What You Dont Know About Your Freedom

Please Take Action to Keep the Internet Free
VOTE for Barack Obama!

Dear Friends,

If you’re reading this via e-mail, it’s likely that you spend some time surfing the Internet. You may have an Internet business, or maybe you like to check out the seemingly endless variety of Internet websites, or maybe you go on-line to get news that goes beyond the corporate generated “no news” dominating the print and electronic media today, or maybe you have a page on MySpace. Whatever the reason that you tune onto the Internet, you need to know that this cherished freedom is in serious jeopardy.

A Free Internet Could Be Soon Gone

Over the last few years as American freedoms have eroded, unlimited access to the Internet has come under increasing attack. Currently, The Internet operates under the principle of “Net Neutrality,” an idea of fairness and equity which guarantees that all websites open at the same speed. However, big phone and cable companies want to rule the Internet by creating a system whereby websites will open at various speeds, depending on one’s ability to pay. Further, they want to block access to websites at their discretion.

If the phone and cable companies have it their way, the Internet will no longer be free. Gone will be easy access to the plethora of information on the web as only the wealthiest corporations, organizations and individuals will be able to afford to have websites open quickly. Website owners with less money will have to hope that people trying to access their websites will have the time and patience to wait and wait and wait for them to open.

Freedom of Speech At Risk

“Freedom of Speech is definitely at stake. In one of the more recent efforts to restrict Internet usage, Comcast blocked access to a website. Their challenge to Net Neutrality went before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which ruled against Comcast by a slim 3-2 vote. Now, Comcast is using its corporate billions to fight the case in court. (Several of these telecommunications’ companies worked with the current administration to spy on civilian and military citizens of the United States at home and abroad.)

The Internet must operate under the principle of Net Neutrality which guarantees to 1”treat all content, sites, and platforms equally”; where all information 2 “packets are forwarded on a first-come, first served basis, without regard for 3quality of service considerations”. The principle of Net Neutrality also should imply 4“Absolute Non-discrimination”. 5“Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet”.

VOTE TO KEEP THE INTERNET FREE!

This campaign season we have an opportunity to take an important stand to keep the Internet free. Barack Obama has voted for Net Neutrality while John McCain has voted against it. In fact, John McCain’s position on net neutrality sounds a lot like his position on regulating the financial sector. His website states, “John McCain does not believe in prescriptive regulation like net-neutrality, but rather he believes that an open marketplace…is the best deterrent against unfair practices.” Hmmmm. Let’s hope that what happened to the de-regulated financial markets does not happen to the Internet.

We’re asking you to stand up for freedom of speech and for the free flow of information by spreading the word about Net Neutrality to everyone on your list serve. We are asking everyone to vote for the candidate with a history of supporting Absolute Non-Discrimination or impartial access to the Internet. Barack Obama is that candidate and has been the most technologically savvy of each person who announced for president during the primaries.

Take a minute to think about how your life and life in America will change if the phone and cable companies have it their way. During this period of economic duress and uncertainty, we need to stay connected now more than ever. And just think, if the phone and cable’ companies win the right to charge for websites to open quickly or to block access to websites, how long will it be before they charge for e-mail?

To learn more about Net Neutrality, please visit:

SaveThe Internet.com. Wikipedia – Network Neutrality
FreePress.net Wired.com – candidate score card
Internetforeveryone.org http://walterose.blogspot.com/


Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Howard Walters and Andrea Payne
Webneutrality@gmail.com

For those of you in the New York area, FreePress.net is hosting an Internet Freedom Party on October 23rd. Check out their website for details.

1- Tim Wu – professor, Columbia Law School – credited with coining the term Network Neutrality
2- Susan Crawford – professor, Cardozo Law School - founder of “OneWebDay”
3- Quality of Service or QOS is the guarantee a certain level of performance to a data flow
4- Wikipedia – Network Neutrality
5- Google's "Guide to Net Neutrality"

A Mortgage From Our Uncle Sam

"Life is great" as a friend often says. There are actually some mortgages that have stayed sweet on the vine and look to remain that way for quite some time.

Reverse mortgages just got better for senior home owners who need the lifelong financial relief or who want funds for any number of reasons. HUD the federal agency that closely oversees the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage for seniors has allowed loan limits to go up to at least $417,000. That's an increase of $55,000. The limit may actually be higher but I am waiting for news about where the limit now stands.

My great interest in offering Reverse Mortgages was in providing relief for cash strapped seniors who might lose their homes or just as seriously could not afford to eat decent meals.

There truly are a great range of reasons why a reverse mortgage is right for SOME seniors. I have family members who don't need a reverse and should not take one, while other members of my family would lead pretty tough senior years with out the alternative of a reverse mortgage to supplement their income and allow for some comfort and some pleasures after a lifetime of hard work.

Talk about family values is talk about parents and their children in the Reverse Mortgage program. Most of the reverse mortgage loans I have done, were initiated by the adult children of senior home owners. very often these days I am approached by the children of seniors who are looking for a way to help their aging parents make ends meet when they themselves are struggling.

Be well,
Howard
347-622-6167
howard.loans@gmail.com

Humpty Dumpty is Having a Great Fall

Humpty has been falling for quite some months now.

These past two weeks have been nothing if not fascinating. How could I say this as a loan originator in the very industry that has caused the biggest downturn in the economy since the depression? Easy, it's true. I am fascinated by what's going on. I can't wait to see what happens next. It's as exciting as an action movie and I do love good action movies.

You see, I came into the mortgage business to make a living not to take advantage of customers; so, my conscience is clear. Not every one who worked in this industry made out like fat cats or the robber barons on Wall Street. When the sub-prime bubble burst, many folk were all too ready to blame the loan officer in the local mortgage office. And, I will agree some of the blame can be laid at the door of the mortgage offices next door on Main Street.

As the tsunami continues to roll in however, the truth is coming to light and we see that deregulation of financial institutions beginning back in the Regan era, loosed the jackals of greed who fed and schemed and manipulated money instruments that were balloons really; carrying more air than substance until they were punctured by their over inflation.

Unless the government does something honest and substantial, the problems will continue. There are millions of adjustable rate mortgages that have not yet hit the skids. Not quite yet.

The eight hundred and fifty billion dollar bailout package is the latest in a series of stop gap measures that are insufficient because of greed and dishonesty. Politicians don't want to anger the business people from whom they get their donations and perks. This last bit of nonsense passed by the Senate and expected to pass in the house tomorrow was loaded up with an additional one hundred and fifty billion dollars ($150,000,000,000) of special favors to the senators' favorite lobbies back home. Don't you want to just puke? Those good old boys and girls in congress sure know how to spot a fatted calf when they see one, don't they?

If you know me, then you know I'll tell you that things don't come to light for no reason. Things have come a cropper in a big way but its not all bad. Some good is gonna come out of this. I don't think Humpty will be quite the same form now on though.

Be well,
Walterose