Without any domain story hanging out their today, wanted to just relay some thoughts on some non-domain related issues.
Michael Vick did not make a Mistake.
I watched the first “Monday Night Football” game last night and during the pre-game show, each of the four analysts, made the same comment on Michael Vick; the guy made a “mistake” and deserves a second chance.
Michael Vick engaged in a activity and an organization that spanned over 5 years, which tortured and killed dogs.
If you want to say the guy committed a crime, went to jail, “paid his debt to society” as they say, and now should be allowed to go on with his life, I have no problem with that.
But what Michael Vick did was not a “mistake”.
You take drugs, you made a mistake.
You get drunk and get into an accident, you made a mistake.
You cheat on your spouse, you made a mistake.
However what Michael Vick did not make a mistake.
What Mike Vick did was not a one time error in judgment.
Those who would hurt or kill innocents, be they animals or children, have fundamental issues that go to the very core of a human being and the human heart.
Lets not minimize what he did or dismiss it as a simple “mistake”.
Woodstock turns 40.
Woodstock was held on this weekend 40 years ago.
Woodstock was probably the most important pop culture event of my lifetime, which had huge implications on politics, war and was the impetuous for significant change in society. If you have XM radio/Sirius they have a channel dedicated to the event. (XM Channel 40) and in a couple of weeks a new movie, “Taking WoodStock”, is being released on August 28th.
Is the recession over?
Recession is an economic term which is defined in terms of negative GDP.
Is this respect the recession well maybe over.
However there has been a fundamental change in the economy.
There are facets of the economy that will not go back to the way they used to operate.
Housing is a real problem.
Not just the fact that foreclosures continue to rise, but because the mortgage market has fundamentally changed.
I talked to a “higher up” at Bank Of America in their Charlotte headquarters this week who gave me the banks new policies.
As of July 1, the bank is no longer writing any construction loans for any amount.
None.
Why?
Because home prices have fallen to the point that they cannot be replaced for cost. Right the bank realizes that you could not build a new home for the price that homes are selling for now.
Second, the bank will not loan more than $2 Million on a home.
Why do you care?
Because since there is no financing the prices of these higher end houses have been failing and will continue to fall. As homes that used to be worth $10 Million are now worth $5M, and have to be bought with $3M down or more, the prices on these homes are going to continue to fall.
As upper end home values collapse, this will trickle down keeps all housing values low, including your house.
Lending standards, from qualification for mortgages to underwriting standards, to limitation on risk, are not a temporary change.
This is a fundamental change that will have long lasting effects of the real estate market at all levels.
Your $500K house is not going to go back up to $1M while $10M houses go down to $3M.
Beyond real estate its pretty clear with all the government spending on stimulus, bailouts and health reform there is little doubt that in the next couple of years your going to see a high inflationary period.
The dollar is plummeting against the Euro.
This is causing oil and other commodities to rise, as all their prices are dollar based.
Oil is around $70 a barrel.
Gold is getting close to $1K an ounce again.
While corporate earnings were up in the quarter ending in June, in almost every case, increased profits were due to cost cutting, including job losses, rather than increased revenue.
You can only cut costs so much for so long.
You need revenue growth.
You need people to be working and spending.
Retail spending is still declining and even worse when you discount the effect of stimulus spending, cash for clunkers and other government programs.
On the horizon, we are looking at one of the largest tax increases on record.
After next year, you will have a top income tax rate of at least, 39.5%, and with some state income tax rates approaching 10%, a possible 5.5% income tax surge charge to pay for national health care, and the lifting or at least increasing the caps on social security payroll taxes which will cost an additional $7,650 on each $100,000 of salary, it all means top earners are going to be paying well over 50% of their income to the government.
Personally I believe that tax increases are going to hit the middle class as well.
There just isn’t enough money to squeeze out of the higher income earners to pay for all the debt and spending the country has committed to.
So the recession maybe over, but the economy is in trouble.
I agree that what Vick did is not a one time mistake but a series of cruel and illegal actions over a multi-year period. But, I disagree with putting children and animals in the same sentence in the context you used. I understand that pet owners have a deep relationship with their pets and that they are regarded as relatives but to someone like myself who has never had one, I just can’t put animals on the same level as children. The ancient Romans did to people for centuries what Vick did to dogs, ie, torture and kill them for entertainment. It was not only accepted but made a public spectacle of. I suppose their civilization had fundamental issues that go to the very core of a human being and the human heart also.
I assume, Mike, that you are a vegetarian? Because how do you draw the line where it’s OK to kill some innocent animals but not others? Or is it only OK if you eat them what you kill but not for entertainment?
N.B. This post in no way minimizes what Vick did as a crime. Thanks for a chance to talk about this.
Tony
I believe the ancient Romans also threw christans to the lions for sport.
For me that’s the difference.
Killing for sport or killing to eat/survive
there is a difference.
I think Tony has a good point. Unless you refuse to eat meat at all you are also participating in the killing of animals by providing the money to purchase them.
I personally see no problem with this. I think that eating animals is fine. I also think that dogfighting is bad and would never do it (I own a little Shitzu, and trust me, anyone who owns a Shitzu can’t help but love dogs… she is sitting on my computer desk as I write this=))
In the end though, I think all of us meat eaters are a little hypocritical. We ruthlessly attack people like Vick, but have no problem eating our burgers.
If we think killing animals is bad then we should stop doing it all together. If we think that taking a life for a 32ounce ribeye is acceptable then who are we to tell others they can’t do it for the enjoyment they get out of watching them fight.
Troy, very well stated. Thanks for the consistency of rationale.
The NFL has plenty of great talent to choose from in this country and should have banned Vick for life.
Re: Michael Vick – You can buy a football game ticket or not…
Re: Woodstock – You can re-live it or not…
Re: Taxes – You have no choice, just a bracket to try to adhere to…
I still love America,
Lake Michigan in the summer,
Florida in the Winter,
and the opportunity for opportunities…
Thanks for the time you give this Blog, MHB.
Ed – Michigan
Tim
At least he went to the Eagles.
Always hated them, gives me more reason to do so.
“innocents”
So I assume you are Pro-life and always vote for the Pro-life candidate. If not, you should stop you self righteous posturing. It is vomit inducing.
Lunst
Not pro-life, just against the killing and torture of animals for the fun of it or in Mike Vicks case to make money gambling on it.
Sorry that makes you sick to your stomach.
Check out CNN. Now, thanks to iReport, 40-year old 8mm films and 35mm slides have been digitized and are being shared by the audience at Woodstock for the first time. Whio knew then the possibilities of now. It speaks to how much we’ve changed and evolved in a single generation. A “Freudian” lower 1/3 title read “Joplin, Hendrix, The Dead.” How true.
My wife asked me to point out that unless an earthquake or other unforeseeable natural disaster causes one married person to be involuntarily thrust against another person (not his or her spouse) resulting in an altogether unintended act of sexual intercourse between the two parties, as a general rule, this sort of behavior is probably not the result of a mistake.
So, you are against the killing and torturing of dogs but not babies. What if a doctor used forceps to rip your legs and arms off without any anesthesia when you were 7 months old in your Mom’s womb. I guess you think it doesn’t hurt.
For a guy who makes most of his money from porn you have a lot of nerve criticizing anybody.
Lunst
They don’t abort babies to bet on the event.
Abortion is also legal, dog fighting is not.
Porn is legal as well.
Of course you know that the killing of jews in Hitler’s Germany was perfectly legal.
I know you are a lawyer, but you should consider getting a conscience before it is too late. No doubt, you are against the abortion of baby dogs and the clubbing of seals.
Lunst
“The killing of jews in Hitler’s Germany was perfectly legal.”
Perfectly that’s why they had a little thing call Nuremberg to put all these perfectly legal acts on trial.
Abortions of baby dog?
Yup those dog abortion clinics are popping up all over the place.
Sober up.
Get off the hard drugs
“Nuremberg”
And what law did the you for the Nuremberg? Obviously,they couldn’t use German law. I bet you don’t know without looking it up.
It is called “Natural Law.”
Well,they might use the same law to put abortion doctors in jail some day.
You must be the one on drugs. You have never posted anything that isn’t riddled with spelling errors. I am surprised how quick you descended into insults. It shows you have no class.
PS. Dog abortions are nothing new. At least learn how to use Google. And while you are at it, look into this thing called “spell check.”
I actually feel embarrassed for you when I read your stuff.
O J made a mistake, Vick is a pschopath