[JES]

Republican Congress encouraging higher education for poor and middle class families:

“The Senate passed a deficit-reduction package that calls for $12.7 billion to be cut from federal student-loan programs over five years, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

It is the largest single cut the federal government has made to student aid programs and is expected to increase the debt burden of students and their families as many borrowers of student loans will face higher interest payments, the newspaper said.

According to the Journal, Congress raised interest rates on Stafford loans to a fixed 6.8 percent. Right now, rates on Stafford loans, which are variable and reset each year, are as low as 4.7 percent, the paper said. Stafford loans are popular among students because they don’t have to demonstrate need to qualify for one.

The new legislation also raises interest rates on Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students to a fixed 8.5 percent from a variable rate currently set at 6.1 percent, the Journal said. Also known as PLUS loans, these loans are granted to parents rather than students.”

[JES]

I believe they were raised this past year. If you didn’t lock in at a low rate last year, and you take out a new loan this year, you have a much higher rate. Don’t know all the details, but as far as encouraging higher education goes I say that they should have kept the lower rates.

[JES]

MH,

I understand your argument, but I disagree that the Marine Times and all the others should stay apolitical to the extent that they have no opinions or leanings on any of the major issues facing our nation, or our military. In order for them to express their opinions in print, they have no choice but to risk the appearance that they are politically motivated. Also, they are private papers and if we truly believe in freedom of the press we cannot put restrictions like the ones you propose on them.

In contrast, base newspapers like the Camp Pendleton Scout are essentially mouthpieces for the base commanding generals and you will never see them disagree with base policies. They strive to be apolitical as they are an extension of the command that should also be also be apolitical. I would argue that our troops need papers like The Marine Times to serve as a voice for issues that base papers will not tackle and local and national papers do not understand. Whether it be body armour, anthrax shots or Rumsfeld, these papers serve an essential purpose and need to have the freedom to report issues in their entirety.

I should also say that I believe they lost some credibility by putting this piece out just before the election. They need the freedom to tackle issues that could be perceived as political, but in order to not risk losing their audience they should be clear that they are not polictically motivated. At this point, demanding that the SecDef resign is a non partison issue.

[JES]

ZK,

I’m a pretty moderate Republican when it comes to most issues, but tend to be socially conservative.

I actually agree with you on:
-New rules to “break the link between lobbyists and leg.”
-Enact all the recommendations made by the 9/11 commission.
-Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour
-Cut the interest rate on student loans in half.
-Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharm. companies for lower drug prices for Medicare.
-Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed.
-Reverse some tax cuts on those earning above for ex. 500k.

I support the right on almost all social issues, but tend to be more open minded. For example, I’d favor a law that bans abortion in all cases except rape, incest and the mothers life. Anything more restrictive will never pass and this approach would have the support of a majority of Americans. I also have a broader range of issues that I consider ‘social’ issues and would include homelessness and healthcare, for example, and on these issues I lean Democratic. But Democrats have allowed the far left to dominate their party, they have been afraid to engage with Christians and have not done a good enough job defining the moral issues and standing apart from the radical actions of groups like the ACLU. The far left disgusts me, and in many ways this is one reason that I vote Republican. I am also not pleased with the Democratic ideas for immigration and support of affirmative action.

[JES]

Contrary to my late night joke above, I think this election is all about anger at Bush and Congress and will be a landslide for the Democrats. Most voters say Iraq is their primary issue, yet I’ve never heard a coherant Iraq plan from Democrats. None of this matters though because the President is viewed as arrogant and out of touch and even his base isn’t happy with him, nor with a Republican Congress that has lost the edge it commanded on the moral issues. The only hope for Republicans is if enough Americans decide that the alternative of Nancy Pelosi and Co. is worse than the status quo.

[JES]

Finally someone with the courage to show a full address!

[JES]

Anyone have any data for October sales, pendings, solds, prices yet? I ask around this time every month:) While I know we usually see it in a week or two, I am sure some of the folks here with their ear to the pavement already have some of it…

[JES]

How can it be illegal if it is public information? I can drive down a street, see a for sale sign, look at the address and pull a flyer. Or I can go online and find a home for sale with the address, and I can even go to the tax files and check on property taxes. There is even more information that is public than what I just mentioned. But for some reason when it comes to posting an actual address on a bubble web site we worry about it?

[JES]

Concho – Fortunately we do not have to debate you on the issue of firing indiscriminately since this Marine did a good enough job of it already.

[JES]

Barnaby, have you ever read the book Starship Troopers? The movie doesn’t do the book justice, but the concept of citizenship is still in there and it is pertinent to the point you are trying to make. In the book, only those who have served in the military are afforded citizenship. This was required reading for me at The Basic School in Quantico, VA – the same school that this Marine went through. Interesting idea isn’t it?

In my opinion, an officer like this is in a position to speak authoritatively on more than just the conditions under which he is fighting. This Marine’s experiences provided him with an insight on the political conditions and the impact of our policies that you and I just aren’t getting. Some of this, not all, can only be gleaned through experience and this gives him the right to speak more authoritatively about it than your average American.

In politics I agree that this idea is often taken to the extreme. For example, I’m not so sure that service in Iraq means that someone is suddenly better qualified to run for congress.

[JES]

As if people are not getting pinched enough by still high housing prices, the escape valve of renting is now disappearing!

[JES]

Darn! I am too late, I voted by mail 2 weeks ago!

[JES]

PowaySeller – Did Jim pay you to start this controversial thread in order to draw people to his web site?

[JES]

Probably took offense because he is from San Diego and is rude like everybody else:) Kidding of course – in case anyone thinks I’m serious. People seem to transform into their evil twins when they drive, and I agree that most people are nicer off the road. That is not to say that people in SoCal are nice, especially compared to other places – like just about everywhere except a few cities on the East Coast.

Remember, I’m the guy who had a crazed lunatic in a Mercedes with kids in the car follow me into a San Marcos Home Depot parking lot, get out, and nearly attack me in front of the store. I walked towards the shovels on display outside the store and had every intention of smashing his head open in front of his entire family if he assaulted me. After numerous other less serious incidents this one took the cake and it was this very day that I decided I would get out of SoCal. The flashy, materialistic SoCal lifestyle combined with traffic and the cost of living force many otherwise nice people to transform into status driven, inconsiderate, self absorbed pricks.

[JES]

It’s funny…I follow Jim’s blog weekly and my impression has been that he has actually been focused on trying to get potential sellers to list with him, not necessarily pumping up the market up to reel in buyers. It seems to me that it is to his advantage to walk a fine line and just analyze the facts.

[Author]

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