KC: No. 10 on List of "The 10 Emptiest Cities"

Man, is that depressing. I really didn't think we'd be on this list. Detroit? Sure, at the top--but they aren't. The Motor City is at number 8. St. Louis? Heck yes (but actually, they're not even on the list). But Kansas City, Missouri? I just didn't think we were that empty. It's from the CNBC news page last evening. They're stats: --Rental vacancy rate: 11%; --Homeowner vacancy rate: 3.7% "Although the Kansas City, Mo., metropolitan area has seen rental vacancy rates drop significantly — from 17.2 percent in the second quarter of 2010 — homeowner vacancies have gone up by nearly 30 percent over the same time. Interestingly, homeowner vacancies were higher in Kansas City prior to the housing crisis, hitting 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2007." For a bit of schaudenfreude, Indianapolis is at number 2. Forgive me if I should try to make you feel better. Link to original post: http://www.cnbc.com/id/44860467

FDR's "2nd Bill of Rights"

After watching Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" yesterday, I learned President Franklin Roosevelt actually proposed a "2nd Bill of Rights" in 1944, a year before his death. Would that we would have gotten these things. It was a brief speech but here's what he called for. You can either click on the link below or go watch and listen to the speech online, of course, but he basically laid out a plan calling for 8 "rights" we should all have, as Americans. They were: The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation; The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation; The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living; The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad; The right of every family to a decent home; The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health; The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident, and unemployment; The right to a good education. He ended by saying this: For unless there is security here at home there cannot be lasting peace in the world." FDR was brilliant on so many issues and situations. He wasn't perfect or flawless by any means but he was correct about the Great Depression and what we needed to do in most cases and he was certainly, absolutely correct on this. And we'll apparently never have them. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bill_of_Rights

President Obama's weekly radio address 02.21.09

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days, folks. I was out of town on a short vacation for a few days. I'll be writing later today.