RED SOUNDING: Recent Comments

Comment on Frontline Examined Financial Meltdown

Mike Cregge — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:46:30 GMT

Ninja loans were not the result of the Community Reinvestment Act. They were created by mortgage brokers trying to satisfy Wall Street's hunger for more mortgages to securitize after they ran out of reputable borrowers for creating new CDO tranches.

Comment on Frontline Examined Financial Meltdown

Mike Cregge — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:41:58 GMT

There certainly were loans made to people who could never afford the homes they were buying, but the engine of that practice was Wall Street, hungry for mortgages they could package up, slice into pieces and sell (for big up front commissions) to fund managers trying to get more than the 1% offered by Treasury securities because the Federal Reserve was keeping interest rates ridiculously low for way too long - fueling the bubble.

You should listen to four broadcasts of This American Life. The titles are:

The Giant Pool of Money -
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1242

Another Frightening Show About the Economy
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1263

Bad Bank
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1285

The Watchmen
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=1301

I think they would broaden your perspective.

Comment on Fighter Flying Next To Unknown Small Aircraft

Web developers — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:33:45 GMT

Interesting,

Nice video,

Keep up the good work,

Anyway, thanks for the post

Comment on Howard Dean and Newt Gingrich on MTP

Website Development in Surrey — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:11:21 GMT

Nice post,

Keep up the good work...

Thanks for bringing this up

Comment on Fort Hood Massacre

Mike Cregge — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:00:55 GMT

Phil, I think we have to be honest about this. There are Muslims in the service that are loyal and faithful to the United States, but there are also these ticking time bombs as well. Muslim members of our society need to acknowledge the plight America is in because of these time bombs, which they have not reeled in or flagged, and accept the somewhat higher scrutiny they are subjected to as a result. Proper risk assessment is apolitical.

MIke,

I think you're spot on. The Muslim community in the West has a great burden to bear, and some are stepping up and delivering with very outspoken condemnations of violent jihad. I actually expect to hear more, though, considering that they really have little to fear from doing so, at least here. Overseas, though, it's a far different story. However, I've seen anti-terrorism rallies in Tehran, Jakarta, and even in Islamabad. There's been several books written about the radicalization problem in Europe -- Londonistan, While Europe Slept, Eurabia, Menace in Europe (I've read this, it's very good), America Alone

Another great book is Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a very brave woman for speaking out about the radicalism in Islam. Also of note, Nonie Darwish and Brigitte Gabriel are another couple brave woman who're outspoken about the rising tide of radical Islam, and Darwish has even appeared on Al Jazeera and has received multiple death threats.

While I'm thinking about it, another great book I read last year is Francis Bok's Escape from Slavery. I highly recommend this one. It made me want to pick up a weapon and head to Sudan to fight the monsters enslaving and murdering the innocents there.

I've heard there are approximately 3,500 uniformed Muslims in the U.S. military. I'm sure there's some who're of the same mind as Hasan, probably only a handful, and apparently only one was willing to carry out such a heinous act. I hate harboring any discriminatory feelings about anyone, especially those in uniform. It's tough to find a fine balance between thinking rationally and with measured logic and stepping over the line of discrimination. Fortunately, I'm not in a position where I have to make difficult decisions about that fine line.

-Phil

Comment on Kanye West: Mentally Retarded or Just a Racist?

Philip J. Eveland — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:10:46 GMT

BarnOwl, you're right on. Unfortunately, money talks...very loudly.

Comment on Kanye West: Mentally Retarded or Just a Racist?

BarnOwl — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:35:22 GMT

Kanye went on TV and apologized only after an army of his educated handlers and execs met with him and said "Do it or we cut off the money" No one wants to fund someone with that kind of stigma, whereas a crocodile tear filled on-screen apology makes everything all better. This guy has the education of a 6 year old and the money and power of a mogul. People mistakenly treat him like the mogul instead of (as they should) like the 6 year old.

Comment on David Goldhill's Solution for the Health Insurance Problem

Insurance License Exam — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:32:30 GMT

This is by far the best plan that i have heard about right now. It's so simple and the only one that really addresses the needs of the people. the numbers speak for themselves. You just got to have that perspective to improve lives and cut spending rather than do an overhaul of the bureaucracies or play the power battle. We really are spending so much that the government can easily provide health care to all of us with that kind of money. Plus, i would like to add to this plan an encouragement to keep healthy by reducing costs of premiums etc. If living healthy lives is encouraged, the over-all spending on health care can also be reduced.

Comment on Kanye West: Mentally Retarded or Just a Racist?

Womens Shoes — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:08:35 GMT

I saw the awards night. It was so terrific moment. My jaw was dropped of disbelief. How could he done that? He was lack of respect and was annoying. Being drunk will never be an excuse. My heart is to Taylor. She deserve the award!

Comment on Senator Needs Civics Lesson

Philip J Eveland — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:53:01 GMT

Mike, as I noted on Facebook, I apologize for lumping you into a faceless group of "others."

There are Obamatons, as there are automatons across the political spectrum. However, you're hardly one such mechanical creature, as evidenced by our lengthy correspondence.

You've noted that I have a "very sharp intellect," but that I'm a bit narrow-minded (my words, not yours, but I think we can both agree that's how I come across online). However, I can tell you that for the last year I've worked in an office with five women, all Obama supporters, and none would have anything negative to say about me, nor I them. I've grown very close to them all, and harbor a deep affection for them all.

In fact, the night of the election last year I thought of them, the joy they must have felt, and I shared, just for a moment, in that joy on their behalf. Three of the women have children, and I understood that from that moment on, they could look at their children and feel confident that our nation would not see their color. This is a good thing for them, me, and for all of us.

I've been a conservative since about the time I left the navy, in 1996. I spent five years in college in Maryland sitting in classrooms where my perspective and viewpoint was not just a minority, but often singular. Over the years I began to realize that we oftentimes talk past each other because we fail to question our own assuptions. That's why I think you'll find that I sometimes ask questions that I think will compel others to think outside their own assuptions.

Regarding my intelligence, while I'm aware that I'm fairly sharp (and handsome and humble!), I don't think intelligence is the issue, nor is it the reason I believe what I believe. There are too many intelligent people across the political spectrum for that to be the case. Therefore, I'm not confident about my beliefs because I think I'm intellectually superior to those with whom I disagree. Instead, I'm confident that my conclusions are correct because they are based on a set of principles that history has demonstrated best reflects the true nature of man -- that is, the human condition, mentally and spiritually.

On this point, I think I can say that we disagree. As I noted above (10 Sep 2009, 5:25 AM), I detected some Marxism in your comments. This is not a derogatory slam; far from it. I'm interested in root causes, as you may have noticed in our discussion so far. However, beyond root causes of economics, I'm also interested in root causes of thoughts, beliefs, and actions. In other words, I'm interesting in finding the foundations upon which we build our belief systems. It serves us well as a starting point when we examine complex issues if we can trace philosophies to their roots (just as its nice to know a word's origins to use it properly, so too is it helpful to know philosophical origins understand them properly).

I would argue that our differences on this health insurance issue can be traced back to the 18th century. Two competing notions of the human condition emerged around the time of the American Revolution. I hate to point you to a video, but I think it explains what I'm getting at. A video blog commentator did a short examination of a book I read last year, and which I've found very insightful in explaining the reason there's two main competing political parties in America today.

Of note, the video commentator takes the book's thesis a step beyond what I think the author intended, but I'm confident he extended the idea to its logical conclusion. I'm interested in your take on this thesis. Here's the link.

P.S. What exactly did you mean when you wrote that I seem incredibly angry for someone so young? Is there an age limit? I'm really very happy, professionally and personally. You're looking at my life through a straw via a two-dimensional forum and concluding that I'm a bitter man. When I write online, here and at Facebook, I'm generally writing about politics and world affairs, both of which I'm pretty passionate about and take a great interest in. Thus, when my Congress votes on a $787 billion spending bill without reading it, then, yes, I'm kinda angry. This government has created more debt in 8 months than all administrations in history. Am I too young to be angry about Congress creating trillions of dollars of debt that my children will be burdoned with paying? I think even a zygote would be justified in being angry, so maybe a 42 year old is justified as well.