AG Politics Beat
Top 5 most viewed political videos on YouTube this week
Shifts in politics by the week Because the rise of web video is so prevalent, not just in politics but in business in general, we find it interesting to look at how the political climate changes from week to week, simply based on which web videos are the most popular. We reported that in August alone, nearly 7 billion viewing ...
Democrats angrily call for most powerful man in housing’s resignation
Why is DeMarco under fire? We recently introduced you to Edward DeMarco who is more powerful than Obama when it comes to housing as he is the FHFA director (which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac), and it is exactly his head that Democrats are currently calling for. Is he being asked to resign because his inspector general discovered that ...
Simplest way to write your elected officials – government transparency
Staying informed and taking action Many Realtors rely on annual legal updates classes to stay informed of laws, but when so many regulations are in flux, now it is more important than ever to stay abreast of changes before they become law, given how big of an impact some of these new laws have on your entire career. In January, ...
New 2012 AGBeat media kit available now
- We know you want the most sophisticated audience, and here it is!
How mortgages will stop with a government shutdown – no bucks, no Buck Rogers!
Now that our friends at the Federal Reserve have changed the mortgage pay system for borrowers and broker, there is more “good’ news from Washington. If a budget stalemate occurs and the money dries up because of the lack of a budge deal, the mortgage business comes to a halt. Why you may ask? Well, below are just a few ...
Emergency White House budget meeting fails – frank and constructive
According to President Obama, the emergency meeting was “frank and constructive” but the two sides have failed to reach a compromise. “I remain confident that we will be able to complete a deal,” Obama said after emerging from the emergency late night meeting at the White House. “But it’s going to require a sufficient sense of urgency from those involved that ...
Call to action – if resolution fails, Americans may pay thousands more in annual taxes
Call to action Today, the National Association of Realtors has issued a Call to Action with current NAR President Ron Phipps asking Realtors to contact their representatives to support the continuation of the Mortgage Interest Deduction. House Resolution 25 (H.Res.25, not to be confused with HR25) seeks to extend the mortgage interest deduction so it doesn’t get the axe as ...
Should the real estate industry self regulate on privacy? [NAR]
![Should the real estate industry self regulate on privacy? [NAR]](http://agbeat.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/washington-150x150.jpg)
A new Congress is in full swing here in Washington and policy agendas are shaping up for 2011. In the technology area, a perennial hot issue is privacy and data security. I recently attended the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee’s “State of the Net” conference; an annual must stop on every tech policy wonk’s conference circuit. Among the many issues ...
Fannie and Freddie shoveling funds into Wall Street?
Economist Barry Ritholtz reminds us in the video above of the continuing importance of watching Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The housing and economic crisis continues and in its wake, Fannie and Freddie are shoveling cash directly into Wall Street in what Ritholtz calls the “perfect bailout.” The Treasury gave Fannie/Freddie a “blank check” allowing them autonomy with finances (even ...
State of the Union speech broken down – where is housing?
Regardless of political affiliations, it cannot go without note that the housing crisis was not addressed in last night’s State of the Union address by President Obama and unemployment was glossed over. Perhaps this was a pep talk inspired by Hu Jintao’s recent visit, and many patriotic ideas were addressed, but the only crisis addressed was spending. Judge for yourself ...
Tech Takes the Stage at State of the Union
Did anyone else notice that tech policy played a prominent role in last night’s State of the Union Address? While the overall theme was investment and innovation many policy proposals long advocated by the tech policy crowd made their way into last night’s speech. Access to high-speed broadband—mobile in particular, was the issue that pricked up my ears as being ...
OpenCongress launches site for state gov’t transparency
As Realtors, the annual legal updates class is not enough to possibly stay informed of the laws that impact your career and your clients, but we all know that no one person has time to sit in on every state legislation meeting. It’s just not realistic. But unfortunately, when the real estate professional isn’t involved and simply relies on the ...
2011 in tech policy: predictions for what’s ahead
The 112th Congress was gaveled into session today. Seems like a good time to discuss what we can expect on the technology policy front in 2011. I went back and read my inaugural post on Agent Genius from last year setting out predictions for 2010. I was pretty good at nailing issues that were in the mix and talked about plenty ...
Benn Rosales
Conal Campbell
Elijah May
Lani Rosales
Tara Steele
Marti Trewe
Charlene Jimenez
