Holy Buck, Fatman!

I’m not an economist by any means; I just play one on the internet with my simplified understanding of how things should work. I have read a ton of books, had some interesting discussions and studied the historical implications of other policies that were executed in the past. I often yield to more experienced blogs when it comes to more complicated opinions. My opinions come from the experiences of the common lay person. I suppose that makes me what they call an “armchair Economist” In light of what has recently been happening, here is my take.
The stupidest possible thing the government can do is put together a stimulus package. This has been hammered home in tons of economic blogs, but no one is really listening. Take for instance this quote from the Daily Reckoning: ( a Baltimore Based News letter about global economics. These guys are NOT your typical talking heads you see on 24 hr Business news channels. These guys called the Big Shit pile some years ago and they were spot on.

“I just don’t get it! What would make these people think that? We’ve never been in a debt situation, government or public, like we are today, so I’m wondering how they think a stimulus package that puts money into people’s hands that go out and spend it and it’s gone, whoosh, vanished into thin air, is going to be the magic elixir for the economy”

Lets hear it for B-more. We’re a little unconventional in thought on many issues, but damn—someone needs to listen.

The village idiot we have in the white house has sent out three tax rebates in the past. The first rebate I remember I did not get a check. The second rebate I received a $400 check. This time, I think the government needs the fucking money more then I do. Wtf am I expected to do with this money? Oh yeah—That’s right—I am expected to go out and put a down payment on a flat screen television. Or a Blueray DVD player or buy me some new clothes. Fuck THAT!

One of my guilty pleasures on Teeveee is “Clean House” on the Style network. There are other shows similar to it, but I like Nicey, so…Clean house it is. Mister Fatman groans every single time I put it on, but I’m just fascinated by it. There are major reasons I watch the show. First, It is terribly apparent that shopping/consuming and hording things are the quick fixes for every problem from depression to issues people refuse to face. Stuff is the comfort that makes someone feel good about themselves. It makes them feel wealthy. It brings satisfaction that they got it on “sale”. Stuff defines them as a person and sometimes consumption can get out of control. The other reason I watch the show is—well….YOu should see my effin office. It’s a shithole of stuff that I need to get rid of!!!! After watching several episodes of the show I have come to realize I realllllly don’t need that much shit and my money is better saved then spent. When it’s time for a purchase, it better be functional. It’s taken me a long time to realize that the shit I have, I’m not using. I need to get rid of it or put it to use. I can’t wait to organize my own purge. Lastly–I saw the end results of a friends recent purge and Damn…I’m jealous. Downsizing is good.

WE’ve been told from the very beginning of the bush administration that we need to spend spend spend. From the moment those first tax rebate checks came in to today. Shopping is what holds us afloat. what if everyone decided to take their rebate checks and save it? what if we all decided to open an add on CD at our local bank or Credit union and started to add on to the damn thing? It would benefit the banks and would start a trend of saving like our Asian friends across the pacific pond.
Hell no. No saving in “murka. I just heard on the news today that China is a bit worried about the ‘murkin consumer’s inability to shop. They’re worried about their jobs.

Guess what, china? So are we.

Since I profiled the economic proposals of the top three Dems, It’s only fair that I do the same for the red side of the carpet.

Boy is it dismal. Words simply cannot explain the crap that is coming from these fartknockers.

First and foremost, when you click on the “issues” link on each one of their websites, the issue of the Economy is WAY BELOW “Keeping America Safe” rhetoric. What does this tell me? They all believe the biggest issue confronting them is the evil boogie man: terrorism. The Economy has just RECENTLY gained importance and only because a record number of Americans are facing foreclosure which is ultimately destroying their portfolios. That can’t happen, dammit.

It’s virtually impossible for me to highlight anything good about the Republican plans for the US Economy. It’s all the same shit the Bush Administration gave us, just wrapped up in a neato new package!  Free market this, Tax cuts that, ownership society, social security needs to be priviatized—BLAH BLAH BLAH.

What I WILL do is highlight the absurdity of the importance of the issues. believe me, this is fucking hilarious.    It will also demonstrate how detached they really are from the everyday economic issues of the common middle class family.  In order of…well…I don’t like any of them so I’ll order it on who currently has the most delegates. Afterwards, I’ll tell you the order of  issues on the website of the Contending em front runner.  After I reach an economic issue, I will stop listing them.  Recent additions regarding the “Stimulus Plan” are NOT included.

Mittens:

His issues page mentions Jihad, Nuclear and Tyrants right at the top, suggesting that the greatest threats aren’t the fact that most Americans haven’t seen a friken raise in a long time, but some perceived dictators overseas.

In layout order:

Keeping Americans Safe at Home and Abroad

Confronting Radical Jihad

Combating Nuclear Terrorism

Strengthening Latin American Allies and Confronting Tyrants

Winning the Global Economic Competition

Clinton places Strengthening the Middle Class as her number one issue.

McCain:

Okay–Disclaimer here: McCain DOES address the Economy as the first issue in the form of a “Tax Cut Plan” Typical. Tax cuts DO NOT WORK! McCain, by far, may appeal to the moderate dem who is disheartened by the current front runner.

Obama’s list of issues:  Civil Rights, Disabilities, Economy.

HuckleFucklebee:

This is, by far, the most disturbing. Luckily, the Evangelicals who believe he will bring on the second coming are showing that their group doesn’t encompass most of the GOP base. Knock on wood.

The Secure America Plan

Immigration

Faith and Politics

Sanctity of Life

Veterans’ Bill Of Rights

Education And The Arts

Health Care

Taxes/Economy

To be fair, he does address health care and keeps “marriage” after addressing the economy. Still…can he get anymore wacky????

John Edwards:

John Edwards lists the economy first under

Standing Up For Regular Families

So now that I have painstakingly shown you the utter disconnect of the Republican front runners, tell me your thoughts on these fuck knuckles.

In 1992 I was 18 years old and had just been granted the important right as an American citizen: The right to Vote. I took this VERY seriously. Being the uber political nrrrd in HS, I was on the debate team, Mock Congress team and the president of the Political Action Committee. I was serious about my right to vote.

Except, I based my vote on the guy who was on MTV. Okay, I was 18. ALRIGHT?!?!?!? I just knew that Bush was bad and Clinton was good. Why? My dad told me so.

In 1992, My dad was pretty worried about the downturn of the Economy. I would watch the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather with him, drinking our evening up of Joe. Dad would often lament about the ‘87 crash, the S & L crisis and everything that lad up to the recession that was happening in ‘92. I had NO clue why he was worried. To me, Dad was a never ending supply of cash when I ran out of money from my part time job. The Dad Economy functioned pretty well and I was able to tap the First National Bank of Dad when I needed it. Except when FNBD decided to call my loan and make me sign every graduation gift check I received over to him to pay back those little loans I had been taking out. I wasn’t aware that I had to pay that back!!!! It was $500.00. In 1992—That was A LOT of money. My economy had crashed and I had to learn to save. Dad was a saver—10% of his salary always went into his savings account. He hammered it into my head, telling me that I would never know when times could get bad.

In 1997 I had started to look for a “real” job and remember him saying to me, “This is the BEST time to look for a job! The economy is BOOMING right now! Companies can’t find enough workers to fill slots in time! You’ll get a GREAT job in No time!” He, of course was correct. Clinton did end up being a good thing. His policies combined with the dot com bubble made it the best of times. So, I stupidly decided to become a bartender. I’ll tell you this, trickle down economics does work on a micro level. Fat cats tip well when they are making bank.

Now that I am relatively in the same position as my father was in 1992, I can tell you that I, too am worried about the state of the economy. For me, it happens to be the most important issue the 2008 candidates can tackle. I now fully understand the depth of the worry experienced by my father in 1992. The problem is, I think things are much worse today. The NYT recently penned an article outlining the similarities of the depth of problems in 1992 that ultimately led to Bush I’s defeat. While we aren’t looking to reelect the head idiot in charge, we are going to experience a changing of the guard. It’s up to us to pay attention to these issues along side the Iraq war. Remember this: When people are faced with losing their homes,or running up major health care expenses, they often turn to their faith in times of financial desperation. Idiots like Huckelfuckabee can “charm” them with promises of rapture like end times while reaching around and grabbing their wallets. So, as a public service to my readers, I’ll offer you the three Dem front runners in order of my support. I’ll highlight their best and not so best economic solutions.

Barack Obama:

Best:

Create a Climate that Promotes Business Innovation

Invest in American Innovation

Barack Obama will implement a cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level recommended by top scientists. Obama will invest $150 billion over ten years to deploy clean technologies, protect our existing manufacturing base and create millions of new jobs. And the Obama plan will reduce oil consumption overall by at least 35 percent, or 10 million barrels of oil, by 2030 to put America on the path to energy independence.

My Comment: long term goals to boost innovation in the green & technological sector will ultimately create jobs, spur investment and move our GDP away from being dependent on consumer spending. This is a slow fix.

Not so best:

Provide a “Making Work Pay” Tax Cut for America’s Working Families.

My Comment:Tax cuts have already proven to NOT work.  While these cuts are aimed towards the Middle class, I just don’t think they will provide the stimulas that we need. Cut PAYROLL taxes. That will put a little more cash into our pockets and the results will be immediate.

John Edwards

Best:  Trade deals need to make sense for American workers, not just corporations. Edwards will make sure any new trade agreements include strong labor and environmental standards and will vigorously enforce American workers’ rights in existing agreements. He will also expand trade adjustment assistance to do much more for the workers and communities that are hurt by global competition and reform our international tax code to remove incentives for companies to move overseas.

My Comment: Edwards addresses the offshoring and outsourcing issues that has turned this country into a consumer & credit country. We don’t make anything anymore and the companies that make stuff have moved to china.  In order to help the American worker, we need to give businesses incentives to stay in the country.

Not so best: End Poverty by 2036

My Comment: That’s a pretty lofty goal. However, it’s not realistic. We can work to reduce poverty, but ending it isn’t ever going to happen. This is mostly an issue of semantics, I suppose.  I like Edwards and his ability to reach out to the working families, especially in rual areas. However, most of my Dr. Friends don’t like him for the sheer fact that he is a Tort Lawyer. Drs. and Tort lawyers aren’t good friends.

Hillary Clinton

Best: Return to fiscal responsibility. After six and a half year of President Bush’s fiscal irresponsibility, Hillary wants America to regain control of its destiny. She will move back toward a balanced budget and surpluses. Hillary believes that we should develop a set of budget rules similar to those we had in the 90s which required us to fund new expenditures with new revenues or cuts in other areas.

My Comment: Well, we know that it was actually done in the 90’s, so I’m assuming that it can be done again. I guess Slick willie will lend a hand, call some of his old economic advisors and assist on cleaning up the mess that Bush made. again.

Not so best: Lower taxes for middle class families by: extending the middle class tax cuts including child tax credit and marriage penalty relief, offering new tax cuts for healthcare, college and retirement, and expanding the EITC and the child care tax credit.

My Comment: PAYROLL TAXES! CUT PAYROLL TAXES!!!! uhg.

Today some of the talking heads started being less optimistic. Bernake said things weren’t too great. Congress Critters started discussing a “stimulus” Package. Again with the retroactive tax rebate checks. What the fuck? 600$ in my pocket isn’t going to help me pay off any of the bills I might be behind on. I suspect that it isn’t going to save anyone from losing their house from foreclosure, either. It might, however, spur some short term spending. woopdefucking doo. Provide some incentives to businesses to pay us more. Dammit.

With the holidays come a number of particularly annoying things. One really annoying holiday thing that literally drives me nuts is the fucking diamond commercial. You know the one I am speaking of: Guy surprises girl with some ugly piece of massively manufactured jewelry that contains some amount of diamonds. The voice over firmly lets the man know that a diamond is the *ONLY* way to really show how much your love her.

ARRRGH.

It seems that this year they started a bit earlier then normal. During thanksgiving programing, I must have seen tons of them. Each time I saw a lame ass ad, I would turn to my husband and say, “Honey, I want my DIAMONDS!” and we’d laugh our asses off. I simply can’t justify purchasing some piece of d jewelry that is artificially priced by some worldwide cartel hell bent on controlling the market. The entire idea that a peice of carbon represents love just gets me, too. There are SO many ways to express love. Hell, My husband cooks dinner nightly. Not only does he like too, he does it because my commute is over four hours daily. That’s love. Little things—Like downloading Star Wars Galaxies and playing together.

On another but slighty related note, it’s seems that diamond sales and luxury retailers are seeing nice gains in their sales, according to Blacks Retail analysis. Discount  retailers haven’t seem much gains and the average spent by the average consumer on Black Friday was down this year. What does all this mumbo Jumbo mean? It means we, members of the middle class, are getting fucked in the ass, money wise. We haven’t seen a pay raise in how long? But those Rich fuckers can certainly afford to buy those damn Diamonds.

IMHO, if we see retail make any gains this Christmas Season, it will be because rich people can afford to buy big ticket items. The numbers will be in line with what the talking heads want and discussion of Stagflation and recessions will end, despite the Big Shitpile (thanks to Atrios for that) of bad investments. heh. They’re still gonna get their bonuses on Wall Street.

and people wonder why I’m a big Socialist.

When I ordered our Turkey for Thanksgiving, the guy who runs the stand said, “27lbs, that’s a big turkey. You do realize that turkeys will be costing nearly $2.25 a lb this year.” I responded that I knew the cost of feed and fuel had impacted prices we were paying. We nodded in agreeance that the price of stuff just keeps going up.

Shortly before that, Mr. Fatman had gone to Costco to get our normal bulk items such as meats, toilet paper, etc etc. He called me to say that our bill was a whopping $170 bucks as opposed to the usual $125/$130. I asked if they had renewed our membership. He said, no. I sighed deeply. The core items that we need to survive are steadily increasing in price. These aren’t purchases of iPods, Teevees or DVD’s. These are the usual items we purchase on a regular basis. Food is expensive and I can’t really eat a TeeVee.

The other day I was sitting in the car while Mr.Fatman filled the car with Gas. I looked over at the poor sap that was filling up across from me and watched in horror as the price went up slowly…25…30….35…40…46. $46.00 to fill up that guys Camry. Yikes. I thanked my lucky stars that we hardly used our car and we drove a fuel efficient Scion. If we ever really needed to drive. These days, we try to limit that as often as possible.

Recently, I opened my electric bill only to find out that my bill had gone from a modest $159 to a whopping $281. I live in a VERY small house and we practice energy conservation as much as humanly possible, but it wasn’t our usage that had changed. It was the price of electricity. But, hey—I thought they told me prices would go down due to competition. I guess they were wrong.

I had to tell everyone that health care prices had increased a total of 11.6% as of Dec 1. I can’t explain that spike, but I’m pretty damn sure it has a lot to do with Greed.

I thin, perhaps the worse thing is going to a bar, ordering that micro brew that you love so much and hearing the Bartender tell you: “ah…can’t afford to stock that anymore. Price is too high. But I now have Bud Light on tap for 3 bucks a glass!” While that hasn’t quite happened yet, I fear it could. There is a shortage of Hops and it’s driving the price up. Sure, I don’t need a beer and can stand to drink Bud Light, but if I don’t get a raise soon, I won’t be doing much of anything.

Speaking of raises, It has been nearly three years since I’ve seen one. No COLA, nothing like that for me. The only way I’ve EVER been able to secure a hefty raise is to actually change jobs. Sadly, that is what most people have to do. That, or make like Mr. Fatman and take on a second job.

But, listen, folks. Uncle Sam says Inflation is under control. Doesn’t matter that BushCo. keeps signing checks that his butt—err…our collective American butts can’t really cash while his buddy Bernake keeps printing more Moola in the WH Basement. Okay. The Treasury Dept—but, STILL! Those things have nothing to do with it. If you want to stay in the game and keep above these rising prices, I guess we all need to get second jobs.

Either that or start a Grassroots movement for a collective $20,000 tax credit to each American. That is the hidden cost of the Iraq & Afghanistan War. If I don’t support it, why do I have to pay for it? I could really use an extra 20K.

But Seriously, Folks. There isn’t anything to see here. There is no Inflation. Please…Move Along.

Evil bender brings up a good point in a comment here.

The market does a poor job of rewarding fiscal responsibility and long-term thinking (often those making efforts in this area are cast aside before the benefits of their work are clear) and a great job of rewarding short-term profitability.

For the last ten years, short term gains have been rather rewarding. Savers, like myself, have been penalized with low returns on their cash stockpiles locked into CD’s and money market accounts. The advice from all around has been to invest in the stock market or get into real estate! Even cable channels like The Learning Channel and Discovery Home have shows called, “Flip That house!”

Today, the Federal reserve chairman Ben Bernake discussed the state of the economy yesterday. Amid all the discussion of a slowing economy, one main thing was consistently repeated: consumers might not spend this holiday season. OH NOES!

The Fed is terrified that we won’t spend money this holiday season, and they have good reason to fear that. Saving has been punished harshly by artifically low interest rates and speculation has been greatly rewarded. The Rest of Us* have floated on stagnant wages using homes as ATM’s to pay off CC debt and flip homes for quick profit. Until the party ended.

The Party has ended and the Uber Rich are flailing. CEO’s of major banks are stepping down amid scandals of bad debt investments. Have no fear, the Federal reserve is bailing them out, making sure they stay afloat! Printing more cash, lowing interest rates so those consumers who have a little bit of equity in their homes can borrow from it. what does this mean for the The Rest Of Us? Some of Us have lost our homes. Some have lost equity. Some saved and woke up to find out that despite saving, the amount in the savings account doesn’t cover what it used to. A gallon of gas is up to nearly 4.00 in some parts of the country. Food costs have risen, too.

The message from our dear leaders is clear, though. Please shop this Christmas! Despite the “stuff” from China being slightly dangerous, it’s still cheaper then food, heat and Gas!

*The Rest of Us: not quite investors, but modest savers playing by the rules and getting screwed for our Frugal ways.

I thought about it for a while. Maybe I did miss something

Electricity in deregulated markets cost more then in regulated markets.

Well, DUHHH.

We could’ve all told you that when we opened our electricity bills this past month.  So sayeth the NY Times:

In market states, electricity customers of all kinds, from homeowners to electricity-hungry aluminum plants, pay $48 billion more each year for power than they would have paid in states with the traditional system of government boards setting electric rates, according to … analysis of Energy Department data.

Lets all give a collective round of applause to Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling and their pals at Enron for spearheading this grand idea.

Oh, that’s right, they’re either dead or in jail.

But yet, the middle class are still dealing with this bullshit. can’t anyone bring themselves to say, “Market Failure”?

The Following is EXACTLY what happens in our home on ANY given morning.

I’m alone today in the Office and just half listening to the Diane Rehm show. Today’s second hour guest is the wife of Dick “The puppeteer” Cheney, Lynne. She wrote a feel good book about her Family history, westward expansion  and growing up in Casper, Wyoming. Sounds harmless? sure–if you’re into that sort of thing. Perfectly harmless and not in the least bit political– I hardly payed much attention.

What perked me out of my tuning her out was a caller from Wyoming who had said that she was a life long Republican, voted for Dubya and Lynne’s husband, but was compelled  to become a Democrat simply because she had become a victim of the Economic situation. The caller said that she was not going to vote GOP again until the GOPPERS stopped the outsourcing and the war on the middle class of America. I believed this was a relevant comment considering that Lynne’s story of her family was that of the American dream the right get all wet about. Hard work and perseverance will bring you great reward. Unless, of course, you’re simply unable to find a decent paying job  anymore because your FUCKING JOB WAS LOST TO OUTSOURCING.

Lynne’s reponse? 9/11!  9/11!  9/11!  The Economy is great! We’ve done a GREAT job! 9/11! 9/11!

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

yeah–HUH? what the fuck does 9/11 have shit all to do with the economy?

I can’t help but think there is another person somewhere in the “Heartland of America” sitting at their kitchen table thinking to themselves,”I had that job for years and they just closed the plant” or  “I took out that loan on that wonderful house because I was expected to make more $$ before the ARM reset. Now I can’t make my Mortgage and I am probably going to lose my home. “  or “Well, I can put these medical deductible payments on my Mastercard, transfer the balance to my Visa and get a lower APR. I just wish I could take out that cash out ReFi to pay these medical bills…” or “They  gave me a new title, but I am still not receiving a raise. Management said it was just a department change. I need that money!”

If you know someone who has uttered a sentence similar to those I outlined above, you’re probably not alone.  I distinctly remember a time when my husband and I were pretty tight financially, as he was in a dead end job with no way to make more $$. My friends and I sat on our stoop in our urban neighborhood lamenting about how negative we were in our bank accounts. It was eye opening for all of us and made us think about ways we could improve ourselves. Because of the area in which we live in, we had options. If we had been living a more rural area, our only options may have been the local Wal-Mart.

It’s amazing the amount of disconnect the uber rich have for the people who “used to” support conservative view points.  Except, conservative view points on financial matters don’t seem to exist anymore.  Every man for himself.

It seems the assholeosphere has been leading the attack on the young boy who delivered the Democratic radio address concerning SCHIP and it’s benefits to a family struggling to make ends meet. The wingnuts got all up in arms about a family taking a *gasp* government handout that they went as far as to post the Frosts address on the website. This led Michelle Malkin to take a drive over to check out the neighborhood of Butchers Hill and come back with a report for her hordes. Quoth MM:

Why did I take the time to go to Baltimore? Because bloggers raised questions about the Frosts’ financial situation and made specific reference to these pieces of real estate. I did not “harass” the Frosts. I simply reported what the tenant told me and described what I saw after driving by their home. My basic reporting rebutted some impressions left by other bloggers on the right who haven’t been to these sites and assumed they were high-end luxury properties. They’re not. Moreover, I corrected the mistake that some of these bloggers made in overvaluing the house at $400,000-plus. It’s closer to $300,000.

Well, Miss Malkin, you have ventured into *MY* neighborhood and now it’s personal. MM wanted to see Butchers Hill/Fells Point for herself. Well, she failed to talk to some MORE residents.

What the wingnutosphere forgets to mention is that the Frosts bought their home in 1990 for $55,000. According to the Baltimore Sun. What they ALSO forget is how the the Mess that Greenspan Made has given way to inflated prices, which gave way to inflated property tax assessments in 2006. Although the State of Maryland has agreed to revalue certain assessments that were appealed, most in my neighborhood were denied. I was, and I suspect the Frost’s were, too. Butchers Hill and Fells Point are the cash cow of Baltimore city. To reassess us would be denying themselves much needed funding in a city striggling to attract more homeowners among a growing crime problem.

The right has also failed to acknowledge the stagnant–even decline in median income for the City of Baltimore. I know this to be fairly true simply because I cannot work in Baltimore City and draw a salary that will pay my mortgage. I have no choice but to commute two hours a day to make a living wage and to keep my home. I suspect that being away from her children is not an option for Mrs. Frost. I have one child and must chose between a long commute or a job near home. To keep my home, I commute. My husband works in the neighborhood. To be fair, I only have one child–and she is a teenager.

The Right also failed to acknowledge the rising cost of energy. Of course, no one wants to mention that in order to heat your home, you should set aside 5-600$ a month just to be safe. I conserve as much as possible, installed timers on the Thermostat, installed energy saving lights and kept them off as much as I could. My electric bill *STILL* went up. I suspect the Frosts pay a bit more. Their house is slightly larger then my own.

And finally, healthcare. I know a little something about this. A short time ago, I was a contractor as explained here. because my services were contracted, I was elgible to purchase a policy as a small business owner. It was priced at $1200 for one plus a child—in 2003. I had a choice: Starve or pay for healthcare. I shouldn’t have had to make such a choice!

The truth is this: NO ONE WANTS TO REMAIN POOR! The fact that the Frosts took advantage of MCHIP shouldn’t be the big issue. What needs to be addressed is the rising cost of living that has stagnated an otherwise vibrant business owner to the point where his only choice to save his children was to enter into the program. $55,000 a year with six children is nearly impossible these days. I tried to make it on  that with ONE child.

The Frosts should be a GOP wet dream. They’ve been married for many years, have six beautiful children, own their own home and abide by the laws of the land. They follow what many Goppers tout as the path to financial freedom: entrepreneurship. They have one fatal flaw, though. They haven’t earned the millions that most GOP supporters expect small business owners to achieve. Mr. frost has failed to grow his business at a rapid rate. The debate is about a program that helped the family in a time of dire need. Now we need to start asking some very serious questions: Middle class families are without affordable healthcare. WHY? It’s the economy STUPID!
Now, back to Ms. Malkin and the rest of her Ilk: I want you to come back to Baltimore and sit down to have a beer with me, a former MCHIP recipient, a former single mother and resident of Fells Point/Butchers Hill. I’ll show you homes that are over 400K and some that are still no more then 80K. I’ll show her what NCLB has done to Baltimore City schools and WHY the frosts chose the Park school. I’ll show her a Real Estate situation that has homes on the market for years. Hell, I’ll even chose a bar! Butts & Betty’s on the Corner of Gough and Collington. MM is pretty familiar with Collington. Why, she’s already been down that road already.