Newt Gingrich: Serial Hypocrisy

Newt Gingrich is a serial hypocrite. In his own words, "It's wrong to adapt radically different positions cause then people have to ask themselves 'What will you tell me next time?'"

What will YOU tell us next Newt?

If we get incredibly lucky he'll flip flop on him being the right person to run for President and he'll drop out of the race. We can only hope right? I may be getting the wrong vibes, but I have a feeling he cares more about himself and winning then he cares about what is right for America. Something just stinks of a dirty politician.

I'll be adding a more comprehensive listing of Newt's many flip flops, but until then enjoy this video:



UPDATE (December 05, 2011): Wow, Ron Paul's Newt Gingrich ad has over 600,000 views on YouTube. This doesn't count the copy videos and the millions of people who've been the ad on TV shows.

Mitt Romney On Fox's Bret Baier: A "Disastrous Interview"

Romney hasn't been in too many one-on-one interviews, and, for him it's probably a good thing. Bret is asking questions very decently and respectfully, but Romney is going on the defensive. He is very shifty, stutters and provides rambling answers that are supposed to satisfy the status quo.

The first video has commentary of what various media figures think of his interview and the other two videos contain his complete interview.




Mitt Romney Speaks to Bret Baier - Part 1




Mitt Romney Speaks to Bret Baier - Part 2

Hilarious Jack Vale Paranoid Prank

Thinking About Voting for Mitt Romney? Think Again.

Please share as much as possible!


Overview Video of Mitt Romney's Flip Flops



Mitt Romney Flip Flopping on Various Important Issues Thanks to whichmitt.com for a lot of the video clips and the effort that went into putting them together. A lot of the quotes come from mittromneyflipflops.com, thanks for putting the list together.

Mitt Romney on Immigration


'Those... paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process toward application for citizenship.'

'Amnesty only led to more people coming into the country.'

For more information, read "The many faces of Mitt Romney" and "Romney: Amnesty the wrong way to go".

Mitt Romney on Roe v. Wade / Abortion


'I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose.'

'I never really called myself pro-choice.'

Read "Mitt Romney's Conversion" and "Mitt Romney Says He Was Never Pro-Choice on Abortion as Mass Governor" for more information.

'Roe v. Wade has gone too far.'

'I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.'

For more information, read "The GOP Debate in New Hampshire" and watch "The Real Romney?".



Mitt Romney on the Economy


Mitt Romney on Health Care




'I like mandates. The mandates work.'

'I think it's unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front.'

For more information read "Did Romney Endorse the Federal Mandate" and "Romney: Hey, At Least My Health Care Take Over Was Done At The State Level".

'If Massachusetts succeeds in implementing it, then that will be a model for the nation.'

'What works in one state may not be the answer for another.'

For more information read "Romney Care Will Be a Model for the Nation" and "
If I Were President: Obamacare, One Year In".

Mitt Romney on Ronald Reagan


'I'm not trying to return to Reagan-Bush.'

'Ronald Reagan is... my hero.'

For more information read "I'm Not Trying to Return to Reagan-Bush!" and "Deroy Murdock: Romney is like Reagan: an actor".

Mitt Romney on Payroll Tax Cut


'I believe the tax on capital gains should be zero.'

'It's a tax cut for fat cats.'

For more information, read "Four More Years of the Bush Economy" and "Mitt Romney - Waffle-Man".

Mitt Romney on the Flat Tax


Mitt Romney on Climate Change


'My view is that we don't know what's causing climate change on this planet.'

'I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that.'

For more information read "Romney Reverses Course: Now Says We Don't Know What is Causing Climate Change".

'These carbon emission limits will provide real and immediate progress.'

'Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.'

For more information, read "Governor Mitt Romney on the Current Environmental Debate" and "Surprise: Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Far to Go to Meet Voters' Desires on the Environment".

Mitt Romney on the Recovery Act / Stimulus / Bailouts / TARP






'The TARP program... was nevertheless necessary to keep banks from collapsing in a cascade of failures.'

'When government is... bailing out banks... we have every good reason to be alarmed.'

Read "Did Romney Flip Flop on TARP" for more information.

'The all-Democrat stimulus that was passed in early 2009 will accelerate the timing of the start of the recovery...'

'The all-Democrat stimulus passed in early 2009 has been a failure.'

For more information read "No apology: the case for American greatness" and "Another flip-flop? Romney now disses stimulus".

'I'm going to take burdens off the back of the auto industry.'

'Detroit needs a turnaround, not a check.'

For more information, read "Is Mitt Romney taking Michigan for a ride?" and "Mitt Romney: Let Detroit Go Bankrupt".


Mitt Romney on Occupy Wall Street


Mitt Romney on Unions


Mitt Romney on Stem Cell Research


'I will work and fight for stem cell research.'

'In the end, I became persuaded that the stem-cell debate was grounded in a false premise.'

For more information, read "Mitt Romney lies about abortion" and "A Stem-Cell Solution".

Mitt Romney on Muslim Cabinet Members

'Based on the numbers of American Muslims... I cannot see that a cabinet position would be justified.'

'A person should not be elected because of his faith nor should he be rejected because of his faith.'

Read "Romney: Muslims Not Needed in Cabinet" and "Romney and Religion" for more information.

Mitt Romney of the Gun Control / the NRA

'I don't line up with the NRA.'

'I'm a member of the [NRA].'

For more information read "Oscar-Worthy Performance".

Mitt Romney on Hunting

'I've been a hunter pretty much all my life.'

'Any description of my being a hunter is an overstatement of capability.'

For more information read, "Romney's Hunting Experience Limited to Two Trips, Despite Claims" and "Mitt Romney’s strategies for success".

Mitt Romney on Campaign Finance Reform

'I would like to have campaign spending limits.'

'The American people should be free to advocate for their candidates and their positions without burdensome limitations.'

For more information read "Yet Another Romney Flip-Flop: Campaign Finance Reform" and "Fred Thompson Was Critical to McCain-Feingold".



Mitt Romney on Being a Conservative

'Relative to the leading candidates, some people see me as being more conservative.'

'I'm not the most conservative candidate.'

For more information, read "Romney says media are focused on him".

Mitt Romney on the Minimum Wage

'I think the minimum wage ought to keep pace with inflation.'

'There's no question raising the minimum wage excessively causes a loss of jobs.'

For more information, read "Mitt Romney and the Minimum Wage" and "Conservapedia: Mitt Romney".



Mitt Romney on Seeing Martin Luther King March

'I saw my father march with Martin Luther King.'

'I did not see it with my own eyes.'

For more information, read "Mitt Romney’s Dad Didn’t Really March With Martin Luther King Jr." and "To See Or Not To See".



Mitt Romney on Social Security

'I'm not in favor of privatizing Social Security or making cuts.'

'Social Security's the easiest and that's because you can give people a personal account.'

For more information, read "You Say Privatize, I Leave Out the ize" and "Mitt Romney interview".


Mitt Romney Flip Flopping on Being a Flip Flopper



'I'm a strong believer in stating your position and not wavering.'

'I changed my position.'

For more information, read "The Real Mitt Romney" and "Mitt Romney Says He Was Never Pro-Choice on Abortion as Mass Governor".

Mitt Romney on Dog Kennel on Top of Car



'This is a completely airtight kennel mounted on the top of our car.'

'They're not happy that my dog loves fresh air.'

For more information, read "Mitt Romney on 'FOX News Sunday'" and "Romney builds image as front-runner".



Mitt Romney on Catching Ben Laden

'It's not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.'

'He's going to pay, and he will die.'

For more information, read "Does Romney Get It?" and "Mitt Romney on War & Peace".

Mitt Romney on Fannie and Freddie

What if?

Ron Paul on CBS Face the Nation - Bob Schieffer Attempts to Take Out Ron Paul and Fails

Watch the video, or read the complete transcript below. Bob Schieffer tries to ask Ron Paul questions that will make him falter, but fails pretty miserably. When I first watched this, I was pretty upset, but then I realized  it was actually a good thing for Ron Paul.

TRANSCRIPT:From CBS News in Washington, Face the Nation with Bob Schieffer.

BOB SCHIEFFER: We begin this morning with Congressman Ron Paul. The polls, Mister Paul, suggest that you're now in the thick of it out in Iowa; basically in a statistical tie with Romney, with Cain, and with Mister Gingrich. So I want to ask you some questions. Now that you're among the front-runners, we need to know more about your positions on the issues. And I want to start with foreign policy because your statements over the years posted on your website and elsewhere some of the things you have said in the debates suggest that you believe that 9/11 happened because of actions that the United States took. Is that correct?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (Republican Presidential Candidate/R-Texas): Oh, I-- I-- I think there's an influence. And that's exactly what, you know, the 9/11 Commission said. That's what the DOD has said. And that's also what the CIA has said and that's what a lot of researchers have said. And just remember immediately after 9/11 we removed the base from Saudi Arabia. So there is a connection. That doesn't do the whole full explanation. But our policies definitely had an influence. And you talk to the people who committed it and those individuals who would like to do us harm, they say, yes, we don't like American bombs to be falling on our country. And we don't like the intervention that we do in their nations. So to deny this I think is very dangerous. But to argue the case that they want to do us harm because we're free and prosperous I think is a very, very dangerous notion because it's not true.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, I-- I would-- I would question the import of what some of those commissions found that-- that you've cited there. But basically what you're saying, Mister Paul, is that it was America's fault that 9/11 happened and it was our fault that it happened?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: No. I-- I think that's-- I think that's a misco-- misconstruing of what I'm saying because America is you and I. And we didn't cause it. The average American didn't cause it. But if you have a flawed policy, it may influence it. When Ronald Reagan went in to Lebanon, he was deeply-- he deeply regretted this because he said if he'd been more neutral those Marines wouldn't have died in Lebanon because the policy was flawed. The same thing that McNamara said after the Vietnam War. He wrote in his memoirs that, you know, if-- if he would have changed-- if it-- if we don't learn from our policies, it won't be worth anything. So I'm saying policies have an effect. But that's a far cry from blaming America.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): I mean, in America you're supposed--

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. But-- yeah-- all right.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): --to be able to criticize your own government. You're supposed to be able to criticize your own government without saying you're un-American.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Of course. But what's your--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): And that's the implication is.

BOB SCHIEFFER: But what-- what you are saying it-- it was the government's fault. That-- that basically is what you're saying. Let me move on to-- from something else.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: I'm saying the policyma-- the policymakers' fault--

BOB SCHIEFFER: The policymakers fault.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): --contributed to it.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): Contributed to it.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Let me ask you this. Am I correct that your idea of how to discourage Iran from building nuclear weapons is to be nicer to Iran's leaders? Is that correct?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Well, I-- I-- no. I think to be-- you know, we have twelve thousand diplomats, I'm suggesting that maybe we ought to use some of them. But just think of how we prevented a nuclear war with the Soviets when the Soviet mi-- missiles were reported in Cuba. We didn't say we're going to attack you. Kennedy and Khrushchev talked and they made a deal. You take your weapons out of Cuba, we'll take them out of Turkey. That's the kind of talk that I want. I don't-- I think the greatest danger now is for us to overreact. And this is what I'm fearful of. Iran doesn't have a bomb. There's no proof. There's no new information regardless of this recent report. And for us to overreact and talk about bombing Iran, that's much more dangerous. We got the--

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: --we got the Libyans to-- to-- we got the Libyans to get rid of their nuclear power and their nuclear weapons. And look at what happened to them.

BOB SCHIEFFER: I-- I--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): So--

BOB SCHIEFFER: Mister Paul--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): We got to understand that.

BOB SCHIEFFER: May I interrupt just for a second. No one has suggested in the U.S. government that we are going to bomb Iran. What they have said is that we're going to impose--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Ah.

BOB SCHIEFFER: --very tough sanctions. You are against sanctions on Iran, is that correct?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Yeah, be-- because sanctions are the initial step to war. I was opposed to all the sanctions for ten years in the bombing that was occurring with Iraq as I said it would lead to war. But if you say nobody is suggesting it, why don't you listen to the debates? I mean listen to--

BOB SCHIEFFER: Mister-- Mister Paul.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL (overlapping): --the some of the other candidates.

BOB SCHIEFFER: May I correct you. I am listening to the debates. I know there have been some candidates who've talked about that including Mister Romney. The United States government--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Right.

BOB SCHIEFFER: --has not said we're going to bomb Iran. I mean that-- that's just a prank.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: No, Bob, actually they haven't said-- obviously, they haven't said that. But the implication is-- is nothing is off the table. You've heard those statements.

BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, yes. All right. Let's move on then. Do you think there is any place in the world where United States forces should be stationed? You've talked about bringing them home from Afghanistan, from-- from Iraq. Is there any place where you think it helps us to have U.S. forces stationed?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: No. Other than the fact that I think a submarine is a very worthwhile weapon. And I believe we can defend ourselves with submarines and all our troops back at home. This whole idea that we have to be in a hundred and thirty countries and nine hundred bases; now they've just invented a weapon that can hit any spot in the world in one hour.

BOB SCHIEFFER (overlapping): So you would--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: I mean, what's this idea? This is old-- this is old-fashioned idea that you have to keep troops on nine hundred bases around the world, makes no sense at all.

BOB SCHIEFFER: How--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Besides we're bankrupt. We can't afford it any longer.

BOB SCHIEFFER: So you would-- you would-- if you were President, you'd bring home the troops from Japan; you'd bring home the troops from South Korea? You would. Okay.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Absolutely. And the people are with-- the people are with me on that because we can't afford it. It'd save us a lot of money. All those troops would spend their money here at home. And besides those troops overseas aggravate our enemies, motivate our enemies. I think it's a danger to our national defense and we can save a lot of money cutting out the military expenditures that contribute nothing to our defense.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Let me ask you about some domestic things. Your plan to get the country back on a firm financial footing is to close, including among other things, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, Commerce, Interior, Housing and Urban Development. You would cut back the federal workforce by ten percent. You've also suggested we should close FEMA which is the emergency management agency. I--

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Right.

BOB SCHIEFFER: --I have to ask you this. What do you do about all the things that those agencies control, run, supervise? For example, what-- what happens to the national parks if you close the Department of the Interior? Do we just let them go by the by or what?

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: No. No-- no way. And-- and the program deals with this, there's transition funds. But we would like to see a lot of land sold off but we're not just going to ignore the parks. No, not-- not at all. I mean the-- the money isn't there. These are departments that are doing too much. The American people are sick and tired of our educational system. Just think of how we've been involved and give out loans and we educate students. The price that-- cost of education goes up. They graduate. They don't have jobs. And they have a trillion dollars worth of debt. We have to question that. This country is in bankruptcy.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: We have to deal with it. We can't-- we can't remain in denial. And that is my argument. And believe me, this is why I'm getting a good reception on the campaign trail.

BOB SCHIEFFER: All right. Well, we want to thank you for coming on this morning and for answering the questions. Ron Paul, thanks for being here this morning.

REPRESENTATIVE RON PAUL: Thank-- thank you.

I know, I'm a Christian and I Shouldn't Have Done That

Somehow a lot of people are under the misconception that Christians are always supposed be "good." Even worse they think Christians think they are perfect. If you are one of these people I'm more than happy to inform you that both of these prepositions are definately not true. While some may have a pious attitude, the truth is Christians, including me, mess up a heck of a lot.

Despite my many shortcomings, the wonderful thing is God loves me anyway. Does that mean I'm free to go do whatever I want? Not exactly. See, I believe in having a personal relationship with Jesus (God) and because I have that relationship, I love God. Because I love God, I choose, out of my own free will, to follow his commandments as well as I possibly can.

When you love someone you do things they like. To show love for my wife I buy her flowers. To show love for God I attempt to follow his will for my life. I don't always succeed in this, but that doesn't mean God stops loving me. If you look to the bible, as bible believers do, it talks about God's unconditional love for those who follow him.

So, I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that, but my God loves me anyway! 

Police Brutality, the First Amendment and the Occupy Wall Street Movement

Whether or not you agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement, every American who watches this video should be horrified at the lack of respect the government has for the first amendment of our constitution. Unfortunately, the type of police brutality seen in this video isn't a unique case, it's something that has been happening throughout the country. Sure, in some areas the crowds may have gotten a little out of hand, but in most cases the brutality has been uncalled for and a direct violation of the First Amendment. In order to get around the Constitution, some local and state governments have even enacted laws that make legal participation in the protests very difficult.



The first amendment of the constitution is quite clear on this issue, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

My personal opinion of the Occupy movement is that some of their protests are good (anti-corporatism and anti-fed) and some aren't so good (anti-capitalism), but that's irrelevant to the point of this post. The point is that Americans should have the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government. It's a fundamental principle that was put in place to keep our society free and it's very disturbing to see that our rights are being violated so blatantly.

Americans shouldn't give up on the principle of liberty so easily.

Reality Check: What is wrong with Ron Paul?

Why Not Vote for Herman Cain? Watch Herman Cain on Libya and You Won't Give It a Second Thought

Wow! And how is he doing well in the polls? Pretty clearly he needs to stick to making Pizza.

Bloomberg Iowa Republican Poll - Yahoo Is Part of the Media Bias Against Ron Paul

Take a look at this screen shot of the Yahoo home page. It has four candidates in the photo and a link to the article titled, "Poll: It's Now a Four Way Race in Iowa". 

When you read the headline and look at the photo, one would naturally assumed that the candidates in the photo are the "four" mentioned. Wrong! If you click the link and read the article, you find that it is talking about today's Bloomberg Iowa Poll results. The top four in order are Herman Cain (20%), Ron Paul (19%), Romney (18%), and Gingrich (17%). The article further mentions that the strength of support for Ron Paul is the strongest out of any candidate. Strong support, of course, means an increased likelihood of actually participating in the caucuses. So in reality, Ron Paul is the front runner. One would expect him to be at least somewhere in the photo, instead Rick Perry (with only 7% in the Poll) takes his place. 

And the media claim they aren't biased????

Science of Motivation - The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Use At Home and Work

Great video by Dan Pink and RSAnimate that questions the traditional theories of motivation, which are 1) If you reward something you get more of the behavior you want and 2) If you punish something you get less of the behavior you want. The video illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace.

Ron Paul Gets Only 89 Seconds During South Carolina Debate. Watch It All Here.

Debate Bias Against Ron Paul - What To Do About Ron Paul Getting Only 90 Seconds To Speak

Everyone who is a Ron Paul supporter knows about the bias that has been going on against him in virtually every debate. For example, in last night's debate he only had 90 seconds to talk. Which is less any of the other candidates, even though he is polling significantly higher than several of them.

Here is a video that mentions several ideas that could help resolve this problem. My personal favorite is the idea of Ron Paul walking off the stage in protest. At least that would make headlines and get some of his ideas noticed. 

Ron Paul is Getting a Lot of Flattery from Other Candidates

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. If that's true Ron Paul has been getting a lot of that lately. 


Many of the Republican presidential candidates have been verbally critical of Ron Paul, but their actions tell a somewhat different story. Recently I've heard almost all of the them say something that they picked up from Ron Paul. I think they realized people like his ideas and decided to adopt his ideas to attract more votes.


Rick Perry is the worst in this area. Ron Paul released his budget plan and out of a sudden Rick Perry decides he wants to cut three departments. During the debate a couple days ago it became pretty obvious who he got the idea from when he looked over at Ron Paul for support during his "oops" mess up. He has also picked up on Ron Paul's criticism of the Federal Reserve.


Even though Romney has been pretty critical of Ron Paul, even he has pulled most of his spending cut ideas straight from the lines of Ron Paul's budget plan. Compare Romney's plan with Ron Paul's plan released about two weeks early.  


Newt Gingrich joined with Ron Paul to criticize student loan programs, saying the loan program expanded the ability of students "to stay in college longer because they don't see the cost." He called it "an absurdity.""to stay in college longer because they don't see the cost." He called it "an absurdity." He also noticed Ron Paul's idea of ending the fed was popular, so next thing we know he is talking about it too.


Michele Bachmann has flip-flopped on some of her war issues, but she has said that she thinks we are doing too much nation building. Here is a clip of her sounding like Ron Paul http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWNNfSZ-G8. This is quite different from the approach she was taking in yesterday's South Carolina debate.


I've noticed a lot of other aspects of Ron Paul's message that other candidates have picked up on, but I don't have time to find and list them all. My point is that even the status quo candidates are realizing that Ron Paul's message is resonating in our country and that they have to adopt some of his ideas or lose votes. Ron Paul stands for his beliefs even if he risks losing popularity. Most of the other candidates change their message based on what they think will get them elected.


The only republican candidate that doesn't seem to do this is Jon Huntsmann. He is also the only other candidate that isn't a warmonger. Ron Paul/Jon Huntsmann 2012?

How is Ron Paul Different From the Other Candidates?

Top Ten Job Postings / Occupations with Low Unemployment Rates

Not counting the underemployed, the unemployment rate is at 9.1% and over 14 million people are unemployed, but there is hope for some people. This is a list of ten occupations that have the most job posting according to the analysis of Indeed.com.  


"The data is an encouraging sign that, despite a struggling economy, opportunities are available in a variety of sectors," says Paul Forster, chief executive and co-founder of Indeed.com.

1. Registered Nurses - Job postings: 132,283
2. Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer - Job postings: 100,917
3. Software Quality Assurance Engineers and Testers - Job postings: 83,206
4. Customer Service Representatives - Job postings: 67,958 
5. Sales Managers - Job postings: 65,925
6. Physical Therapists - Job postings: 53,009
7. Sales Representatives, Services, All Other - Job postings: 46,808
8. Occupational Therapists - Job postings: 46,598
9. Managers, All Other - Job postings: 39,634
10. Computer Software Engineers, Applications - Job postings: 65,920

If the odds are against you, change your odds. Maybe changing your odds means getting qualified for positions in one of these fields.

I Had the Blues Because I Had No Shoes, Until One Day Upon the Street I Met a Man Who Had No Feet

Your Credit Card Transactions Will Be Used To Target You With Web Ads

Next time you go to to a fast food restaurant you could go on the Internet half an hour later and see a weight loss ad on your favorite Web site.

Brought to you by your credit card company of course. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article (October 25, 2011), the two largest credit-card transaction companies, Visa and MasterCard have recently patented technologies that would utilize their massive consumer transaction databases to target consumers with online advertisements. Targeted online advertising is nothing new, but this could bring targeting to a whole new level. Most people either use a credit card or a debit card to make purchases. If a marketer knows exactly what you are buying, they can target you with exactly what you are interested in. As Visa puts it, "You are what you purchase."

Visa and MasterCard's technology patents have included details on how credit card transaction data would be linked with an individual's other behavior profiles, such as social network usage and even DNA databanks. Both companies claim that personal information would be "anonymized", but I have my doubts.
Be careful, the big companies are watching.

The Starfish Story - Making a Difference a Little at a Time

Most people have heard this story before, but if you haven't it's a good one to get you thinking.

An old man was walking down the beach just before dawn.  In the distance he saw a young man picking up stranded starfish and throwing them back into the sea. 

As the old man approached the young man, he asked; "Why do you spend so much energy doing what seems to be a waste of time?" 

The young man explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.  "But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of starfish, exclaimed the old man.  "How can your efforts make any difference?" 

The young man looked down at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw it to safety in the sea, he said; "It makes a difference to this one."

The poorest of the poor at the highest level in 35 years

20 million or 6.7% of Americans are classified as the poorest of the poor according to new census data. The poorest of the poor are defined as those people who make up the lowest 50% of the poverty level. 

This means an individual income of 5,500 and an income for a family of four of 11,100. Detroit, Grand Rapids MI, and Akron OH are some of the areas with the highest levels of the poorest of the poor.

Source: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/july-dec11/poverty_11-03.html

This is very sobering indeed. This and another article I was reading by worldhunger.org. It said that 925,000 people in the world suffer from a lack of food. http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm

If you are blessed enough to not be included in the poorest of the poor category in this country or in the world, be thankful! And don't forget about the people who don't have anything.

How To Save Thousands On Your Home Loan Payments

If you make extra payments that total 10 to 20% of your loan balance during the first few years of your mortgage, you can substantially lower the amount of interest paid during the loan period. For example, if you took a 30 year, $100,000 loan at an interest rate of 6.25%, you would pay a grand total of $121,000 in interest. If, however, you made an extra payment of $20,000 during the first year you would only pay $53,270 in interest payments. So, instead of spending $221,000 in total mortgage payments, you would only spend $153,270!

Find Out How Much You Could Save
Enter Loan Information Into An Amortization Calculator
First, use an amortization schedule calculator (available at http://www.amortization-calc.com/) to generate an amortization table. It would something like this:

Loan Summary - Total of Interest Payments and Total of All Payments
Based on this example, the total amount spent on a $100,000 home loan would $221,658. Interest on the debt would cost you $121,658

Amortization Schedule
Here is an amortization schedule for the loan amount in the example above. As you can see, at the start of the loan most of your annual payment goes toward interest. In year one, $6,216 goes towards interest and only $1,171 goes towards principle. At year 30, most of your annual payment goes towards principle and hardly any goes towards interest.

Scenario # 1: Paying Down $10,000 Starting at Time Zero
In this example, you would make a single extra payment of $10,000 immediately after getting your home loan. Doing this would knock your loan balance down to $90,000 and the interest/principle payment would start at year 8. What does this mean? Simply put, it means you would save a grand total of $41,753 in interest payments!

Scenario # 2: Paying Down $20,000 Starting at Time Zero
In this example, you would make an extra payment of $20,000 immediately after getting your home loan. Doing this would knock your loan balance down to $80,000 and the interest/principle payment would start at year 13. This means you would reduce your total interest payments by over $68,000. Instead of paying $121, 658 in interest you would only pay $53,270! Another benefit - the required time needed to pay off your loan would be reduced from 30 years to only 17!

Why Refinancing At a Lower Interest Rate May Not Be a Good Idea
Interest rates are great and it is very tempting to refinance, but make sure you run some calculations before you do so. When you refinance, you start the payment cycle over, which means you are also paying a higher interest/principle ratio. Using the example in Scenario #2, let's say you get a refinance offer with a 5% interest rate after the loan balance was reduced to $80,000. Doing this would start your payment cycle over at year one and would increase the 30 year interest total to $74,604. If you chose not to refinance in this type of circumstance, the remaining interest would only be $53,270.

Paying Your Loan Down by 10 to 20% Has The Greatest Long Term Payoff
While exact numbers depend upon your unique situation, you can probably save a lot of money. I encourage you to run the numbers. It may be worth scrimping for a year or two and saving a lot in the long run.

What If You've Already Been Making Payments for a Few Years?
If you've already been making payments for awhile, you can still save. Here is an example: