Real Estate Information Archive

These are all the programs that the new Republican House has proposed cutting. Read to the end.

• Corporation for Public Broadcasting Subsidy. $445 million annual savings.
• Save America 's Treasures Program. $25 million annual savings.
• International Fund for Ireland . $17 million annual savings.
• Legal Services Corporation. $420 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Arts. $167.5 million annual savings.
• National Endowment for the Humanities. $167.5 million annual savings.
• Hope VI Program.. $250 million annual savings.
• Amtrak Subsidies. $1.565 billion annual savings.
• Eliminate duplicative education programs. H.R. 2274 (in last Congress), authored by Rep. McKeon, eliminates 68 at a savings of $1.3 billion annually.
• U.S. Trade Development Agency. $55 million annual savings.
• Woodrow Wilson Center Subsidy. $20 million annual savings.
• Cut in half funding for congressional printing and binding. $47 million annual savings.
• John C. Stennis Center Subsidy. $430,000 annual savings.
• Community Development Fund. $4.5 billion annual savings.
• Heritage Area Grants and Statutory Aid. $24 million annual savings.
• Cut Federal Travel Budget in Half. $7.5 billion annual savings
• Trim Federal Vehicle Budget by 20%. $600 million annual savings.
• Essential Air Service. $150 million annual savings.
• Technology Innovation Program. $70 million annual savings.
• Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. $125 million annual savings.
• Department of Energy Grants to States for Weatherization. $530 million annual savings.
• Beach Replenishment. $95 million annual savings.
• New Starts Transit. $2 billion annual savings.
• Exchange Programs for Alaska , Natives Native Hawaiians, and Their Historical Trading Partners in Massachusetts . $9 million annual savings
• Intercity and High Speed Rail Grants. $2.5 billion annual savings.
• Title X Family Planning. $318 million annual savings.
• Appalachian Regional Commission. $76 million annual savings.
• Economic Development Administration. $293 million annual savings.
• Programs under the National and Community Services Act. $1.15 billion annual savings.
• Applied Research at Department of Energy. $1.27 billion annual savings.
• FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership. $200 million annual savings.
• Energy Star Program. $52 million annual savings.
• Economic Assistance to Egypt . $250 million annually.
• U.S. Agency for International Development. $1.39 billion annual savings.
• General Assistance to District of Columbia . $210 million annual savings.
• Subsidy for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. $150 million annual savings.
• Presidential Campaign Fund. $775 million savings over ten years.
• No funding for federal office space acquisition. $864 million annual savings.
• End prohibitions on competitive sourcing of government services.
• Repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. More than $1 billion annually.
• IRS Direct Deposit: Require the IRS to deposit fees for some services it offers (such as processing payment plans for taxpayers) to the Treasury, instead of allowing it to remain as part of its budget. $1.8 billion savings over ten years.
• Require collection of unpaid taxes by federal employees. $1 billion total savings.WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Prohibit taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees. $1.2 billion savings over ten years.
• Sell excess federal properties the government does not make use of. $15 billion total savings.
• Eliminate death gratuity for Members of Congress.
• Eliminate Mohair Subsidies. $1 million annual savings.
• Eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. $12.5 million annual savings
• Eliminate Market Access Program. $200 million annual savings.
• USDA Sugar Program. $14 million annual savings.
• Subsidy to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). $93 million annual savings.
• Eliminate the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program. $56.2 million annual savings.
• Eliminate fund for Obamacare administrative costs. $900 million savings.
• Ready to Learn TV Program. $27 million savings..
• HUD Ph.D. Program.
• Deficit Reduction Check-Off Act.
• TOTAL SAVINGS: $2.5 Trillion over Ten Years

My question is, what is all this doing in the budget in the first place?

Memorial Day is a day to remember those who died in service to our Country so that we can continue to be free. We live in the greatest nation in the world. 

Unlike Veterans Day which honors all the men and women who have served and those serving in our military now.

Enjoy this weekend with family and friends.

At 3 pm on Monday, in whichever time zone you are, please take one minute in silence to remember our fallen soldiers. Please watch and listen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFcuR34Gg-o

leslie edwards                                                                                       environmentally conscious, socially aware, politically active real estate agent                                                                                                              Serving South Metro Atlanta GA                                                                             770.527.1983                                                                                                         RE/MAX Around Atlanta

Today's housing news 5.17.2011:

Housing starts fell 10.6% in April to a 523,000-unit rate, missing economists' estimates of a 568,000-unit rate. Permits to build new homes fell 4% in April to a 551,000-unit rate, lower than the 585,000-unit rate economists were expecting.

What does this mean?  Every week there are conflicting news reports of studies and polls related to the economy and the housing market.  One week new starts are up and the same week some poll says housing starts are down. It makes it difficult to understand what is really happening.

These numbers are useless when you consider that all real estate is local.  What is supposedly happening across the country may be different from what is happening in your city, county or even your neighborhood. 

If you want to know what is happening in your area, call me for a FREE consultation with no obligation.

leslie edwards                                                                        770.460.9448                                                                   leslie@leslieedwards.com                                                                RE/MAX Around Atlanta                                                                        33 Years Experience Isn't Expensive, It's Priceless

Dear Governor Deal,

During your campaign, you promised strict illegal alien enforcement for Georgia. You have a bill waiting for your signature and I am not sure why you have not signed it                                                                                                      Illegals stand outside the Capitol announcing that were illegally here & refuse to leave, yet none were detained.

 If a man stood out there yelling "I robbed the bank branch across the street 20 minutes ago",  he would have been arrested on the spot. Being here illegally & robbing a bank are both illegal.

Show your support for the bill that Matt Ramsey wrote & the House & the Senate approved so the world knows that we will enforce the laws & arrest those here illegally.                                                                                                   It is not just about Mexicans. Thanks to the internet & cable news, terrorists from around the world know if they can get to Mexico, they can walk over to the U.S. undetected.

Sign the bill & send a message that GA is not a safe haven for illegals.

The Government likes to talk about how many Americans are living in poverty when this is not poverty. Real poverty is in Haiti, Africa, Darfor and other places in the world where people are actually starving to death and have no water.

I heard about a welfare recipient who still gets welfare and food stamps even though she lost all of her children.

Had an investor who paid over $200,000 for a house in downtown Atlanta. Section 8 was paying him $1,400 a month for rent, paying the occupant welfare, food stamps, medicaid, free school breakfast and lunch & child care (although Mom did not work). As I often see, there was a man living in the house (against the rules), a new car in the driveway, a really big TV and surround sound.  Many of my hard working clients cannot afford $1,400 a month.  The system makes it too easy to collect money for doing nothing.  It is hard to convince someone to go to work for less, worry about medical care, child care & groceries, all of which they get for free if they don't work.

It is interesting how unemployed people often find a job just as the Unemployment Insurance runs out.  Again, free money for doing nothing does not encourage people to give it up to go to work for not that much more money.

Friend had a new baby in Walmart and a customer walked by her and said, "You can get a check for that baby".

The system is broken. Food stamp recipients are at an all time high after soaring over the past two years. The number of students in the Free school lunche program continues to multiply.

These give away programs should be temporary until the family gets back on their feet, not a generational entitlement. My father's generation taught my generation about working, doing a good job, raising and providing for a family, moving up on the socio economic ladder and being proud of yourself for your accomplishments. My father was in a serious car accident that put him in intensive care for several days. It was the only time he had ever missed work in the 20+ years with his company.  Now jobs give employees sick days????

Sold a house once using the combined income of Mom, Dad, grown Daughter and her Husband. Each of the four was receiving a disability check and they all looked perfectly capable of working.

They talk about changing & cutting Social Security which is for people who actually worked, while the so called "poor" and "disabled" are paid not to work. This is not the way to help people be independent of the system. 

Free money entitlement programs increase every year. Meanwhile the American Dream is alive and well for those willing to work. Many immigrants from India, Thailand, Viet Nam, Korea, Japan and China succeed here because it is so much better her than where they came from and they see the opportunities to better themselves.  I have never known one of these immigrants to be on any public assistance. There may be, but if there are, it is rare. 

We are ruining it for the next generation and the one after that because all the rhetoric about reform is just that, rhetoric. The only real change is that the welfare rolls continue to climb and nothing ever gets better. Is the system so broken that it cannot be fixed?

leslie edwards, RE/MAX around Atlanta  770.460.9448 leslie@leslieedwards.com www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com

Fayette County Georgia is known for great schools, first or second highest income per capita in the State, one of the top places to retire, low density housing and now ranked as the healthies county in Georgia. Another of the many good reasons to move to Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Tyrone, Woolsey or Brooks. Read all about it.

http://fayetteville.11alive.com/news/fayette-county-ranked-healthiest-county-georgia/55379

If you are thinking of moving, call me.  I can help.  Last year, I closed 62 properties which is more than 10 times the local average and I would like to close one for you this year.

leslie edwards                                                                             Environmentally Aware, Socially Conscious, Politically Active Real Estate Agent                                                                                          770.460.9448                                                                                       CDPE Certified Distressed Property Expert                                                     CRS   Certified Residential Specialist                                                       Epro  Certified Internet Professional                                                        ABR   Accredited Buyer Representative                                                         GRI    Graduate of the Realtor Institute                                                     Dave Ramsey Endorsed Local Provider                                                    Selling South Metro Atlanta including:Clayton, Fayette, Henry, Coweta, Merewether, South Fulton & Spalding Counties                                                All the towns and cities south of the Atlanta International Airport, including:Brooks, College Park, Fairburn, Fayetteville, Jonesboro, Locust Grove, McDonough,Newnan, Sharpsburg, Stockbridge, Palmetto, Peachtree City, Tyrone and more

Moving Families Since 1978                                                                       Let My Experience Work For You                              www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com       www.leslieedwards.com/blogleslie@leslieedwards.com                                    RE/MAX Around Atlanta 

Save your credit, relieve the uncertainty, and most of all, help your family.

Call me for Short Sale and Pre-Foreclosure Solutions and let's get started on the path to recovery.

http://www.leslieedwards.com/Blog/What-is-a-Short-Sale-and-Why-You-Might-Want-One

The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered "Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived."

By: Altered States

Union leaders apparently do not like or support Republicans. They are heaping millions on the Democrats.  The Unions support the Democrats and in exchange the Democrats agree to protect the Unions who are now atempting to unionize the TSA.                                                                                    Conservative Republicans see the growing list of unfunded liabilities every time the Government approves new defined benefit plan guaranteed to bankrupt cities, counties and states all over the country.  It was the Union that demanded more than Eastern Airlines could give and when the Unions would not agree, it literally drove Eastern Airlines out of business.  I will bet that most of the former Eastern Airline employees who lost their jobs would do things a lot different if they could turn back time.                                                     The United Auto Workers made huge demands that sent car manufacturers in to bankruptcy that caused a ripple effect across the country.  Do you think the UAW workers might have voted different if they had to do over again?  The average American is more concerned with who the Bachelor picked or who got sent home on American Idol than they are about how the Unions are going to bankrupt this country.                                                                               But there is hope. Hopefully, now that the players are planning to strike which could cancel the football season, some citizens will understand that unions are out for themselves and are willing to end a season, cancel school, close down plants and pay people to demonstrate so they don't have to compromise.

Click on this link to see how mcuh the Unions are paying for Democrat support

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/contrib.php?cycle=2010&ind=P

95% of the time when I hear someone use the word "myself" in a sentence, I cringe.  The word "myself" is rarely used correctly.  More often than not, the correct word is either "I" or "me". 

Below are two explanations of when to use "Me" "Myself" or "I"

"In the old days when people studied traditional grammar, we could simply say, "The first person singular pronoun is I when it's a subject and me when it's an object,' but now few people know what that means. [. . .] The misuse of I and myself for me is caused by nervousness about me. [. . .] But the notion that there is something wrong with me leads people to overcorrect and avoid it where it is perfectly appropriate. People will say, 'The document had to be signed by both Susan and I' when the correct statement would be, 'The document had to be signed by both Susan and me.'

Trying even harder to avoid the lowly me, many people will substitute myself as in 'The suspect uttered epithets at Officer O'Leary and myself.' Myself is no better than I as an object. Myself is not a sort of all-purpose intensive form of me or I . Use myself only when you have used I earlier in the same sentence: 'I am not particularly fond of goat cheese myself'" (Brian’s, Common Errors in English Usage).  *** I wanna be, all by myself. le

When do you use "me"?

The craziest rule of all, to my ear, is the rule that governs the use of "myself" and "me". Which of these *sounds* correct to you?

1. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and myself.

2. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and I.

3. The Captain handed the medals to my partner and me.

The correct version, of course, is the 3rd. The word "me" is always a direct or indirect object (never a subject) and "I" is *always* a subject--that much doesn't sound too far-fetched, and it rules out the 2nd example.

"Myself" is a special object (direct or indirect), to be used only when the subject is you (note I didn't write "...when the subject is yourself"). I can give a gift to *myself* since I am the one doing the giving. The Captain can never "give a gift to myself" since the subject is the Captain.

Part of the confusion comes from the two-part indirect object in the examples above ("my partner and me") but the same grammar rules apply whether or not the object is compounded.

leslie edwards, Realtor                                                                       770.460.9448                                                                                                        leslie@leslieedwards.com                                                                                          see all the listings at                                            www.SouthMetroAtlantaMLS.com                                                                     As a Certified Distressed Property Expert, I help families avoid foreclosure.  If someone you know can't pay their mortgage, ask them to call me.

Where are the oil refineries?  Politicians and citizens continue to urge the Adminsitration to reopen oil drilling sites and approve some new sites.  It is not clear why the administration continues to refuse.  The US has plenty of oil if we drilled here but we do not have the processing facilities to turn the oil into gas and other products. This is an issue we don't hear discussed in the larger conversation about drilling in the United States. 

There hasn't been a new refinery built in the United States since 1981 and the current capacity could not handle the increase that would come from more drilling.  Because it is very expensive to build refineries, perhaps the US and local Governments can provide tax and other incentives to encourage construction and operation of refineries. Without new refineries, all the drilling in teh world will not lessen our dependency on foreign oil.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pnp_cap1_dcu_nus_a.htm