May 31, 2013

HB 87 Foreclosure Bill Countdown

HB 87 Foreclosure Bill Countdown
http://agonist.org/hb-87-foreclosure-bill-countdown/


By Michael Collins, on May 31st, 2013

The Florida Senate passed the final version of the bank friendly foreclosure bill HB 87 on May 3. The bill finally appeared on Governor Rick Scott’s the legislative web site May 30 with May 27 as the date the bill was presented to the governor. May 27 was Memorial Day. According to the “Official Website of the Florida House of Representatives,” the bill was presented to the governor on May 28. (Screen shots 1 and 2)

Using the May 28 presentation date, the governor has until June 12 to veto the bill (15 days). If he signs it or does nothing by that date, the bill becomes law. There is still time for those opposed to sign the petition requesting a veto by Governor Scott.

Petition to veto HB 87: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/governor-scott-veto-floridas?source=c.fwd&r_by=541906

May 21, 2013

Assault on Wall Street - A Review

Assault on Wall Street - A Review

Michael Collins

Assault on Wall Street glorifies the revenge killing of Wall Street big wigs by a seemingly decent man who lost everything, including his wife, due to the manipulation and fraud of those he gunned down.

Link: http://agonist.org/assault-on-wall-street-a-review/

May 10, 2013

Time critical - Florida HB 87, Homeowners, and the Foreclosure Inferno

There's still a chance, slight but real, that Scott will veto this awful bill. He could have signed it several days ago and he has not as of the end of business today.

Florida HB 87, Homeowners, and the Foreclosure Inferno
By Michael Collins, on May 10th, 2013

A bill passed last week by the Florida legislature offers efficiencies and advantages to banks that may launch a major increase in foreclosures in the state known for its volatile real estate market. The only thing standing in the way is a veto by Governor Rick Scott. (Image: Nathan Rein)

HB 87 shifts the burden of proof from the plaintiff, typically a bank, to the defendant, the homeowner. If the bill is signed into law, homeowners must prove that the bank lacks the legal right to take your home within 20 to 45 days of the date that the bank served the foreclosure notice. The reduced timeline restricts the ability to gather evidence from the bank and test it (Does the bank actually have a legal record of your mortgage?). Without the time to discover evidence, homeowners are at a major disadvantage at the initial hearing or appealing a decision, presuming there are funds for an appeal.

Link: http://agonist.org/florida-hb-87-homeowners-and-the-foreclosure-inferno/

May 7, 2013

All on Board in the Greatest Stock Market Rally Ever (Buyer beware)

All on Board in the Greatest Stock Market Rally Ever By Numerian May 7

The Agonist: http://agonist.org/all-on-board-in-the-greatest-stock-market-rally-ever/

Your choices are not good ones. You can keep your money in cash, making sure it is in a healthy bank and in an amount per bank that is within national deposit insurance limits. That doesn’t guaranty that your savings will not be confiscated in a crisis, but it does improve your chances of holding on to your money. Or, you can invest in the stock market, gambling that this central bank-infused rally will continue forever, and that your money is not at risk of sudden evaporation from a Flash Crash. Sadly, both of these stock market assumptions are wrong, and in this case, two wrongs certainly do not make a right. But as I said before, now is the time to think about these alternatives, before the computers withdraw all liquidity from the market in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.

May 6, 2013

She makes you sick, takes your money, then bumps you off

It is clear that Blythe Masters, head of commodities trading and regulatory affairs at JPMorgan investment banking, and her Wall Street cohorts who finance and lobby for coal production do not play well with others.

Link: http://agonist.org/she-makes-you-sick-takes-your-money-then-bumps-you-off/

May 1, 2013

Goliath squashes David - Facebook's political agenda

How smart can these guys be?

Facebook Spikes Ad Against Keystone XL Pipeline
By Michael Collins, on May 1st, 2013

Unfortunately, Zuckerberg has the legal right to expand his free speech by the volume of his wealth. If he wants to promote Keystone XL and help kill off humans on the planet, that’s his right.

But when he stoops to using the vast forum of Facebook to censor a feisty activist group with a clever ad, that becomes an issue of enterprise and free speech. Facebook is presented as a public forum, even though the company can deny this through ownership rights. The public doesn’t own the company, ergo Facebook gets to make the rules.

Link: http://agonist.org/facebook-spikes-ad-against-keystone-xl-pipeline/