Fed Cuts Rate

I mentioned to a coworker that the Fed cut the rate today.

It's a great time to refinance.

We applied to refinance the rental this last week, which we found we can do at a lower rate than when I lived in it.

That's great news.
What's even better is the Fed cut the rate another 1/2 point earlier today. It's now at 3%.
I waited till today to meet with our banker, because I heard they might cut it again.
We'll find out how much we can save on Monday.

Even better news...
Our personal home is close to a year old, which means we can refinance it as well.
Bankers will give a better rate for primary residences.
***
I have been talking to a young woman in the office who is interested in investing.
She and her husband bought land and want to build a house on it.
I have been talking to her about rental homes.

Others have over heard our conversations and I am getting a reputation as being the guy to ask about Mortgages and buying a home...

It's amazing how important it is to know how to buy a house, and how many people haven't a clue where to start.

When buying a home, contract with a Buyer's agent. They will protect your interests.
The person at the new home center or the name on the "for sale" sign is the Seller's agent.
The seller's agent has NO obligation to get a buyer the best deal.
None.

Technology

I moved to the new company for the technology and cutting edge practices.
The challenge of it.

Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it.

Well, I am up to my ears in new software programs today's Architects and designers use to Wow the clients.

"Revit is the future".
This company hasn't quite gotten to the future yet.

I am learning a software package that is a different way to do something I don't want to do.
Namely, drafting two lines for a wall, and a curve for a door.

Frustrating...

When we have a program that will build a model of the thing we want to build in a fraction of the time...and turn that drawing into construction documents....

Sigh...

NAIS

National Animal Identification System

The Feds want to register all the FARM animals in the US of A.
(to protect the national food system)

But if the nation's animals are currently disease free,

which they are since they are all registered,

and thus all the diseased animals have been culled,

then how will they get sick

in the first place???
***
To sound Xenophobic...

are all foreign animals coming into the US

being registered?

And how are the Feds

doing that?
***
Me thinks

I smell

a rat...

Crazy World

Money does not exist.

Think about it, last time you bought a dinner with your Visa/Master Card Check Card, what actually happened?

Did money change hands?

According to the back of the card, you agreed with the food establishment to pay X dollars for the food you ate.

On your bank statement a number shows up and your balance changes.

But money never changed hands.

It's all a concept...

The powers that be, can TAKE AWAY YOUR FREEDOM, lock you up, over a concept...

Where's the freedom in that?

Big Brother

My mom told us back in the early 80s that the middle class was going to disappear, but I had trouble believing her.

"The Sky is Falling!" and all that.

But as I have gotten older and (hopefully wiser) I have begun to swing around to her point of view.

As we as a nation sit and watch "Celebrities" on Tv rushing to cut their hair, or make the next "big deal", the powers that be in Washington are working to take away our freedoms.

From the things we buy, to the shows we watch, to the food we eat.

Food poisoning happen more and more often. But the media doesn't tell us the reason for what happen, they instead feed us more Pop Stars gone bad.

The tabloids are winning.

Raw milk hasn't been available in stores in decades.
Last year when Zelda and I tried it for the first time, everyone we told to a person's first comment was "Raw Milk is So dangerous!".

How do they know?
When's the last time they got sick on Raw Milk?

Now I ask, When's the last time you got sick on bad food?
Waterburger made me very ill two years back.
Do we ban Waterburger?
Folks have DIED from fast food, do we ban fast food? (we should)

I believe that we as a "Modern" nation have forgotten, or just don't think about the fact (Hey, Britney is showing her thang and losing her kids) that, we as a species have survived for tens of thousands of years on Raw Food and even that Raw Milk.

(Breast milk ain't pasteurized.)

Was pasteurizing of milk brought about because people were regularly becoming sick from Raw Milk? Or was it because milk was moved from the back yard and into the shelves of the grocery stores where it sits in trucks and store shelves for weeks at a time and was going bad?

I'll have to research that one.

What they don't tell you when you buy that Extra Pasteurized milk, is that, when fed to calves, they'll DIE.

The US government is pulling one over on us.

We the people are nothing but "Consumers".

And we'll buy anything they feed us...

The reason more and more people are getting sick from Food Poisoning is because in the industrial age we now live in, 90% of the food we eat across the nation passes through a hand full of processing plants.
One plant gets infected, half the nation gets the runs.

Instead of fixing the problem, the Government is making it worse.
One of those Worse "Solutions" is the national animal registration act.

(from the www.usda.gov/nais web site )

To protect the health of U.S. livestock and poultry and the economic well-being of those industries, we must be able to quickly and effectively trace an animal disease to its source. When a disease outbreak occurs, animal health officials need to know: Which animals are involved in a disease outbreak Where the infected animals are currently located What other animals might have been exposed to the disease By choosing to participate in NAIS, you will join a national disease response network built to protect your animals, your neighbors, and your economic livelihood against the devastation of a foreign animal disease outbreak. Take the first step - Register your premises today!

By diversifying the food chain and eating closer to home, local farmers=local food=local problem, we could eliminate the "Problem".
Our money would stay in our cities and continue to work locally as well.
As it is now, it gets shipped off to Arkansas and California...

We would all win with local food, and the icing on the cake,
it would taste a Hell of a lot better...

Were farmers go, we all go ...

***
What the NAIS act does, is if you buy a chicken (which is no longer allowed by your local city ordinance) to raise for eggs and Sunday dinner, all on your property, is require you to Register it with the Federal Government.

A CHICKEN!!

Your Future

I have added a link to a web site Zelda discovered while looking for investing information.

In addition to real estate, we are buying precious metals. In particular Silver bullion.

I recommend visiting the Money Changer site (side link) and also Rich Dad.

With the rise in oil prices, the fall in the American Dollar, the US government will begin to pump the economy with the green back. No actual money will be printed, but the amount of available cash will be increased.

Looked at historically, this has lead to recessions and in the late 30's, the great depression.
Only this time, with the world economy, it will be a World sized depression...

We will make it to the other side of the valley, but at what costs?

It's up to each and everyone of us to invest in our future, set up the systems to protect us and provide for our families.

Those who don't will be left out in the cold...

As for me and mine,
we are buying Silver and real estate.