something I aspired to. I felt no desire to own, no need for roots. I figured if I continued to rent, all the repairs, the details would be someone else's problem. "You're throwing your money away," I was told. This just confused me. I had a roof over my head and someone else to fix the A/C, the roof, the dishwasher. It seemed like a good deal to me. But there was Chance*, my 80lb four-legged baby. Love of my son's life. Do you know how hard it is to rent a place with an 80 pound dog?
So, when the owner of the house I was renting returned to to the states from overseas, I started looking at homes for sale. It was a good time to buy, prices were much much lower than they are now. I looked for a couple of months before I bought and I think I got a really good buy. My mortgage payment for a 3BR/2BA house with a garage, a pool and a fenced yard cost less than rent on an apartment. And I have grown to enjoy homeownership, despite the $4000 for the new roof (before the really bad hurricane seasons), the fire in the garage, the leaks, the OUTRAGEOUS jump in wind insurance (after the really bad hurricane seasons) the... you know, homeownership woes. It is nice to know it is mine as long as I make the payments. And, I have built a lot of equity.
Then last month I received a notice from my mortgage company that my payment was going up almost $300 a month OR I could pay them a nice sum of $2000, because my escrow account was short, for the 7th year in a row. Now, I don't like to criticize much, but isn't it the mortgage companies job to plan for this sort of thing? My taxes and insurance barely went up for the first 5 years I owned the house, why did I have to write a check every February to make up the difference? I understood last years check of $1100, my insurance went up... but only about $700. The difference this year was about $1000 so why the huge check? So I decided to refinance, without an escrow account, paying my own taxes and insurance. And now I am in a quandry.
Closing is scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00. I am taking a loan for $110,000, taking out a small portion of the equity to get myself a brand new fancy kitchen. I was told that closing costs would be about 2.5% of the loan. I can do math. 2.5% of 110,000 is 2750. I was given the total on closing this afternoon and it is $4900. Do you see my problem? I had even figured closing might be $3000, but that is almost a $2000 difference. Am I a moron? Do I just not understand the way these things work?
Plus, some of the 'fees' seem fishy. I understand the 1.5% origination fee, but then why am I paying another $695 to the bank? The original paperwork said there was $175 for the NOTARY, but the final paperwork (which they sent me because I was yelling) changed the $175 fee to an escrow fee. Did I mention that I am not going to use an escrow account? I am paying my taxes and insurance myself.
Of course, the interest rates are on the rise again (how can that be?), so if I don't use this loan, I could end up .25% or .5% higher rate and then I am not even sure it would be worth it to refinance. And I don't know anyone to ask. DSD is just as lost and confused as I am.
What to do? Hopefully I will figure it out, but if anyone out there in Blogland has some advice, I am listening!!
*Chance passed away about 2:00 AM on January 2, 2005. I miss him every day.
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