Kona Kohala Blog

It appears that prices in west Hawaii will continue to decline for a while to come.  In both North Kona and South Kohala, real estate prices have been falling since the peak in 2006 with no signs of it stopping.

Today's jobless report did nothing to help things as once again, more unemployed than expected hit the streets.  The DOW closed below 10,000 with the market slipping over 300 points on the employment report sending investors into U.S. Treasuries, a secure port in any storm.  The hugh demand sent yields down on the 10 year note which is directly tied to long term mortgage rates.

That's good news for property buyers looking for a loan.  It looks like interest rates on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage will stay at their historic lows under 5%.  As long as Obama continues his run to please the crowds and ignores our country's employment situation jobs will continue to be lost.  There is no incentive for big or small business to move forward.  Small business is getting beat to death with taxes and now with Obamacare, even more costs are hitting them in the pocket book.  Big business, while they would love to borrow money at today's rates, is hesitant because there's no one out there to buy what it is they produce.

In addition, our technology is still moving overseas where business and tax laws are more friendly to those attempting to build something.  Perhaps if Obama would spend a little time in Washington D.C. rather than crowd pleasing we could get something done.  While the oil spill in the gulf is a tragedy, more oil is dumped into the oceans every year by the tankers used to transport the stuff around the world but no one's upset by that.

The president came into office with an agenda and no one, no thing is going to change what he wants to get done.  First was socialized healthcare.  Next was socializing our auto industry and our financial institutions.  Now he's working on socializing big business with his Cap and Tax legislation.  All the while, he's working behind the scenes to empower the unions he's so beholding to by getting the secret ballot onto the list of other extinct ideas with the Card Check legislation.  Once he has all those things in place we will see an autocratic president looking for a life time job in the White House.

Hopefully, come November, strong conservatives will show themselves, men and women who believe in the constitution, who believe in fiscal restraint, a small but effective federal government, a strong military and a no nonsense approach to law and order, enough of the criminal rights and enough of the children's right.  Parents need to have the authority to deal with their children without fear of going to jail for abuse as if a spanking is abuse.  I had my share and I don't feel damaged or abused; I feel like may parents did something that was uncomfortable for them to do in order to give me a wake up call now and then.

It's also time to quit coddling criminals.  We need someone like the sheriff in Arapaho county Arizona as the country's top cop.  Criminals sleeping in tents, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and wearing pink jump suits.  There should be nothing comfortable about doing jail time, what about the victim?

Have a great weekend and get involved for November, every vote counts.  Did you know that out of the 80 million plus ballots cast in the last presidential election it was actually decided by just over 27,000 votes?