http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/15/1199390.aspxFormer Minnesota Gov. Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura jumped off the top turnbuckle out of the political arena, ending a week of speculation -- of his own creation -- that he might run for Senate. The AP previewed today’s Democratic Senate primary in Georgia.en-USCommunityServer 2.0 (Build: 60608.1)http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/15/1199390.aspx#1199403Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:05:13 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1199403Clara Kansas City, MOI could not get a post in yesterday afternoon: <br>“The entire loan mess started when the ACLU complained that mortgage companies were red lining &quot;minority&quot; home buyers. It was clear that these people couldn't afford loans, but to appease the ACLU and stay out of court, the mortgages companies relented and gave them loans. You can see where that got them.” &nbsp;Sam Neile, Joplin MO (Sent Monday, July 14, 2008 1:49 PM) <br>Actually, that is not true. &nbsp;It started when Phil Gramm wrote (and was able to pass) legislation to deregulate the mortgage industry - www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/07/foreclosure-phil. That deregulation led to predatory lending practices with insane ‘back door, loophole interest rates’. &nbsp;Kind of like used car sales – “What do you need your payment to be?” &nbsp;So as the prime interest rate has risen, the adjustable rate of these mortgages has also been raised, thus increasing payments. &nbsp;The loopholes come into play as soon as someone misses a payment. &nbsp;Some of the penalties of missing a payment are increases to the adjustable interest rate at what some would argue as ‘usury’ rates. &nbsp;Yes, many cannot afford the new amount of their payment. &nbsp;However, often these loans were made by “low information” buyers trying to get a piece of the American Dream (that the Bush administration has been peddling for 7 &#189; years – in case anyone wasn’t paying attention). &nbsp;Due to the volume of these predatory loans, the housing prices have dropped – as it is now flooded with available properties. &nbsp;www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/03/17/the_dangers_of_deregulation/ or www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/02/deregulation-and-the-financial-crisis/ <br>‘Redlining’ refers to a real estate map where a red marker ‘line’ is literally drawn around certain neighborhoods and minorities are deliberately not financed in those areas (<a rel="nofollow" target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining</a>). &nbsp;It is a pure form of racism, and mister neile, it appears that you agree with the practice when you make a comment like “…these people couldn’t afford loans…so mortgage companies relented…” &nbsp;The information you spew should at least be based in facts, please. &nbsp;Or, as Joe Biden recently said to Lindsay Graham, “you’re entitled to your opinion; but you are not entitled to your own facts!”http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/15/1199390.aspx#1199430Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:18:02 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1199430Benny, SFBayArea, CaliforniaKey words &quot;of his own creation&quot; and of course the lap-dog media is all over it. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a number of serious issues facing us as a nation and to fall for this man's ego-driven self-promotion is ridiculous. Find a few really important issues to address and do your journalistic best to bring us every angle of it and show us its relevance. Thank you. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/15/1199390.aspx#1199462Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:30:17 GMT8a5d2dbc-a0e4-4c7a-979f-3188051f228e:1199462MI Chickooooo...Jesse's not running. &nbsp;Well, whoop-pee. <br> <br>On to real news, please.