2016 Winter February 4 Thursday

25 degrees (feels 19) this morning.  Walk 35:54 minutes

Winter weather is back!  Hopefully one of the last times before it warms up.

Listening to the book on Woodrow Wilson during my walk.  While I am amazed at how much time Presidents had back then for personal activities, I also note that they didn’t have computers, internet, tv, radio etc. to reach the public.

In the book, he is currently on a trip  across the country to get support for the League of Nations.  The book mentions the continuous train travel, speaking up to 4 or more times a day, really without the benefit of modern technology.  

That probably diffused the power of the President to influence the pubic as they had to use other media to reach the public. 

Obviously radio, tv, internet etc. are substantially changing the President (and all elected officials at all levels, but in their election and their administration.  

Of course that applies to all businesses and organizations as most businesses and organizations use a wide variety of  ways to communicate.

Somehow, it usually ends up being the same old result, although many of the new methods do provide much better support.

I can remember my awe many years ago when I called an “800” number and a GE representative told me exactly who to fix the ice maker on my refrigerator! Now you just expect that, probably over the internet as much as toll free telephones.  

Without sounding like a broken record, I am daily disgusted with the process of purchasing a home, getting a mortgage etc.  The ways of getting fees out of you and the blatant greed is almost as bad as the incompetence of the government regulations.

It is strange that the “mortgage crisis” of 2008 etc. was created by the greedy and criminal actions of the loan and underwriting industry, and instead of correcting that problem, suddenly it is fault of the home buyers, and, of course, it provided the opportunity to add even more “fees” to applicants.  

Soon the home buying system  will break under the weight of the greed of the loan and underwriting industry and government incompetence.  Of course, don’t forget the insurance companies who contribute huge “contributions” to  elect the “insurance Commissioner” in this state, so they pretty well have their way with consumers.  

Moving is proceeding. It is a balance between packing and leaving enough out to live. We will have a three day weekend before we move, which is good, but it also means I won’t be able to enjoy the Holiday!  I”ll take a day of vacations sometime to make up for it!  Actually, I am glad it worked out that way, it will make it a lot easier. 

Otherwise, just coordinating everything is a major event, remembering all the little details that are so important.

And of course that is on top of all the time it takes to respond to the stupid government regulations that must have been written with the goal of trying to make sure no one purchases a house (or that there is a “got cha” that they can come back to get you).  

What really is infuriating  is that I know they are a result of the greed and criminal actions of the banking and loan industry who were allowed to keep their ill-gotten gains and keep on doing what they were doing while they add burdensome tasks and fees to consumers. 

Going out on a Field Day today, working some of the new monthly accounts I was assigned.  It is always interesting to meet the new businesses etc. and try to resolve the problem, or maybe the  correct wording is, how to resolve the problem.

That’s it for now, Thursday, February 4, 2016.