Now it’s crunch time – Wall Street doesn’t look good. Homes are in foreclosure all over the country (but wait – the government might just bail you out!). Banks – even historic institutions – are holding fire sales. Everybody’s holding onto their hats and hoping for the best.

Even if the government bails out the banks, the average consumer is going to feel the pinch. A large part of the pinch comes because the banks over-extended credit to people. Now they’re paying compounded interest on debt they shouldn’t have taken on to begin with. My prediction? A bunch of bankruptcies are about to be filed. But it shouldn’t be so.

There’s no “easy” way out… but there are some things you can do to protect your credit AND meet your obligations. There are experts who can help you – like Consumer Credit Counseling – and a variety of ways that you can consolidate debt in a loan that reduces your interest rate and payments, enter into a structured payment plan (some of which suspend interest accrual), and even settle the debts for less than you actually owe (which should be a last resort).

There’s a very helpful website from Bills.com that offers bountiful information on debt, repayment options, maintaining good credit, and much more. There’s GREAT info about budgeting. There’s even a debt boot camp! It’s good information for every consumer to know… especially now.

I sincerely hope that America IS racist.

I’m not talking about skin color – though I should note that if anyone votes for Obama because he is black, or McCain because he is white, then they are racists. I would happily vote for an orange candidate with purple polka-dots, and hope everyone else would too.

Why do I say that I hope America is racist, then?

We must elect a candidate who cares about the human race…. who cares about life. (this really should be the most basic of qualifications for someone who wants to lead other human beings…)

Obama’s policies and proposals call for the wholesale slaughter of babies in the womb, infanticide of those few who survive abortion, euthanasia, pandering to terrorists, and the degradation of our culture.

McCain’s policies and proposals call for the protection of babies, children, disabled people, and the elderly, for dealing with terrorists expeditiously, and for the preservation of culture.

So – which candidate do you think America should elect? Will Americans be racist and care about the human race – or have we become the animals that the evolutionists claim we are?

My first thought: Lovely. Two genocidal maniacs wanting to run the world.

Then I pondered my use of the term “genocide” which I thought wasn’t quite extreme enough to cover the issue of abortion. Google introduced me to a new term: democide. I thought it was appropriate.

Fifty million abortions and counting… I’d say that was some sort of -cide, wouldn’t you?

For all of you Americans who would consider voting for Obama because he’s promising a better economy, know that even if he were to manage to put more money in your pockets, it’s blood money.

Why haven’t we been watching? Well, first of all, neither of us really are fans of sports – especially on television. We’d go to a race or a football or hockey game, but really have never done it unless we’ve scored free tickets. It’s just not a priority for us at all.

But secondly – the whole China thing bothers us. Especially now that we know some young ladies from Beijing.

China bothers us because of the religious persecution, because of the shoddy and often dangerous products they export to us, because of the communism.

Ken in particular just can’t get past it. Anyone else? What are your thoughts about it all?

Personally, I’d leave off on the WTC imagery. Everybody with any sense knows Osama will be ecstatic about Obama.

My billboard would have a picture of an aborted baby on it instead.

I did get a kick out of the last line of the FoxNews article: ‘One billboard up in Mandville, La., reads: “A taxpayer voting for Barack Obama is like a chicken voting for Colonel Sanders.”’

I’m disgusted, first and foremost, by the actions of this hate group.

I’m disgusted, secondly, by the fact that the heresy hunters will attack a move of God and leave these heretics alone. What if the church truly dealt with them? Hmmm?

I’m disgusted, lastly, that FoxNews and others continue to use the term “fundamentalist” to describe these folks. They’re no more fundamentalists than they are turnips.

I fear for these people… they need Jesus.

The talking head on Fox News just said that quite frankly, this isn’t new… kids have been taking off their clothes during puberty for a long time. The “new” thing is the camera.

I agree with him to an extent… and I also think the girl needs to be punished, but not necessarily by the authorities.

That said, what’s being missed here is this: How many kids will get taken in by adult pedophiles who don’t actually molest them in any way, but who get them to take and trade these photos of their friends?

While I don’t agree with his last few words, it’s otherwise an excellent editorial.

Imagine my surprise when I applied for a student loan for Kayti and was denied based on my bad credit!

Apparently in order to qualify for a loan of ANY type, borrowers and cosigners have to have PERFECT credit. PERFECT.

Now, I can see not giving a loan to somebody who’s defaulted on everything they’ve ever borrowed and have zillions of dollars in bad debts. That only makes good horse sense.

But most of working class America… particularly people who were/are hard hit by employers shipping jobs overseas… have a few wrinkles on their credit reports. That should not be a bar to getting a student loan.

Please write to your elected officials and tell them they need to change the laws regarding student loans to support working class families!!

of course this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. They speak it so the oil co’s feel they can do it.

What if Fox, CNN, NBC, CBS & BBC all ganged up and reported the cost of oil falling dramatically… gas will be $2 a gal by Memorial Day?

What if?

Betcha prices would fall the next day…