Scranton, PA

President Obama certainly has enough on his plate these days - no doubt.

He is busy saving the nation from itself and saving the world from us. One would think he could find a micro minute between flights to sign a pardon.


Late black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson was sent to prison nearly a century ago because of his romantic ties with a white woman.

John McCain has been urging a presidential pardon for Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes. The law has since been heavily amended, but has not been repealed.


Since Johnson’s death, there have been a couple attempts to grant him a posthumous pardon, and Sen. John McCain is now asking President Obama for a second time to pardon Johnson.

Senator John McCain of Arizona spoke publicly October 17, 2009 about pressing President Obama to posthumously pardon black heavy weight champion boxer, Jack Johnson. McCain, and cohort, Rep. King (R) from New York, who both have amateur boxing in their background, drafted a letter to the President in August stating that after years of trying, the resolution to pardon the boxer, Jack Johnson, has been passed in both chambers of Congress. Now, they would like the President to take action on this matter.

In Friday’s new letter they wrote, “Regrettably, we have not received a response from you or any member of your administration,” adding that they hoped Obama would be eager to “right this wrong and erase an act of racism that sent an American citizen to prison.”He and New York Rep. Peter King requested one in April of this year, but the White House did not respond, so they’re trying again.

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GET DEBT OFF YOUR BACK !

When It's Raining ~

The Ideas Are Pouring

On Active Rain

Whether you are a potential home buyer, a renter or you already own your home debt is a burden you can live without.

Last year I started listening to Suzy Orman and Dave Ramsey tout the benefits of being debt free. Like many Americans today I felt debt was a necessary evil.

I was making higher than minimum payments on credit cards. My balances still did not go down significantly.

Some of the advice from hard core "debt free" devotees is a little hard to follow, at least for my lifestyle. You do not have to change ALL your habits to be successful at paying down debt.

Debt translates directly to your FICO or credit score. Your credit score dictates the cost you will pay for a mortgage or car loan. In some instances it prevents you from owning the home of your dreams. You can make a significant impact on your score by adopting new habits.

The road to changing my life came gradually. We will be writing a few articles to give you some ideas. If you want to improve your credit score and reduce your debt you may find this information valuable.

Start by reviewing your spending. Keep a log of everything you spend for an entire month.

Write down lunches, newspapers, magazines, movies, latte etc. I was astounded at how much I frittered away.

I listed all of my "necessary evil" payments. Mortgage, car payment, car insurance, cable, phone service etc. Looking at the necessary payments I could not see any wiggle room. Where will I get additional money to pay down credit card and loan balances?

I decided to investigate the cost of auto insurance. A word of caution here. Many insurance companies base your premium on your credit score. Inquires by insurance companies into your credit file can cause your FICO score to go down.

I googled all the insurance companies who do not pull a credit report. Many national firms will quote you and not base your premium on credit score.

My first call was eye opening. I was quoted by a national company a premium that was $2300.00 less annually then what I had been paying for years. The coverage was identical. Additionally by having the same insurance company write my homeowners I saved an another $500 a year.

I had just paid my annual homeowners premium so I received a $500 refund check. I was saving about $180 a month on my car insurance under the new company.

The first month I paid $680.00 on my credit card balances.

That was a nice chunk. What was nicer was seeing a balance go down significantly.

My next project was my phone bill. I need a land line and a dedicated fax line. I had unlimited free calling in the U.S. with Verizon. My bill was $90 per month. My dedicated fax line cost $32.00 a month.

I investigated Vonage. For $42.00 a month I have all the same features, 2 lines plus International free calling. A savings of $80 per month.

Two changes in my comfort zone equaled a savings of $260.00 per month that I could use to pay down debt. That's an additional $3120.00 to apply to my debt annually.

Look at your own lifestyle. What can you change? It does not have to be painful to be successful.

In subsequent articles we'll outline more finance strategy.

Find more spare change - Budget Expense

Which credit or debt to pay down first

Balance credit to maximize your score

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Information provided by Scranton Board of Realtors and deemed to be correct. Author is not responsible for any inaccuracies or typographical errors.

This blog should be read by all renters out there.

What do you pay in rent per month?

YOUR ANSWER HERE

For that price there is a good chance you could be building equity instead of paying the mortgage of someone else.

Sure there are responsibilities that come with home ownership. Also, I understand that home ownership is not for everyone. BUT...many of you out there are throwing money away every month instead of investing it into a home of your own. I just showed a client a home today. The home is updated and in good condition. After crunching some numbers, we determined he would pay around $450/mth to live there and OWN the home. This included his taxes and insurance. Now all circumstances are different, but I just wanted to make a point of how affordable home ownership can be.

Have questions? I can help answer them. Contact me and I will help you along the real estate path.

Todd Jones - Realtor, ABR, SRS, OA

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS!

SIT DOWN ! SHUT UP ! AND HANG ON !

Last night I read a post authored by Tony Toto.

'General Welfare' and it's Meaning in The U.S. Constitution

My mouth dropped when I read it. At first I did not grasp what he was saying and then it hit me. I urge you to read it. Tony breaks it down for us much better than I can.

This is not about political affiliation. This is about being an American. Put aside your political beliefs and allow yourself to ponder this from neutral ground.

"WE THE PEOPLE" have given our Constitutional rights away in dribs and drabs. It did not start with the previous administration, nor did it begin with the current administration. It began when we became apathetic. The realization that something is wrong has only begun to hit us.

It matters not whether you are a Democrat, Independent or Republican.

"WE THE PEOPLE" began giving our rights away when we elected officials and then sat back and ignored what they did in office. It's not about the President, the Congress or the Senate. The demise of our rights started in our own back yard.

When you hire someone to do a job you provide oversight of their job performance. If they are not attaining your expectations you counsel them and give them your guidance. If they fail to make corrections you fire them. As Donald Trump so aptly puts it - "IT'S NOT PERSONAL - IT'S BUSINESS."

"WE THE PEOPLE" have lost control over our government by our own doing. Those of us who do exercise our right to vote sit back after election day and let our officials do as they please. We figure on the next election we will right the wrong. BY THEN THE DAMAGE IS DONE.

LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS needs to be nurtured and stewarded daily. We are so caught up in our daily lives we ignore the big picture.

CHANGE needs to come from within us - "WE THE PEOPLE"

It starts by speaking out and being involved at a local level. When was the last time you attended public hearings at a local level?

It requires us to continually reach out to all our elected officials up the chain to the Oval Office. When was the last time you wrote, called or emailed a state, or national elected official? Discount the current issues at hand.

If we have lost control WHO IS AT FAULT?

YOU ARE I AM WE ALL ARE

While you are busy building your business and prospecting for leads - set aside an hour a day to

PROSPECT FOR FREEDOM

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