Causes of The War

     As the 150th anniversary of the start of the U.S. Civil War is commemorated, the argument continues over just what caused it. Slavery? Northern tariffs? State's rights? Sociologist James W. Loewen has written a

column in The Washington Post that debunks, he says, some of the myths. 

    Certainly a topic of interest here in the first Capitol of The Confederacy.

     I've always wondered why states rights is mentioned so frequently, since The Confederate Constitution didn't grant the states any more rights than the U.S. Constitution.

     Also today, The Associated Press is out with a lengthy story about this year's Civil War Anniversary, but Alabama is mentioned only once, in reference to the states a vacationing family has been to during their personal Civil War Trail journey.

But Santa! She's just a sick little girl!

The Washington Post's Hank Stuever  probably doesn't need to worry about his mailbox filling with holiday cards (Hallmark or otherwise) this year, not after his column in today's paper.

     He eviscerates the series of Hallmark Hall of Fame holiday movies (including the newest "Mrs. Miracles") as too sacrine for words.

     What do you think?

Navy Vet who marched in Selma is honored.

     The Washington Post reports on the extraordinary experience of a black U.S. Navy Veteran who was washed up on shore in Newfoundland in 1942, and found comfort and care from white people...the last thing a native of The Deep South expected.

Home $weet Home

     Here's the operative sentence in a Washington Post story this morning:

"the expectations of buyers and sellers are out of whack"

     Clearly something is out of wack. Home sales across the county are strangled...down 28% in Montgomery in July, for example. There's a big backup of homes on the market...a year's worth and growing claims the Post piece.

     So even if there is a sudden improvement in the unemployment rate, and people suddenly start buying and selling again, it will more than 12 months before the supply and demand shelf-life of the real estate market evens out a bit.

     Homeowners enjoyed seeing their homes increase in value...a true investment in "The American Dream" the Realtors told us. In reality, as our own homes increased in value, so did the homes we would theoretically buy to replace them when we moved. Sell for more, buy for more. Then, of course, the musical chairs stopped and the foreclosure signs sprouted up like crocus.

     Now homeowners who want to sell have a tough row to hoe...and since they are also the buyers, we're in a quandary.

    About the only people enjoying and profiting from all of this (other than foreclosure attorneys) are first time buyers with some cash to put down. Fifteen year fixed rate mortgages were at 3.83% last week, down from 3.86% the previous week and 4.54% a year ago. 3.83%!

    An historic low interest rate. Supply and demand at work. Few buyers and borrowers, so down go the prices of the homes and the cost of the money to buy 'em. And still the market is moribund,

    A column in the NY Times today suggests that the choice may be to save today's homeowners or tomorrow's...i.e., let the real estate market collapse without government intervention, if necessary, in order to create a fair buying and selling field for the future. Ouch.