Seperating the Worthy from the Un-Worthy

Settle in, this is a long one, and this is my last "pre-Lent" news post. I realize the political conversation is changing, and I am glad my self imposed news exile is going into effect soon (Wednesday). More on that then, but for now...

The recent developments in our national conversation regarding the housing crisis and rescue plan have really troubled me. It seems as though there are pundits who wish to turn neighbor against neighbor and would prefer to see families thrown out on the streets instead of compromising a "self-righteous" capitalistic ideology. They seem to believe that employing grace, humility, and solidarity with our fellow citizens would create a "moral hazard" for the citizens of our country. RIDICULOUS! First of all, are we not our brothers keeper? As Christians AND patriots I would say YES! Surely as a "Christian nation" we would want to model ourselves after the law given to God's chosen people in the Bible.

Leviticus 25:35-37
35 “If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty and cannot support himself, support him as you would a foreigner or a temporary resident and allow him to live with you. 36 Do not charge interest or make a profit at his expense. Instead, show your fear of God by letting him live with you as your relative. 37 Remember, do not charge interest on money you lend him or make a profit on food you sell him. 38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan and to be your God."

By now I am sure you have seen the rant last week by Rick Santelli (if you haven't here's the link). The basic question he asks is, why are we (the government) giving money (tax dollars) to people who did not make a good decision with their home purchase or mortgage financing in the first place?

The practical answer is because the problem is so deep and widespread that to do nothing and allow potentially ten million homes (families) to go into foreclosure would wreak societal and financial havoc on an exponentially greater scale than we have seen so far.

It's telling that Rick didn't say a word when one single insurance company, AIG, received $150 billion tax dollars so that they would not default on their obligations. People, that's ONE company being shored up by tax dollars. If people are going to be "outraged" that's where it should be directed, not at our neighbors or the family in the foreclosed house in another city! AIG was designated as a company "too big to fail." I thank God that Obama (and many other politicians) deem 9,000,000 problematic family homes too big to fail as well!

There seems to be a false assumption that people are going to be getting checks in the mail so their houses can be paid off without some sort of accountability. A simple cursory reading of the proposal and a person will find that this is not the case. I think Rick's words are a disgrace because of the false notion that people are just defaulting on their homes so the government will rescue them. That notion completely discounts the psychological devastation people go through when they loose their home.

Reality check. Families are losing their homes because people are loosing their jobs (over 4 million jobs lost in the last six months) and can't make their payments. Before we judge our neighbor we must ask ourselves how long we could make our mortgage payments or rent if we lost our jobs tomorrow? People are being foreclosed on by banks because they can't meet monthly payments they never dreamed they would have trouble making. These are families who had jobs, retirement, savings, and home equity all of which has been completely wiped out. True, people have purchased more house than they could reasonably expect to afford if the economy went bad. But complicit in that are Banks who TOLD family after family that the mortgage loans they were getting were the perfect size for their income, and the guaranteed increase in their homes value.

It is in our interest to help each other in this time of crisis. On a spiritual, personal, and governmental level. Unless we do that, unless we have a solidarity of suffering with each other, we will not emerge stronger as a nation, people, and especially as Christians.

In case you are still having a hard time being convinced that we should come to the aid of our fellow citizens who have been caught up in a once in a hundred years financial crisis then perhaps you need to be reminded just how we got into this housing mess in the first place. I'll let 60 minutes lay it all out for you with the story of just a single bank headquartered in California.



BONUS:

A visual explanation on how the whole financial crisis happened to begin with. Done very well and after the 11:00 you'll be smarter than you are now about what's going on.


The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

The Obamamanic and Ditto-Head Stimulus Bill

I have been exchanging incredibly long emails with a very good friend of mine who loves current events and politics just as much as I do. We've been friends since Junior High and even roomed together for our first two years of college so we go way back. Yet it is fair to say that we view politics through very different lenses and filters.

So when we starting ribbing each other about this stimulus bill, we decided (ok it was my idea, and yes I am a huge dork) to see if we could come up with a piece of compromise legislation. Feel free to comment, correct, laugh, applaud, or forward to President Barack Obama.

Isbell - Boisvert Bi-Partisan Stimulus Package

1. Cut payroll taxes 50% and extend the payroll tax up to people who make $700k.
2. Cut the corporate tax rate (currently one of the highest in the world) to a Federal rate of 26%.
3. Provide $250 billion to invest in upgrading the electrical grid, modernization of medical records, broadband internet.
4. Provide $100 billion for education.
5. Extension of the Bush capital gains tax cut until 2012.
6. $5 billion worth of grants given for alternative energy development.
7. $75 billion towards the development of nuclear energy.
8. Extension of the unemployment benefits and COBRA.
9. A “Congressional Voter Accountability Pork Stimulus Amendment.” Each House Representative gets $5 million and Senators get $20 million to invest in their districts.
10. A bike lane from Abilene to Pepperdine to help facilitate various student groups raise money for charity using bike rides.

Cost of Stimulus:

1. Short Term: Net zero based on expected reversal of recession and projected GDP growth (Laffer curve…)
2. Short Term: Net zero based on expected reversal of recession and projected GDP growth (Laffer curve…)
3. -$250 Billion
4. -$100 Billion
5. -$100 Billion based on expected reversal of stock market and projected growth.
   
6. -$5 Billion
7. -75 Billion
8. -67 Billion
9. -$4.2 Billion
10. -$9.23 Billion (1299.56 miles from Abilene to Malibu. At a cost of $7.1 M per mile)

Total Cost: $610,430,000,000.00
(the CBO would include a much higher costs for the tax cuts)

Bonus Housing Relief Legislation:

1. People can reduce their mortgage interest rates (including ARM’s) to a 4% fixed 30 year loan. But if someone takes the deal that loan must be paid off, similar to the way student loans are done.

So there you have it. We welcome your comments.

Thursday Throw Down

Economic Perspective:
2,000 (years) x 365 = 730,000 (days)
$900,000,000,000 / 730,000 = $1,232,876.71 per day since Jesus was born (not adjusted for inflation).

Best web-phenomenon term:
FaceBook Fits - coined by Elizabeth in reference to certain types of status updates.

Compelling solution to fiscal crisis:
Lawerence Lindsey on The Daily Show

Best Political Cartoon of the Week:
Party of Fiscal Responsibility

L O S T Prediction:
Miles is the son of Dr. Edgar Hallowax the guy from the Dharma Initiative instructional films.

Weekend Plans:
Allison has class on Saturday so I might take the boys to see the Red Bull Snowscraper competition on the Lower Eastside. Should be TOTALLY RADICAL DUDE!

Lent is coming...

Lent begins on February 25th and I am preparing to give something up for the duration of the 40 days of Lent. I don't observe Lent every year, but most years I find some spiritually compelling reason to let go of something in my life. I have given up various things over the years like certain foods, beverages, blogging, etc. But what I feel spiritually compelled to give up this year is going to present a really big challenge for me.

For Lent this year I plan on giving up...the news.

As any of you who read this blog know, I love news, politics, pop-culture, and current events. If I have to choose between watching 60 Minutes or SportsCenter, 60 Minutes wins hands down.

Since the election and inauguration are over it's time to regain a sense of balance in my life. I have come to realize the the world doesn't hinge on me checking the DrudgeReport, The Huffington Post, or The Daily Beast five times a day!

I have become too distracted by these things, and my Spiritual growth has suffered because of it. I hate admitting that, but it's the truth. So, for Lent I am giving it up, and re purposing the energy of my thoughts to that of Christ instead of Politico.

I am clearing out my internet bookmarks, un-DVR'ing the Nightly News, and suspending the news podcasts I listen to on my commute to work. This is going to be tough, because the news is everywhere you look in NYC. Just standing in line at Starbucks you get the major headlines of the day from the newspapers laying around.

When a person observes Lent Sunday is typically a day of sabbath from your fasts. So I have limited my consumption of news on that day to reading the NY-Times weekend paper that I get (and hardly ever get through).

So here's how you can help. What books, movies, music, or articles have you been reading lately that have helped you to reflect about your spiritual walk. It doesn't have to be explicitly labeled as "Christian" material, but I welcome that as well. And just so you know I have already read The Shack.

What I've Learned

What an election. Last night at 11:01 pm Harlem erupted in shouts, horns, drums, dancing, and celebration. The sound of the masses was incredible and it was thrilling to be part of it.

As euphoric as I feel today, I know there are others who still have fears, doubts, suspicions, and are disappointed McCain didn't win.

I have a political ideology shaped by the issues that are important to me, and Obama convincingly addressed those issues. However, I have come to understand during this campaign that compassionate, smart, sincere, and faithful people see the solutions to those issues in completely different ways than I do. Understanding their viewpoints and how different sets of beliefs can come from places of sincerity. This is the most important way I have grown as a person during this election. It hasn't always been easy and I have failed miserably at times to give honor and even courtesy to another persons ideas. But I really believe the tone is going to change, and change for the better.

I believe it's important to note that Obama spoke to this last night. This was the part of his speech that moved me the most:

"In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.

Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.

And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too. And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.

So I will buy a NY-Times today (if I can find one, they are sold out everywhere) as a keepsake, and wear my campaign button for another day, but then those things will become part of history.

The future is one where we as Americans come together and tackle the truly daunting challenges we face in this country under the Presidency of Barack Obama. And the criticism by the opposition, and revelations by the press are vital in helping to keep America great. It is my hope, and expectation, that "Yes We Can" does not merely remain a campaign slogan, but turns into a refrain the people of our nation repeat together as Americans.

One day left...

Mom spent her Saturday in Ohio knocking on 100 doors getting out the vote for Obama. We have twenty four hours to see if it paid off.

Nice work mom!

The Final Obama Endorsement

It is my hope that Barack Obama becomes President of the United States. However it's important not to mistake my enthusiasm and belief in Obama for infallibility. Obama is a politician and those people are inherently flawed (like most of us are).

A friend of mine went to a forum at Princeton the other night where Cornell West was speaking. Here are some quotes via James' blog.

- "Barack will need accountability should he win. He's not the messiah. If I had power, I'd need accountability too!"

- "Obama doesn't have a lot of anger. If he did, he'd be sitting in here with us!"

- "Ever wonder why there was never a black al-Qaeda? Some brothers tried to get it going, but they just couldn't convince enough people."

- "If Obama wins I will breakdance that night, and critique him in the morning.... We'll be up there at the White House, waving to Sasha and Malia. 'Hi girls, how you doing? Yes, we're protesting your daddy.'"

If Obama wins the Presidency, the question remains to be seen if he has started a movement for change or just become another President. He has the capability, vision, rhetorical skills, and experience to change the direction of this country. And he will make mistakes, and there will be misguided policies, and there will be failure. In the face of those, we as citizens and as Christians must speak truth to power.

But I am further convinced as this election draws mercifully to a close that McCain and Palin lack any visionary framework for America. Their entire campaign has hinged solely on making Obama less than American or worse, an enemy of America which he clearly is not. You may disagree with Obama on policy but he would never cast you out as being unAmerican or unpatriotic.

As you consider your vote on Tuesday keep in mind that despite the hype, you are not electing a messiah to the Oval Office. Relieve yourself of that burden and expectation, and instead think clearly and critically about the strengths and weakness of both candidates and their ideas about leading America.

It is my hope that you will vote for Obama and that you will see him as representing a fundamental change for the future of this country and our children. I hope for those of you who are the most skeptical that you will step out and take the chance on Obama over finding comfort in the familiar of McCain / Palin.

In order to govern this country to greatness in the 21st century Obama needs the cautious and skeptical supporters as much as the die hard fervent ones. There is a place in the tent for the doubters and skeptics and in fact they are vital to the success all of us want this country to have moving forward.

Focus on The Family Letter

"A Christian Letter from 2012"

Selected Excerpts

Link to full text here.

A glimpse of the future in which Obama wins the election.

• A 6-3 liberal majority Supreme Court that results in rulings like one making gay marriage the law of the land and another forcing the Boy Scouts to "hire homosexual scoutmasters and allow them to sleep in tents with young boys." (In the imagined scenario, The Boy Scouts choose to disband rather than obey). - page 3

• A series of domestic and international disasters based on Obama's "reluctance to send troops overseas." That includes terrorist attacks on U.S. soil that kill hundreds, Russia occupying the Baltic states and Eastern European countries including Poland and the Czech Republic, and al-Qaida overwhelming Iraq. - page 10

• Nationalized health care with long lines for surgery and no access to hospitals for people over 80. - page 11

"The goal was to articulate the big picture. If it is a doomsday picture, then it's a realistic picture."

Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of public policy for Focus on the Family Action.

I have no words.

Obama in Indianapolis

"There are no real or fake parts of this country. We are not separated by the pro-America and anti-America parts of this nation—we all love this country, no matter where we live or where we come from. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it, patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women from Indiana and all across America who serve on our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America—they have served the United States of America."

The Gallup Poll of Likely Voters

Perhaps you have seen the latest Gallup poll pushed on the Drudge Report that has Obama at 49 and McCain at 47 with likely voters. This could get a lot of press depending on what's going on in the news cycle, but don't hyperventilate about it.

Nate Silver from Fivethirtyeight.com who New York Magazine called "The Spreadsheet Psychic" explains why Drudge shouldn't be so hasty in latching onto this poll as an indicator of the state of this race. See Nate's post about it here.

Blaming the Poor for Ruining the Market III

I will continue to vehemently attack the idea that minorities and the poor are responsible for getting loans they could not afford through CRA's and subsequently caused entire US and global economy to fail. It's not that it just offends me, it's that it is completely false.

Please, if you still believe that CRA's and the poor are responsible for this mess, you must listen to "Another Frightening Show About the Economy" from the This American Life podcast. If you listen to that you will see first, just how bad and scary things are financially and second, how the poor have almost nothing to do with it. Do yourself a favor and listen to the podcast and you will start to understand why we are in this mess.

Here are some quotes from various sources who all refute the idea that the poor via CRA's caused the financial crisis:

"CRA only governs a certain class of federally insured banks. Problem is, half of the subprime loans came from mortgage companies with no CRA involvement at all. Another 25%-30% came from companies with very little CRA exposure. For those who left their abacus at home, that's 80% of the loans which were fully or largely outside CRA jurisdiction. More than that, the non-CRA mortgage firms made subprime loans at twice the rate of CRA-covered firms." - Ezra Klein, via Mark Thoma blog Dept. Economics University of Oregon

"Finally, keep in mind that the Bush administration has been weakening CRA enforcement and the law’s reach since the day it took office. The CRA was at its strongest in the 1990s, under the Clinton administration, a period when subprime loans performed quite well. It was only after the Bush administration cut back on CRA enforcement that problems arose, a timing issue which should stop those blaming the law dead in their tracks." - Aaron Pressman, Business Week 9/29

"Second, CRA does not either encourage or condone bad lending. Bank regulators were decrying bad subprime lending before the turn of the millennium (see Interagency Guidance on Subprime Lending), and warning the CRA-covered institutions we regulated that badly underwritten subprime products that ignored consumer protections were not acceptable. Lenders not subject to CRA did not receive similar warnings.And we also explained to those we regulated how to serve lower income communities and borrowers in a manner that was good for the borrower, good for the bank, and earned CRA credit." - Ellen Seidman, New America Foundation

"The banker I asked summed things up this way, "As far as CRA requirements and the current crisis in the financial markets, anyone who claims that our problems are the result of the CRA rules just doesn't understand the crisis or the way those requirements are worked out in a community. Further, these rules have been around for decades (enacted in 1977) and they just aren't the problem." - Larry James, ED of Central Dallas Ministries

" Furthermore, companies not covered by CRA made subprime loans at more than twice the rate of lenders that were, according to Janet Yellin, president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank. The idea that CRA brought the banks down is "just ridiculous," Mr. Thoma said.

The ugly truth is this: The redlining that led to the passage of CRA has been replaced by reverse-redlining. Lenders didn't have to be dragged into low-income neighborhoods. They rushed in. It was there that they could push their complicated mortgages onto the elderly, blacks and Hispanics, and then sell the loans to somebody else. At least 40 percent of the holders of subprime mortgages could have qualified for cheaper prime mortgages, according to one study. " - Froma Harrop, Dallas Morning News

"There was a culture of stupid, reckless lending, of which Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the subprime lenders were an integral part. But the dumb lending virus originated in Greenwich, Ct., midtown Manhattan, and Southern California, not Eastchester, Brownsville, and Washington. Investment banks created a demand for subprime loans because they saw it as a new asset class that they could dominate.

At Monday's hearing, Republican Rep. John Mica of Florida gamely tried to pin Lehman's demise on Fannie and Freddie. After comparing Lehman's small political contributions to Fannie and Freddie's much larger ones, Mica asked Fuld what role Fannie and Freddie's failure played in Lehman's demise. Fuld's response: "de minimis."

Lending money to poor people doesn't make you poor. Lending money poorly to rich people does." - Daniel Gross, Newsweek

Interconnectedness...

This video blew my mind! It's a simulation of all the commercial flights around the world in a twenty-four hour period.

Relatively speaking, there are still a lot of logistics to getting multi-ton flying tubes full of people all around the world. Air travel has to be the least efficient method of interconnectedness in the world, yet it still moves millions and millions of people around the globe everyday.

Many more things are not inhibited by weather, flight patterns, mechanical failures, and expense. The flow of money, services, ideologies, faith, ideas that foster hate, love, compassion, injustice, peace, and war move with unprecedented ease around the world.

America's future and place in the world depends on our leaders utilizing the strengths and combating the weaknesses of our country in the face of this global reality. That's just one of the reasons why I support Obama for President, because I believe he possesses the best set of skills, policies, and life experience to position America to lead the rest of the world in this new era of global connectedness and interdependence.

Christian Chronicle....Fair and Balanced.

It is safe to say that the church I grew up in is pretty conservative. Ok, it's very conservative, but before you think this is a post slamming my Christian heritage I will tell you that it is not. I would actually like to give a shout out to The Christian Chronicle, which accurately bills itself as an "International newspaper for members of Churches of Christ."

The lead story for this months paper is "Presidential Race Engages Students" written by Bobby Ross Jr. I was curious how this Presidential race would be characterized by the Chronicle whose audience is a pretty religiously and politically conservative one. I found the article to be refreshingly fair and open to both McCain and Obama supporters. It dealt fairly and graciously with the reasons why both candidates found strong support among young people in the Churches of Christ and that those reasons come from sincere Christian beliefs.

This was an encouraging article for me because it gave a lot of credence to the fact that a person could have Christian values and principles that lead them to vote for a Democrat just as as those values lead a person to vote for a Republican. Critics might say that this reality has existed for a long time and the Chronicle, and by extension other members of the Churches of Christ, are late to that realization. This might be true, but I still think the thawing of the view that if you are believer and pro-life you must vote a certain way or you are not a true Christian is a really good development for people of faith on both sides of the aisle. This kind of fair and gracious reporting in such a heated political time should be applauded and encouraged.

We Can Only Hope!

Michael Bloomberg is set to announce his intention on running for office for a third time. Provided term limits can be altered in the city council from 8 to 12 years.

In light of recent events, I think most people in the City are praying he can stay on for another term because did a great job of guiding NYC through a $5 billion dollar shortfall after 9/11. With Wall Street imploding, the economic impact on this city could be really big. Bloomberg isn't perfect by any means, but he is extremelyy popular because of his competence and common sense governing that's not influenced by a particular political ideology.

Even that bastion of liberal elitism, The New York Times, went on record today for abolishing term limits and making the case for Bloomberg to stay in office.

You have my vote mayor!

Lehman Brothers Vs. Africa

Lehman Brothers total compensation expenditures for 2007:
$9,500,000,000 - equal to $332,470 per person employed by Lehman (23,000+ employees).

Total Aid to Africa in 2007 from USAID:
$5,200,000,000 - equal to $5.20 per person (992 million people)

Blaming Regulation for the Mess...wrong!

Just another example of how difficult it is for irresponsible free market ideologues to give up the fight:


Market to Market: Why Dave Ramsey is Wrong.

Blaming the Poor for Ruining the Market II

Follow-up:

Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D. from The Heritage Foundation wrote an article in June of 2005 called: Time to Reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

"Despite its claims to the contrary, Fannie Mae's basic operating procedures do not target any particular type of buyer/borrower....Nine percent of the conventional conforming loans made by the private mortgage market were to first-time minority homebuyers. By contrast, only 4.7 percent of Fannie Mae loans and 3.5 percent of Freddie Mac loans over the same period were to first-time minority homebuyers."

Blaming the Poor for Ruining the Market

Ladies and gentleman do not be fooled. Poor people are not to blame for this financial crisis. Over the coming days you are going to hear free market ideologues try to pin this whole mess on the Community Reinvestment Act or CRA's. CRA's are a financial instrument pushed onto banks by the government to get low-income families the necessary loans to buy homes. These were "sub-prime" borrowers. Some will point to these CRA's, or "loans to irresponsible, poor, inner-city people" as the genesis of this financial crisis. DO NOT BELIEVE IT.

A study done by Traiger and Hinckley regarding the CRA’s found that these banks were less likely to make bad loans than banks not using CRA's. The summary conclusion of that study was as follows:

CRA Banks were substantially less likely than other lenders to make the kinds of risky home purchase loans that helped fuel the foreclosure crisis. Specifically:

1. CRA Banks were significantly less likely than other lenders to make high cost loans.
2. The average APR on high cost loans originated by CRA Banks was appreciably lower than the average APR on high cost loans originated by other lenders.
3. CRA Banks were more than twice as likely as other lenders to retain originated loans in their portfolio.
4. Foreclosure rates were lower in MSA's with greater concentration of bank branches.

Or listen to Larry James, Executive Director of Central Dallas Ministries who has on the ground experience with CRA's:

"Most small banks make donations to organizations like CDM. Larger banks find ways to do community development deals with stronger, larger community organizations and even cities like Dallas. There is no quick and easy loan process, no system flush with money flowing toward the "irresponsible poor." The poor never see such funds directly and getting funds for projects is difficult, guarded and complete with all sorts of accountability. In Dallas the large CRA projects (if you want to call any of them "large") have been positive for the city, especially in underdeveloped communities.

There is more than enough blame to go around in this financial crisis. From the Financial Services Modernization Act which brought down the firewall between commercial banks and investment banks (supported by Republicans, Democrats, and Bill Clinton), to investment managers that bet the farm on securities that went bust (Lehman was leveraged $30 to $1)!

It's clear the markets need to be bailed out in a responsible manner. And a proper review of what got us in this mess needs to be undertaken. But do not even entertain the idea for one second that the Governments "over eagerness to help the poor" is what sunk the ship. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Poll: High School Rulez!

I really like the poll thing. So I thought I would try one of the several different poll websites out there. Poll Daddy seemed like a pretty good site, and it's free. We'll see how well it works, and I will try to come up with interesting polls.

Population and Podcast

Saw this breakdown of the states who have the closest populations to the boroughs in NYC. It's amazing that you could cram all the people from these states into NYC. WOW right! Of course this started me thinking about the electoral college. These five states have a total electoral vote of 21 (according to the FEC). New York state has a total of 31 electoral votes. That doesn't seem to be fair in a "representative" democracy. But someone who is better at math than I am will need to explain it (yes I am talking to you Brandon).

There is a new podcast I have been listening to called "The Moth." The Moth is an organization dedicated to the art and community of storytelling. People come to the Moth events and get up to share their stories. No notes, props, or PowerPoint presentations just storytelling. From their website you can get to the iTunes podcast link. The latest two episodes called "The Stakeout" and "Harlem Cowboy" will have you roaring with laughter. Warning, these are recordings of live presentations so there is no editing done to the stories so there is swearing in some of them. Particularly in "The Stakeout" but the guy telling the story is a NYC detective so it's to be understood.

Anyway, it's a good one to add to your podcast repertoire.