It appears billions of dollars have gone down a rat hole in the first bailout. According to testimony before Congress, the U-S has already lost around $78 billion. I drove back to Knoxville this afternoon from Tri-Cities, and it was disturbing to see all of the places that have been in the news recently because of job layoffs and dismissals. Around Knoxville, everybody knows somebody who is out of work…maybe two or three somebodies. And it appeared to me that the number of tractor-trailers on the interstate was significantly reduced. Our Sunday afternoon money-talk host made a good point today. He said there is a difference between a financial stimulus bill, and a Trojan horse that contains spending for some pet projects. Our economy is sick. There is no doubt in my mind that we are in real trouble. The unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and delinquent loan numbers all point that way. I’m just not sure if there is a doctor in The House, or The Senate either right now.

www.davefoulk.net

I hope to hear from you there !

Dave

There’s a lot riding on the next few days. Prayers would be appreciated.

I’ve discovered the October Surprise.  I found it when I checked my retirement fund today.  It felt like a cold wind up my britches leg.   I am surprised to learn that were I to retire today, I would have enough money to… for every day of my remaining life… be able to buy one item from this list:

• Half of a Happy Meal
• Four sheets of toilet paper
• One frozen chicken patty
• Three doggy treats
• A small candle (for heat, and light)
• Two Vienna Sausages, or 1 tablespoon of Potted Meat
• Deodorant for one underarm
• 30 seconds of a Vol Football pay-per-view (which is about all I could stand)
• Health care (two Advil tablets, or  a Band-Aid)
• Psychiatric Care (a rubber squeeze ball)
• Dental Care (a toothbrush)
• Toothpaste (see above)
• Enough gasoline to power a model plane for one minute

I think the October Surprise is our economic implosion.  And if it ain’t ..keep the other surprise to yourself.

… and neither story portrays our area in a positive light.

Here’s my quick take:

First, the world learns that the suspect in the Sarah Palin e-mail hacking is a University Of Tennessee student.  Not that it took a lot of brain power to hack such an obvious password- but regardless, it doesn’t portray the school or the student in a positive light.  I am sure some commentators will say “wonder what they’re teaching those kids down there in Tennessee?”

And then, this afternoon, the area is shocked at another very public shooting.  This time, police say a worker at a clothing store at Knoxville Center Mall was shot several times and died at the scene.  Law officers confronted the suspect just outside the store, and there was a gunfight.  The suspect was wounded twice, and taken to UT Hospital.  Officers are not saying what they believe was the motive for the attack.

Couple that with a killing at Central High, and the deadly attack at a Kingston Pike Church, and Knoxville has really been making the news headlines.  In the worst way.

This area consistently ranks high in the list of desirable places to live in America.  But even the most desirable place has its share of undesirable people.  We can only hope that our measures to deflect trouble work better than the people who want to harm others.

I see a lot of comments on the internet that say Knoxville has big city crime problems.   That is not true  - so far.

I challenge you to look at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at  http://www.ajc.com/

Look at the crime news in that area over a few days, and you will see what big city crime is all about.  We had a couple up from Atlanta this past weekend, and some residents are miserable because criminal elements have moved into what was once a peaceful area.

In no way do I want to minimize what is happening in our area.  It is bad, and we need to do everything we can to support law officers, educators, and leaders in their effort to make sure our local news doesn’t spiral into a litany of crime reports.

My perception is that Knoxville has experienced a string of unrelated, violent events that have caught the media’s attention.  One reason for that is because our local reporters do such a good job of covering breaking news.

Now, you can’t gloss over what’s happened and whistle through the graveyard. One bad incident is one too many.

It’s not big city crime… yet.

But we’re getting there if we’re not careful.

Years ago, I told myself I would never forget
a one of those murder scenes.
 
I was wrong. There have been so many
that I  erased some of them from my mind.

Today, Knoxville Police officers were at
Carl Cowan Park- the latest location to
be searched for Jennifer Hampton.  It has
been about a week since she was last seen
at The Days Inn on Lovell Road.

Police say there was evidence of a crime
in her room, but will not say any more than
that, as they await more test results from the
TBI. 

I have seen a lot of stories like this in my
time, and I can recall very few of them that
turned out in a positive manner. 

But you have to hope.  What if a child of
yours went missing? 

So the family waits, and hopes, and
prays for the 21 year old, described as a
sweet girl, who was working to save money
for her education.

Even waiting is expensive when you have
to do it far from your home in Florence,
Alabama.  You can help.  Watch the website
at WNOX, and listen to the radio for
information.

Sun Trust bank is taking up money that will
help the family with expenses.  Here is a link
that helps you locate a branch near you..on the
upper right of the page:

https://www.suntrust.com

A mother waits.  And doesn’t want to
go back home without her baby.

And a lost child is a lost child- no
matter what age.

You bet He is.  Here is a link to
an interesting article:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/septemberweb-only/138-53.0.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/1030_new.html

I saw this old cartoon and thought it
could serve as a warning about “ready,
fire, aim” on Monday morning: