Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Barker's Newsbites: Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A happy, happy song!
Indeed... hard to believe I haven't used it before... but my notes say no!
8:00 a.m. - "Special K" with sliced banana.
10:20 a.m. - A salad with lettuce, tomato, sliced pickle, green olives, grated and diced cheddar cheese, pepperoni, and sliced and diced cold pork chop. (Mayo as dressing.)
3:10 p.m. - A glass of diet Pepsi.
5:15 p.m. - Ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich on whole grain bread. (Yes... mayo.)
8:00 p.m. - Buttered popcorn.
8:55 p.m. - Glass of lite Iced Tea.
10:00 p.m. - Small chunk of cheddar cheese and rosemary raisin crisps.
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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703779704576074272185117268.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_AboveLEFTTop
Notably, the reformers were opposed by Speaker John Boehner and the leadership and lost on a voice vote.
Notably, the reformers were opposed by Speaker John Boehner and the leadership and lost on a voice vote.
Notably, the reformers were opposed by Speaker John Boehner and the leadership and lost on a voice vote.
* FOLKS... THE ABOVE IS ALL YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW, BUT I'LL PUT IT IN CONTEXT ANYWAY...
A week ago we [here at the WSJ] praised the House rules offered by the new Republican majority to make it harder to tax and spend.
There's a less hopeful coda to that story that is worth reporting to keep the spending-cut pressure on the GOP.
We praised new "spending reduction accounts" designed to hold money from specific spending cuts [in special accounts] rather than let that cash be spent on something else. The idea is that if, say, the House killed a $100 million earmark for a bridge to nowhere from a spending bill, the $100 million would go to reduce the deficit rather than return to the spending pool.
In last week's House GOP conference...a group of fiscal hawks led by Arizona Congressman Jeff Flake tried to [protect] those accounts so they'd be harder for Members of the Appropriations Committee to raid. [You see, the] current rule puts the accounts under the control of Appropriators - the spenders in chief - and requires only that they inform the House of what they do with the money.
Mr. Flake and allies Jim Jordan of Ohio, Tom Graves of Georgia and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin offered an amendment to sequester the accounts until the end of the budget year and then allow the money to be spent elsewhere only with a vote of the entire House.
* WAIT FOR IT... WAIT FOR IT...
Notably, the reformers were opposed by Speaker John Boehner and the leadership and lost on a voice vote.
Mr. Boehner asked Republicans to trust him and his fellow leaders, saying that they and the Appropriators have got the message and are determined to cut spending.
We realize this is inside baseball, but of such details is the spending problem made.
We report all this so readers know what happened, and also so Messrs. Boehner and Rogers realize that some of us will keep paying attention.
* BOEHNER'S OFFICE CAN BE REACHED VIA (202) 225-6205.
http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/real-estate/how-to-buy-a-house-without-a-down-payment-1294589355498/
A growing number of state and local governments are now offering what are called "down payment assistance programs," grants or low- and no-interest loans to first-time buyers or those who haven't owned a house in a few years.
The number of programs, now somewhere around 1,000 nationally, has increased 3% to 5% in the last six months alone, estimates Marc Savitt, president of the National Association of Independent Housing Professionals, an advocacy group.
And, in a stark reversal, some banks are now far more willing to work with borrowers who need down payment assistance, buyers who were considered too risky 18 months ago.
These programs are targeted at low- and middle-income buyers who have either never owned a home, or haven't owned one in a few years. And then the benefits are substantial: Typically, the programs offer up to $80,000 in loans with interest rates from 0% to 2% to people with little or no money to put down. And then, because participants often have to get their mortgage through the programs' preferred lenders, the primary mortgage rates are also low, often 0.75% to 1% lower than average rates. That can be a better deal than Federal Housing Administration-insured mortgages, which require annual mortgage insurance and an upfront fee, and may have higher interest rates.
To fund the programs, many states and municipalities are using money raised by selling municipal bonds. Also helping: A program funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development increased its support to local down payment assistance programs by 16% in its last fiscal year to $44 million.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bace5870-1db8-11e0-aa88-00144feab49a.html#axzz1AlRH4iVd
Joe Biden...has pledged long-term American support for Afghanistan, offering a commitment to help the war-torn nation beyond the 2014 target both countries have set to have Afghans fully in charge of their own security.
“If the Afghan people want it, we won’t leave in 2014,” Mr Biden said.
* FOLKS... THINK ABOUT IT. EVEN WITH THE ARIZONA TRAGEDY STILL BEING A MAJOR FOCUS OF THE NEWS MEDIA, DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS NEWS WOULD BE LARGELY FLYING UNDER THE RADAR HERE IN THE STATES IF IT WERE MCCAIN & PALIN UNDERCUTTING CAMPAIGN PROMISES AS OPPOSED TO OBAMA & BIDEN...???
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/137093-boeher-will-keep-flying-commercial
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will continue to fly commercially despite the security concerns that came about after Saturday's shooting in Tucson, Ariz.
(*CLAP-CLAP-CLAP*)
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