PolicyMic

Michael De Los Santos As silly as it seems this is a ridiculous issue to be focusing on. NC has a lot bigger problems to worry about like our budget and our education system (faced huge cuts under the republican controlled house and senate last year). Nothing in this am...

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• 2 weeks ago

Michael De Los Santos The view point of libertarians as you just describe is a libertarian viewpoint of how they want the government to run. So while your viewpoint may not force sets of ideals on people and leave individuals to make those decisions, there still needs to...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos By the standards of those who share my viewpoint of what we think the country should look, feel, and operate like. The same way that libertarians view is based on their standard, and conservatives, and any other label

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos The term liberal has evolved over time. Being a liberal today means something different than it did many years ago, just like the term conservative as changed and like what being a democrat or a republican has changed over the years. The active def...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Interesting article. I like what you have done with your time away from Facebook, but am curious as to why you needed to leave Facebook for those things. I know everyone has different experiences, but for me I am able to do the things you mention an...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Why? So people who have paid their debt to society as decided by the courts system should not be allowed to continue their careers? Criminals should be prevented from ever doing anything again in the future?

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos While we can't ignore what Chris Brown did 3 years ago, we also can't overlook what has been done since then. He has paid his debt to society, that the courts imposed on him, and has worked on being a better person and moving forward. He ...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos For the record, I am nearing the end of my journey. My interest rate is locked in, my house should be completed in a month or so, and closed shortly thereafter!

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos As someone in my late 20's, I am going through this as well. I think people in our generation suffer from the fact that we think everything should be simple and exciting. A home purchase is the biggest financial transaction one makes it and it ...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I am not at all alarmed by this decision. He is playing within the rules that are laid out. He may not like the rules and would rather they were different, but if his end goal is to be re elected he must do what he can within the rules. I still be...

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• 3 months ago

Michael De Los Santos That is separate from his fundraising though. He supports policies that tax the rich at a higher rate. That doesn't demonize them, but rather says they can pay more, because for the most part they pay little taxes with all the deductions and c...

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• 4 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I don't agree with everything in your comment (see above), but I do agree with the last two sentences. I hate the that money plays such a significant role in who wins our elections. This system produces politicians who are out of touch with th...

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• 4 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I don't think this points to hypocrisy in the campaign. The majority of his fundraising does come from small grassroots donations. However, it is foolish to think that there are not rich liberals who support his agenda and are also willing to ...

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• 4 months ago

Michael De Los Santos If you want to truly discuss Obama's first term you must take everything into account. While his Health Care plan will not ensure everyone, it cut the number of uninsured in half, and allowed college students and young professionals to stay on ...

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• 4 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I agree with chunks of what you say. I am opposed to the mortgage interest tax deduction for the same reasons. I have written here before about the government needing to encourage renting and the need for more affordable rental housing. But I wil...

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• 4 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I grew up in Richmond, VA and that activist spirit was not always there. I am glad to see it come forward.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos If your NC travels take you to Durham, NC leave me a message and we can meet and I can show you around. I can take you to the occupations in Raleigh and Durham. Most cities in NC have an occupation. The one in Raleigh has had some arrests. But I ...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Salem, I appreciate your anti war stance, and your belief (which I share) that we should have never gone in the first place. However, this article is about what lessons should be learned despite the mistake of sending troops. It also comes from a ...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Chris, this is an excellent article from a unique perspective. You are spot on about Congress needing to listen to those who know first hand. It was interesting to hear how on the ground you saw the purpose of your mission change, and the fact that...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I think expanding the brackets can lead to lowering of the rates overall, but I would advocate first expanding the brackets. The lower rate could be a result of that, but don't think they have to be done simultaneously. And while headed in a...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Expanding on the tax brackets, by creating another bracket on the bottom and another bracket at the top is not the same as a flat tax. The rate will still be different based on the bracket you are in, while a flat tax is simply that. A flat tax acr...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I agree that the tax code is too complex and too riddled with loopholes. I would be all for a redoing of the tax code, but I don't support a flat tax. I don't think the tax brackets are the issue, I think if we expand the brackets we can ...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos There are large urban areas here, though not on the same scale as other places. I am not saying it is perfect here or anywhere, but doesn't deserve the kind of blame it has received on this stream. There is a need for reforming CRA to fit this...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Some of the repetitiveness is from responding to different comments. CRA has not done worse for underserved communities. It has done a good job at preventing redlining by making credit available and through development lending. Can that alone solve...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Not sure why you think I am unaware of major players. I gave examples of sub prime lenders in my comment that because of no branches and/or deposit services were exempt from CRA Evaluations. I wasn't going to list every single one, but listed ...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos This also goes to your point about "heavy regulation". These subprime lenders avoided "heavy regulation", by avoiding branches and deposit services. The big banks ran into problems when they either bought loans from these lender...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Tom, for some reason it won't allow me to make this comment further down the article where it fits after another comment, but I want to make this point. You brought up the Community Reinvestment Act as an example of the government pressuring ba...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Good point George, I made a similar response before seeing your comment.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Bill, why does this have to mean subprime lending? Do you believe that there are nor minority borrowers in low income areas who are credit worthy of lending? This was simply a call to stop redlining areas and not lending there even to qualified bor...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Not fact Barry, telling lenders to lend to minorities does not mean subprime loans. Simply to not ignore qualified minority borrowers because of where they live. Why does lending to minorities have to equal subprime?

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I really appreciate that comment Peter. Some of the issues being discussed are really important to me and I want that to come across when I engage others on the various topics.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Tom, we have gone back and forth on a couple of topics. I appreciate you engaging me, while I may not agree with everything you wrote or said in comments. I enjoyed reading everything you wrote.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Thanks Peter for your heavy interaction with all of us. It has been great reading your piece and all of your comments.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Round II would be great.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Asking banks to lend in Low Income Tracts (LMI) does not mean increase lending in the subprime market. Contrary to what some believe, credit worthy people do live in low income areas and as I said in another comment should not be red lined from acces...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos The Community Reinvestment Act had nothing to do with making loans to unqualified people. It have everything to do with redlining and not investing in certain communities. While it may be shocking, there are credit worthy people in low income areas...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Rebecca, like Peter said, that is a good thing from the OWS, the refocusing of the conversation. Even if the OWS movement cannot be sustained in the winter months, if they are able to help force a new conversation on the other 99% that will be a las...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Amy, not trying to get into a whole ACORN discussion as that is not the point of this conversation, but AG's have proven that the tapes were doctored to make statements appear that way. That being said, a few office employees did handle those s...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos If you read all the comments I made you will see that I fully acknowledge the governments role in the crisis.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I knew it was only a matter of time until ACORN was mentioned in this debate. They haven't been around since 2009, yet are still somehow involved.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I just don't think a staffer needed to do anything. The state of Hawaii came out and indicated during the campaign that he was indeed born there. Why do we need anything else? That should have ended the questions.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos See my other comment. I still think it was pointless. When people decide to ignore a state's verification, and other so called leaders of a party join in for whatever their reasons were, it is still pointless to me. This wasn't just abou...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Political or not, I don't think he ever needed to produce it. During the campaign when the state of Hawaii confirmed he was born there should have been enough. People on the fringe right continuing to call for his certificate was ludicrous. So...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I don't think I am implying that politicians are abused by businessman. Yes, I have met politicians, and worked with them. But your argument about politicians not giving a damn and focusing on the next election, is not a way to avoid discussin...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos You are correct in that the OWS movement has a lot of messages. But it is not hard to figure out that the heart and base of the protests evolves around the corruption on Wall Street. People are frustrated with the Banks role in the crises. It is a...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos The fact is he should not of had to produce it. It was a pointless controversy.

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I am not calling him that. Saying bank money was behind a decision does not have to imply that he took money to make a decision. Banks pay serious money to very good lobbyist who can make compelling arguments. It is not hard to believe that they m...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Once again, not denying that role. I think anyone would be naive to think that there wasn't bank money behind Rep. Barney Frank's position. Anytime favorable policy is done for an industry it is a given that their money is behind it. Even...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I am not ignoring the role that government policies played in creating the subprime market. I still call that bad policy as weakening the regulation of the market. Your own examples of bad policy indicate a weakening regulatory enviroment, yet you ...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos I consider everything you said to be deregulation. Weakening regulation is not the same as being heavily regulated. I don't think in one sentence you can talk about deregulation and the next call it a heavily regulated market. There is no den...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos What regulation do you think encouraged risky loan practices? Lower down payments weren't forced upon banks. Because FHA had lower down payment requirements doesn't force banks to lower their standards. Also, there is no correlation betw...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos Just like the Tea Party, the OWS is also calling for an end to bailouts. Big banks who took bailout money, have not done their part to help with the foreclosure crisis. When we point the finger at Washington, we forget that Wall Street money has a h...

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• 7 months ago

Michael De Los Santos While FHA, Fannie, and Freddie, did lower down payment standards that is not alone the reason for what is going on. Washington did start a culture of deregulation that led to exotic products being created. But Fannie, Freddie, and FHA were not maki...

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• 7 months ago