Tag Archives: new york

Business/Economics, Idaho, U.S.

Black Horse & Government Incompetence: Mortgage Settlement money to be used to destroy homes, not keep people in their homes! No protection against MERS! Scams already taking place

Recently the Obama administration announced a victory against the too big to fail banks which are causing the home foreclosure nightmare.  Basically the banks admitted they screwed up, and agreed to pay a huge settlement to help people (lucky enough to still be in their homes) refinance their loans.

But now it’s been revealed that money going directly to state governments can be used for anything, and some local governments will use that settlement money to tear down vacant homes!

The Huffington Post is also reporting that Cleveland, Ohio, has already spent $60 million tearing down homes repossessed by the too big to fail banks.  And that money came from city social programs meant to help the poor!

“We would have much rather spent that money helping families and creating homes rather than knocking houses down that we believe are owned by some very well resourced banks.”-Chris Warren, Cleveland, Ohio’s chief of Regional Development

Now, Ohio is set to get $335 million from the National Mortgage Settlement, and $75 million will be used to tear down homes, rather than get people back into them!

Ohio is getting a big chunk of the settlement money, while New Hampshire is getting a smaller share.  In an opinion piece out of New Hampshire, the SentinelSource says “…investigations have turned up enough reckless and unprofessional behavior on the part of big mortgage loan servicers to justify their paying penalties and granting relief — and in sums far larger than the settlement calls for.”

One aspect of this “settlement” is that states get a large amount of money that has apparently no strings attached. In other words they can do whatever they want with it.

In the case of Idaho, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said on top of the money going to help keep Idahoans from losing their homes (and the piddly, and I mean piddly!, amounts of money being paid to people who already lost their homes), the state of Idaho gets more than $13 million!

  • Eligible Idaho borrowers will receive an estimated $74,686,493 in benefits from loan modifications and other direct relief.
  • Approximately 5,000 Idaho borrowers who lost their home to foreclosure between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011, because of substandard servicing practices, will receive $9,998,041 in cash payments averaging $1,500 to $2,000 for each affected borrower. These borrowers have been identified by their servicers and will be contacted by the settlement administrator.
  • The settling servicers will pay $15,172,779 to fund a program that allows underwater borrowers to refinance their loans.
  • The state will receive $13,932,238.

Notice there’s nothing specific about what the more than $13 million going directly to the government of Idaho is to be used for.

Also, the settlement does nothing to protect homebuyers from MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registry System).  Recently the Attorney General of New York filed suit against the too big to fail banks on the grounds that MERS was causing many of the foreclosures, illegally: “…brought foreclosure proceedings en masse based on deceptive and fraudulent court submissions, seeking to take homes away from people with little regard for basic legal requirements or the rule of law.”-Eric Schneiderman, New York Attorney General

To make matters worse, several states, like Alabama and Virginia, are reporting scams: “The caller requests the consumer’s bank account number and alleges that he will direct deposit settlement money into the consumer’s bank account…  Mortgage borrowers should contact their mortgage servicers directly…”-Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, Virginia Attorney General

…there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

United Corrupt Police States of America: It’s official, major U.S. cities, and their police departments, are rife with corruption!

The Chicago Tribune has published a report by the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

That report says the public officials, including the police, of major cities in the United States are corrupt!  The study is based on federal court cases.

Percentage wise, Louisiana had the most corrupt officials.  Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania took the next three highest per capita positions for corruption.

When looking just at the number of cases, New York state was number one, followed by California and Illinois.

The study did not break down the types of corruption, but ‘public corruption’ includes bogus contracts, bribes, out right theft, ghost payrolling and police brutality.   Remember, the study is based on corruption cases that actually made it to federal court, so you can imagine just how corrupt your public officials really are!

 

U.S.

United Police States of America: Video shows rich White cops hunting poor black man in New York

Almost reminiscent of the British killer cops who started riots in poor London suburbs by killing an unarmed father, white New York City cops intentionally stalked a poor black man, and it was caught on video.

Ramarley Graham, 18, died last Thursday after NYPD broke into his grandmother’s home, went upstairs and held his grandmother at gunpoint, in the bathroom, while they shot her unarmed grandson point blank in the chest!

Officially the cops said Graham was running from a drug bust, however the apartment’s security camera video shows Graham calmly walking into the apartment.  Suddenly two cops run from around a corner and start kicking the door.  One cop is trying to conceal his identity with is hat and hoodie.  Witnesses say the cops never identified themselves.  The racists cops had their guns drawn almost from the beginning.

The liar cops also said, just like in the London case last year, that Graham had a gun as well as drugs.  One cop was said to be heard yelling “gun, gun” just before they shot Graham.  Guess what? No gun or drugs were found on Graham, or in his grandmother’s home!!!

Watch a local New York news report, with the security camera video

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? The maker of the world’s first digital camera, Kodak, will make cameras no more

Eastman Kodak, a U.S. pioneer in camera and film production since 1880, and the first company to make a digital camera, will no longer make cameras of any kind.

Kodak went bankrupt in January 2012.  At least 400 employees in New York will lose their jobs.  The company will focus on its lagging printer brand (ranked sixth place in the U.S. market).

Kodak officials say they will still sell cameras, they just won’t be the ones making them.

International, U.S.

White Horse & World War 3: U.S. Troop build up in Kuwait, 15,000 at least. Why for? Army officials admit its to prepare for coming wars. New York National Guard suddenly diverted from Afghanistan to Kuwait

I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

“What we had in the past, we had forces to provide security as we rotated units in and out of theater….Now it’s a platform, a final destination, so to speak, for contingency forces that can be used in the [Central Command] theater.”-unnamed U.S. military official quoted in the ArmyTimes

The ArmyTimes reporting that 15,000 U.S. troops are being added to those already based in Kuwait. The combat troops are coming from active Army units as well as the Minnesota and Maryland National Guards, with more to come from New York National Guard.

“The initial purpose for them was to provide security as we were pulling back units in Iraq.  Now….They do provide a capable force that could be used elsewhere if necessary.”-unnamed U.S. military official quoted in the ArmyTimes

The ArmyTimes is calling the deployment of troops to Kuwait a “response force”.

Also reported in the ArmyTimes is the fact that the New York National Guard has suddenly been diverted from its mission in Afghanistan to Kuwait.  The New York National Guard unit includes about 1,800 soldiers from New York and 300 from South Carolina.  They are scheduled to arrive in Kuwait in late February.

 

 

U.S.

NAZI-land & United Police States of America: New York cops caught on camera planting evidence on “suspects”

It happened back in February, 2011, and is just now making the news; two Utica, New York cops were caught on camera planting evidence, drugs, inside people’s cars.  The cops were recorded by their own security camera in their car.

It took a local newspaper to bring the story to the public. Utica police say they were simply putting drugs they took off the suspects, into the suspects’ car. That’s not normal police procedure, but the District Attorney claims it is: You can put the evidence on your person to maintain custody of it until you have a chance to store it. Where else are you going to put it, on the ground? In the course of searching someone, sometimes the only thing you’ve got is your pockets until a short time later you can put it all together.”-Scott McNamara, Williams and Oneida County District Attorney

You can see the video here.  About one minute in you can see the cop searching the SUV pull a baggie out of his own pocket and put in side the vehicle.  He then walks a way with the baggie looking like it had been opened.

Wouldn’t putting evidence in your pocket compromise it?  Other people feel the same way, and say it’s not part of police training:  “We do feel there is concern that some wrongdoing has been done because police officers don’t place evidence in their back pocket and then take it out and climb into a suspect’s car, and then exit with the drugs unrolled.”-Venice Ervin, local NAACP

The Utica Police Department say they’re investigating, and when they are done the FBI will investigate.

 

International, U.S.

NAZI-land & Military crimes: 8 U.S. soldiers murdered a fellow soldier in Afghanistan, tried to make it look like suicide, second case of ethnic cleansing within the U.S. military in Afghanistan

Danny Chen, a 19 year old infantryman assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion of 25th Infantry Division, in Afghanistan, died on October 3, 2011.  Initial reports said he shot himself in the head.

Now the U.S. Army has charged eight U.S. soldiers in connection with Chen’s death: 1st Lt Daniel J. Schwartz, Staff Sgt Blaine G. Dugas, Staff Sgt Andrew J. Van Bockel, Sgt Adam M. Holcomb, Sgt Jeffrey T. Hurst, Sgt Travis F. Carden, Spc Thomas P. Curtis and Spc Ryan J. Offutt.

They are charged with dereliction of duty, maltreatment, involuntary manslaughter, assault consummated by battery, and reckless endangerment.

But get this, the U.S. Army would never had investigated if it wasn’t for Chen’s hometown of Chinatown, in New York City! The Asian community demanded the Army investigate.

The U.S. Army investigators discovered that Chen was subjected to physical abuse and ethnic slurs, because he’s ethnically Chinese.

This is the second such case. The first involved the death of Harry Lew, a U.S. Marine from California.  Lew was subjected to brutal hazing in Afghanistan.  The USMC quietly court martialed Lew’s attackers in October of this year.    

U.S.

OWS, United Police States of America: NYPD cops post incriminating statements for all to see. Social Media Guru bullied by NYPD. More evidence they are not on your side!

Once again, the New York cops have incriminated themselves by posting comments that prove they are not there to serve and protect you.

“On my way to wall street…..Let the savagery begin…”-Michael DeRosa Sr, NYPD

“wish I was there with you guys..it would be nice to crack a white guy over the head.”-Rey Hernandez, NYPD

Not only that, but it turns out that while most of the focus has been on the NYPD’s handling of the Occupiers, a writer and social media guru, and his family, have been bullied by the NYPD simply because of where they live.

They live in a house that was sold to a NYPD cop. The cop apparently didn’t know the house was already ocupado.  The tenants refused to leave. They knew their rights under New York laws.  But the NYPD actually helped their fellow cop harass and threaten the family in the hopes they would move out.

The tenants stood their ground and now, supposedly, there will be an investigation, and two city councilman have taken up the family’s cause.  You can read the first hand accounts of the harassment.

“We want our kids to learn that you don’t have to be scared or run away when you are bullied….What we hope that our kids take away from this situation, as uncomfortable as it is for them now, is that you if you don’t stand up for yourself no one will.”-Bryan Eisenberg, best selling author bullied by NYPD

 

Business/Economics, U.S.

Occupy America! Where are the 1%? California, New York, Texas, Florida & Illinois

So just where do the 1% of the richest people in the United States live?

According to Wealth-X, California is number one, followed by New York, Texas, Florida and Illinois.

10,390 UHNW (ultra high net worth) individuals officially live in California.  8,215 in New York, 5,550 in Texas, 3,615 in Florida and 2,680 in Illinois.  These top five home states of the 1% represent at least 50% of the wealth in the United States!

Business/Economics, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Citigroup to layoff 3,000

The New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal, have been reporting that an unnamed source says Citigroup will layoff 3,000 employees.

Some employees have already been notified.

900 layoffs will take place in the banking and securities divisions.  The unnamed source says the number of laid off Citi workers could exceed 3,000 by next year.