Bill's Blog

HUD and banks backing ACORN ?

2008-07-18T16:01:00-04:00

I discovered some more instances of ACORN working in the Housing market. Now it seems they get HUD money and approval.

ACORN Housing Corportation

ACORN Housing Corporation launches non-profit mortgage brokerage

ACORN Housing Corporation launches non-profit mortgage brokerage with CitiMortgage, Bank of America, First American Title Insurance Company, and Fannie Mae to help low- and moderate-income families find safe, affordable mortgages in Florida

ACORN Housing and CitiMortgage, Bank of America, First American Title Insurance Company, and Fannie Mae announced today the launching of a new non-profit mortgage brokerage called Acorn Housing Affordable Loans, LLC, to help qualified borrowers enjoy the benefits of homeownership throughout Florida. Additional offices will be launched in other states in the coming months. The new mortgage brokerage will also help homeowners faced with resetting adjustable rates that may make their current home mortgage payments unaffordable.

Central to this new initiative are the participating lenders commitment to make their fixed price and affordable mortgage products available as one of the options for borrowers working with ACORN Housing in its target cities. Key features of the fixed-rate mortgage products being offered include:

Low downpayments
Flexible credit guidelines and income requirements including the use of non-traditional income
Competitive rates
Low fees
Trained counselors will provide borrowers with free pre-purchase homebuyer education counseling and at anytime throughout the life of the loan if some unforeseen event occurs that prevents them from meeting their mortgage obligations.

This new initiative furthers Acorn Housing's mission to provide homeownership opportunities for all prospective homeowners by providing a network of mortgage brokers to provide borrowers with a mortgage loan suited to their individual circumstances and requirements. For further information visit our website at http://www.acornloans.org or call 1-877-631-2267.

The launching of this new mortgage brokerage is just the latest initiative by ACORN Housing to serve low and moderate-income families across the United States. Since its formation in 1986, they have counseled more than 250,000 people and helped more than 80,000 people own a home. Most recently, through its HELP hotline at 1-888-409-3557, it has been able to help more than 4,000 families avoid foreclosure and save their homes by working with more than 46 servicers.

"A key objective of ACORN Housing Affordable Loans, LLC is to expand housing opportunities," said Alton Bennett, President of ACORN Housing Corporation and the new mortgage brokerage. "This new initiative meets that objective through a focused commitment to provide low and moderate-income individuals with comprehensive advice and information that they can trust, and makes sure that they are fully informed about every aspect of this most important financial transaction. We want to help families begin building wealth today. We are very pleased with the level of commitment that CitiMortgage, First American and Fannie Mae are contributing to this effort."

"Bank of America is proud to participate in the launch of ACORN's mortgage brokerage," said Glenda Gabriel, Bank of America Neighborhood Lending Executive. "Working with ACORN, this valuable partnership will make Bank of America's suite of safe and affordable mortgage products more accessible to first-time homebuyers interested in achieving the American dream of home ownership."

"Over the last 12 months, we have worked diligently together to get ACORN established as a broker, provided training and support as they set up their broker operations and strategy. The launch today is a culmination of these efforts. We are proud to announce this alliance with Acorn Housing Corporation," said Danny Gardner, National Director of Strategic Markets for CitiMortgage. "In the current climate, we feel the mortgage products we are offering through this relationship will not only help first-time homebuyers looking for a home but also may help those faced with rising mortgage payments."

"First American Title has been a committed partner in the industry in serving low-to-moderate income and multicultural families in achieving the American dream of homeownership. We are happy to take another step forward with this partnership with ACORN Housing Corporation, " said Lionel Savage, Vice President for Lender Services and Industry Relations, First American Title Insurance Company. "First American Strategic Markets is fully equipped with assisting in this partnership with our multicultural escrow and closing services and tools that directly address the need for education about the homebuying process amongst the multicultural community."

"Fannie Mae is proud to work with ACORN Housing, " said Thomas Collins, Director, Single Family Business, and Fannie Mae. By working with ACORN and lenders like Citibank, we can support their efforts to expand homeownership opportunities for underserved communities at affordable price points achieve sustainable homeownership."

"Many Floridians in our circumstances are looking for a safe, affordable and good quality home and we feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Acorn Housing Affordable Loans," said Carlos Negron and his wife, Irlene Hernandez, Miami residents who are seeking to qualify for their first home through this initiative. "This is extremely exciting. We are looking forward to moving into our new home."

"On behalf of all of the participants, we are excited to get started on moving ahead with this project, said Mike Shea, Executive Director of ACORN Housing Corporation. We appreciate the opportunity to be able to serve citizens in Miami and other communities in Florida. Acorn Housing can help put Floridians in a safe, fixed rate mortgage that they can afford. We will be there for them throughout the process."

About Acorn Housing Corporation
ACORN Housing (AHC) is the largest nonprofit (c) (3) housing counseling organization in the nation, providing one-on-one mortgage loan counseling, first-time homebuyer classes, post closure and loss mitigation services, and financial counseling for families. Since its inception, AHC has provided free, high-quality counseling services to 250,000 households across the country, more than 80,000 of which have become homeowners, generating more than $10 billion in mortgages. AHC has 39 affiliate offices located throughout the United States, with 130 full-time employees. AHC has also developed over 1,500 units of affordable single family and rental housing over the years, including more than 250 owner-occupied single-family homes, and 460 ownership units in small multi-family buildings in various cities around the United States. To date, AHC projects have leveraged over $100 million in affordable housing financing and subsidies. Additional information about Acorn Housing can be found at:
http://www.acornhousing.org/.
------------------------------------

And even NYC is in on backing ACORN

NYC Gov Office

NY ACORN HOUSING COMPANY ACQUIRES HUD FORECLOSED BUILDINGS AND SECURES LOW INCOME HOUSING

HUD, NYC and ACORN Partnership Saves Homes of 111 Low-Income Families. New Model to Protect Much Needed Housing Stock - and to Upgrade Buildings and Homes

(Brooklyn, NY) - January 4, 2005 - One hundred and eleven low-income families in four East Harlem buildings had a huge win when HUD foreclosed on the prior owner and then worked with the community group ACORN, and it's development arm the New York ACORN Housing Company, and HPD to insure that the buildings would be renovated for permanent affordable housing.

The struggle for the tenants of 424-436 East 117th, 444-448 East 117th, 222-228 East 119th and 234-236 East 119th Streets has been a long one. For four years ACORN members in the buildings led a fight to preserve this invaluable affordable housing resource. HUD and ACORN knew that the landlord's disregard for maintaining and providing even basic services for the buildings and its occupants had to be addressed. The tenants organized with ACORN and successfully worked with HUD to begin foreclosure action against this prior landlord. In spite of the fact that residents had lived in buildings with no heat, bad elevators and hundreds of other repair and safety issues in the buildings, HUD and ACORN worked to get significant repairs made and to stabilize the day-to-day management as the buildings wound their way through bankruptcy court.

"Preserving buildings for another generation of New Yorkers is at the heart of Mayor Bloomberg's housing plan," said Commissioner of the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development Shaun Donovan. "It is precedent-setting for the City's housing agency to work with the federal government and a not-for-profit in this way to both ensure necessary rehabilitation work for the buildings and plan for permanent affordability for low-income residents. It's a win for the tenants and a win for the City."

HUD, following their statutory procedures put a bid package out for the property in October 2004. Hundreds of private investors and developers visited the site and many showed up at the auction held at State Supreme Court in Manhattan on December 14th.

HUD bid in the value of their mortgage and the value of repairs that they had done on the property. Their $17 million bid turned out to be the winning bid. The building were ultimately transferred to the not for profit New York ACORN Housing Company. The buildings, which include 111 units of low income housing, will now be rehabilitated. The residents will participate and be involved. The low income affordability that HUD requires, that the City works for and that is the tenet of ACORN and it's housing work will be assured into the indefinite future.

Tenants were pleased that their organizing paid off. "I'm very happy that we were able to stay in our apartments and keep them affordable," said Carlos Abea, a long-time tenant and member of ACORN. "We fought hard, and now we can concentrate on improving conditions in our building and our neighborhood."

Blagojavich shoot chicago in foot.

2008-07-18T14:02:00-04:00

St Louis Today

Governor veers off script, creates image problem for Chicago

07/18/2008
It started out as a mostly harmless bill signing ceremony Wednesday.

By the time it was over, the Blagojevich administration was backpedaling so furiously they were tripping over the tassels on their loafers.

During a press conference to herald the approval of a gun control measure, Gov. Rod Blagojevich veered off script.

The governor suggested that maybe he could call in the Illinois National Guard or the state police to help Chicago Mayor Richard Daley help bring order to the city's violent streets.

"I'm offering the resources of the state to the city to work in a constructive way with Mayor Daley to do everything that we possibly can to help them end this violence," Blagojevich said.

Suddenly, Chicago, which is vying for the 2016 Olympics, is so dangerous that the governor believes armed soldiers should begin patrolling the streets.

On top of creating that global image problem, as well as undermining Daley, comes the fact that the Democratic nominee for president just so happens to call Chicago his home.

When it comes to hacking off politically powerful people, the governor got a two-fer Wednesday.

It became clear the administration realized the miscue when a press release was issued in an attempt to clarify what the governor had said.

Spokesman Lucio Guerrero downplayed the National Guard talk and said the governor and others would hold a meeting about how to deal with the violence in Chicago.

Kiss statewide construction program goodbye -- for now
"The National Guard will only be attending the meeting today for informational purposes. The only way the National Guard would be involved, if they are involved, is with the use of tactical helicopters that are currently used in narcotic operations. No National Guard troops are being considered."

But the controversy over the governor's remarks only intensified.

Almost four hours later, Guerrero issued another statement.

This time, there was even an asterisk included in the statement.

"Governor Rod Blagojevich and top state law enforcement officials met this afternoon during a productive two hour meeting.

"The meeting included leadership from the Illinois State Police and the Illinois National Guard.*

"A variety of plans were discussed that would both have an immediate impact in helping Chicago deal with the violence and long term solutions to curb gang activity. The governor will present the ideas later this week to Mayor Daley and looks forward to working with the city in finding ways to help put an end to these senseless killings. Details of the plans are not being released."

"*As mentioned before, there are no plans to use National Guard troops."

Few who cover state government can remember a governor using an asterisk in a press release.

Here's the situation:

It is well known that Blagojevich has been pushing a statewide construction plan that includes a gambling expansion plan that Daley opposes.

Now he's further alienated the mayor, thus eliminating one more potential ally in his attempt to get a public works program on the books.

He also raised questions about Chicago's Olympic bid and we can only assume U.S. Sen. Barack Obama wasn't too happy about the governor's comments.

Maybe there's a reason Blagojevich enters the Capitol through a basement door when he makes those rare visits to Springfield.
Perhaps he goes down there to check on his approval ratings

How not to talk to a judge during sentancing

2008-07-18T13:42:00-04:00

THe Barack Obama Quote Generator

2008-07-18T03:17:00-04:00

Had some fun with this

Obama Quote Generator

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"I think it's time we had a national conversation about freedom. We need to get past all the Congressional Leaders and recognize that we are our own best hope for overcoming Nancy Pelosi. We need Republicans, not Democrats. Republicans are our Hope. And we need to have change in freedom."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"These people haven't had Hope for fifty years. So you can't be surprised if they get bitter and cling to their Congressional Leaders and their Democrats and their Nancy Pelosi. That's what my campaign is about. Teaching all the little people in this country that they can have Republicans."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Generate a Barack Obama Quote!

"You know, there's a lot of talk in this country about freedom. Well I think Americans are tired of the same old Congressional Leaders. Ordinary Americans believe in Republicans, they want less
Democrats, they just aren't sure if their leaders believe in Hope."
Generate your Barack Obama quote at Buttafly.com

Vast majority of bad subproime loans went to Minorities ?

2008-07-18T03:04:00-04:00

3 stories offered as proof

Washington Post

NEIGHBORHOODS BEAR THE BRUNT

Are subprime loans targeted at minorities or at minority neighborhoods? Ingrid Gould Ellen, a professor of public policy at New York University, thinks there is evidence it is the latter

an analysis she helped perform for the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, where she is a co-director, Ellen drew up lists of the 10 neighborhoods in New York City with the largest number of subprime mortgages and the 10 with the smallest number.

In the neighborhoods with the highest numbers of those loans -- such as University Heights/Fordham, Jamaica and East Flatbush -- subprime loans accounted for nearly half of the mortgages issued.

On average, those 10 neighborhoods were around 5 percent white, 5 percent Asian, 59 percent black and 31 percent Hispanic. The neighborhoods with the smallest numbers of subprime loans, on the other hand, were around 55 percent white, 12 percent Asian, 14 percent black and 19 percent Hispanic.

"Even white home buyers who live in predominantly minority neighborhoods are more likely to get subprime loans," Ellen said. "The racial composition of neighborhoods is a stronger predictor of the rates of subprime loans than the income levels of the neighborhood."

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Cleveland Examiner

African Americans in D.C. bear burden of subprime mortgage crisis, report finds

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - African-Americans in Washington are living on the knife�s edge of the subprime mortgage crisis, a city government study has found.

Nearly seven out of every 10 of the loans in D.C. have gone to African Americans, most of them poor or lower middle class, the city�s Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking report found Monday.

And, experts say, the bill is coming due: Foreclosures in D.C. have doubled between 2005 and 2007 and have continued to rise through the first quarter of 2008. Most of those foreclosures are coming in African-American neighborhoods in Wards 4, 5, 7 and 8.

�It�s going to get worse before it gets better,� said Urban Institute researcher Peter Tatian, whose group contributed to Monday�s report. �I think we need to be concerned.�

Most experts said they weren�t surprised by Monday�s findings but were glad to have an objective look at what many had been hearing anecdotally. People with poor credit or low income used subprime loans to buy homes in the millions and the bonanza floated the American economy for the first part of the century. But the high interest rates and often hidden fees and costs have continued to trap borrowers.

For observers of D.C.�s real estate market, the subprime crisis threatens to blight long-suffering neighborhoods that once seemed ready to crawl out of endemic poverty.

�We knew the implosion was going to impact black and Latino homeowners,� said Aracely Panameno of the Center for Responsible Lending. �We�ve been last in, and first out. It�s really sad.�

D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, D-at large, has introduced a series of bills to attack predatory lending and to give strapped homeowners room to beat back their debt. But �it�s just not enough,� she said.

�We�re left with the people and the communities that are suffering,� Cheh said. �Because people will lose their homes.�

The report�s recommendations include offering financial education for District residents, creating a judicial foreclosure process, and requiring lenders and brokers to determine if the borrower has the ability to repay the loan.

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

Brandenberg herald

NAACP protests against subprime loans
By DUANE MARSTELLER
dmarsteller@bradenton.com

MANATEE --Local and national black leaders called on subprime lenders Wednesday to reform their lending practices, contending minorities have been discriminated against.

In a series of events across the country, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People launched an initiative against subprime and other lenders. The goal: To pressure lenders to make amends for past discriminatory practices and to abolish them altogether.

"Starting today, the NAACP is starting to take action," Edward Bailey, president of the organization's Manatee County branch, said Wednesday. "This is not going to be just a one-time thing."

At rallies from Baltimore to Seattle, NAACP officials cited several studies that said blacks were more likely to receive subprime loans - those with higher interest rates and other costs - than whites.

For example, a 2008 study by the United for a Fair Economy advocacy group found 55 percent of loans to blacks were subprime compared to 17 percent of loans to whites.

A Bradenton Herald study of federal home loan data found similar patterns in Manatee County.

Subprime loans accounted for nearly half of all home loans taken out by Manatee blacks and Hispanics from 2004 to 2006, while it was one in five for whites and non-Hispanics.

The lending industry contends borrowers' credit histories, income and other factors, rather than race, is responsible for the disparity.

The NAACP disagrees and filed a federal class-action suit in California against 17 major subprime lenders last year, accusing them of discriminatory lending practices. The suit contends the lenders targeted blacks for the higher-cost loans based solely on their race.

The lenders have not directly responded to the allegations, but are seeking to have the suit dismissed on various legal grounds, court records show.

Experts said subprime loans, many with adjustable interest rates that are resetting upward, are a driving force behind the record number of foreclosure filings both locally and nationally.

Supporting the troops

2008-07-17T20:00:00-04:00

2 nice heartwarming videos to share.

Raleigh welcomes home heroes "The saved the planet"

Community builds home for injured vet.

The ACORN report.

2008-07-17T13:27:00-04:00

Here is the latest collection of ACORN stories I have found

ACORN OPPOSES COMMUNITY DEVELOP. Including getting rid of an old junk yard.

QUEENS Chronicle

It was another day for a rally and a hearing involving the contentious Willets Point development project as objectors on Thursday made the most noise at Queensborough Hall.

The outdoor rally preceded Borough President Helen Marshall�s land use hearing on the $3 billion project that would convert the junk car yards in Willets Point into a mixed-use development featuring housing, a school, a hotel, a small convention center and retail and office space.

Many of the Willets Point business owners and workers oppose the plan, fearing the city will use eminent domain. They don�t want to move and say the city hasn�t worked in good faith to find them new locations.

Area politicians and members of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), among others, are demanding more affordable housing. Local City Council members also say the plan is too vague and that it should not go forward as outlined.
Community Board 7 gave the plan a slim six-vote approval earlier in the month. Under the Uniform Land Use Review Process, the proposal then must go to the borough president, who has said previously that she is in favor of the development.

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ACORN Backs Al Franken get promise
Winona Daily News

Franken said he hadn�t given any thought to whether he�d be willing to debate Lord Faris, which she has suggested.

Franken made his comments while accepting the endorsement of ACORN, a community organization that�s been providing financial counseling to low- and middle-income Minnesotans facing problems with mortgage payments. Franken said if elected he�d support a temporary moratorium on home foreclosures.

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ACORN sues Missouri for not handing out voter registration forms when giving out food stamps

KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- United States District Judge Nanette K. Laughrey issued an order yesterday, July 15, 2008, directing the Missouri Department of Social Services immediately to comply with a federal law requiring agencies to provide voter registration applications and assistance to their clients. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed in April 2008 by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and St. Louis resident Dionne O'Neal charging widespread violations of the federal National Voter Registration Act (NVRA). The NVRA is a federal law enacted in 1993 to ensure all Americans have access to voter registration services.

State documents confirming that over one million Food Stamps applicants could not have been offered voter registration from 2003-2008 because DSS did not order enough of the forms it is required to give each client. The court also viewed field surveys by plaintiffs of agency offices as persuasive evidence of poor compliance.

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ACORN Demands that city clean up abandoned lots
KYW Radio

Community Group Demands Cleanup of City's Vacant Lots

by KYW's Michelle Durham

North Philadelphia residents and members of the activist group "Acorn" gathered outside the Municipal Services Building in center city on Wednesday to call attention to the problem of abandoned lots in the city.

They have a list of 24 lots that they wanted cleaned up within the next month.

Aura lives near one of the vacant lots and explains how the neglected, overgrown places affect her:

"Somebody saw raccoons. I'm visually impaired, and if I come to the door one morning early, a raccoon could be on my step and could jump right in my door and I wouldn't know it."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACORN pushes for increase in foodstamps in public assisstance

WTOK TV Mississippi

The Mississippi Department of Human Services says food stamps are calculated by the number of people in a family and income of that family.

In fiscal year 2007, DHS assisted the federal government to give out over $400 million in assistance.

DHS and Mississippi ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, say there are still many Mississippians eligible who don't apply.

"Mississippi is one of the states ranked about 60 percent, which is about five points below the national average," said Sonja Murphy, a representative of Mississippi ACORN.

Murphy said her groups hopes to change that. It wants to partner with DHS to get the word out, helping those who need it to get food stamps, especially in these tough economic times.

"If the outreach to the communities were done promptly, to inform the low income families that this resource is here and they need to apply for it," Murphy said.

The Obama's plan community services for delegates

2008-07-17T12:58:00-04:00

Delegates urged to dirty their hands
Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 07/17/2008 03:17:27 AM MDT

Jeannie Ritter, left, greets Michelle Obama on Wednesday. They are promoting a "Delegate Service Day." ( David Zalubowski, The Associated Press )When it comes to jobs at August's Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado first lady Jeannie Ritter and potential U.S. first lady Michelle Obama have picked a toughie: persuading convention delegates to leave the parties and the politics and get their hands dirty.

Ritter and Obama announced Wednesday that they are teaming up for a "Delegate Service Day" on Aug. 27 during the convention. The goal is to get delegates out into the community working on service projects such as cleaning up parks, reading to children and working with programs that help military families.

"This is not a gimmick," Ritter said. "These are people who are committed to projects and have been committed to projects. These are areas where there is a real need." She and Obama had their first meeting on the project Wednesday, during a stop Obama made in Denver.

"She's totally on board with this," Ritter said. "Everybody is energized." John Ingold, The Denver Post

When do these guys work ?

2008-07-17T12:47:00-04:00

Although the story doesnt name is party I found it

RIchard Bradley (D) Illinois

CBS 2 news Chicago

State Rep. Absent From 1 Of 2 Government Jobs Reporting

Mike Flannery CHICAGO (CBS) ― The Illinois House is debating billions of dollars in state spending this week. Action's been slow, in part because so many representatives are absent.

In Wednesday's Truth In Politics, CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports that State Rep. Rich Bradley was also absent from his second job at City Hall in Chicago, where he is paid $99,000 a year.

Rich Bradley was at his desk on the Illinois House floor last week, but official records show that he rarely attends sessions in Springfield, skipping 37 of the last 47 legislative workdays, absent 79 percent of the time.

Although he was back to playing hooky Tuesday and Wednesday, records show Bradley's still collecting his $75,000-a-year salary and travel stipends.

An employee for Chicago's Streets and Sanitation Department, where Bradley works as an assistant general superintendent, said Bradley was not at work on Wednesday. "You probably have to go over to Jamaica or somewhere; he's not here," he said.

His co-workers at Streets and Sanitation told CBS 2 News Producer Ed Marshall Wednesday that Bradley's on paid leave.

Department spokesperson Matt Smith said, "When I asked yesterday where he was, yeah, I was told he's on vacation."

While a vehicle with Bradley's legislative license plate was parked in front of his house Wednesday, CBS 2 got no answer at the door.

Aside from a few spiders, no one was in at Bradley's state office on the Northwest Side either. Taxpayers give him $69,400 a year for this office and for staff, but CBS 2 visited the office several times and never found it open. It appeared no work has been done there in a very long time.

CBS News. The Youngest Terrorist Omar Khadir

2008-07-16T12:40:00-04:00

Plans for the DNC convention

2008-07-16T11:59:00-04:00

The ACLU is appealing these rules of course

Denver CBS

Some Items May Be Banned From Protesters At DNC
Section: Denver 2008 DNC Convention Section
DENVER (AP) ― Next week Denver police will review a proposed ordinance to ban protesters from carrying some items during the Democratic National Convention.

If passed, protesters would not be allowed to carry pipes, chains and any materials that could be used to make bombs containing human waste.

Denver safety manager Al Lacabe says police don't want to interfere with protestors' rights.

Lacabe also points out that the protests should be in done in a way that does not endanger the public or police.

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The ACLU is sueing to stop this and wants documents on plans for Convention

Denver 9 News

DENVER (AP) - Denver and the Secret Service have until Thursday to provide certain documents sought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and groups planning demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention.

The ACLU and the groups are challenging Denver's planned locations for demonstrations and a parade during the convention August 25th to 28th. They say the demonstration zone and parade route are out of sight and earshot of delegates entering the two venues, the Pepsi Center and Invesco Field at Mile High.

The groups won't get all the documents they were seeking on plans to accommodate protests. In an order filed Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Tafoya said some of their requests were too broad.

Charlie Wrangel under fire

2008-07-16T11:42:00-04:00

CBS News New York

Rep. Rangel Under Fire On Several Fronts
On Heels Of Rent Stabilized Apartment Controversy, Harlem Democrat On Hot Seat Again Over 'Pet Project' Financing
Reporting

Don Dahler NEW YORK (CBS) ― He is one of the most powerful men in Congress - Harlem Democrat Charles Rangel. But now he is under fire on several fronts. The latest controversy - a pet project - and questions abuot how he is raising the money to finance it.

"I cannot think of anything I am more proud of."

What made Rangel proud made other members of Congress furious. Last year, the powerful congressman had just funneled $2 million in tax dollars for a public service center to be named for him.

"We call it 'the monument to me' because you're creating - in this case - Congressman Rangel is creating a monument to himself," said California Republican John Campbell.

And now there's more controversy over the Rangel Center for Public Service, to be built on the City College Campus in Harlem. There are published reports that Rangel may be soliciting donations for the center, from corporations with business before the powerful Ways and Means Committee that he controls.

Susan Lerner, of the watchdog group Common Cause, says Rangel should know better.

"It has the appearance of being corrupt...you do me a favor, I'll do you a favor...that's not the way the people's business should be conducted," said Lerner.

Hardball with Buchannon

2008-07-15T23:20:00-04:00

I will go into pakistan says Obama

2008-07-15T14:21:00-04:00

Times online

Barack Obama today ratcheted up the pressure on Pakistan to deal with terrorists within its borders, pledging that the United States would strike at al-Qaeda operatives in this burgeoning "terrorist sanctuary" if Islamabad would not.

In a major foreign policy speech in Washington, the Democratic presidential nominee promised to shift the "single-minded" US focus on Iraq to Afghanistan and the tribal regions of Pakistan, where he said any future attack on America would originate.

�It is unacceptable that almost seven years after nearly 3,000 Americans were killed on our soil, the terrorists who attacked us on 9/11 are still at large,� Mr Obama said.

�Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahari are recording messages to their followers and plotting more terror. The Taleban controls parts of Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda has an expanding base in Pakistan that is probably no farther from their old Afghan sanctuary than a train ride from Washington to Philadelphia.

Chrisopher Dodd "Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac in good condition"

2008-07-15T03:07:00-04:00

Well they are now because of US bailout.

Bloomberg

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Are in 'Good Shape' Dodd Says (Update2)

By Justin Blum

July 13 (Bloomberg) -- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest providers of U.S. mortgage financing, are in a ``sound situation,'' said Senator Christopher Dodd.

``They have more than adequate capital, in fact more than the law requires,'' Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said on CNN's ``Late Edition'' today. ``They have access to capital markets. They're in good shape.''

``To suggest somehow they're in major trouble is not accurate,'' Dodd said.

The two companies' shares reached the lowest level in more than 17 years on July 11, making it tougher for them to raise capital at a time when they account for about 80 percent of mortgages packaged into bonds. A failure of the companies would likely send mortgage rates higher, causing further declines in home sales and prices.

The companies are in talks with Treasury, Federal Reserve and White House officials to come up with funding plans should they require financing, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Freddie Mac is scheduled to sell $3 billion in short-term notes tomorrow. The plans being discussed may include providing capital in case the McLean, Virginia-based company can't find enough investors for the debt, said the people, who declined to be identified because the negotiations haven't been announced.

`Different Options'

The U.S. government during the next few days will be ``exercising a lot of different options that it has available to ensure that they don't get into a financial situation where they can't cover their obligations,'' Arizona Senator Jon Kyl said on the CNN program.

``We should be worried'' about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Republican Kyl, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, said. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac own or guarantee about half the $12 trillion in U.S. home loans outstanding.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama left open the possibility that the Federal government won't need to take any steps to aid Fannie and Freddie, saying it needs to watch the evolving situation before making a decision.

``I think we need to watch carefully to see how it plays out before we make a decision about which steps need to be taken, if any,'' Obama, 46, said aboard his campaign plane from Chicago to San Diego late Saturday. It was the first time Obama, an Illinois senator, addressed concerns over the stability of the two companies.

Lousianna Voucher system

2008-07-15T02:50:00-04:00

Turns out School vouchers are very welcomed in the minority communities

WWLT TV New Orleans

Hundreds of New Orleans families showed up Monday to fill out applications in hopes of getting one of 1,500 coveted vouchers to pay for private school tuition for their children.

State lawmakers approved the $10 million program last month, which will pay for select students entering grades K-3.
�We had folks here early this morning, well before we started,� said David Grubb, a spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Education. �Four or five hours before we opened our doors, we had some here. People are interested and will take a chance and take the opportunity to get a better education for their child.�
Proponents of the vouchers say they�ve worked in other places and give children who are in failing schools another option.
Parents in New Orleans like Monica Simms envision those same results here.

Simms says her daughter already performs well, but she believes a private school setting will take that to a higher level.

Marine murdered for wearing a uniform

2008-07-15T02:10:00-04:00

Tragic still to this day

Taliban attack on troops

2008-07-15T01:42:00-04:00

CBS News

The attack - which U.S. and NATO officials said happened in Kunar province but which Afghan officials said was in neighboring Nuristan - reinforced recent assessments by U.S. officials that militant attacks are becoming more complex and better coordinated.

A NATO official said the attackers used houses, shops and a mosque in Wanat for cover during the hours-long battle.

The militants showered the small base - which had been established just three days earlier - with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to release the information.

Some of the militants breached the wall and got inside, killing nine American soldiers and wounding 15 others, he said.

Other American soldiers managed to drive out the attackers and called in air support. Attack helicopters swooped over the battlefield, and in hours of fighting dozens of insurgents were killed and about 40 were wounded, the NATO official said.

The official described the militant raid as "serious," but also said it was a rarity for insurgents to get inside a base.

Scary things about an Obama Presidency

2008-07-14T21:18:00-04:00

This poll is multiple choice so can chose more than one

Free Web poll for your Web site - freepolls.com

Chris Mathews on Obama terrorist cover

2008-07-14T20:25:00-04:00

The Terror threat and Canada

2008-07-14T18:17:00-04:00

I found this news video on CBC about Canadian terror. I love how the hosting site says "We had SOME problems with violation of service abuse

Jerusalem Post

The Canadian Internet service provider iWeb recently removed three Web sites powered by Hamas and Hizbullah from their network of subscribers after complaints were filed against the company.

Canadian law designates both Hamas and Hizbullah as terrorist organizations whose operations are barred by law, yet the militant groups were hosted online by a Montreal-based corporation.

The first of the illicit URLs was discovered by Toronto native Jonathan HaLevi while monitoring the Internet under the auspices of the Orient Research Group Ltd. which he co-founded. HaLevi is a senior researcher of the Middle East and Radical Islam at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

"The Internet is an important tool for terrorist organizations to recruit, instruct, operate cells and build what they call 'The Islamic Nation' to launch the 'jihad against the infidels,'" HaLevi told The Jerusalem Post.

"The Canadian company in this case was not allowed to support them or to give them any services because in Canada, Hizbullah and Hamas are designated as terrorist organizations."

Upon discovering that an official Hamas Web site was being hosted by a Canadian server, HaLevi immediately sent iWeb an e-mail requesting its removal.

The company replied that the Hamas site was purely informational.

"They replied that the Web site is just like CBC [the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation], and didn't at that time acknowledge that the particular Web site was part of Hamas and linked to terrorist attacks," said HaLevi.

After further investigation however, iWeb did concede to remove the Hamas page from their server.

"Yo so Latino y yo voto" !

2008-07-14T16:14:00-04:00

This is a follow up to my earlier ACORN post. It incudes video of Barbara Lee working with ACORN

Acorn is pushing for one million immigrant voters. And they are pushing for increased housing. They are also pushing for increased medical care.

ACORN is bigger and badder than ever.

Rocky Mountian News.

Volunteers aim to register 500,000 immigrant voters, mobilize others
By Ashleigh Oldland, Rocky Mountain News
Monday, July 14, 2008

Chris Schneider / The Rocky

Martha Carranza holds her grandson, Estevan Contreras, on Thursday during a news conference marking the launch of an effort to help more immigrants apply for citizenship and vote.Carranza, 51, is a new U.S. citizen from Mexico.

Martha Carranza has lived in Denver for the past 27 years, but this is the first year she is going to vote.

She's not alone.

Members of Ya Es Hora Coalition, We Are America Alliance Coalition of Colorado, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, and Latina Initiative last week held a news conference to mark the launch of an effort to help more immigrants apply for citizenship and become a part of the civic process.

This year, volunteers hope to register 500,000 new Latino, Asian and immigrant voters in 13 states as well as encourage 1 million registered voters to go to the polls, said Rachel Hamrick with We Are America Alliance.

Carranza, 51, an immigrant from Mexico, is a new U.S. citizen. She said it is important to her to be involved in the voting process.

"The life in the U.S. is completely different than Mexico," Carranza said.

"I have rights here. I am respected. I have a voice and I am heard."

Carranza works as a housekeeper and event caterer on top of baby-sitting her young grandson, Estevan.

She said she has educated herself by reading U.S. newspapers and magazines and hopes someday to complete her GED.

"To speak English was hard," she said.

"I try to learn one new word a week."

Among those at the news conference was Patricia Gonzalez, 15.

Gonzalez isn't old enough to vote yet, but she volunteers for Latina Initiative and Latinas Increasing Political Strength so that she can encourage other Latinas to vote.

The T-shirt Gonzalez wore read: "I am Latina and I vote! Yo soy Latina y yo voto!"

ACORN follies

2008-07-14T12:08:00-04:00

ACORN is still working their magic. Now they are funding congress members around to showcase the "housing Crisis"

Oakland Tribune

Barbara Lee leads foreclosure tour in Oakland
By Kamika Dunlap
Staff Writer
Article Last Updated: 07/13/2008 07:26:02 AM PDT

OAKLAND � Berta Berrayo is trying to hang on to the quaint East Oakland home that represents her American dream.

Sitting on her front porch Saturday, decorated with a U.S. flag and a statue of the Virgin Mary, Berrayo shared with Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, and a crowd of others her plight as a working mother and recent foreclosure victim.

"We have to find a solution to the foreclosure crisis,'' said Berrayo, who was a first-time home buyer when she made the purchase four years ago. "The banks don't want to negotiate with us or our community.''

Lee was in her district this weekend to take a bus foreclosure tour around Oakland, which is among the 20 U.S. cities with the most number of houses in foreclosure.

She was joined by City Council members Desley Brooks, Eastmont-Seminary, and Larry Reid, Elmhurst-East Oakland. Their districts have about 400 bank-owned homes and are at the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis.

The tour was organized by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, which advocates for low- and moderate-income families. Representatives from the Urban Strategies Council and the Department of Housing and Urban Development also participated in the event. Junious Williams, CEO of the Urban Strategies Council, said the foreclosure crisis is the "tipping point" for neighborhoods that already have a lot of problems.

"The American dream is turning into a nightmare, and unfortunately the federal government hasn't done enough to help,'' Lee said. "The impact extends beyond the personal tragedies of families "...there's massive suffering in our country and our communities.''

California led the nation with 68,666 foreclosure filings in June.

Lee is supporting a package of legislation to help those who have been affected by the subprime mortgage crisis.

"The numbers are shameful, and we need to send a loud message to the White House that the president must sign a bill that will be a long-term fix," she said.

Lee hopes to leverage $5.4 million of federal neighborhood revitalization funding to her district to rehabilitate and resell vacant properties.

This year, about 3,800 subprime loans will reset in Alameda County, according to data collected by ACORN
------------------------------------------

Huffpo is now noticing that ACORN is coming under the microscope and their counter punch ? LEAVE ACORN ALONE !

Only a handful of top ACORN staff knew about the scandal, and Rathke persuaded them to keep it quiet in order, he argued, to protect the group's reputation. The staff group obtained an enforceable restitution agreement so that the funds would be returned to ACORN. With the help of friends and family, his brother has now repaid all the stolen funds. But now that the scandal has surfaced, Wade Rathke has resigned, and his brother has been fired.

In the world of scandals, ACORN's missteps don't even register on the radar compared with the swindles perpetrated by top executives at Halliburton, Enron, WorldCom, Countrywide, and other major corporations who ripped off the government, stockholders, and consumers of billions of dollars. But progressive groups have to be squeaky clean. They must live by a higher standard, in part because they are constantly under scrutiny by powerful business and government officials and in part, because they depend on the good will of funders (who typically get federal tax breaks for their donations) and low-income members (who sacrifice to pay ACORN dues).

the wake of the Times story, ACORN's leaders are working to keep its reputation among its allies and funders. But Rathke's misjudgment in covering up his brother's embezzlement has now provided ACORN's opponents with ammunition to attack the organization. Indeed, because it has been so successful for almost four decades, ACORN has accumulated many enemies -- including major business groups and conservative politicians that have done battle with the feisty activist group -- who would love to see the organization destroyed. In recent weeks, right-wing opponents have even tried to link Barack Obama to ACORN, which they invariably describe as a "radical" and "left-wing" group. (See here, here and here.)

Despite these and other manufactured charges of voter fraud against ACORN, its enemies still repeat them as if they were true. The stories remain as propaganda fodder for Republican bloggers and conservative media. Last Tuesday, a Wall Street Journal editorial repeated the voter-fraud canard, while warning that a the Democrat-sponsored bill to rescue families facing foreclosure, which includes funds for homeownership counseling, could provide money to ACORN, "the left-wing activist outfit that was infamous for its bare-knuckle politics." Journal columnist John Fund has been a persistent ACORN critic. Last April, he wrote that "Acorn's efforts to register voters have been scandal-prone." On Saturday (July 12), Fund portrayed ACORN as one of Obama's "liberal shock troops," labeling the group, "the granddaddy of activist groups," and repeating the accusation that ACORN has a "history of vote fraud scandals."

Charlie Rangel home owner

2008-07-11T19:52:00-04:00

CBS 2 New York

WHile the dems are passing a massive housing bailout their leaders get some nice perks

Rangel: Nothing Wrong With 4 Rent-Stabilized Apts.
Congressman Unfazed By Controversy Over His Below-Market Housing
Reporting

Marcia Kramer NEW YORK (CBS) ― In a city where rent stabilized apartments are increasingly scarce, Congressman Charles Rangel has not one, not two, not three, but four of them in the same, posh Harlem high-rise.

And CBS 2's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer says he's unabashedly unapologetic about it, as he says he's done nothing illegal. Period.

"I know darn well there's nothing wrong," Rangel says of the situation.

Yes, he lives in three of the apartments � a one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom that have been combined, and a studio next door. And yes, it has been written up in a 2003 book which showcases bronze statues and antiques Rangel has picked up in his travels.

But the Democratic congressman says the rents he pays are the ones set by the Rent Guidelines Board every two years.

"I did not negotiate, I did not ask for a lower price," he says. "I'm paying the legal rent now because it's a good deal."