The rains came and I hardly noticed

Good evening,

If there was ever a day to apply ones self to production this was it and I'm pleased to report that a lot of product has been delivered via email to various lenders.  I just emailed out a duplex in Oakland which sold for a lot of money, sure depends on where a property is located for value.  I've seen beautiful homes located out in the burbs go for very little and yet they are incredible.  Then you get into Oakland near Piedmont or Montclair and the prices go straight up.  The schools are high quality, the areas are safe and beautiful, near both Oakland downtown and the city across the bay.  Many are owned by small business owners who are very concerned about the near future, some question if they can even keep their businesses running with all the tax load that is coming, some talk of leaving California after this stupid tax hike that we the people actually voted on ourselves, just amazing, how many more people will just start looking at the south, or Texas where taxes are low, regs are reasonable and there is a lot less intrusion by government into lives.  Thousands have already left California and every time a productive person leaves the load to support those who won't work gets heavier on the rest of us.  Our schools are plugged with slow learners who wrestle with the language and in the process slow everyone else in the class room down, I know this first hand.  Fortunately this year Keanna is in a class room with achievers and she is doing great.

It is very hard to stoke the inner fires that create the work ethic, to get going with writing appraisals when I feel like the screws just got turned a whole lot harder on me.  Romney promised to revisit Dodd Frank, the financial institutions fed power grab but now I'm stuck living with terrible provisions, one for instance.  If I take on a review which pays $150 to $200 and I review an appraisal and discover that the appraiser did a poor job I normally just indicate my findings in the document, or I might find better comparables to help lend support.  But under Dodd Frank if I don't report the appraiser to the government I can be fined $10,000 for each review where I don't bust another appraiser.  Lets see, I get paid $150 to get fined $10,000.  That is just one of many new regs I have to adjust to all the while working for about 1/3 less pay for each appraisal, doing at least double the work I did 3 years ago on each report due to all the new government inspired trash.  No wonder so many appraisers have either quit or become property flippers or are working at McDonalds.  The risk is so high and of course I pay over $1,000 a year for insurance as well as hundreds for data.  No wonder I work so late and start so early.  Uncle Sam has his hands in my pockets, in every page of the appraisal and has reduced my income by nearly 1/2 over the last few years.  We had a chance to turn it back a bit but the masses who like to feel good voted and we all get to live with it.  I've heard some interesting ideas today about how I can respond to this terrible intrusion of government into my pocketbook, my life. 

We now live in a world where doing the right thing is no longer enough, you have to cope with a whole lot of people who live by different rules, who will rob you blind if they can get into your car, who will lie to you to get to you.  In many ways its a nasty world with anything sacred becomes a butt of a joke, any conviction is ridiculed.  Where does it go?  How bad does it have to become before people wake up.  In our state we keep electing the same losers who got us into this mess, they just let the public service unions dictate higher benefits and wages than the same job in the private sector and we the tax payers have to pay the bill.  And now the democrates have a super majority in California so they can vote anything they want and no one can stop them, look out as higher and higher taxes and fees hit us.  There will be a day when I will not be able to survive here, I love the place but I can't support thousands of people who came and live here, get free benefits, schooling, and I have to cover the bill.

So I've worked steady from 6:30 this morning until now cranking out reports.  I'm feeling good about the production and tomorrow is promising to be the same, I have a full days work sitting on my desk. I will be so glad for the Sabbath, for time to idle back and catch up with God.

For those of you who have reminded me that its all in God's hands I totally agree.  I can see that we are approaching a day when things will have to be much different from the way they are now, freedoms will be taken away, I dread growing older knowing that unelected people will determine if I can have procedures that might lengthen my life.  Some deny they exist, these faceless ones who will determine the care for older people but I've already experienced it.  When the doctor did Nan's last surgery in Boston some people in power in the hospital did not like the fact that the surgery was done at all, in other words, spread the medical care around to those less ill and let the critical die.  Its rationing and its already here.  Very scary stuff and we just gave it a go ahead with this election.  No one should complain when it hits home personally, this is what the country wanted, voted for.

Well good night to one and all, I know some of you have no idea of what I'm talking about, others just can't believe it can happen in America, oh yes its happening.  I can understand why people, companies are laying off people.  When doing business is no longer making a profit then you don't stay in business and the little I've had to do with having employees, all the paperwork, the hassle and now the taxes for healthcare.  Who would want to hire people now?

We are in for a very interesting time and America will take years to recover if it even can.

Love to all,

Tim