We all have our own way of seeing the world.
This writer needs the news to have a score. A musical score.
A Song for the veteran:
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell
Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum
Half a million boots went sloggin' through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum
Say, don't you remember, they called me "Al"
It was "Al" all the time
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal
Say buddy, can you spare a dime?
Gorney/ Harburg
CBS reports that for the last fully documented year, 2005, in a survey of 45 states, “there were at least 6,256 suicides among those who served in the armed forces. That’s 120 each and every week, in just one year… One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the war on terror. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)” Indeed.
And, by the way, Brother, can you spare a Prozac? Evidently, the VA hasn’t got it in the budget.
A Song for the displaced:
A room is still a room
Even when there's nothing there but gloom
But a room is not a house
And a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart
Now and then I call your name
And suddenly your face appears
But it's just a crazy game
And when it ends, it ends in tears
Bachrach/DavidRealty Trac, an online tracking survey of real estate statistics, is reporting that there are, as of the end of October, 650,000 current foreclosure and preforeclosure homes in the United States. That number is growing every week, but right now, here are a few startling facts from a few random metropolitan areas:
In the Riverside/San Bernardino area, one in 43 homes is in foreclosure. Right now.
In Las Vegas, that number right now is one of every 48.
In Miami, the statistic right now is one out of every 60.
There are many communities throughout the nation where the statistics are worse, but anything less than one per 1,000 is worrisome. One per 100 is a red flag.
At Foreclosurepulse, an industry site, the following understatement caught my eye:
“As foreclosures multiply in Los Angeles and Orange counties, it is too early to gauge the effect these properties will have on home values there, said Patrick Veling, president of Real Data Strategies Inc., a Brea real estate consulting firm.”
I suppose, like every realtor or mortgage broker I’ve ever known, Mr. Veling must – in order to wake up and do their jobs - keep some degree of optimism. But I’d bet that deep inside, he’s got to know the jig’s up, wouldn’t you?
And some ruthless banker is showing someone the door every minute of every day, taking the keys, and cynically suggesting that you remember what’s important, after all is being with your loved ones (even if that’s under a bridge).
Song for the foreclosed-upon:
The way you hold your knife
The way we danced till three
The way you changed my life
No, no, they can't take that away from me
No, they can't take that away
Can't take that away
Can't take that away from me
(Gershwin/Gershwin)
Lyrics provided by www.songlyrics.com
