I am stunned by some of the things I am reading today in The New York Times. First there was the falsehoods about rising inflation. Now this regarding rising house foreclosures:

Bank of America, which is in the process of acquiring Countrywide Financial and has potentially huge exposure, has circulated a proposal to create a new federal agency that would buy vast quantities of delinquent mortgages at a deep discount and replace them with fixed-rate federally guaranteed loans.

Hmmm....let's consider this proposal. Bank of America has decided to make a tremendously risky move by acquiring Countrywide Financial. And instead of shouldering the risk themselves, they are asking that the American taxpayers (you and I) take on the risk instead. read more »

I'm reading this article in the New York Times about various economic pressures such as the continued housing slump and concerns over inflation when I came to this paragraph:

The latest inflation report appears to corroborate a broader trend of higher prices across the economy. Last week, the Labor Department reported elevated readings for consumer prices. The consumer price index was up 4.3 percent last month from a year ago, up from a 4.1 percent increase in December. read more »

Today the International Herald Tribune reported on gasoline price increases:

Gasoline prices, which for months lagged the big run-up in the price of oil, are suddenly rising quickly, with some experts fearing they could hit $4 a gallon by spring. Diesel is hitting new records daily and oil closed at an all-time high on Tuesday of $100.88 a barrel.

The increases could not come at a worse time for the economy. With growth slowing, high energy prices that were once easily absorbed by consumers are now more likely to act as a drag on household budgets, leaving people with less money to spend elsewhere. These costs could exacerbate the nation's economic woes, piling a fresh energy shock on top of the turmoil in credit and housing. read more »

The author Os Guinness is one of my heroes and has greatly influenced my thoughts on politics and religion. In his new book, The Case for Civility: And Why Our Future Depends On It, Os get at the root of much of what I dislike about the Religious Right.

As one who believes that the call of Jesus is to a path of suffering that shuts the door to every form of victim-playing, I am angered by organizers of the Religious Right who play the victim card and appeal openly to Christian resentment. . . .

Do they not know that those who portray themselves as victims come to perceive themselves as victims and then to paralyze themselves as victims? . . . read more »

From ABC News:

While campaigning in Wisconsin today, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told a crowd, gathered at the University of Wisconsin, at Eau Claire, "I may be killing my political career, but I know this -- if we don't start thinking in terms of solving some of America's problems, we're killing all of your careers."

During a press conference immediately following the rally, Huckabee was asked to clarify his remarks. read more »