States, cities struggle over eminent domain. Supreme Court ruling on private property sparks debate.

In Washington nothing has stirred up emotions more then a ruling on private property rights. The Supreme Court said homeowners can be forced to move and sell, (even to private owner) if the land would be used to benefit the local economy! Now everyone is wondering where did the property rights (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propertyrights) in the amendment disappear to? In St. Louis residents jammed into last week's City Council meeting to try and denounce the new change. They are beginning to tell small business they need to move there business, because a big and better one will be put in the place of yours.

I think that is wrong the entire article trying to make our economy better, by shutting businesses down and embarrising them and the community. We all have our rights, and when the Supreme Court trys to come in and have the cities try and take what is ours, and our neighbors and try to have everything be shared. I dont think that is a good idea or healthy for the economy, if someone wants to give up there business or there home "to help out the economy" it is there choice not the cities, or anyone elses. The enterprise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise should find away to produce more room for everyone, not take away. That will not help us it will hurt us.

Free Trade Trade-Offs #1

Trade barriers lead to higher prices for domestic products. Free trade lowers prices but causes job losses. Many businesses hire educated employees from other countries who are willing to work for less money, which also helps us with exports http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Export. Trade treaties encourage U.S. businesses to move their factories to Mexico, China and other developing nations. Unemployment doesnt help any one and it lowers the amount of money being spent by the consumers. New jobs are higher paying which gives more money for the consumer to spend, also helps with more developing business with imports http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Import so we can make more of our own products. Many people in certian industries do loose there jobs because of free trade.

In our nation times are tough for everyone that is why the different countries make trade agreements http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement. Which are rules that each nation fallows among trading. I also think that it is a good thing that we have deregulation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deregulation. It helps us when an need but also hurts us by highering the unemployment rate and makes it harder for our nation to make it through. But it is also a good thing that the nations help one another, but if it gets out of hand to much that will lead to us having less jobs and less money to spend. I think that the new jobs around are paying more money because then the flow of money will really be going steady. I am still in the middle of free trade i belive it is a good thing for some people but i would personally never want an over see job, and i think that we should give the people in our country jobs befor giving them out to other countries its good to think about others but sometimes you just have to think about yourself (USA) before others, even if it does cost more money to pay the employee, but in the long run it will be worth it.

Bankrupt Man Gambles on lottery and WINS!

A New York man gambles on the lottery with just 78 cents in his savings account and was $44,000 in debt. Parking attendant Juan Rodriguez threw down a $1.00 on a lottery ticket on his break at work. Juan won the winning jackpot of $88.5 million. We won big one month after filing bankruptcy(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy). He immagrated from Colombia to America in 1982.

What a lucky man I believe now its a proven fact dreams do come true, one day you think you have nothing the next you have everything. I am glad that this man won someone who actually needs it and is way down in the dumps. I hope that this man doesnt blow all of his money and adds more to his savings account, and dont spend it all in one store as they say.

Stimulus funding helps youth jobs program

http://www.echopress.com/articles/index.cfm?id=63971&section=News

The artical i have come across really caught my eye it is from the Echo Press of Alexandria. What it explains in the artical is how the Rural Minnesota RMCEP have been awarded 2.5 million dollars from the stimulus funding from the Department of Employmen and Economic Development. It is mostly based on summer employment for youth. And the primary activity will be work experience. The director of RMCEP, Dan Wenner is the one to set this up and stated a bunch of great things that young people actually get out of a summer job. You learn valuable lessons while making money, and jobs are set up for you to develop pride, skills, and responsibility.

I think this is a great idea and its good to actually see the stimulus money going somewhere important, and there not making just any old jobs there helping us young people everyday skills and give a world of work orientation and community involvement. Then we are keeping the economy really up to speed by given young people work, which will make them go out and spend money on things like older people would not necessarily spend them on its also great to have jobs that you know are for younger people. Will make them more willing to go and try to get a summer job. Also will help kids stay out of trouble and learn many great things while working.

Real Estate Lobby

The real estate lobby A powerful force on Capitol Hill, led by the National Association of Realtors and National Association of Home Builders, this group championed policies to push homeownership rates to unsustainable levels. Congress and the White House went along; to vote otherwise was to oppose the American Dream. Real estate agents, armed with research from their trade group, fed the myth that home prices would continue to rise and that even if they took a breather, they would never fall by much.



For Real Estate Lobby, it seems that the people incharge of the real estate really weren't thinking on litteral terms. And thought the prices on homes would always be up and that no matter what people would get the loans and the money to have the "American Dream" but as we all can see now that is slowly crashing, as we all know and have seen. Mortgage brokers and Realtors are no longer able to choose appraisers (the ones who determine the value of the property)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appraiser. That is because the Home Valuation Code of Conduct of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac stepped in. Which i think it should be because its a conflict of interest, and that is how thinks get made up and why we are where we are today. In real estate it seems as though its not just the real estate peoples faults they really are just doing there jobs trying to make money like everyone else in America are. They blame it on the appraisers, which they blame it on the lenders, which comes down to the borrowers.http://www.realestateproarticles.com/Art/4971/283/Who-s-to-Blame-on-the-Over-Appraisal-Scam.html. So it we all end up into a he said she said sort of deal.

Japan Post Record Current amount Deficit

The article "Japan Posts Record Current Amount Deficit" This has not been a problem for over 13 years. Their key regions, are United States, Europe, and Asia, were all down sharply due to the deteriorating global economy. Exports in January dropped a record 46.3% (3.28 trillion) and fell to a 31.7% (4.13 trillion). Japan's exports to the largest economy, the United States, dropped 52.9%, Asia fell 46.7%, and Europe 47.4%. A big reason for the Japan decrease in exports are that the countries named above and not buying Japanese expensive goods such as cars, and electronic goods.

I honestly had no idea really that other countries were going through a hard time as well, but it makes perfectly sense because if you start trying to buy your countries products instead of China and others countries products. You are dropping there money that they are making, which makes times harder for them also. I think it stinks because the entire world works around one another with economic interdependence. If we stop buying products from other countries I think they will not try to help our economic crisis. And also quit investing into the stock market http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stock_market. Which will bring all of our business in the stock market down.

Weekly Jobless Claims Spike to 667,000

Anyone on this site
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/economy/weekly-jobless-claims-spike/

The artical that I had read was about the number of jobs that people are loosing everyday and the extreme rate they are loosing them at. For the week ending of Feburary 21 the number of jobs lost went from 36,000 to 667,000. That is over 600,000 LOSSES! The average for every four weeks is now 639,000. In the artical it states that claims are 5.112 million which it rose over five million for the first time ever. Just a year ago the claims where under three million.

This is a huge problem and we need to get a plan going and fix this. People have families and many bills that need to be paid and there not going to get anywhere with out a job. And some of these jobs people have gone to college forever to get where they are and then get laid off or even worse let go! And some are still trying to pay of college loans and now don't even have a job to help. It can happen to anyone and its a very sad matter. My Step-dad has been a plumber for over 12 years, and just a week ago they had to lay him off never did he think that would happen. And before I didnt really think it had an effect on our community but I was deffiently mistaken. Everyone that has a job should be proud, and think as themselves fortunate to have it.