Dale Terry

I have enjoyed the hundreds of posts of fellow real estate professionals as they talk about their daily troubles, their thoughts on politics and other great subjects. I dare say collectively, Active Rainers are pretty sharp folks!

As we all struggle to make our own way through these trying times, are we doing ourselves a favor by just trying to make ends meet? Are we so focused on the present that we are going to let the future slip by?

Here are some of the pressing issues that come to mind in blogs on Active Rain;

1. Health Care- Can't have it, must have it, can't pay for it, etc... So, today are you in good health? Are you overweight, smoke, ignore your body? Are you doing anything today that is positive to your health and longevity? Can you see where you might be in the next ten years or so, and does the current administrations health plan have anything to do with it?

2. Government Debt- Do you honestly believe that govenrment is going to inflict pain on itself? After all the "parties" do you think we as citizens are capable of making the right decisions or will we just make the "least of the worst" Are you in debt? Can you be out of debt in 10 years?

3. National Security-Do you believe that the military machines of the last 100 years are going to go away, that there is not going to be another "conflict" somewhere that we have to get involved in?

4. Economic Upheaval- Are we in the first inning or the middle innings? Is the game almost over? The governments of the world are in debt, the people are in debt, there is a misapplication of capital and resources all over the world and if anything, it looks like it can get worse. The solutions that governments are taking are only band aids and just push off or hide the problems. So, are you ready for chaos? Have you even done something as simple as putting together an emergency kit? Can you survive even 3-5 days without electricity, food, your automobile, cell phone, etc....

My point here is are you part of the problem or are you part of the solution. Are you looking for government to solve your problems or are you going to change government to eliminate problems. Have you prepared yourself for losing your job, health, and prosperity?

I think most would agree that our nation is sliding downward....toward the same positions as other countries. Maybe we tell ourselves that it can't happen, but that is just pride talking. In all categories, the US is dropping behind other nations.

It starts with us. You. Your family and friends. Some will lose. Some will deny. Some will fight.

Can we all agree that we need to be prepared for the worst?

Breaking news reports that Steve Phillips, a ESPN sportscaster that was fired a few months ago has been released from the clinic that has treated his sex addiction. Some of you may remember the story, where he had an affair with a 22 year old co worker and both were fired. Phillips is married and has four children. He also was at the same clinic Tiger Woods was at.

So, it is time to fess up folks.

Do you think about sex.

Have you thought about sex with a co worker.

Have you thought about sex with someone else while being married or in a relationship?

Have you had sex?

It would seem to me that these problems come to the surface after the affairs are exposed. And with so much time spent analyzing the various problems that the celebrity has, nothing is ever said about the other person. Don't they get a chance to go to these spa like facilities. Heaven forbid, we can't have all of these young women of Tigers and Phillips roaming the streets, not getting the help they need.

And exactly what is the criteria for being diagnosedwith sex addiction anyway?.

It would seem that the only criteria is the ability to pay.

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night? It would be hard not to have participated in something attached to the game, from watching it, betting on it, showing interest in the commercials. But the league has problems, the collective bargaining agreement between the owners and the players is up next year and it looks like the sides are preparing for war.

DeMaurice Smith, the executive director of the NFL's players union, strongly warned of a potential lockout. He called the chances of football not being played in 2011 after the league's CBA expires a "14" on a scale of 1 to 10.

The NBA faces the issues in 2011 when it the leagues agreement ends.

An excellent blog by Ron Trzcinski (ExecuHome Realty): NBA or NFL? calls into question the shortcomings of our elected leaders, but in a reversal of positions, it is the professional leagues that exhibit the greed and lust that our leaders show at their jobs.

I guess it is too much to question why an athlete makes 10s of thousands to dollars to play....one game.

Maybe soon they will be members of the 8.4 million unemployed in the country.

This is a post that I had to write after reviewing Ralph Gorgoglione's post on interest rates,(http://activerain.com/blogsview/1480694/interest-rate-update-01-08-10)

FHA, a program designed for first time buyers is promoting loans up to approx. $730,000. That is almost 3/4 of a million dollars. I know that there are some that would state that home prices are high in some parts of our nation, but my question is why so much, now? In most of those high cost areas, prices have dropped dramatically. So why is FHA going to insure overpriced housing?

Alright already, don't shoot the messager!

Just a couple of thoughts. Do you even know what qualifies as a small business? Of course we all think of the mom and pop shop down the street, but the federal government has standards in which it calculates if a business is a small business!

Depending on the industry, the government can limit your revenues or number of employees to qualify for the small business tax credit. In most industries the limit can be 7million dollars in revenue and 500 employees. Does that sound like a small business to you? And if you look at it closer, does a $5000 tax cut make a business hire a 15k employee? If the business is going to hire based on business needs, they will hire anyway, regardless of the tax cut.

So one way of looking at this is to assume through their political connections and lobbyists, that businesses have fired, layoff, or dismissed all the employees that they need to, and with the government in their pocket, they now get paid to hire the folks back as the economy rebounds. And what about all the government contracts that are being awarded to new companies, many of which would not be in existence without the contract. And they will go away when the contract ends. Sounds to me like government welfare for businesses.

The Amercian public is getting upset that government is spending more that it takes in. Now the proposals mean to lessen government revenues. Wouldn't that create even more deficit spending. And in the end, isn't this about the unwinding of government and business excesses?

I think a better solution to all our problems would be a government that does not run a deficit and takes sound measures to control spending, allowing it to pay down its debt. This is what we would do and have to do to live. Why can't government do the same?