Just Be Nice...It Might Pay Off

Against all logic and all things of reason, I decided to leave the safe confines of FLA and journey to the North Country for the Christmas holiday.

As with most air travel these days, our flight involved a lay over (in DC), with approximately a 1 hour wait for our connecting flight.
As boarding time approached, it was apparent that our plane was at the gate. The odd part was that the walkway was not pulled up fully to the plane. Hmmm.
There were a few airline employees scurrying around, looking outside, talking on walkie talkies.

Then, suddenly, the dreaded announcement. "Attention please. Flight xxxx has been canceled. Please proceed upstairs to ticketing for assistance."

*Insert mass cattle stampede here*

So, now we're standing in line with a bunch of not-happy people. As you can guess, the negative grumbling continued to grow. Everybody's pissed and more than willing to share their tale of woe.
Yes, it was annoying. Yes it was massively inconvenient. But I decided the lady behind the counter wasn't the cause of the cancellation, and she probably didn't want to see 60 angry people any more than we wanted to be in line, scurrying for a new flight. Making her more angry probably wasn't going to work to my advantage.

I decided to try an unconventional strategy: be polite.

As I approached her station, I greeted her with a "Hi there!". You know, in that subtle tone of voice that says 'We both know neither one of us wants to be here'. We exchanged a few more pleasantries, and I told her "I NEED to get to XXX"

Well, I don't know just what chord I struck with her, but she became the most helpful Customer Service Agent I've ever experienced. She wound up giving me a few options from which to choose, but did get me to my destination the same day.

The icing on the cake? She comped me to First Class, no charge!
Just the way to relax after a frustrating day.

Next time, try NICE. It may just benefit you.

Case Closed

For those of you who thought I had committed sacrilege by questioning George Bush's alleged Christianity, let's hear straight from the horse's, ummm..., mouth (courtesy of Fox News).

Interviewer Cynthia McFadden asked Bush if the Bible was literally true.

"You know. Probably not. ... No, I'm not a literalist, but I think you can learn a lot from it, but I do think that the New Testament for example is ... has got ... You know, the important lesson is 'God sent a son,"' Bush said.

The president also said that he prays to the same God as those with different religious beliefs.

So, for all my Christian brothers who thought he was the 2nd Coming, you've been had.
I rest my case.

A Lone Voice in the Wilderness

The Wall Street Journal brings us this courtesy of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford:

I find myself in a lonely position. While many states and local governments are lining up for a bailout from Congress, I went to Washington recently to oppose such bailouts. I may be the only governor to do so.

But I suspect I'm not entirely alone, as there are a lot of taxpayers who aren't pleased with Christmas coming early for politicians. And I hope these taxpayers make their voices heard before Democrats load up the next bailout train for states with budget deficits.

Already, our nation's unfunded liabilities total $52 trillion -- about $450,000 per household. There's something very strange about issuing debt to solve a problem caused by too much debt.

Community bankers tell me that they are now at a competitive disadvantage for being careful about who to lend to, because others that were less disciplined will get a federal bailout. This is also true for states. Those that have been fiscally responsible will pay for or lose out to the big spenders. California increased spending 95% over the past 10 years (federal spending went up 71% over the same period). To bail out California now seems unfair to fiscally prudent states.

Uh oh...
Economic common sense and clear thought.
Responsibility for actions.

Mr. Sanford presents 4 questions that MUST be answered, regardless of on which side of the Bail-Out question you stand.

I must admit, I'm not familiar with Mr. Sanford. But if he continues to put forth true conservative ideas like this, we just might have a place for him come 2012.

Thought for the Day

VEGETARIAN

Old Indian word for Bad Hunter

IGNORANCE is the Reason

The Barna Group tells us this (via Onenewsnow.com):

Despite Barack Obama's approval of abortion and homosexual activism, new polling by a prestigious Christian research group indicates that the Democratic presidential nominee is making significant inroads among voters who are classified as "born-again" Christians.

According to Dave Kinnaman, president of The Barna Group, born-again Christians voting for Obama say they are backing the Illinois senator because they believe he will do a better job restoring America's reputation and handling the economy and agree with his stance on the Iraq War.

"People in their 20s or 30s who are born-again Christian are more likely to support Senator Obama than Senator McCain, compared to people who are older born-again Christians, who are more likely to support the Arizona senator," he explains. "So, when you look at it, it's a pretty complex set of reasons, and each person comes to this voting decision with their own unique sensibility...

"Their own unique sensibility..." Isn't that warm and fuzzy?!?!

It really isn't a complex set of reasons; its quite simple:
1) They don't know the Bible
2) They don't believe the Bible
3) They attend wishy-washy "relevant", "seeker-sensitive" churches that teach a "social gospel"
4) They lack a basic understanding of the founding principles of this country.

This is not to say McCain is a whole lot better.
Had Christian voters actually paid attention to Biblical principles during the primaries, Ron Paul would be the Republican nominee.
But no, they allow themselves to be brainwashed by the media that he was "unelectible".
So now we have a Global-Socialist and a Extreme Radical Left Wing Nut as the two lead candidates.

God help us. Government surely won't.

More Real Estate News

Forget all your friends and alleged experts who are telling you NOW is the time to buy.

This tidbit courtesy of Barchart.com:

Mortgage apps – This morning's weekly MBA mortgage applications report showed the third straight sharp decline, thus putting an even weaker light on the US housing market. The overall MBA mortgage applications index this morning fell -11.6%, the purchases sub-index fell -8.5%, and the refinancing sub-index fell -15.4%. The purchases sub-index this morning fell to a 4-year low, which suggests that home buying interest is drying up further.

Simply translated, No Applications = No Loans = No Money = No Buyers = Lower Prices coming soon.

My apologies to all of you trying to sell. If you must sell, take any deal that won't make you loose money.