BUYING A HOUSE -- NOW OR LATER

Many of you are waiting on buying a house. I think that may be a mistake. Let me tell you why.

The economy is pretty much healed from the crunch caused by the sudden drop in the supply of money. Economists are saying that, "All the economy needs now is time."

Houses and inexpensive loans are readily available.

The best houses, those that people care about, are selling first. These are the homes of people who became over-extended, and are rational enough to know that they are over-extended. They are good people who want to do the right thing. These people are probably selling short, getting less for their home than the loan on the home. Buying a home from caring owners is worth the hassle you will go through as a buyer in a short sale.

Remember that responsible people who care about the home they are losing have taken care of the home in a responsible way. This is the kind of home you want to buy.

Eventually, the houses available are going to be the ones where the owner attitude is, "If I can not have this house, no one can have this house." Owners with anger issues can deliberately damage homes in such a manner that you do not discover the problems until too late.

GETTING PAID IN LEMONS

One of my clients kept bringing me lemons after I agreed to take his case. I was REALLY PLEASED and told everyone that I was being paid in lemons, instead of chickens.

This was a reference to my favorite fictional lawyer, Atticus. I would take note of all who caught the literary reference, and we would share a smile about how much we enjoyed reading To Kill A Mockingbird.

The lemons came to me during the recent recession. Atticus got paid in chickens for his legal services, because during the Great Depression no one had any money.

Now, truth to tell, my client did pay me money. But my Dad always said, "Why spoil a good story with a few facts?"

Perhaps it is time to remake the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. I vote for Pierce Brosnan as Atticus.

DID CHINA'S MILITARY HACK GOOGLE?

After the latest statement by Google that Google email accounts had been hacked by someone in China, the Chinese government denied that they had been involved in the attacks.

But the Chinese military put out a statement which contended that the US and the unfettered internet had deliberately caused the unrest and political changes in North Africa and the Middle East. The Chinese military went on to say that they had an obligation to protect China from such problems.

WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. The Chinese military is implying that a free and uncontrolled internet is an enemy of the Chinese government.

If you define something as an enemy, then it is easy to justify spying on that enemy. What we call hacking, China may call spying.

China is wrong about the internet and the US deliberately causing the Arab Spring. As more and more people talk and write on the internet, people begin to say to each other, "I thought I was the only one who believed things should change NOW." Eventually, there are overwhelming numbers of people who want to have a say in their government and who want to stop corruption.

As we put more and more information into an internet "cloud", it becomes easier to hack or destroy that information. The entire world wide economy is dependent on the internet. Without the internet, large portions of Western economy would stop working. The recent recession would look small to what would happen if someone brings down the internet.

Now we have the military of a large country saying that the internet may be their enemy.

WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION.

CANCER TUMORS SHRINK WHEN GIVEN CANNABINOIDS FROM MARIJUANA

Or I could say, "Marijuana cures cancer", which is an exaggeration, but maybe not by much.

Heath professionals and those who can understand medical study synopsis should read the information posted on March 30, 2011, by the US National Cancer Institute, which is a division of the US National Institutes of Health.

The webpage is entitled, "Cannabis and Cannabinoids (PDQ) Health Professional Version".

The paper states that cannabinoids found in marijuana may have a protective effect against development of tumors and can appear to kill cancer cells but do not affect their nontransformed counterparts. (This translates to, "Research indicates that marijuana, or parts of marijuana, can stop you from getting cancer and can kill cancer cells without harming the surrounding tissue.")

While the DEA and many others are retelling the lies about marijuana, the truth about marijuana is being hidden. How many have to die of cancer before we allow people to research this promising cure?

DOES POWER CORRUPT?

When a powerful person commits a stupid act, usually involving sex, we always assume that power has corrupted the person.

I am not certain that corruption is the correct term. Power isolates a person. A powerful person (usually a male) is usually surrounded by people who agree with him and do his bidding. This can lead to the assumption that all people he meets will agree with him and do his bidding, except for those people recognized as adversaries.

Many of these powerful men have the unconscious belief that women are to obey and serve. These men will accept an attractive, intelligent woman as an honorary man. But deep down, they believe that women should do the bidding of men.

Like racism, we all know this kind of prejudice exists. Like racial prejudice, this kind of prejudice is very difficult to address, especially as it becomes more and more socially unacceptable, and therefore, more and more hidden.

The married man who is caught with a prostitute, the married man that has a series of affairs, the man who pinches women's bottoms, the man who promotes only the attractive women, these men are sexists. They believe that their needs are more important than the needs of any woman, including their wives.

At least when they get caught doing something stupid, they are no longer around. Women will not accept a man in power who is caught doing a stupid sexual action.

Perhaps we can call this "social Darwinism".

Except for the trauma to the women betrayed, one would almost hope for MORE sexual stupidity. At least it gets the secret sexists out of positions of power.

CALIFORNIA''S BUDGET

Governor Brown has suggested that we can stop draconian cuts to the state's funding of colleges, health care, disabled care and schools by continuing the vehicle license tax and the slight increase in sales tax. THIS IS NOT A NEW TAX. It is an extension of taxes that we are already paying.

CUTS THAT will hurt the poor, the ill and students, may be the only alternative if California Republican legislators continue to REFUSE to extend or increase taxes.

At the moment, I honestly would not mind if the Republicans voted themselves into oblivion. But the cost to the most vulnerable of California's citizens is just too high.

So please call, write, email, twitter, or fax, your California State Assemblyperson and Senator. It is especially important to call the Republicans. Tell them that you are in favor of Governor Brown's tax extensions. Tell them that you do not want further cost cutting in the state budget.

I believe that very few of us are really so selfish that we would insist that the programs for the sick, the poor, and for students, be cut so we can have very slightly lower taxes.

STOP BLAMING PAKISTAN

Way too many people are blaming Pakistan for not arresting Osama Bin Laden.

Here is the US, every law enforcement agency was once searching for the Unabomber. The Unabomber killed people with letter bombs, and threatened federal judges, which really upped law enforcement's desire to capture him.

The Unabomber was not caught until his rambling writings were finally published, and his brother called the police, thinking that the writer may be his brother. He was right and the Unibomber was caught.

Some of you may remember D.B. Cooper, who was never caught.

Law enforcement is the US is better educated, better trained, and better paid than law enforcement in Pakistan.

So blaming Pakistan for not finding Osama Bin Laden is unreasonable.