[Rhodes22-list] Finance - Economics - Fear - Politics

[Brad Haslett]

-Update-

Supposedly a deal is done but won't be printed until tomorrow morning
(about the time you're reading this).  The devil is always in the
details.  We either dodged a bullet or got an enema. We'll know soon
enough.

Now for really serious stuff - I was an avid coon hunter until I
started flying.  How can anyone think of denying a youngster the
thrill of meeting a landowner armed with a pump-action shotgun late at
night? (see below)

Brad

---------------------

 Hunting-dog owners try to keep opponents at bay

By STEVE SZKOTAK, Associated Press Writer2 hours, 10 minutes ago

In a state considered the American birthplace of hunting with hounds,
George Washington's favorite sport has become a target for some
Virginia landowners who say baying dogs and their owners are trampling
property rights.

Even other hunters object to a Virginia right-to-retrieve law viewed
as the most absolute in the nation: Hunters have free reign to chase
after dogs that stray onto posted private property.

Proponents are rising to protect their right to hunt, mindful that
other Southern states have already limited or eliminated certain forms
of the sport because of complaints from property owners.

Courtly fox hunters and down-home bear and coon hunters — an unlikely
coalition — contend their heritage is at stake.

"If we have a major defeat in Virginia, I think it would hurt hunting
with hounds in every state. Therefore, we will fight it at every
turn," vowed Kirby Burch of the Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance, an
umbrella group for 450 hunt clubs claiming more than 30,000 members.

A big part of the friction involves loss of rural habitat due to
development. In Virginia, land is being developed at more than three
times the rate of population growth, according to "Hunting with Hounds
in Virginia: A Way Forward," a state-commissioned report.

The upshot: More dogs are running on private lands, riling property owners.

Forms of hound hunting have been banned from Washington state to
Massachusetts, and Southern states have followed suit — in part
because of opposition from animal-rights groups, but also from
landowners. Texas banned hunting deer with dogs in 1990, and Alabama,
Georgia and Florida more recently have restricted the sport.

Those actions have prompted officials to examine the sport in
Virginia, where approximately 180,000 hunters use dogs. Game officials
here say they hope to deal with the issue before problems mount.

Some hunters say the criticism comes from outsiders unfamiliar with
the sport's heritage, but that's not always the case.

"An awful lot of what we consider 'new people' are sons and daughters
of Virginia but don't have the tradition of the land," said Rick
Busch, assistant director of the wildlife division of the state
Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. "It's not necessarily Yankees
piling into our Southern states."

Hunting with hounds in Virginia dates nearly 400 years ago to the
founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English settlement.
Dogs are used to hunt bears, deer, fox, raccoons and rabbits.

Washington and Thomas Jefferson were among its earliest enthusiasts.
Congressman John Randolph, who represented Virginia in the early 19th
century, was known to enter the House of Representatives with a pack
of hounds at his heels. The sport flourished among the Southern
plantation culture and spread to Appalachia with Scots-Irish
immigrants.

That was back when the same land supported far fewer people. Hunting
enthusiasts and opponents alike wonder whether there's still enough
room for the specially bred, high-priced dogs to run.

On Oct. 23, the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries is to consider
proposals that seem to satisfy neither side. The proposals do not, for
instance, recommend changes to the right-to-retrieve law,
disappointing property owners like Ben Jones.

He became so weary of hunters traipsing after their dogs on his 165
acres about 40 miles southwest of Richmond that he billed the state
$4,750. The bill was ignored.

"The Constitution says government can't take property from the private
sector and place it in the public sector without JUST COMPENSATION to
the property owner," Jones, a self-employed contractor, wrote in an
e-mail to The Associated Press.

The dog retrieval law is especially contentious when it comes to
hunting deer, because such hunts can cover thousands of acres.
Wildlife biologist Ben Fulton, a member of a state advisory committee
that has studied hunting with hounds, said deer hunters with dogs
disturb his own hunts on his 200 acres in Cumberland County. The
right-to-retrieve law, he said, is an open invitation.

"All you have to do is go on somebody's property and just say, 'I'm
looking for my dog,'" Fulton said. "I would like to see the law
changed to where they had to gain permission."

Burch, of the Hunting Dog Alliance, said that alternative surely would
be more irritating.

"Do you want me knocking on your door at 3 a.m. in the morning and
saying I want my dog? C'mon," Burch said.

David Birdsall, 68, lives on a 500-acre farm in Gloucester County and
has hunted deer since the 1960s. He also shows his Black and Tan
Coonhounds.

"To hear these dogs run and chase is what it's all about," said
Birdsall, a retired veterinarian.

When he hunts these days, he moves up Virginia's Middle Peninsula near
Chesapeake Bay to a less populated county.

A little common courtesy, he said, goes a long way.

___

On the Net:

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/

Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance: http://www.vahda.org/



On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 10:59 PM, Brad Haslett <flybrad at gmail.com> wrote:
> The short version of a long story is, I've been stuck in a hotel on
> reserve in my own city all day and paying close attention to the
> negotiations in DC. Everyone knows I'm a partisan, but what been going
> on the last few days with Pelosi, Reid, and company is disgusting and
> despicable.  We need a bill and we need it before the Asian markets
> open tomorrow night (our time).  They've been trying to load this bill
> up with pork and special favors, the most disturbing pork being marked
> for ACORN.  There's a lot of media spin being put out and a lot of
> high stakes power politics being played. These people have no idea how
> serious this game of "chicken" is and what the probable outcome will
> likely be.  Here's some observation and some links with a brief
> description of some of shenanigans at the end.
>
> Brad
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCpGk.NPYZ3g&refer=home
>
> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aCpGk.NPYZ3g&refer=home
>
> http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/636zbhel.asp
>
> http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/14018.html
>
> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/3094318/Bailout-failure-will-cause-US-crash.html
>
>
> -from Gateway Pundit-
>
> On Friday, the US government stepped in and sold Washington Mutual
> after customers withdrew $16.7 billion from accounts since Sept. 16th
> leaving the Seattle-based bank "unsound."
>
> It was later announced that Washington Mutual Inc. bondholders were
> likely to lose most of their money. This was a HUGE mistake by the
> government and must be corrected quickly or it could have major
> consequences.
>
> This report was sent to me from a an international auditor in the
> insurance industry and close friend who understands the seriousness of
> the situation.He describes the situation in layman's terms.It ain't
> pretty:
>
>    The financial crisis is real. Most people don't realize it yet,
> but banks, investment managers and corporate treasurers around the
> world all know what is going on. It started with the Freddie – Fannie
> collapse. They wrote loans to individuals who they shouldn't have.
> Government policies encouraged loans to minorities and the
> underwriting function of banks was no longer approving loans upon an
> individual's creditworthiness but their race was now a factor in the
> loan decision. When individuals are given loans based on race and not
> their ability to pay, it is inevitable that bad loans would be written
> and foreclosures would come. That's what happened and in a big way.
>
>    This caused ripple effects throughout the financial services
> industry. Firms who consolidated loan packages or guaranteed their
> creditworthiness were caught in the middle. Bear Sterns, Lehman
> Brothers and others went under. The largest insurance company in the
> US by some measurements was one of the casualties (AIG). With
> insurance companies around the globe, AIG is hoping to have some
> business left when all is over. The government stepped in to rescue
> this giant by providing capital for the firm while it liquidates
> portions of its business to pay off the investment derivatives which
> caused it trouble and then pay off the government loan. The
> investments became bad when the mortgages went south.
>
>    The ripple affect continues. Putnam funds, the largest money
> market fund in the US and rated AAA, had to close its doors since
> money managers began to realize that Putnam's assets were not
> guaranteed by the Federal Government (unlike cash in banks and savings
> and loans) and began to ask for their money. Putnam had to sell
> securities in order to meet the demand. Although they have begun to
> pay their account holders, their reputation and money market accounts
> in general have been severely damaged.
>
>    Corporations and institutions are scared of losing their money or
> having it locked up so there is a rush for money. This is global as
> long lines were reported outside AIG offices in various Asian offices.
> The Taiwan government came in to help AIG in Taiwan. There are other
> cases like this worldwide. Rumors are that some banks in Europe may be
> at risk.
>
>    The largest bank to ever be taken over by the government was next.
> And this is the scary part. Washington Mutual was taken over by the
> government on Thursday. They were not able to handle the surge for
> cash requests and became insolvent. The government however has made a
> big – HUGE – mistake.
>
>    In taking over Wash Mu, the government told Wash Mu bondholders
> that they would not be paid. This precedent when recognized by the
> investors around the world will cause massive pandemonium if the
> government doesn't do something quick. You see the bondholders are
> people and institutions who buy bonds for stable and guaranteed
> returns with a payoff based on the bond type. Banks and many
> corporations raise capital or get money by issuing bonds. If
> bondholders realize that their bonds with banks will not be paid off
> if the bank goes under, then the bond will become very risky
> especially during these times, if not worthless. This will cause banks
> the inability to raise capital to pay off the depositors they have on
> the books. Depositors will become scared and more 'runs on the bank'
> will occur in all financial service industries.
>
>    The President has made a proposal for the government to step in.
> They must do so quickly. There is no time to waste. Fear is a great
> motive and causes people to do crazy things. Already treasurers of
> companies are divesting their assets from risky investments and moving
> it to more safe places. This is causing illiquidity in the market and
> will continue if not addressed. Congress cannot continue to filibuster
> and lollygag. The world economy is at stake. The root problems of a
> government policy encouraging bad loans, corporate and government
> greed (some Fannie Mae executives made off with millions), and a
> Congress that wishes to put pork on this bill to save our economy must
> be addressed and now.
>
> More... There are already reports that the stock market could suffer a
> devastating crash with shares losing a third of their value this week
> if a concensus is not reached in Congress this weekend.
>
> With tensions high and Speaker Pelosi calling GOP members unpatriotic
> for missing meetings they were not invited to, it may be impossible
> for this to happen.
> Let's pray for a miracle.
>
> -----------------------
>
> Despicable Nancy Pelosi calls GOP Unpatriotic for missing a meeting--
> A meeting they were not invited to.
>
> Here's some behind the scenes politicking by Democrats at the
> Congressional bailout talks today, via the House GOP:
>
>    I Just wanted to shoot this story regarding the ongoing
> negotiations your way before you hear the media spin the Dems are
> feeding them. Republicans were told today's negotiations were for
> "principles." Meaning each party's lead negotiators – Senators Chris
> Dodd and Judd Gregg and Reps. Blunt and Frank. When we showed up to
> the meeting the list of Dems walking in the door kept growing to
> include all the above along with Democrats:
>
>    Rahm Emanuel (arguable the most political member of the House)
>    Charles Rangel (currently under an ethics investigation)
>    Senator Max Baucus
>    Senator Chuck Schumer (again, one of the most polarizing Members
> of Congress)
>    Senator Kent Conrad
>    Senator Jack Reed
>
>    That's hardly the deal we were promised, like Mr. Blunt quipped to
> reporters, "I think the ratio's about fair. It's two to eight or
> something."
>
>    And, the Dem spin machine is still in full swing. They said we
> boycotted earlier meetings, well, as Chris Dodd said last night on
> NBC, they just forgot to call us. So, maybe an 8-2 fight is the best
> we've had all week because we are at least at the table.
>