Posted on 02/21/2006 6:40:03 AM PST by wjersey
"Why can't polititians act more like the average Joe?"
A Senator makes, what, 150k??? That's above your average Joe, but still not an obscene amount of money. I think we should pay them much more, if they made more $$$ they would have less incentive to take illegal money.
What pisses me off is that they bought ice cream from BEN & JERRY'S, I could care less about spending money on ice cream, but why buy it from commies?!
"I've got plenty of friends and neighbors with loans in the $500K range, and they're living paycheck to paycheck."
Wish I was one of your friends. :)
That's a valid point, though.
I'm beginning to think we should wipe Congress completely clean of EVERYONE. Between Duke and the Abramoff guys, I'm beginning to think they're ALL tainted! And then, tainted or not, the Dims are too dumb to serve. I never thought I'd go for term limits, but now I think they're too mild...
arrrrg!
"A 500k 5 year mortgage on a property means that property alone is worth likely far far more than 500k... so what the heck is this only worth 140k stuff?"
Exactly. He bought the house in 2001 for $643,000. Loan from traditional lender, only $405,000. Extra year of appreciation before he re-fianced, probably got a great interest rate. Clearly he was worth more than 140K. (Don't forget the house in Pa.)
The question is VALUE...
Is the house valued at $500,000 or more?
If so, the loan complies with lending standards.
You're living in a dream world. Lots of people with 500,000 mortgages are living to paycheck to paycheck. Most of them just don't admit it.
I don't buy their ice cream anymore because of who they are
But I have to admit they do have good ice cream
Maybe the staff is young and doesn't know better?
The guy's got 6 or 7 kids. If he's making 150 grand, he's an average joe.
My sister inlaw and her hubby are one of them .. they have 3 mortgages at the moment .. it's a long story
No matter what you paid a Senator, the greedy ones will still go for more, illegal or not. Do you think another 50K would satisfy the likes of a Duke Cunningham?
The country runs smoother when Congress is out of session.
I'd like to cut their pay and reduce the session to 6 months per year.
Congress makes too many restrictive laws.
It's high time to repeal hundreds of wasteful laws.
Start with trashing the tax code and starting over!
"A Senator makes, what, 150k??? That's above your average Joe, but still not an obscene amount of money. I think we should pay them much more, if they made more $$$ they would have less incentive to take illegal money"
More? Hell, they pratically get a full pension after one term. Plus they get millions to 'Staff' their offices. They get paid too much IMHO.
I don't see where this has anything to do with "ethics" either. So what if private bank wants to make a risky loan? That has nothing to do with government politics.
This is personal private information and shouldn't be flaunted in public by leftist loon head hunters.
How would the average leftist loon like their personal finacial information used to discredit them in public?
"Hey look, that dope smokin' hippie that lives down the street swiped his debit card ten times at the gay bar down the road last week and he was the one seen on his knees!".
"I've got plenty of friends and neighbors with loans in the $500K range"
Right. $500,000 in MD-VA is not unusual at all.
My daughter, who's a class mother, tells me that when they're collecting for a teacher's gift around Christmas, the parents they have the hardest time getting money out of is the people living in the neighborhoods where the houses go for more than 750k. I know for a fact many of those folks are living paycheck to paycheck.
Well I don't think this amounts to anything....about 25 years ago I asked for a loan from my little bank and they said they couldn't process it because they did not make land loans. But they ended up making the loan anyway. So bank policies are not engraved in stone.
Here's the beef:
"They said it would be a violation of the Senate's ethics rules if Santorum received something a regular citizen could not get."
I am so freakin' sick and tired of those in the Halls of Congress, Pubbies included, who think they are better than the rest of us. Just one example: They have great retirement plans and benefits while Joe Six-pack has to worry every day if there's going to be any Social Security when he retires.
But then, I'm still ticked at Santorum for endorsing the Rino, Arlen Specter in the '04 GOP Primary. Go ahead Ricky baby; give ol' Casey more ammo to use against you. This is one Conservative who would not cry if you lost.
That is a blatant hit piece. And guess what? It is having the desired effect even here! WHAT THE HECK! So many here, "It doesn't look good..."
A bank can make a loan to whomever they wish! There is nothing illegal or improper about that. He's not a big-time investor? So what? Has anyone ever gotten a loan based upon a personal relationship with a banker? It happens ALL the time. How many banks or lenders have loaned money to struggling businesses? No apparent reason to make such a loan on paper, but the business model and a personal relationship often are enough to secure such a loan. Given the Santorum's household income, a $500k loan is not unreasonable. A $500k house is also really not that big of a deal these days.
Back off. This is a typical MSM hit piece. There will be many more that follow.
If Santorum is figuring on only a five year loan, he can pay the interest only, sell in five years and probably ( as upscale as this area is ) profit $120,000 and pay off the mortgage.
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