Several topics have been swirling in my head lately...
I've been rather busy with the business lately, although I've had several topics running around in my head to put to blog. I'm concerned with the perception we have here at home, of our troops and all the good they are doing in Iraq. I'm also concerned with the lack of border security. And to top it all off, I'm concerned about the mortgage crisis and the inappropriate lending which has gone on in our country.
As I sit here in Central Texas, (I live next to Ft. Hood) I am keenly aware of the impact of the 'drive-by media' upon our troops and the loved ones they leave behind while they are on duty. Many of the families here do not watch or listen to the traditional news broadcasts, because they are skewed to the 'liberal left' and are only concerned as to the number of soldiers killed in Iraq. How a person can be 'for the troops but against the cause' is beyond me. If you are for the troops, you put your best forward to make sure that they have all the support they need, and not just 'lip support.' They need to be supported with boxes from home, with positive messages that we appreciate what they are doing, with politicians who can't discern the difference between a political battle and a military battle. So often the 'If it bleeds, it leads' takes over the airwaves, and no one wants to hear of a playground which was rebuilt by US Troops, the vaccinations which were given our by US Troops, the rebuilding of a village by US Troops, and the way we drove hostile forces out of an area so that individuals and families can feel free and safe to move about their city.
I've continued to get comments on the Immigration, Economics & Stolen Land blog. If you haven't read this, please do, and post your comments. I'm very interested in what everyone has to say. I personally don't believe that we will see a solution to the problem on undocumented aliens in our country until the next presidency. As Bush is a lame-duck, he will be loathe to take on any goals unless real consensus can be built within the House & Senate and among the populace. My position is that everyone has to be documented if they want entrance to the party, just like my grandparents, my great-grandparents and probably yours also, they went through the process of coming to this country to have a better life and to seek their riches in this country. If you went into Mexico illegally, you face a stiff prison term. Shouldn't it be the same here?
I read with interest several weeks ago the tale of a woman in Manchester who purchased a home about two years ago, and was being foreclosed upon. She told a tale of having her financials stated higher than they actually were so that she could achieve the American dream of home ownership. Unfortunately, it turned out that the dream had fangs. She lost her home, and her finances are in a mess. This goes back to what I've written about several times, in that we lack a system of affordable housing not only in NH, but in many areas of our country.
If housing outpaces the income of individuals in a given area, those individuals who can't keep up will have to move. This includes everyone who supports us: your children's teachers; the police and fire officers; the nice lady who helped you with a pair of pants at Macy's; and the young woman who made your coffee at Dunkin Donuts this morning. Could you do with out all these people in your life?
NH is not new to this dilemma. I've been seeing this happen in Biloxi, MS as well, for different reasons. Biloxi lost the majority of its apartments in Hurricane Katrina. Many apartment building set aside units for Section 8 and low-income people. Now, the owners of those buildings have either sold to casinos or developers or decided to convert to high-rise condos. Many of the people who lived in those apartments worked at the casinos. Where will they live? How far will they be willing to travel for a job which pays $9.50/hour?
