When something becomes the norm, it ceases to be special. College used to be reserved for those smart enough to matriculate and, hopefully, graduate in four years. Now, we are told everyone must go to college. This is nonsense. Everyone goes to high school. Now, college has become the new high school. By lowering admission standards, we short-change students who should get a job and get on with their lives. The grade inflation that accompanies the increase in college students also devalues the education they are receiving, and people who hire can attest to that.

Thank you for highlighting, as stated within the Declaration of Independence, that in America it is held that all men are created equal. Your example of mortgage discrimination sadly demonstrates the fact that elected officials have lost sight of the realities that are the foundation of our laws. The perpetuation of racism results from the failure of the Legislative Branch to recognize that it has no authority to enact laws that, positiely or negatively, distinguish one man from another. The Judicial Branch is the forum for redress of issues produced by discrimination. If as a black man, you feel that you have been discriminated against by a lender, you are welcome to seek a judicial solution. By trying to promote a nation of “diversity” as a Good Thing, the Federal Government has enabled myriad special interest groups – blacks, Hispanics, homosexuals, illegal aliens, etc. – to promote themselves as victims of discrimination. In a country where all are perceived to be equal under the law, diversity becomes the problem, and legislative ignorance is not the answer.

A very good observation of the situation we are in with those that would regulate us into the ground for "our own good".

The Founders mentioned this danger over 200 years ago in the Virginia Ratifying Conventions 6-16-1788:

Day Convention in Full at: http://www.pacificwestcom.com/americanpatriotpartynewsletter

George Mason: "...But I wish a clause in the Constitution, with respect to ALL powers which are NOT granted, that they are retained by the "STATES". >>>Otherwise, the power of providing for the "GENERAL WELFARE" may be "PERVERTED TO ITS DESTRUCTION"."

The Arrogation of federal regulation powers, using the unenumerated "flat percentage tax on income (or other)" to derive money that should have stayed in the states, has empowered the federal government to use that money to bribe the states with environmental and other mandates that the states comply just so to get the money back into the state; But becomes yet a means of corruption again when the state bureaucracies find profit in it through enlarging their own bureaucracies. The perversion Mason speaks of is complete by the federal government taking UNENUMERATED Unconsensual tax money from the people in the first place; to take from them to give to others without consent, which has led to impoverishing the people and the empowering government and granting of privileges at all levels; When the money should stay in the hands of the people themselves, until the consensually give it to causes that have been enumerated BEFORE taken.

As clearly established in Article 1 Section 9 of the Constitution: "No Capitation, or OTHER direct, Tax shall be laid, UNLESS in "Proportion to the Census or Enumeration" herein "BEFORE" directed to be taken." (Corrupted through an ARROGATION of power in Amendment 16)

American Patriot Party.CC

http://www.americanpatriotparty.cc

Read the 4 suggested Founders documents.

Sowell is always on point. I will link to this from my Old Jarhead blog. Reading his books “Basic Economics” and “Applied Economics” should be required in order to hold public office, probably in order to vote. In English. Unfortunately, when the country falls into economic ruin, the un-attentive and economically-ignorant public will have no idea how it happened.

Robert A. Hall

Author: The Coming Collapse of the American Republic

(All royalties go to a charity to help wounded veterans)

Another set of clear thoughts from Dr. Sowell. My own comments follow:

1. On entitlements: A friend used to say, "They're looking for free chicken." There is no free chicken or free lunch either. Which leads to the larger point:

2. Everything has a cost. When we ignore that and fail to regard the costs, we are subject to every manner of fraud and demagoguery.

3. On racial issues: The important remaining issue is for all Americans to take advice from that great political sage, Marion Berry, when he said (in another context), "Get over it."

3 points that bug me...

1) "everyone gets a trophy"

phooey! everyone who WINS isn't guaranteed a "trophy"!

2) every candidate for POTUS should be REQUIRED to fill out a job application, listing pertinent experience, education/transcripts and references who can vouch for them & their integrity. POST all info ONLINE --- THEN, run an FBI background check on each of them.

3) is it LEGAL for an incumbent POTUS to use our house and our AF1/Marine1 to campaign?? this one really bugs me, and i can't find an answer...

tx for letting me 'vent' a bit.

Since we've touched on the neomarxist environMENTAList wackos, I seem to recall that it was THEY that pushed the use of plastic bags, Styrofoam containers, plastic bottles, plastic this, plastic that, plastic everything as the solution for the alleged destruction of forests. NOW, they want to return to the use of paper containers et al, because their demand for the use of plastic did not take into account that they are not bio-degradable. Typical short sighted thinking, or lack thereof.

COMMON SENSE. Society is produced by our wants,and government by our wickedness;the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices.society in every state is a blessing, but government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one.we find it necessary to surrender up a part of our property to furnish means for the protection of the rest.

As usual, Sowell has his act together. His sister does, also, apparently.

Thomas once wrote in a column that when his sister's children were teenagers, she gathered them together in a group and told them, "I want you all to know that if you ever get into trouble and wind up in jail, by law you're entitled to one phone call. Don't waste your phone call on me."

"One of the things that have ruined our economy is the notion that both Democrats and Republicans in Washington pushed for years, that a higher rate of home ownership is a Good Thing."

The problem is that we've lost sight of what TRUE home ownership is. You might "technically" own your home if the title has your name on it, but you don't REALLY own your home until the mortgage is paid-in-full. What percentage of your home do you really own rignt now, and what percentage does the bank own?

I would argue that the level of TRUE home ownership actually declined during the housing bubble. How much equity did "home owners" really have? And how much was tied up in NINJA-based, interest only, 100% financed ARM's? How many "home owners" treated equity from increasing property values like an ATM and "cashed out"?

When government officials speak of the level of home ownership, I wish that they'd speak of the part actually owned by the person who's name is on the title.