Newly elected President Barack Obama is very conscious of the latest financial and job situation in the country leaves and that it leaves many homeowners nervous about the future. Home prices have fallen to record lows and foreclosures are also climbing to all time highs, bringing neighborhood home values by as much as 15%. Property and home values have fallen so steep that numerous homeowners now owe far more on their mortgages than their home is actually worth or will be worth in the next two decades. Because of these problems, the President Barack Obama has presented the housing and homeowner stimulus plan as the fix all for Americans who are close to losing their homes.

The Making Home Affordable plan was announced in February 2009 and has been running with very questionable results since then. Many borrowers no longer have any equity let alone the 20% equity that is often needed for mortgage refinancing these days. The stimulus or Making Home Affordable plan, from Pres. Obama is supposed to make it easier for homeowners to refinance or modify their current primary mortgage and receive lower monthly payments helping many homeowners temporarily avoid foreclosure.

The ultimate goal of the Making Home Affordable Plan is to help over 9 million homeowners keep their homes and avoid foreclosure or defaulting on their loan until the depression is over as most loans are short term fixes only. This is done by giving incentives to mortgage lenders to use new government guidelines for approving mortgage refinances. So with only a small incentive and slightly less risk to mortgage lenders some are choosing to be more compromising on who can refinance.

We believe the projected number of 9 million homeowners helped will be closer to 1 million as some lenders appear to be balking at governments incentives.

With the Making Homes Affordable program, the final mortgage payment will still not be allowed to exceed 38% of the homeowners gross monthly income. This is great news for a lot of homeowners who are fighting to make their monthly mortgage payment. A lot of homeowners currently pay 50% or more of their income towards making the mortgage payment. A 12 - 20 percent reduction would add up to a lot of saved money every month, but still leave homeowners with a house now worth hundreds of thousands less then they owe on their mortgage.

Refinancing your home can either save you thousands or cost you thousands. Predatory mortgage lenders will take advantage of you every chance they get. Learn how to properly refinance a mortgage and walk away with more money and a smile.

President Barack Obama was born in Hawaii to Barack Obama Sr. and Ann Dunham. Obama Sr., a Muslim, was an exchange student from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas. Barack Obama's father abandoned his family soon after he was born and he was brought up by his mother.

Ann Dunham started to date Lolo Sobero, another Muslim and soon married him and moved to Indonesia. Obama went to a Muslim school in Indonesia. Throughout this time, Obama kept in touch with his father Barack Obama Sr. who was now living in Kenya. They exchanged a number of letters and these became the subject for Obama's book, Dreams from my father.

Later on in life, he moved back to the United States to live with his maternal grandparents. He was particular close to his grandmother who took out a number of loans in order to finance Barack Obama's education. She died 2 days before he was elected the President of the United States.

Obama attended Columbia University and then Harvard, where he received his law degree. There, he excelled in academics and sports. After he graduated, he joined a civil rights law firm where he met his future wife Michelle Obama, who was also a lawyer there and mentored him.

After they got married, Barack and Michelle Obama had two daughters, Sasha and Malia. They grew up in Chicago where Barack Obama was a community organizer.

In 2004, Obama won the senate seat from Illinois. He was only the fifth African American to do so. In that time, he became exceedingly popular within the Democratic Party.

In 2007, he entered the presidential race and contested the primaries against contenders like Hillary Clinton and his future vice president Joe Biden. In 2008, he was elected the first African-American president of the United States.

Along with the presidency, Obama has inherited a failing economy, two wars and a lot of domestic and international issues.

When you review your personal finances this year, you may want to take the time to see if the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus package can personally help your bottom line. As the country's economy teetered on the edge of a collapse, the administration focused on stimulating the economy in both the housing and the car market - areas which suffered the biggest hits.

There are many who may be able to benefit from the changes brought by the stimulus package this year to the first-time homebuyer tax credit. Last year there was a tax credit of $7500.00. This credit was saddled with a requirement that called for taxpayers to make annual repayments over a 15 year period. Now the first-time homebuyer tax credit has increased to $8000.00. The best part is that there is now no repayment is neccessary.

One must stay in the home for at least three months after purchase. If one should buy another home or use a different residence as their primary home, they will have to repay the credit. Those who purchased their home in 2008 may file an amended return in 2009. Those who purchase a home in 2009 can take advantage of the credit, as long as the home is purchased prior to filing their tax return.

There is also good news in the 2009 stimulus package for car buyers. Those who buy a car this year may realize a tax benefit and may also deduct the sales tax from their return. So if you are in the market for a new car, you may want to go ahead and take advantage of these tax breaks this year.

There are tons of conspiracy theories out there about who is running America, who is running the world, and who is colluding with whom. The reality is that the game is so large with so many players that no one is really running much of anything, except their mouths in their own little caves.

Not long ago, a political activist and not so close acquaintance stated with regards to the topic of "Hilary, Obama, Capitalism, and The Elite Puppet Masters" that she believed there were issues with the Democratic politicians and she said; "I think Hillary Clinton leans in their direction. In the end Obama will likely do what he is told by the elites, but the jury is still out."

Hillary has often been called a hawk, but she often seems to be more of a realist than the Obama Administration, which seems to be wonderful at PR, and horrible at the completed product. Now that Hilary and Obama are joined we see some very interesting political bed partners. Although Hilary seems to be working hard at her job, when she isn't busy falling down and breaking bones.

Regarding; "the jury is still been out on Obama," some might say that if you believe that you must believe that the jury is a poll and the judges are the media? The elites obviously get it wrong half the time, even when only looking out for themselves. Unfortunately, we tax the people all the time, whether they win or lose, or it is a win/win for all concerned.

Indeed, there is no reason we cannot serve everyone with a capitalist motif, because those who produce the desired products and services are handsomely paid, if they fail to produce, well, hell they didn't deserve it anyway. And it's not as if the game is hard to play, the problem is we make to too easy to cheat; Lobbyists, and what Adam Smith warned us about. I hope you will consider all this.

Did you know that the new US government is committed to helping single moms return to school? Many mothers are not aware that the Obama's 'Moms Return to School' Government Grant Scholarship is available, but there are big benefits to finding out as much as you can about this offer.

Despite the bad economy at the moment, now is a good a time as any to be considering going to college; especially if you are a mom. When the economy bounces back (which it always does), qualified workers are going to be in big demand. So having completed a degree is going to put you in prime position to get your ultimate job.

Here are some of the facts about the Obama mom scholarship and grants.

Federal Pell Grants

One of the first bills introduced by Obama, the Federal Pell Grants are being increased for low income students. That means the maximum grant allowed now is $5100 instead of $4050. There is even talk of raising it more. If you are a single mother then is one of the very best grants that you can get.

You can apply for this grant by choosing a college or university that you wish to attend. Make sure they are running your chosen program or course first.

You then fill out a deferral FAFSA form and have it submitted.

Tax Benefits for Studying Moms

Also keep in mind that the The American Opportunity Tax Credit program states that your first $4000 of higher education is free.

Grants for Online Study

You can certainly apply for Obama's 'Moms Return to School' Government Grant Scholarship program if you are choosing to study online instead of on campus. In fact, online study is the most chosen path for moms who want to be at home with their children whilst being able to study at the same time.

You can also search out other suitable scholarships and grants for you. Some are particularly suited to moms and single moms and can offer even more money than the Federal Pell Grant.

President Obama the other day told everyone that no matter what level that they reach in life that you must keep going and not give up, that you still have more left in you, and you have more to give. This is really good advice and yet, he is not the only leader to other such words.

If you'll recall Winston Churchill often gave a speech about "never giving up" to colleges and universities in his day. President Reagan had a famous speech alerting people that "Winners Never Quit and Quitters Never Win!" All these great men were right then, and President Obama is right today.

Even if you have become the best in the world at what you do, you must remember there is still more to do, and the job will never be completed. Until humans live in a perfect utopia; there is still unfinished business; and being the best is not enough.

Giving it your all may not be enough either, as sometimes you have to go beyond and pony up, and rise to the occasion. Sometimes you have to go beyond your abilities, and push yourself to greater heights. Isn't that what President Obama did?

This is what separates the men from the boys, and the good from the great. I hope you will understand what all these men were saying, and why Obama is repeating that message today. These are time tested and proven antidotes for the human endeavor. Don't waste your life experience, go beyond and enjoy being one with these other great man at the top. Please consider all this.

A day before President Barack Obama is to deliver a speech here seeking goodwill with the Islamic world, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden tried in a new message Wednesday to convince Muslims they should hate him.

The message was the second from al-Qaida in as many days criticizing Obama. Analysts said the PR offensive shows the terrorist organization worries the new president will succeed in improving America's image in the Muslim world and undermine the group's anti-American jihad, or holy war.

"Obama's election is just about the worst thing that could have happened to these guys," said Tom Sanderson, a terrorism expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They knew right away that his election undermined a key part of their argument that the U.S. was anti-Islamic, that the U.S. was racist."

Obama's speech at Cairo University Thursday is part of a campaign to prove he differs from former President George W. Bush, whose invasion of Iraq and aggressive counterterrorism tactics stoked Muslim ire and helped al-Qaida rally support.

Al-Qaida has tried to counter that message by painting Obama as no different from Bush, highlighting U.S. involvement in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

In his audiotape, aired on Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden said Obama has inflamed hatred toward the U.S. by ordering Pakistan to crack down on militants and block Islamic law there.

He claimed U.S. pressure led to a campaign of "killing, fighting, bombing and destruction" that prompted the exodus of a million Muslims from the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan. He was referring to a Pakistani military campaign against the Taliban that began in April, an indication the tape was made since then.

"Obama and his administration have sown new seeds to increase hatred and revenge on America," bin Laden said. "The number of these seeds is equal to the number of displaced people from Swat Valley."

Bin Laden did not specifically mention Obama's speech in his message. Al-Jazeera did not say how or when the tape was obtained, and its authenticity could not be immediately verified.

On Tuesday, al-Qaida's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, said in an audio message that Obama's upcoming speech would not change Muslim sentiment because of the "bloody messages" the U.S. military is sending in Afghanistan and Iraq.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, in Saudi Arabia with Obama, said al-Qaida wants "to shift attention away from the president's historic efforts ... (to) have an open dialogue with the Muslim world."

Obama is popular in the Middle East, in part because of his friendly words toward Islam, his promises to withdraw from Iraq and his own personal background. Still many Arabs remain skeptical about how deeply he will change U.S. policy, which they see as biased toward Israel.

Sanderson said Obama's approach could make it harder for al- Qaida to recruit supporters and raise money.

"It starts to tighten up avenues for them for finance, for people, for information," said Sanderson.

Al-Zawahri has been critical of Obama since his election, even releasing a message that referred to Obama as a "house negro," a slur for a black subservient to whites. Bin Laden has been more sparing in his criticism, and his harsh rhetoric in Wednesday's message could indicate he has become more concerned about Obama's impact.

"They have been trying to present him as a continuation of the old policies and discredit him," Jeremy Binnie, an analyst with Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center in Britain, said. "I think to a certain extent that it shows they are worried by this guy."

Obama's decision to deliver his speech in longtime ally Egypt highlights one of al-Qaida's frequent propaganda points -- the alliances between the U.S. and repressive Arab governments.

Al-Zawahri called the Egyptian officials welcoming Obama U.S. "slaves" who have turned the country into an "international station of torture in America's war on Islam."

The Obama administration has hinted it won't hinge its relationship with Egypt on human rights demands and democracy promotion. Still, in an apparent nod to rights concerns, the Obama administration invited several opponents of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to the Cairo speech.

Ayman Nour, a top opposition leader who challenged Mubarak in 2005 elections and called for greater democracy, said he would attend. Nour was imprisoned on forgery charges after the election, sparking heavy criticism from Washington. He was released in February in an apparent gesture to the U.S.

Also attending are 11 lawmakers from the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful opposition movement, said one of the 11, Mohammed Saad el-Katatni.

Many analysts argue Washington should engage the Brotherhood directly to show it is open to dealing with nonviolent Islamist movements. But U.S. administrations have balked, wary of upsetting Mubarak's government.


The Brotherhood, which calls for an Islamic state, renounced the use of violence in the 1970s and now says it seeks democratic reform in Egypt. It is banned and hundreds of its members have been arrested. Still, its members run as independents in elections and hold 20 percent of parliament's seats.

One prominent young Brotherhood activist, Abdel-Moneim Mahmoud, said Obama should talk to the movement "because we are moderate and nonviolent Muslims."

By doing so, Obama would help protect the U.S. "because only moderate and balanced-thinking Muslims can help to rid their countries of extremists," he said.

AP correspondent Hadeel al-Shalchi contributed to this report.
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