Monday, October 31, 2011

WHAT IS THAT NOISE?

So I sat down to write my new column. As I contemplated the great issues of the Nation and the world and how I could shed light on them, my editor/wife said that lately I had been writing nothing but political columns. She opined that I should consider something lighter with humor and less politics for a change. I proceeded to inform her as to who was the writer in this house and that I would pick the topics that I would write about when all of a sudden I heard the noise. It sounded something like Blackhawk helicopters were about to bombard our little condo. It wasn’t a new sound. No, I hear it every week. It always is loud and quite disturbing. The sound was leaf blowers.

Now we’ve all heard them before, but not like here on St. Simons Island. Everybody hires their landscaping work done and all the services use these wretched little machines.

Those of you who know me know that I am a modern guy and appreciate the new appliances that make life easier, but this noise is just ridiculous. And that is not the whole story. We moved here to this island last June and every week they come and blow the leaves away. But, and here’s the mystery, they don’t ever pick them up. The next day the wind just puts the leaves back where they came from. I have come to believe that the leaves that I see in my back yard are hundreds of years old. They have been moved from place to place over the years. Prior to the invention of leaf blowers Nature took care of the problem. Now man has come to the rescue of the wind.

Fortunately these trees do not shed that many leaves. These leaves that are being blown around have probably been in the rotation for eons.

My question is, is this just a way to insure there will be work for each succeeding week? If they actually picked the leaves up and took them away would they not have a job the next week? There would still be bushes to trim and grass to cut, but this happens all over the island so I know I am not alone. As of this date, I have never seen any gardener actually remove any leaves.

I have decided that I am just going to ask one of them why they never actually pick up leaves. All I have to do is find a translator to help me with the questioning and I am sure they will be able to shed (pardon the pun) some light on this problem. Until then I will just have to accept the fact of leaf blowers and the ensuing noise. Besides, it is normally too quiet on this island anyway.

Ron Scarbro October 31, 2011

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

ELECTION 2012

It is going to be here before you know it. I am talking about the election of course. From time to time I will be commenting on this upcoming event and its importance.

The election of Barak Obama can be laid at the feet of the Republican Party. Obama was a part of what you could call a “perfect storm.” First, he was black. This was a big deal to the media. Second, he was essentially unknown. Third, he was unvetted. The Republicans left that to Hillary Clinton and she failed big time. Finally, and this is the most important thing, the Republicans nominated a candidate who could not win. This final thought will be the theme of this column.

Today there are several individuals seeking the nomination to run against Obama. In my view, all are qualified to be President, especially when compared to what we have now. The problem becomes one of being electable to the masses. I saw a poll recently that showed any generic Republican would beat Obama 55% to 37%. While that is encouraging, it is also a temptation to sit back and let the election happen. That is how Republicans lose elections.

The Republicans need to nominate a candidate who can win in the general election. Those among you who are ultra conservative and say that unless my candidate is conservative enough I will just sit this election out. To those who say my candidate has to be more liberal and reflect my more liberal views or I will just stay home, you are essentially guaranteeing the re-election of this complete failure who is destroying this country.

It doesn’t take a mental giant to figure out that we are headed in the wrong direction and that unless the ship of state is righted, we are in serious trouble. Obama, along with Reid, Pelosi, Schumer, Frank, and all the other hard core Democrats have to be sent home for the good of this country. To me that means ABO, anybody but Obama.

In the next presidential term, new Supreme Court Judges will probably need to be named. If for no other reason, we need to get rid of this bunch in Washington. Our very Constitution is at stake. Unless the Supreme Court throws out Obamacare, business will continue to be slow to hire and expand. Unless a new approach to regulation is enacted, business will stay on the sidelines or possibly even move to a more friendly climate for their success. The change Obama sought is here and it is killing America.

So, here’s the deal. Pick a candidate and work for that candidate, but, and this is a big but, if your candidate is unsuccessful, work to elect the nominee of the Republican Party. I sincerely believe the very future of America depends on getting rid of Barak Obama. He needs to be sent back to Chicago to continue his work as a community organizer, whatever that is.

To those who are influential in the choosing of the next Republican nominee, please remember the importance of this election. It is not just business as usual. Let’s pick someone who can win a national election. Someone who can appeal to the so-called independents. Remember the 40, 40, 20 rule. 40% will vote for Republicans, 40% will vote for Democrats, and a majority of the 20% will decide who our next President will be.

This I believe. If the American electorate re-elects Barak Obama, we deserve the results of that election and it is not going to be pretty. In fact it may the ugliest chapter in our history. Sometimes it is good to be seventy years old.

I am grateful to those who would put themselves out there as candidates. To those among you whose candidate is not selected to be the nominee, please work as hard for the final candidate of the party to make sure this mess is fixed. It has been said before but this time it is truer than ever. This is the most important election in our history. Let’s make this happen.

Ron Scarbro October 25, 2011

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

NO PLACE TO HIDE

A Poem

Nixon tried
Clinton tried
What they both found
Is there’s no place to hide

The End

There are currently at least two major scandals brewing in Washington. One is Solyndra and the other is “Fast and Furious.” I believe both will prove to be much bigger than we now think and like all such scandals, these stories have legs and they are not going away. First let us look at Solyndra.

You have heard the story of this doomed solar energy plant, probably one of many “green companies” which will not be around very long. We, the taxpayers, loaned this outfit half a billion dollars and it appears they used the money to enrich a few executives and the rest to file for bankruptcy. There were many who advised against this loan, but it was made anyway. Now the excuses and alibis are being floated. I have heard some of the Washington elite say that sometimes we just have to gamble in order to create alternative forms of energy. I think it is a lot easier to gamble when you are using another person’s money. I have also heard that some of the Solyndra executives were major contributors to Obama’s campaign. It also appears that there are other companies who have, or will soon face, the same failure. The Obama Administration, in their wisdom, has now decided to not release any more information on this matter. They are telling Congress and the American people, just trust us, there is nothing more to be learned from our secret e-mails. What? Do they really think this is just going to go away? Fat chance.

Scandal number two involves Attorney General Holder and the “Fast and Furious” gun program. He has been subpoenaed to testify before Congress to explain why he apparently lied about knowing of this program. He says he didn’t read the memos that were on his desk. Now we have dead law enforcement officers and guns in the hands of ruthless drug cartel members and they originated with our own government. And Holder didn’t know anything about this program? Who does he think is going to buy that?  My take is, stick a fork in Holder. He’s done.
Once again high powered people are trying to cover up matters and incidents which will be discovered and once again the results will be that the cover up is at least as bad if not worse than the original incident. Of course Solyndra got the money because of their connections through campaign contributions. Of course Holder knew of and probably approved the “Fast and Furious” gun program. Obama probably knew about it also. These things don’t happen in a vacuum.

How is it possible that so-called intelligent people like Presidents and Attorney Generals do not realize that everything they say or have ever said are probably recorded somewhere by someone just waiting for the opportunity to release their data. Fifty years ago you could probably get away with lies and deceit. Not today. Also, do they really think that the Republican controlled House is going to just let this pass? Are they crazy? Of course this will be pursued until the last breath of scandal is squeezed out, exposed and used for the benefit of the pursuers. As John Wayne once said, “Life is tough. It is a lot tougher if you’re stupid.”

Nixon tried
Clinton tried
What they both found
Is there’s no place to hide.

Ron Scarbro October 19, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

PREVENTING FORECLOSURE

I recently was watching a show concerning real estate foreclosure. Lawyers were advising people of all their options in order to prevent the bank from foreclosing on their house. It seems there are government programs available to allow one to alter their home loans and even lower their interest rate. Some even allow the mortgagee to re-finance a lesser balance because their home has “lost value.”  Please notice I put lost value in quotation marks. As I go further into this matter that will become clearer.

By way of identification, I have in my working life been a real estate lender as well as a real estate appraiser. I also had to collect back the money I loaned. In some cases I had to foreclose on real estate in order to collect.

As I listened to the lawyers explaining how to prevent foreclosure, I never once heard the phrase, “Just make your house payment and make it on time as you agreed to in the contract you signed.”  I assure you if you make your payment, the lender has absolutely no desire to kick you out of your house. The last thing a banker wants or needs is a bunch of empty houses in his inventory.

I have heard the complaint that real estate has lost value and many who owe money on their houses are “under water.” What do you suppose happens when you finance a car for, let’s say, seven years. You don’t seriously think a car is going to increase in value, do you? Usually before you make your first payment, your car is worth far less than you paid for it. It is not the bank’s fault or responsibility to insure the value of your home grows or even remains the same. These things happen.

I am convinced our current real estate problem is the fault of the US Congress and Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae. They required lenders to finance homes for unqualified borrowers and to loan more than the appraised value. Real estate appraisers also are to blame for their phony appraisals.

What we have now is not the end of the world. We have a temporary glitch and we will look back on this and wonder why we didn’t buy up all the cheap houses that were available. We still have 330 million people who must have a place to live and that number is growing every day. They are not going to live in tents or caves. They are going to be in the market for homes for many years to come. In other words, this too shall pass.

Many years ago I met a man in Seattle. I sold him a very expensive car and he paid cash for it. As I got to know him I learned he lived through the big downturn in Seattle when so many people were leaving there was even a sign heading out of town that said, “Will the last person leaving please turn out the lights.” He told me that he started buying up empty houses for a song. In just a very short time, the whole situation turned around and he began selling those homes. When I met him, he was a very wealthy man. That same situation is happening now. If I was a much younger man, I would buy as many houses as I could.

Here’s the rule. If you don’t want to have your home foreclosed on, pay your payment. If you don’t want your car repossessed, pay your car payment. And finally, if you want to get very rich, start buying all the empty houses you can afford and get ready for the turn around. It will happen.


Ron Scarbro October 13, 2011

Saturday, October 8, 2011

THE WALL STREET PROTESTERS

Back in the sixties I had the misfortune to witness up close the hippie free speech protests in Berkeley and around the Bay Area. These were groups of rag tag hippies who seemed to worship all things ugly and filthy. Bathing was not an option. They would stand on the corner and scream obscenities about all things American. I suspect what we are now seeing on Wall Street is the offspring of those hippies. From a distance, they look the same. I would guess they smell the same.

We know that many of these protesters are paid demonstrators. Most seem to have no real idea of what they are protesting or why they are even there. If this was just a silly demonstration I wouldn’t care. The problem arises when things are carried too far. E-mails are now emanating from this group advocating the death and beheading of all rich people. I am not kidding. Some of them are planning to erect guillotines to eliminate the wealthy class in this country. They apparently believe they are a part of some wildly popular movement like the French Revolution. Nothing could be further from the truth. In most people’s minds, this latest gathering of misfits does not even register.

So, what is causing this mess? Who is instigating this? Where did this all come from? I believe the rhetoric coming from the White House is at the heart of this protest. The “class warfare” nonsense being preached by Obama is having what I think is an unintended effect. The “wealth envy” and hatred for business garbage coming from this Administration is stirring up some of these misfits and leading to what could become some very dangerous possibilities.

Attention President Obama and your underlings. Knock it off. Clean up your act and recognize the danger of your rhetoric. You are creating a situation which could very easily get completely out of control. If that happens, it will be laid at your feet. To those of you who are financing this so-called peaceful uprising, stop it. Remember, you are a part of the rich they are so unhappy about. You would be among the very first to face their immature and misguided judgement.

And to you who are among the demonstrators. You appear to have a great deal of time on your hands. I recommend that you spend some of that time reading a few books and documents which might be helpful. For example the Constitution and Bill Of Rights. It could be helpful for you to know what being an American is all about. This un-American idea of illegally taking the property and wealth of some of our citizens and giving those assets to the so-called poor is not going to happen. America is about individual initiative and one’s success is left to them individually, not to governments or anyone else. Sharing the wealth is one of your many pipe dreams. It ain’t gonna happen. What you seem to be advocating is right out of Karl Marx’s manifesto, “from those according to their ability to those according to their need.” That, my friends, is Communism and it has never worked and it will not work here. If I have to explain to you why, it would be a waste of print because you would never understand.

Protesters, go home. Learn what it means to be an American. Get a job and stop living off your parents. Use your energy for something positive. The vast majority of this country will never come around to your way of thinking, and they are armed. We are not about to let some rag tag group of latent hippies destroy America.

Like protests of the past, this too will disappear. I just hope it is gone before some moron gets to the point where he thinks he can become famous by taking it too far. As has happened in the past, that fame will be short lived and he will become nothing more than a footnote on the trash dump of history.

Ron Scarbro October 8, 2011

Sunday, October 2, 2011

TWO OLD SONGS COME TO MIND

This week two old songs come to mind. One is “It’s just a matter of time” and the other is “Another one bites the dust”. I am referring of course to the killing of the  terrorist Anwar Al-Awlaki. He was identified as the next great leader of this rag tag group of baby killers and thugs. It turns out that he was just next. His body parts were strewn all over the country side in Yemen, a country he decided to call home. He came to have a very up close and personal relationship with a drone and a Hell-Fire missile.  This piece of filth was born an American and knew what that meant. In spite of all he should have learned as a young person growing up in the greatest country on earth, he chose to be a terrorist. My congratulations to whoever made the decision and the shot that took him out.

So, what is next to come from this crowd? They will probably pick another moron to be called their leader. I don’t care. This one thing I know for sure. Whoever is picked will meet the same fate of the last few so-called leaders. It should be a lesson to anyone who might be considering an upgrade in position, but it probably won’t. They either have a death wish or they are just plain stupid. Either way, as the song says, “It’s just a matter of time”.

Contrary to the opinion of some of our more liberal friends, America has never and will never lose a war. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like, but if we choose to win, we win, period. Our problem is deciding to win. There seems to be a loud group who just want to keep the battle going instead of ending it. I favor ending it. War, by its only definition is an all out exercise. I believe we could end this mess any time we choose. It might be ugly for a short time, but it would end. Just ask the Japanese.

There is no place on earth for anyone to hide if we decide to find them. If any of these backward terrorists only knew what awaited them, they would cower in fear because it is just a matter of time. Bin Laden thought he had beaten us, but that proved to be a faulty opinion. How many others have there been?  Gitmo is full of individuals who picked the wrong side too. Soon, I hope, we will be bringing them before a Military Tribunal for their look at American justice.

I clearly remember Pres. George W. Bush as he spoke of the attack on September 11. He said the terrorist decided when this war would start, we will decide when it will end. Remember as we kill off these low lifes that we didn’t start this mess but we will end it and that ending will come at our choice, not theirs. Obviously this is not a conventional war, but it is a war nonetheless. Our enemy has no allegiance to any particular country and flies no flag. They have no uniform. What they are are baby killers who are blood thirsty thugs. I leave you with these thoughts, “It’s just a matter of time” until “Another one bites the dust”.

Ron Scarbro October 1, 2011