If you
are a gun owner or even if you are not, this should be of concern to
you. California Democrats are considering legislation to severely limit
sales of ammunition, ban gun shows in the Cow Palace and
eliminate your right to re-load your own ammo by outlawing the sale of
black powder and other elements.
I don't
care if you're a 'gun nut' or not, this should be scaring you. Once
again it's the government
meddling in places they don't belong, restricting access
for legitimate gun owners and acting in direct contra-indication to the
rights bestowed on us by our constitution.
Do you
really think banning sales of more than 50 pieces of ammunition a month
will do ANYTHING to deter criminals? No, it will impact the
recreational gun owner who enjoys a weekend of shooting (and there are
lots of them). Do you think banning gun sales at the Cow Palace will
eliminate criminals easy access to guns? Not for a minute - but for
Democrats it's just the first step toward outlawing gun sales in any
publicly owned venue, then any privately owned venue, then...
I hate
to sound trite but 'When
guns are outlawed - only outlaws will have guns'.
Democrats will not be happy until every single freedom you and I enjoy
is either taken away completely or placed under the benevolent
supervision and control of 'the government' or whomever they see fit to
assign as arbiters of justice and freedom. Stalin tried it. Hitler gave
it a run. It's in the news today from Iran. and it's news from
Sacramento - like those boneheads don't have enough to worry about in
this fiscally and morally bankrupt state. As if Mark Leno's
comedic performance on the budget webinar last week wasn't enough, now
he's stepping even further away from anything he knows anything about.
Blueberry commission, pomegranite standards, mylar balloons and
ammunition rationing? Yeah we need more of that kind of sh**.
Well, it
probably doesn't concern your freedom - after all, you're not one of those gun owners.
But let me re-iterate a slogan that I fear all too much. 'When they
came for the Jews I said nothing, for I
was not a Jew. When they came for the Gypsies, I said
nothing because I was not a
Gypsy and didn't want to make waves. When they came for
the Catholics, I said nothing because I'm
not a Catholic and didn't want them to notice me. Then
they came for me ... and there was nobody left to stand in my defense.'
Think I'm being paranoid? Just ask the former Chairman of GM, ask
Chrysler, ask the banks, health care providers, insurance carriers -
who are they coming for next?
If you
don't stand for something, you stand for nothing. I'm not a gun owner
but this BS infuriates me. Hopefully you will take a moment. Sen John Benoit
is Vice-Chair of the Public Safety Committee and local to the
Riverside/Palm Springs area. Please read up on the issue and let our
legislators know they should be concentrating on more important matters
- like saving
our failing state - not worried about injecting themselves
into yet another area of our lives.
Assembly
Bill 962
and Senate
Bill 585
are scheduled to
be considered on Tuesday, June 30.AB962
will be heard in the Senate Public Safety Committee and SB585 will be
considered by the Assembly Public Safety Committee.
Sponsored
by Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), AB962
would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of
ammunition
per month, even between family and friends, unless you are registered
as a
“handgun ammunition vendor” in the Department of Justice’s
database.
Ammunition retailers would have to be licensed and store ammunition in
such a
manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The
bill would also require purchasers submit to fingerprinting, which
would be
kept in dealers' records and subject to inspection by the Department of
Justice.Lastly,
mail order ammunition sales would be
prohibited.
SB585,
introduced
by State Senator Mark Leno (D-3), would prohibit
the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the
buildings
that comprise the Cow
Palace.
In short, SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all
publicly-owned
property in California. It
is imperative that you stand-up and respectfully
make your voices heard!Please contact the members of the
Senate Public Safety
Committee and urge them to oppose AB962.Also, please contact the members of the Assembly Committee
on Public
Safety and insist that they defeat SB585.Contact information can be found
below.
Tuesday after speaking
to the City Council about our housing market, several people followed me
out as I left the chambers. Usually they're chasing me with cudgels, but this night they just wanted to share
stories and ask about getting
help with their housing problems.
One story I still hear
way too often in spite of all our efforts to get the word out was a
story of fraud. One gentleman lamented that he had sent $2,500 to a Florida company
that promised to get his loan modified. Not only has nothing been done
in three months, but now they don't even answer the phone there and
their website states they no longer do business in California. Nice!
What should he do?
My advice - kiss the $2,500 good-bye and don't send
anymore money to scam artists. I did put him in touch with
the District Attorney and the Attorney General because how is one
individual going to sue a company clear across the country - especially
a company that was probably founded
on fraudulent grounds and specializes in flim-flam? That
he possesses no significant resources and has only a halting command of
English doesn't make it any easier for him to proceed and undoubtedly
made him a prime target for the unscrupulous. I've also put him in
touch with a legitimate counseling service and the HUD website and hope
it's not too late for him to recover.
On
the flip side, last night I got a call from a good friend of mine on an
altogether happier matter - his loan modification
had been approved! Honest. I don't know about you but this
is the first success story I've heard from the Making Home Affordable
program and it was a welcome relief from all the failures experienced
by so many. There
may be rays of sunshine out there somewhere, folks.
My
friend - let's call him Fred - said he was fed up with the 20 calls and
letters he was getting every day offering to refi or modify his loan
for a fee - or to make his mortgage go away completely. From being my
friend for years he knows all about fraud and only recently came to
realize how pervasive it is in the housing industry. He found the
onslaught of offers frustrating and very insulting in their blatant
attempts to rip him off.
And
it's not that Fred was in imminent danger of losing his home but being self-employed they have
seen a substantial decline in their own business the past couple years
and are finding that the money
runs out before the month does anymore. So they contacted
their lender, Chase,
on-line and he said the
process couldn't have been easier or simpler. They filed
the appropriate paperwork on March 8 and this month their monthly
mortgage payment will be reduced
by over $200 - or about 18%. Granted we're not talking
huge numbers here (especially for California) but how many people do
you know who would be able to stay in their home with even that amount
of relief?
Now
over the years Fred and Betty have been prudent homeowners. They bought
their house during the last big drop for about $90,000. After 16 years
and two kids, the house needed some updating and repairs so they refi'd in 2007 but only took out the amount they needed for
the update. Their current mortgage is about $125,000
though at the time they could have sucked more than $300,000 equity out
of the house. They also have the good fortune to have a Fannie/Freddie backed loan,
which is not all that common in California - especially after the
over-heated run-up the past few years. And they still have positive equity in their
home and they are not delinquent
in their payments even though they've been paying a $38 late fee for so
long it seems like part of the mortgage.
The
modification was accomplished through an interest
rate adjustment only - the principle
and term remain the same. Based on individual
circumstances he said there are programs where the principle might be
reduced or the term extended to 40 years in combination with an
interest rate reduction but those options didn't apply in their case.
Their assigned caseworker was personable and almost always answered her
phone immediately. She encouraged them to be diligent in their
follow-up every week or two, was happy to answer questions and the promise of an answer within 120
days was actually less than 90.
As
Fred pointed out - this is a legitimate program
for legitimate people. I know I'm happy as heck for my
friends as they do a lot for our community with minimal compensation.
It's great
to see deserving people get something for a change.
I've sprinkled a variety
of company logos throughout this post. If you click on any of them,
it'll take you to the company website where the details of their
modification program is available. The Making Home
Affordable site even has an easy
on-line form to see if you might qualify. It couldn't get
much simpler. The Help for Homeowners
site is currently local to Riverside County, but expanding. This group
puts on seminars throughout the region geared to put homeowners in
touch with FREE
or low-cost LEGITIMATE resources to help refi, modify,
short-sale or even lose your home (everybody
cannot be helped). This is done with every effort to
provide relief, comfort and with as little impact as possible with an eye to future homeownership
for those who can't be helped right now.
There are resources
available. Remember - if the deal sounds
too good to be true, it probably is. If they ask for money up front - it's probably a scam.
Also be aware of 'affinity'
fraud. Your own ethnic
group will prey on you before others. Your church group, your workplace (nurses,
teachers) are all more likely to be victimized
by an inside job - somebody you may know and trust.
If you're in trouble, start with YOUR OWN
bank first. Be patient,
be persistent and
be professional.
If they can help you they PROBABLY will. Banks don't always seem to
operate rationally or in their own best interest (or yours)
but as Freed & Betty can tell you - sometimes
it works just right and sometimes you win the lotto. Good
Luck.
I
make no pretense at being a golfer - let me get that out right up
front. But as they say, a bad day golfing is better than a good day
working. THEY say that. I say that about fishing, which I
prefer to golf, but if you can't go fishing, golf will do. Golf is
another one of those 'sports' where you can drink while you're
practicing it, or playing it or whatever it is you do with it.
I like that in a sport. And unlike fishing where you have to haul your
own supplies, in golf there's a sweet young lady that travels the
course in the 'beer truck'. That's right - they bring it icy cold right
to you. That puts it right up a notch above bowling - where you
sometimes have to walk several feet to a bar.
There's
also a lot of cussing in golf I've noticed. If you haven't been, here's
what it sounds like in the T area:
Golfer
#1 - Thwack / sunava %}}@~.
Golfer
#2 - Thwack / Mother 4w%%$3.
Golfer
#3 - Thwack / {?**^>
ball/club/wind.
Golfer #4 - Thwack /
well you catch my drift.
Again,
not really a negative to my mind. And golf cussing is pretty mild.
Heck, I grew up in a mining town - those old boys had cussing down to
an art form.
But
I digress - I do enjoy golf. I get my moneys worth when I golf because
I spend way more time on the course than the average bear
whiffing around in 3 or 4 hours in his brightly colored shorts
ensemble. If I don't start before noon, I might as well take along a
sleeping bag and some freeze dried grub. If I had
glow-in-the-dark balls I'd be a happy man - I could play all night. (That may have come out
wrong.) Actually, when I lived in Minnesota I played with bright orange balls, which makes them very easy to see and hard to lose. (again, don't go there). When I moved to California some
a** took pains to point out that those were 'snow balls' - orange so
you could play in the snow. Only a total doofus would sport them in
SoCal.
Thank
you very much Mr. Chartreuse Shirt Man.
I
also feel it's my tribute to the designer of the course, to come to
know the intricacies he designed into the course. They planned those
big sandy areas, trees, rivers and lakes all for our enjoyment yet most
golfers only try to avoid them. They also placed courses in beautiful
wildlife areas and it's fun to explore the surrounding flora (&
fauna). You don't even want to know how many homes I've 'come in
contact with' playing Bear Creek. (Thwack / Krink - that's the sound of
a well driven ball off a Spanish Tile roof).
But
it's always a pleasure to play for a good cause and this past Saturday
we had an opportunity to do just that. I'd never playedCross Creek
before and it is a gorgeous course lying in a bowl surrounded by oak
and avocado trees and, in the distance, some exquisite homes. It's a
very unforgiving course too, I might add. Keeping score as I do is a
function of ballslostX
beer
consumed / good company =
score.
Others keep a more numerically based algorithm which only
works for me when I play a scramble or best ball event. Again,
assuming I'm with 2 or 3 other people who know what they're
doing.
My
son and I enjoyed an
afternoon with friends Mike & Eric - who carried our
team to a 7 under
finish. I never thought I'd experience that pinnacle in a tournment
that did not allow Mulligans. And we scored honetly, not like those
pikers that claimed they shot 60.
The
event was 'Driving to Beat
Autism' with Our Nicholas Foundation.
The foundation was started by Mark & Kathy Anselmo to honor
their son Nicholas. While researching what they could on the topic
after their son was diagnosed, they discovered a dire shortage of
information, of the tools necessary for teaching & therapy, and
funding for research & basic classroom necessities.
One
of Our
Nicholas Foundation's early successes has been their Peer Buddies Program
which integrates special ed students with 'typical' students in a
classroom environment. It has fostered compassion and understanding
among the student population while providing a sense of well being and
inclusion for the autistic.
They
are also developing an extensive Autism Resource
Library and can provide parents with local resource guides.
Having experienced a 400% increase in autistic students enrolled in
local classes in just the last 4 years shows the critical need for the
products, services and research needed to enrich the lives of children
with Autism
Spectrum Disorders.
If
you or anyone you know has been touched by autism and would like to
find out more about this amazing organization, please contact www.OurNicholasFoundation.org
Friends - are ya feelin'
a little backed-up and bloated? Has your breakfast burrito turned to
spackle in your lower GI. Well tune in to the California
Budget Town Hall at 6 this evening. I guarantee you'll be
sh*tting bricks long before the scheduled fini'.
Friends - are ya feelin'
a little backed-up and bloated? Has your breakfast burrito turned to
spackle in your lower GI. Well tune in to the California
Budget Town Hall at 6 this evening. I guarantee you'll be
sh*tting bricks long before the scheduled fini'.
I'll be posting more
specifics for you from our Sacramento Legislative trip last week, but
just wanted to share a couple observations.
Wednesday was
Legislative Day. In addition to our CAR Directors, we always bring up a
few folks with us for that day - folks who have made an investment in our Realtor Action Fund
of at least $197. It's always a great day - including a terrific speech
by former (and future?) Governor Jerry Brown,
legislative updates from our lobbyists, our march on the capitol photo
op, visits with our Legislators and the Capitol Reception in the
evening. For people who only think real estate is about selling houses,
you should come with us next year.
(If you're curious, I'm
6th row back, 22nd from the right, next to Frank Nelson)
That same Wednesday, the
Assembly had a deadline for closing out their docket because anything
that wasn't passed to the Senate, either dies or reverts to a two year
bill. Needless to say it was hectic and our schedules had to remain
flexible as we sought to discuss our housing agenda with our electeds. Assembly
Member Kevin Jeffries was literally on lock-down until the
bills got passed and had been so all week. He managed to visit with us
outside the chambers for a few minutes and joined us later at the
reception after they had completed the session.
And there-in lies the
tale. Between seeing Assemblyman
Jeffries and our reschedule with Senator
Hollingsworth, we had an hour to spare. So we sat down in
the basement coffee shop in the Capitol and had a soda. They have
several TV's on the walls all broadcasting the current floor session.
There were about a dozen of us talking and laughing about the days
adventures. After about 5 minutes the folks fell silent - consumed by
what they were seeing on TV. Over the span of the next 45 minutes we saw 19 bills passed.
With one exception - every one of the bills passed on a 42 - 22 vote, (+/- 2). Not
only were these bills passed hastily and on strict party line votes, virtually every bill involved some sort
of spending or new committee creation.
After having their asses
handed to them on our May 19 Proposition vote, these Assembly Democrats still don't get the
message on spending. They can't help themselves. It was a
real eye opener for our political neophytes who have never seen the
process up close and personal. It's times like that I'm reminded of
Otto von Bismarck's caution that - 'People
should never see either sausages or laws being made'. It's
true - I've seen both and don't advise it. The difference is with
sausage you can just avoid consuming the product if it's too
unpalatable. With legislation, regardless of your efforts, you are
forced to partake - and it's generally going to cost you more money or less freedom.
You should be pleased to
note that both Assembly members Jeffries and Nestande consistently had
their votes tabulated among the paltry smattering of 'red' votes. The Assembly
considered over 1,000 new pieces of legislation this session in spite
of getting a late start. It took them 5 months to consider and vote on
the first 500 bills, only 5 days to consider and vote the last 500. Is
it any wonder we're in the shape we're in?
The Senate only produced
about 1/4 that many bills in this first session. Here's hoping the
Senate is somewhat more in touch with Californians than 2/3 of their
Assembly counterparts are when they sit down to consider the truckload
of crappola the Assembly is delivering to them.
Oh, the one bill that
didn't pass 42 - 22? It was a bill introduced by Speaker Karen
Bass. The Speaker does not come on the floor to introduce
her own bills - she sent it in with a messenger. They trick to this
one? They first had to waive
the 1 day read rule. That means within the span of 2 - 3
minutes
a
copy of this bill was either laid on their desk or appeared on their PC
and
they
were concurrently being asked to waive the 1 day read rule and then
to
vote
on the bill.
Honest. And the vote was
unanimous. They musta been a shell-shocked as we were.
If you've never seen the
process by which our state is governed, take
your tax rebate and book a trip to Sacramento. Maybe by
witnessing first hand the fiscal depravity which our leaders display,
the wanton pandering to special interests and (in some cases) their
shocking lack of command of the English language, you will come to
undertand how we arrived at the brink of collapse. Hopefully you will
come to the conclusion that, in good conscience, you CANNOT
continue to vote the same incompetent louts back into office time and
again.
What
a glorious time this is - end of a school year and graduation. You meet
some of the most delightful young people at this time of year - too bad
you won't see much about it in other media.
This
morning I had the privilege of attending the14th
Annual Murrieta Student of the Yearaward
ceremony presented by the Murrieta
Chamber of Commerce. Ever month the Chamber, in
association with numerous community sponsors, recognize an outstanding
student of the month from our three current high schools. Today's event
selects from among those recipients to recognize students who
have made a truly outstanding contribution to their school and our
community.
WOW!
What a group. This morning 6 Murrieta students - a male and female
recipient from Murrieta Valley, Vista Murrieta and Creekside, were
introduced to a group of education, civic & business leaders.
The recognition of their scholarship includes $1,300 in monetary awards
per student as well as city, county and state proclamations and gift
bags donated by business sponsors.
Here's
a thumbnail summary of the very deserving award winners. I wish I had
been taking notes.
Vista Murrieta grad Brian Choicarries
a 6.0 GPA. In addition to nailing straight A's in Advanced Placement
courses, his list of accomplishments and accolades is a mile long. This
son of immigrant farmers, Brian will be attending Harvard this fall.
Creekside graduate Crystal Farr
completed a spectacular high school career in spite of numerous
difficulties. Among other goals, Crystal plans on volunteering for
military service as part of a family tradition. After the ceremony we
discovered that the 'difficulty' that led to Crystal attending the
continuation school was her frequent absences to care for her brother,
an amputee veteran. She will be attending San
Diego State to be closer to her brothers
hos[pital.
MVHS' Nikki Salazar
will be attending Stanford.
Vista Murrieta's Ashley Scott will
be attending Berkeley.
MVHS Jacob Levy
plans to pursue a career in law/politics/advocacy. He has not only
posted a superlative GPA but has been a student activist on behalf of a
number of causes during his matriculation. His teacher
and Principal alike praised his ability to get diverse groups
to reach common ground. If the state survives that long, I'd vote for
this kid in about 20 years.
Creekside's Miles Ten
Brinke dropped out of school for 'a couple years'. When
he finally decided to re-enroll in the continuation school, he 'found
himself', as his teacher said. He completed the required coursework in
months rather than years and has been attending MSJC since October.
Introduced
by their Principals, both MVHS Superintendent Dr. Stan Scheer and our
County Superintendent gave some words of encouragement. The students
made a few comments on their plans and extended thanks to the sponsors,
their teachers and especially their parents. To say these students are
highly motivated, focused and possessing of poise far beyond their
years would be an understatement. You come out of one of these events
with a little more spring in your step - they give you a little more
hope for a future generation.
Thanks also due to
Margaret Jones, who has served as Program Chair for many years and Rex
Oliver, CEO of the Murrieta Chamber for their long-time support of this
event. Special thanks to Student of the Month Program, Inc.
and its founder, Sally Myers of Sizzler Restaurants. It's a great
accomplishment to make sure these outstanding student and future
leaders are recognized and encouraged.
It's just a shame the
only place you'll read about it is here.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Posted by 
Golfer
#1 - Thwack / sunava %}}@~. 
But
I digress - I do enjoy golf. I get my moneys worth when I golf because
I spend way more time on the course than the average bear
whiffing around in 3 or 4 hours in his brightly colored shorts
ensemble. If I don't start before noon, I might as well take along a
sleeping bag and some freeze dried grub. If I had
glow-in-the-dark balls I'd be a happy man - I could play all night. (That may have come out
wrong.) Actually, when I lived in Minnesota I played with bright orange balls, which makes them very easy to see and hard to lose. (again, don't go there). When I moved to California some
a** took pains to point out that those were 'snow balls' - orange so
you could play in the snow. Only a total doofus would sport them in
SoCal. 
But
it's always a pleasure to play for a good cause and this past Saturday
we had an opportunity to do just that. I'd never played
This
morning I had the privilege of attending the
Here's
a thumbnail summary of the very deserving award winners. I wish I had
been taking notes.
Introduced
by their Principals, both MVHS Superintendent Dr. Stan Scheer and our
County Superintendent gave some words of encouragement. The students
made a few comments on their plans and extended thanks to the sponsors,
their teachers and especially their parents. To say these students are
highly 
;)
;)
