My name is Sheila Ryan. I am a business analyst that specializes in database and web applications programming. Right now I'm heading up a .NET windows forms software project with lots of OPD (other people's deadlines).
 
Here we go again. Brain-dead humans are attempting to make me (a taxpayer) pay for Other People's Mistakes just like I predicted in August! Despite our House of Representatives voting against the "bailout bill", nowforthwith comes H.R. 1424: http://senateconservatives.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/bailouttext.pdf  

Want to know why the TARP program should not be allowed to pass?

• Scope and power for how the $700 Billion gets used to buy toxic securities from any "financial institution" far too general. We should never give Secretary of Treasury and the Federal Reserve a blank check and total authority!
• Not enough transparency.  We, the people, should see a publicly published list of every "financial institution" participating in addition to the list of securities and amounts we purchase from them.
• "Main Street" will never benefit.  DO NOT BE FOOLED. All PR on this is a lie.
• This isn't going to help you prevent foreclosure. This bill BUYS your foreclosed  home after you are gone, since it will be owned by a mortgage-backed security!
• The only institutions that will benefit are those who made very big gambling mistakes. How do you feel about buying other's "vegas-style" loser investments?
• Better yet, how do you feel about bailing out Foreign financials as well? TARP can do that to! Securities are transferring to USA today to sell to us taxpayers asap!
• We are still going to experience a recession or depression no matter what! Our government cannot change this with $700 Billion.
• Our grandchildren's children will be paying for this years in the future!

My next prediction:  This TARP spending spree will not stop until we've eaten through at least $2-3 Trillion of taxpayer money buying really bad investments.  BEWARE! We'll all be sorry asses when this legislation passes. Just vote NO.
 

In June 2007 I became interested in researching economic data, the housing crisis, foreclosure rates, securities failures, and the economy as a whole. I made a grave forecast that we were headed for big trouble, and it certainly came to fruition shorthly thereafter.

The old 2007 forecast:

• The wave of massive mortgage foreclosures has only just begun.
• The mortgage securities and investment losses will continue to deteriorate.
• The trends in declining real estate prices, rising mortgage defaults, inflation, gas prices, weaking dollar, low wages, ruined lives, reckless speculation, and people living beyond their means will drain our economy right back into a huge recession.
• We don't have snow in Florida nor much in California for that matter, but this crisis is going to snowball!

Now in 2008, it's easy to lookback and see what happened.

The new August 2008 reality:

• Banks have experienced BILLIONS in losses.
• The stock market tanked.
• The credit markets siezed up.
• Gas and diesel fuel skyrocketed due to rampant speculation in oil.
• Inflation is eating everyone alive.
• Federal and Municipal budgets nationwide are hosed.

We will survive, but by golly I hope my government does not make me pay for all the OPM (other people's mistakes).

Last year (2007), I worked on an independent project gathering Palm Beach County mortgage foreclosure statistics utilizing records that are available via online searches at the Palm Beach County Official Records Public Search page. This was not an easy feat! It was time consuming, and required a lot of cross-referencing lookup, data manipulation, record cleansing, and programming. I focused specifically on court recorded LP-Lis Pendens, JUD-Judgments, MTG-Mortgages, and CT-Certificates of Title documents filed in Palm Beach County to derive my statistics. The goal was to isolate mortgage-related defaults and foreclosures. Visit my Palm Beach Foreclosures Project page for all the specifics.

 
There's no such thing as "don't worry, be happy" if you live here, and can't afford to.