#a.w. lawrence

[blitzschnitz]

Just a little nerdy footnote to the film snippet from Versailles for @nerdyhistoryenjoyer. The habit of walking around with your left hand in your pocket seems to be a family thing, there are hardly any pictures or moving images of A.W. Lawrence without his one hand in his pocket. Even at the funeral. Maybe he was also a notorious hand-fiddler like his older brother, but more consequent about stowing his left hand away.

[nerdyhistoryenjoyer]

Dear Mr. Hynes,

Thank you for your letter of May 20th. You (?) probably have seen it from the papers {scribbled out} (not that I told them, the news got out somehow) that the piece(?) of bush + grass from Akaba, X Flyier, was placed with my brother's body inside the coffin.

Yours sincerely, A. W. Lawrence

Does anyone have lesser known facts or tidbits of TEs life to share? I've been dying to know even more these days

[artistic-lightcycle]

Also have some Artwork of Ned's brothers for the fanfiction (they're both based on Peter O'Toole as you can see)

[jabberamongthetrees]

Was watching a posting on YouTube of a BBC documentary of T.E. Lawrence and ...just...bless Arnold Lawrence and his brotherly devotion...that English silence and stiff upper lip speaks so loudly...he gives away just what was asked and no more **and fuck anyone who needed more(I think he would say)...**

[arefriendsdetectives2]

Archive Hour: Looking For Lawrence podcast

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AvMrPTMteVhZii_J_q-EXCdS2wLY

“Those orders are cancelled. In future you will shoot every one of them.”

A very good radio documentary on T.E. Lawrence, featuring archival recordings of those who knew him: Arnold Lawrence, old school friends, Fareedah el Akle, Siegfried Sassoon, Lowell Thomas, Lord Allenby, S.C. Rolls, Edward Robinson and others who served with him in Arabia and the RAF. 

It was previously available on the Imperial War Museum website, but it’s been taken down. Glad I recorded it. There are one or two points I’d quibble with but on the whole, highly recommended listening for Lawrence enthusiasts. 

EDIT: 

Because several people have reblogged this and I’m a stickler for  historical accuracy and hate the thought of spreading misinformation, I have to add the following:

 According to Andrew R.B Simpson’s very good biography, Another Life: Lawrence After Arabia, the Edward Robinson recorded here was a fantasist/prolific scam artist who wrote a bogus biography of T.E. (he falsely claimed to have worked closely with him in Arabia, and even convinced A.W. Lawrence to write the foreword). He also stole documents from A.W., which he later sold. Needless to say, his account here is total B.S. Which seems more obvious in hindsight. Those interested in literary hoaxes can read Robinson’s book here:https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.179332But I’d recommend reading Andrew R.B. Simpson’s book instead.

[ebouks]

Greek Architecture

Greek Architecture A. W. Lawrence This splendid book discusses the development of Greek architecture in the Aegean and other Greek lands from its earliest beginnings around 3000 until the first century B.C. The eminent scholar A.W. Lawrence considers the evolution of the magnificent temples of the Hellenic age, focusing in particular on their function, geometry, and proportions. He also discusses…

[alesstar]

The Dig - La nave sepolta (2021, @netflix)  Nel film in questione il personaggio di Lily James è quasi lì per caso e alla poveretta tocca la sottotrama romantica, oltre a fare la figura di quella che si presenta allo scavo del fango in gonna e ciabattine, giustificandosi con un sussurrato “siamo tornati ora dalla vacanza”. Questo e altro mi son bastati per andare a scavare (pun intended) un po’ la figura di Peggy Piggot e miei cari, non è stato per nulla facile, vado a spiegarvi il perchè. Peggy Piggot è in realtà il nome da sposata di Cecily Margaret Preston: lo prende dal primo marito, Stuart, mentre dal secondo, Luigi, prende il cognome con cui la si trova più facilmente in rete e che mantiene fino alla morte, Guido.  La troverete quindi su Wikipedia e in altri luoghi come Margaret Guido. Preston: e infatti il film è tratto dall’omonimo romanzo scritto dal nipote,  John, sulle vicende intorno allo scavo inglese più famoso e importante del ‘900, di cui però lui stesso viene a sapere dopo il 2004 e che quindi non può basarsi sul racconto di Peggy che è morta nel 1994, 10 anni prima. 

Il romanzo in quanto tale, romanza prendendosi delle licenze su come è andata veramente la storia, ma rimarca in ogni caso l’importanza della nostra eroina, poiché è lei che scopre i primi gioielli in oro ritrovati, anche se lo scavo non era da lei condotto.  Margaret Guido è un’archeologa, specializzata in preistoria e nei ritrovamenti, con una carriera di 60 anni anni circa, che inizia a vent’anni scavando ville romane e che prosegue fino alla morte alternando con un numero incredibile di pubblicazioni definite di altissima cura e qualità. Dirige il primo scavo a 25 anni.  Tra i vari meriti c’è quello di aver preso i metodi di scavo precedentemente applicati, averli imparati con maestria e averli ottimizzati e migliorati, creando dei metodi nuovi che vengono tutt’oggi utilizzati. I suoi metodi di scavo vengono definiti “tactical and efficient”.  Si concentra in particolare sull’età del bronzo, sulla tarda età del bronzo, sui rasoi prima, sui tesori in metallo sepolti (una cosa che ho imparato al British Museum: i “metalwork hoard” o i “gold hoard” erano appunto “tesori” nascosti nel terreno, scavando delle buche e sotterrando armi, ornamenti e monete e altri pezzi di lavori; al di fuori delle tombe, non si sa se questi venissero sotterrati per motivi rituali, come offerte agli dei per esempio, oppure per nasconderli per sicurezza e dissotterrarli in futuro), fino a specializzarsi in perle di vetro, altro oggetto frequente negli scavi di quell’epoca.  A Sutton Hoo è lei la prima a ritrovare pezzi del tesoro: sono visibili al British Museum, stanza 41 e dire che sono meravigliosi è poco. La visita virtuale dà una pallida idea della quantità di reperti ritrovati durante lo scavo - che comprende molti tumoli e due barche rituali, non solo quella del film - e di quanto fossero piccoli e delicati e che ci fa solo immaginare quante altre cose non siano invece arrivate a noi.  La storia d’amore raccontata nel film è vera in parte: dopo aver divorziato da Stuart Piggot nel 1956, si reca in Sicilia per delle ricerche - pubblica anche per Sellerio una “Guida archeologica della Sicilia” - dove conosce appunto il secondo marito Luigi Guido, con cui la relazione dura due anni (lui ha un episodio psicotico, lei si occupa di lui, lui si riprende ma torna in Sicilia e non vuole più saper nulla di Margaret, non si vedranno mai più). Lei avrà poi una relazione con un altro studioso, A.W. Lawrence, fratello minore di T.E. Lawrence.  Vino insieme fino al 1991, dopodiché A.W. muore.  A questo punto condivide con l’ex marito Stuart la presidenza della  Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society fino alla morte, lei nel 1994 appunto, e lui nel 1996.  Per vedere sulla mappa come sono adesso gli scavi di Sutton Hoo, qui c’è la villa con il centro visite, del National Trust, qui il tumulo 1 da dove proviene la nav1, la più grande. La pagina wikipedia di Sutton Hoo oltre alla storia dello scavo riporta il contributo di Basil Brown e le foto della nave durante lo scavo, oltre quelle di altri ritrovamenti. 

[tasksweekly]

[TASK 068: METIS]

Shout out to @olivaraofrph​​​ for helping compile this task in celebration of Native American Heritage Month! Metis are a distinct group of people separate from Native American or First Nations tribes, as their ancestors were early French and English colonizers who early on mixed with members of Native tribes, mostly Wabanaki, Mi'kmaq, Algonquin, Saulteaux, Cree, Ojibwe, Menominee, or Maliseet but others made their ways too. As Metis evolved, many continued to marry other mixed people, and sometimes other Europeans or Natives, to get to where it is today as a distinct native identity to be Metis. For the most part they reside in Canada, where they are recognized as one of the three groups of Aboriginal people, but to a lesser extent, they live in the US as well. There’s a masterlist below compiled of over 110+ Metis faceclaims categorised by gender with their occupation and ethnicity denoted if there was a reliable source. If you want an extra challenge use random.org to pick a random number! Of course everything listed below are just suggestions and you can pick whichever character or whichever project you desire.

Any questions can be sent here and all tutorials have been linked below the cut for ease of access! REMEMBER to tag your resources with #TASKSWEEKLY and we will reblog them onto the main! This task can be tagged with whatever you want but if you want us to see it please be sure that our tag is the first five tags, @ mention us or send us a messaging linking us to your post!

THE TASK - scroll down for FC’s!

STEP 1: Decide on a FC you wish to create resources for! You can always do more than one but who are you starting with? There are links to masterlists you can use in order to find them and if you want help, just send us a message and we can pick one for you at random!

STEP 2: Pick what you want to create! You can obviously do more than one thing, but what do you want to start off with? Screencaps, RP icons, GIF packs, masterlists, PNG’s, fancasts, alternative FC’s - LITERALLY anything you desire!

STEP 3: Look back on tasks that we have created previously for tutorials on the thing you are creating unless you have whatever it is you are doing mastered - then of course feel free to just get on and do it. :)

STEP 4: Upload and tag with #TASKSWEEKLY! If you didn’t use your own screencaps/images make sure to credit where you got them from as we will not reblog packs which do not credit caps or original gifs from the original maker.

THINGS YOU CAN MAKE FOR THIS TASK -  examples are linked!

Stumped for ideas? Maybe make a masterlist or graphic of your favourite faceclaims. A masterlist of names. Plot ideas or screencaps from a music video preformed by an artist. Masterlist of quotes and lyrics that can be used for starters, thread titles or tags. Guides on culture and customs.

Screencaps

RP icons [of all sizes]

Gif Pack [maybe gif icons if you wish]

PNG packs

Manips

Dash Icons

Character Aesthetics

PSD’s

XCF’s

Graphic Templates - can be chara header, promo, border or background PSD’s!

FC Masterlists - underused, with resources, without resources!

FC Help - could be related, family templates, alternatives.

Written Guides.

and whatever else you can think of / make!

MASTERLIST!

Ladies:

Maria Campbell (77) Metis - author, playwright, and filmmaker.

Tantoo Cardinal (66) Metis - actress.

Allison Adelle Hedge Coke (58) Metis, Huron, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Seminole, Choctaw, Muskogee, French, Portuguese, English, and Scottish - poet and musician (Rd Kla).

Cheryl L’Hirondelle (58) Metis of Cree descent, French, German, and Polish - musician.

Laura de Jonge (56) Metis - filmmaker, magazine founder, and advocate.

Marie Clements (55) Metis - playwright, performer, and filmmaker.

Sharon Bruneau (53) Metis of Cree, Cherokee, and French descent - model and bodybuilder.

Christi Belcourt (51) Metis - artist and author.

Irene Bedard (50) Inuit, Inupiat, Yupik, Cree, and Metis - actress.

Janet Panic (47) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Leanne Poirer Greenfield (42) Metis - actress.

Holly McNarland (41) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Danis Goulet (40) Metis - filmmaker.

Inez Jasper (36) Sto:lo, Ojibwe, and Metis - singer-songwriter.

Andi Muise (30) Metis - model.

Natasha Negovanlis (27) Greek / Metis - actress.

Siera Bearchell (24) Metis - beauty pageant titleholder.

Cassidy Mann (21) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Dawn Pritchard (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Ashley Michaels (?) Metis - actress.

Laura Vinson (?) Metis of Cree, Cherokee, French, and English descent - musician.

Roseanne Supernault (?) Métis of Cree - actress.

Andrea Menard (born in 1971) Metis - actress, playwright, and jazz singer.

Jessica Matten (?) Metis of Cree and Saulteaux, Chinese, French, British, and Ukrainian - actress.

Madelaine McCallum (29 as of 2012) Metis - actress and model.

Sandy Scofield (?) Metis of Saulteaux and Cree descent - singer.

Shayla Stonechild (23) Metis of Blackfoot and Cree descent - actress and model.

Aleece Wilson (22) Metis, Black, Irish, Italian - model.

Nakita Kohan (20) Metis - singer and actress.

Star Slade (14) Metis - actress.

Sheena Kaine (?) Metis - rapper and boxer.

DJ Kwe (?) Metis of Cree descent - musician.

Christa Couture (?) Metis of Cree descent - singer-songwriter.

Nadia Gaudet (?) Metis - musician.

Moe Clark (?) Metis - musician.

Sonia Eidse (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Jaylene Johnson (?) Metis of Cree and French descent.

Bebe Buckskin (?) Metis of Woods Cree descent - singer-songwriter.

Chelsey June (early 30s) Metis of Algonquin descent - singer-songwriter.

Arlette Alcock (?) Metis of Blackfoot, Cree, and Nakoda Sioux descent - singer-songwriter.

Joanna Burt (?) Metis of Ojibwe and Cree descent - operatic soprano.

Kara “Metis Monroe” Jade (?) Metis of Plains Cree descent and Jamaican - model and musician.

Brandy McCallum (?) Blackfoot, Cree, and Metis - singer-songwriter.

Jani Lauzon (?) Metis - actress, musician, and puppeteer.

Rulan Tangen (?) Metis of Blackfoot descent - actress and dancer.

Michelle Latimer (?) Metis of Algonquin descent - actress and director.

Allyson Pratt (?) Metis of Plains Cree and French descent - actress.

Jenny Pudavick (?) Metis - actress.

Donna Lynn (?) Metis of Mi’kmaq descent - musician (Alpha).

Angel (?) Metis - musician (Alpha).

Ashley Michaels (?) Metis - actress.

Valerie Planche (?) Metis - actress and filmmaker.

Gail Maurice (?) Metis - actress and filmmaker.

Jennifer Pudavick (?) Metis - actress.

Kimberley Dawn (?) Metis - musician.

Tanis Parenteau (?) Metis - actress.

Cindy Paul (?) Metis of Cree descent - musician.

Tihemme Gagnon (?) Metis - screenwriter.

Tina House (?) Metis - APTN journalist.

Tasha Hubbard (born in 1973) Metis / Unspecified First Nations - filmmaker.

Katherena Vermette (born in 1976/1977) Metis - filmmaker and poet.

Amanda Strong (?) Metis of Cree, French, Scottish, and Irish descent - filmmaker and media artist.

Amanda Rheaume (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Christine Welsh (?) Metis - filmmaker.

Sara Roque (?) Metis - filmmaker.

Krystle Pederson (?) Metis - actress and singer.

Madison Thomas (?) Metis - director.

Men:

Ray St. Germain (born in 1940) Metis - musician, author, and radio show host.

John Arcand (75) Metis - fiddler.

Don Freed (born in 1949) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Steven Cree Molison (?) Metis - actor.

Matt Bernard (?) Metis - actor.

A.W. Cardinal (Blue Moon Marquee) Metis of Cree descent - musician.

Kyle Nobess (?) Metis - actor.

Jesse Nobess (?) Metis - actor.

Calvin Vollrath (57) Metis - fiddler and composer.

Donny Parenteau (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

JJ Lavallee (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Matt Dorgan Project (?) Metis - musician.

Jerry Sereda (?) Metis - musician.

Ryan Cunningham (?) Metis - actor.

Shaun Anderson (?) Metis - musician.

Darren Lavallee (?) Metis - musician.

Yovan Nagwetch (?) Metis of Wabanaki descent - musician and songwriter.

Ryan McMahon (?) Ojibwe and Metis - comedian and actor.

Adam Garnet Jones (34/35) Metis, Cree, and Danish - filmmaker.

Shawn Youngchief (28) Metis - actor.

Sheldon Elter (27) Metis - actor, comedian, writer, and musician.

Cody Kearsley (26/27) Metis - actor.

Arron Asham (39) Metis - NHL player.

Joey Stylez (36) Metis of Cree descent - rapper.

Jonathan Gallant (40) Metis - bassist.

Rod Bruinooge (44) Metis - filmmaker, politician, and businessman.

Dakota House (43) Metis of Cree descent - actor.

Tom Jackson (69) Metis of Cree and English descent - actor and singer.

Niiko Soul (?) Mdewakankton Dakota Sioux / Metis - musician (Niiko Soul and Ben G.).

Ben G. (?) Metis of Cree descent - musician (Niiko Soul and Ben G.).

Don Amero (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Kelvin Redvers (?) Metis, Deniniu K’ue - filmmaker.

Ron E. Scott (?) Metis - tv producer, director, and writer.

Jay Cardinal Villeneuve (?) Metis of Cree descent - actor.

Trevor Duplessis (?) Metis - actor.

Matt Bernard (?) Metis - actor.

Shane Belcourt (44) Metis - filmmaker.

Wayne Wapeemukwa (?) Metis - filmmaker.

Lawrence “Teddy Boy” Houle (?) Metis of Ojibwe descent - fiddler and singer.

Jess Lee (?) Metis - singer-songwriter.

Heebz the Earthchild (?) Metis of Cree descent - rapper.

David Morin (?) Metis - musician.

NB:

Grey Gritt (?) Genderqueer - Ojibwe / Metis - musician.

Alec Butler (born in 1959) Trans Male and Two Spirit - Metis of Mi’Kmaq, French, and Irish descent - playwright and filmmaker.

Cris Derksen (?) Two Spirit - Cree, Metis / Unspecified White Mennonite - cellist.

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

OKAY, here we go!

Ned-related books I have personally read/am reading and can recommend:

The Mint by T.E. Lawrence (autobiography) (be sure to get the edition with all the swears!)

Ross by Terence Rattigan (play) (there's also a radio version! hmu for links)

A Prince of Our Disorder by John E. Mack (biography)

Lawrence of Arabia screenplay by Robert Bolt & Michael Wilson (a must-read! again, just hmu for the link)

The Oxford Roof Climber's Rebellion by Stephen Massicotte (play)

Too True to Be Good by George Bernard Shaw (play) (the characters Meek & Aubrey were inspired by 2 sides of Lawrence)

Lawrence of Arabia: A Film's Anthropology by Steven Caton

Portrait inconnu de John Hume Ross by Philippe Squarzoni (French mini graphic novel)

Minorities ed. T.E. Lawrence (poetry anthology)

Ned-related books I have heard good things about and/or own but have not read:

T.E. Lawrence By His Friends ed. A.W. Lawrence (heartwarming testimonials)

Lawrence of Arabia by Jeremy Wilson (authorized biography)

Hero by Michael Korda (biography)

The Odyssey trans. T.E. Lawrence

The letters collected by David Garnett and Malcolm Brown

T.E. Lawrence in Arabia and After by Basil Liddell Hart (and partially by T.E. himself) (contemporary biography)

Crusader Castles by T.E. Lawrence (thesis)

Lawrence After Arabia by Howard Brenton (play)

@ LoA fandom

who got book recommendations for me. I am currently reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but like… what’s good?? I need mooooore

[deniseyallen]

137 Economists Support GOP Tax Reform

In an open letter to Congress today, 137 economists backed the GOP tax reform effort, saying:  “Economic growth will accelerate if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passes, leading to more jobs, higher wages, and a better standard of living for the American people.”  Senator Portman echoed this point on Fox Business earlier today, saying the Senate’s Tax Cuts & Jobs Act “will generate more jobs and higher wages because of the increased investment and productivity.”

The full letter is below and at this link.

An open letter to Congress signed by 137 economists supporting GOP tax reform bill

CNBC

November 29, 2017

Dear Senators and Representatives:

“Ask five economists,” as the Edgar Fiedler adage goes, “and you'll get five different answers.”

Yet, when it comes to the tax reform package aimed at fixing our broken system, the undersigned have but one shared perspective: Economic growth will accelerate if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passes, leading to more jobs, higher wages, and a better standard of living for the American people. If, however, the bill fails, the United States risks continued economic underperformance.

In today’s globalized economy, capital is mobile in its pursuit of lower tax jurisdictions. Yet, in that worldwide race for job-creating investment, America is not economically competitive.

Here’s why: Left virtually untouched for the last 31 years, our chart-topping corporate tax rate is the highest in the industrialized world and a full fifteen percentage points above the OECD average. As a result of forfeiting our competitive edge, we forfeited 4,700 companies from 2004 to 2016 to cheaper shores abroad. As a result of sitting idly by while the rest of the world took steps to lower their corporate rates, we lowered our own workers' wages by thousands of dollars a year.

Our colleagues from across the ideological spectrum – regardless of whether they ultimately support or oppose the current plan – recognize the record-setting rate at which the United States taxes job-creating businesses is, either significantly or entirely, a burden borne by the workers they employ. The question isn't whether American workers are hurt by our country's corporate tax rate – it's how badly. As such, the question isn't whether workers will be helped by a corporate tax rate reduction – it's how much.

The enactment of a comprehensive overhaul – complete with a lower corporate tax rate – will ignite our economy with levels of growth not seen in generations. A twenty percent statutory rate on a permanent basis would, per the Council of Economic Advisers, help produce a GDP boost “by between 3 and 5 percent.” As the debate delves into deficit implications, it is critical to consider that $1 trillion in new revenue for the federal government can be generated by four- tenths of a percentage in GDP growth.

Sophisticated economic models show the macroeconomic feedback generated by the TCJA will exceed that amount – more than enough to compensate for the static revenue loss.

We firmly believe that a competitive corporate rate is the key to an economic engine driven by greater investment, capital stock, business formation, and productivity – all of which will yield more jobs and higher wages. Your vote throughout the weeks ahead will therefore put more money in the pockets of more workers.

Supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will ensure that those workers – those beneficiaries – are American.

Sincerely, James C. Miller III, Former OMB Director, 1985-88 Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum Alexander Katkov, Johnson & Wales University Ali M. Reza, San Jose State U (Emeritus) Ann E. Sherman, DePaul University Anthony B. Sanders, George Mason University Anthony Negbenebor, Gardner-Webb University Arthur Havenner, University of California, Davis Austin J. Jaffe, Penn State University Barry W. Poulson, University of Colorado Boyd D, Collier, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University System (Emeritus) Brian Stuart Wesbury, Joint Economic Committee Carlisle E. Moody, College of William and Mary Charles W. Calomiris, Columbia University Christine P. Ries, Georgia Institute of Technology Christopher C. Barnekov, FCC (Retired) Christopher Lingle Universidad Francisco Marroquin Clifford F. Thies, Shenandoah University Daniel Fernandez Universidad Francisco Marroquin Daniel Houser, George Mason University David H. Resler, Chief US Economist, Nomura (Retired) David Ranson, HCWE & Co. Dennis E. Logue Steven Roth Professor, (Emeritus) Tuck School, Dartmouth Colleges Derek Tittle, Georgia Institute of Technology DeVon L. Yoho, Economist Ball State University (Retired) Donald J. Oswald California State University, Bakersfield (Retired) Donald Koch, Koch Investments Donald L. Alexander, Western Michigan University Donald Luskin, TrendMacro Douglas C Frechtling, George Washington University Douglas Kahl, The University of Akron Douglas O. Cook, The University of Alabama Kingdon Hurlock Jr., Calvert Investment Counsel Edward M. Scahill, University of Scranton Eleanor Craig, University of Delaware Owen Irvine Michigan State University (Emeritus) Farhad Rassekh, University of Hartford Francis Ahking, University of Connecticut Frank Falero, California State University (Emeritus) Gary R. Skoog, Legal Econometrics, Inc. Gary Wolfram, Hillsdale College Gene Simpson, NPTC, Auburn University George Langelett, South Dakota State University Gerald P. Dwyer, Clemson University Gil Sylvia, University of Georgia H Daniel Foster, HDFCO Hugo J. Faria, University of Miami Inayat Mangla, Western Michigan University Edward Graham, UNC Wilmington Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University James B Kau, University of Georgia James C.W. Ahiakpor California State University, East Bay James D. Adams, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute James D. Miller, Smith College James F. Smith, EconForecaster, LLC James Keeler, Kenyon College James M. Mulcahy SUNY - Buffalo economics department James Moncur, University of Hawaii at Manoa Jeffrey Dorfman, University of Georgia Jerold Zimmerman, University of Rochester Jody Lipford, Presbyterian College John A. Baden, Chm., Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE) John C. Moorhouse Wake Forest University (Emeritus) John D. Johnson, Utah State University John H McDermott, University of South Carolina John McArthur, Wofford College John P. Eleazarian, American Economic Association John Ruggiero, University of Dayton John Semmens, Laissez Faire Institute Joseph A. Giacalone, St. John's University, NY Joseph Haslag University of Missouri- Columbia Joseph S. DeSalvo University of South Florida - Tampa Joseph Zoric Franciscan University of Steubenville Kathleen B. Cooper, SMU's John Tower Center for Politico Science Kenneth V. Greene Binghamton University (Emeritus) Lawrence Benveniste Goizueta Business School, Emory University Lawrence R. Cima, John Carroll University Leon Wegge, University of California, Davis Lloyd Cohen, Scalia Law School Lucjan Orlowski, Sacred Heart University Lydia Ortega, San Jose State University Northrup Buechner, St. John's University, New York Maurice MacDonald, Kansas State University Michael A. Morrisey, Texas A&M University Michael Connolly, University of Miami Michael D Brendler Louisiana State University Shreveport. Michael L. Marlow, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo Moheb A. Ghali, Western Washington University Nancy Roberts, Arizona State University Nasser Duella, California State University, Fullerton Nicolas Sanchez, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA (Emeritus,) Norman Lefton, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville Paul H Rubin, Emory University Pavel Yakovlev, Duquesne University Pedro Piffaut, Columbia University Peter E. Kretzmer, Bank of America Peter S. Yun, UVAWISE (Emeritus) Phillip J. Bryson Brigham Young University (Emeritus) Ashley Lyman, University of Idaho L. Promboin, University of Maryland University College (former) Richard J. Cebula, Jacksonville University Richard Kilmer, University of Florida Richard Timberlake, Prof. of Econ., Univ. of Ga. (Retired) Richard Vedder, Ohio University Robert B Helms, American Enterprise Institute (Retired) Robert F Stauffer, Roanoke College , (Emeritus) Robert H. Topel, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Robert Heller, Former Governor, Federal Reserve Board Robert Sauer, Royal Holloway University Robert Tamura, Clemson University Roger Meiners, University of Texas-Arlington Sanjai Bhagat, University of Colorado Boulder Scott Hein, Texas Tech University Seth Bied, New York State Tax Department Stan Liebowitz, University of Texas Stephen Happel, Arizona State University Craig Tapley, University of Florida Thomas H. Mayor, University of Houston Thomas J Kniesner, Claremont Graduate University Thomas M. Stoker, MIT (retired) Thomas Saving, Texas A&M University Timothy Mathews, Kennesaw State University Tomi Ovaska, Youngstown State University Tony Lima, California State University, East Bay Victor a Canto, La Jolla economics Vijay Singal, Navrang Inc Wallace Hendricks, University of Illinois Ward S. Curran Trinity College Hartford Connecticut (Emeritus) Wayne T. Brough, FreedomWorks Foundation William B. Fairley, Analysis & Inference, Inc. William Buchanan, Valdosta State University William McKillop, Resource Economics (Emeritus) William R. Allen UCLA Department of Economics William S. Peirce Case Western Reserve University Wim Vijverberg, CUNY Graduate Center Xuepeng Liu, Kennesaw State University Yuri N. Maltsev, A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College

###

  from Rob Portman http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=0407B2E2-F566-4B88-BC06-FE84678C8E52

[ntrending]

137 economists sign open letter to Congress supporting GOP tax reform bill

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/137-economists-sign-open-letter-to-congress-supporting-gop-tax-reform-bill/

137 economists sign open letter to Congress supporting GOP tax reform bill

Our colleagues from across the ideological spectrum – regardless of whether they ultimately support or oppose the current plan – recognize the record-setting rate at which the United States taxes job-creating businesses is, either significantly or entirely, a burden borne by the workers they employ. The question isn’t whether American workers are hurt by our country’s corporate tax rate – it’s how badly. As such, the question isn’t whether workers will be helped by a corporate tax rate reduction – it’s how much.

The enactment of a comprehensive overhaul – complete with a lower corporate tax rate – will ignite our economy with levels of growth not seen in generations. A twenty percent statutory rate on a permanent basis would, per the Council of Economic Advisers, help produce a GDP boost “by between 3 and 5 percent.” As the debate delves into deficit implications, it is critical to consider that $1 trillion in new revenue for the federal government can be generated by four- tenths of a percentage in GDP growth.

Sophisticated economic models show the macroeconomic feedback generated by the TCJA will exceed that amount – more than enough to compensate for the static revenue loss.

We firmly believe that a competitive corporate rate is the key to an economic engine driven by greater investment, capital stock, business formation, and productivity – all of which will yield more jobs and higher wages. Your vote throughout the weeks ahead will therefore put more money in the pockets of more workers.

Supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will ensure that those workers – those beneficiaries – are American.

Sincerely,

James C. Miller III, Former OMB Director, 1985-88

Douglas Holtz-Eakin, American Action Forum

Alexander Katkov, Johnson & Wales University

Ali M. Reza, San Jose State U (Emeritus)

Ann E. Sherman, DePaul University

Anthony B. Sanders, George Mason University

Anthony Negbenebor, Gardner-Webb University

Arthur Havenner, University of California, Davis

Austin J. Jaffe, Penn State University

Barry W. Poulson, University of Colorado

Boyd D, Collier, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University System (Emeritus)

Brian Stuart Wesbury, Joint Economic Committee

Carlisle E. Moody, College of William and Mary

Charles W. Calomiris, Columbia University

Christine P. Ries, Georgia Institute of Technology

Christopher C. Barnekov, FCC (Retired)

Christopher Lingle Universidad Francisco Marroquin

Clifford F. Thies, Shenandoah University

Daniel Fernandez Universidad Francisco Marroquin

Daniel Houser, George Mason University

David H. Resler, Chief US Economist, Nomura (Retired)

David Ranson, HCWE & Co.

Dennis E. Logue Steven Roth Professor, (Emeritus) Tuck School, Dartmouth Colleges

Derek Tittle, Georgia Institute of Technology

DeVon L. Yoho, Economist Ball State University (Retired)

Donald J. Oswald California State University, Bakersfield (Retired)

Donald Koch, Koch Investments

Donald L. Alexander, Western Michigan University

Donald Luskin, TrendMacro

Douglas C Frechtling, George Washington University

Douglas Kahl, The University of Akron

Douglas O. Cook, The University of Alabama

Kingdon Hurlock Jr., Calvert Investment Counsel

Edward M. Scahill, University of Scranton

Eleanor Craig, University of Delaware

Owen Irvine Michigan State University (Emeritus)

Farhad Rassekh, University of Hartford

Francis Ahking, University of Connecticut

Frank Falero, California State University (Emeritus)

Gary R. Skoog, Legal Econometrics, Inc.

Gary Wolfram, Hillsdale College

Gene Simpson, NPTC, Auburn University

George Langelett, South Dakota State University

Gerald P. Dwyer, Clemson University

Gil Sylvia, University of Georgia

H Daniel Foster, HDFCO

Hugo J. Faria, University of Miami

Inayat Mangla, Western Michigan University

Edward Graham, UNC Wilmington

Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University

James B Kau, University of Georgia

James C.W. Ahiakpor California State University, East Bay

James D. Adams, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

James D. Miller, Smith College

James F. Smith, EconForecaster, LLC

James Keeler, Kenyon College

James M. Mulcahy SUNY – Buffalo economics department

James Moncur, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Jeffrey Dorfman, University of Georgia

Jerold Zimmerman, University of Rochester

Jody Lipford, Presbyterian College

John A. Baden, Chm., Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE)

John C. Moorhouse Wake Forest University (Emeritus)

John D. Johnson, Utah State University

John H McDermott, University of South Carolina

John McArthur, Wofford College

John P. Eleazarian, American Economic Association

John Ruggiero, University of Dayton

John Semmens, Laissez Faire Institute

Joseph A. Giacalone, St. John’s University, NY

Joseph Haslag University of Missouri- Columbia

Joseph S. DeSalvo University of South Florida – Tampa

Joseph Zoric Franciscan University of Steubenville

Kathleen B. Cooper, SMU’s John Tower Center for Politico Science

Kenneth V. Greene Binghamton University (Emeritus)

Lawrence Benveniste Goizueta Business School, Emory University

Lawrence R. Cima, John Carroll University

Leon Wegge, University of California, Davis

Lloyd Cohen, Scalia Law School

Lucjan Orlowski, Sacred Heart University

Lydia Ortega, San Jose State University

Northrup Buechner, St. John’s University, New York

Maurice MacDonald, Kansas State University

Michael A. Morrisey, Texas A&M University

Michael Connolly, University of Miami

Michael D Brendler Louisiana State University Shreveport.

Michael L. Marlow, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

Moheb A. Ghali, Western Washington University

Nancy Roberts, Arizona State University

Nasser Duella, California State University, Fullerton

Nicolas Sanchez, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA (Emeritus,)

Norman Lefton, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Paul H Rubin, Emory University

Pavel Yakovlev, Duquesne University

Pedro Piffaut, Columbia University

Peter E. Kretzmer, Bank of America

Peter S. Yun, UVAWISE (Emeritus)

Phillip J. Bryson Brigham Young University (Emeritus)

Ashley Lyman, University of Idaho

L. Promboin, University of Maryland University College (former)

Richard J. Cebula, Jacksonville University

Richard Kilmer, University of Florida

Richard Timberlake, Prof. of Econ., Univ. of Ga. (Retired)

Richard Vedder, Ohio University

Robert B Helms, American Enterprise Institute (Retired)

Robert F Stauffer, Roanoke College , (Emeritus)

Robert H. Topel, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Robert Heller, Former Governor, Federal Reserve Board

Robert Sauer, Royal Holloway University

Robert Tamura, Clemson University

Roger Meiners, University of Texas-Arlington

Sanjai Bhagat, University of Colorado Boulder

Scott Hein, Texas Tech University

Seth Bied, New York State Tax Department

Stan Liebowitz, University of Texas

Stephen Happel, Arizona State University

Craig Tapley, University of Florida

Thomas H. Mayor, University of Houston

Thomas J Kniesner, Claremont Graduate University

Thomas M. Stoker, MIT (retired)

Thomas Saving, Texas A&M University

Timothy Mathews, Kennesaw State University

Tomi Ovaska, Youngstown State University

Tony Lima, California State University, East Bay

Victor a Canto, La Jolla economics

Vijay Singal, Navrang Inc

Wallace Hendricks, University of Illinois

Ward S. Curran Trinity College Hartford Connecticut (Emeritus)

Wayne T. Brough, FreedomWorks Foundation

William B. Fairley, Analysis & Inference, Inc.

William Buchanan, Valdosta State University

William McKillop, Resource Economics (Emeritus)

William R. Allen UCLA Department of Economics

William S. Peirce Case Western Reserve University

Wim Vijverberg, CUNY Graduate Center

Xuepeng Liu, Kennesaw State University

Yuri N. Maltsev, A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.

Share & Written By CNBC

[tortuga-aak]

An open letter to Congress from over 100 economists: Pass tax reform and watch the economy roar

Carlos Barria/Reuters

Dear Senators and Representatives:

"Ask five economists," as the Edgar Fiedler adage goes, "and you'll get five different answers."

Yet, when it comes to the tax reform package aimed at fixing our broken system, the undersigned have but one shared perspective: Economic growth will accelerate if the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passes, leading to more jobs, higher wages, and a better standard of living for the American people. If, however, the bill fails, the United States risks continued economic underperformance.

In today’s globalized economy, capital is mobile in its pursuit of lower tax jurisdictions. Yet, in that worldwide race for job-creating investment, America is not economically competitive. Here’s why: Left virtually untouched for the last 31 years, our chart-topping corporate tax rate is the highest in the industrialized world and a full fifteen percentage points above the OECD average. As a result of forfeiting our competitive edge, we forfeited 4,700 companies from 2004 to 2016 to cheaper shores abroad. As a result of sitting idly by while the rest of the world took steps to lower their corporate rates, we lowered our own workers' wages by thousands of dollars a year.

Our colleagues from across the ideological spectrum — regardless of whether they ultimately support or oppose the current plan — recognize the record-setting rate at which the United States taxes job-creating businesses is, either significantly or entirely, a burden borne by the workers they employ. The question isn’t whether American workers are hurt by our country’s corporate tax rate — it’s how badly. As such, the question isn’t whether workers will be helped by a corporate tax rate reduction — it’s how much.

The enactment of a comprehensive overhaul — complete with a lower corporate tax rate — will ignite our economy with levels of growth not seen in generations. A twenty percent statutory rate on a permanent basis would, per the Council of Economic Advisers, help produce a GDP boost "by between 3 and 5 percent." As the debate delves into deficit implications, it is critical to consider that $1 trillion in new revenue for the federal government can be generated by four-tenths of a percentage in GDP growth.

Sophisticated economic models show the macroeconomic feedback generated by the TCJA will exceed that amount — more than enough to compensate for the static revenue loss. We firmly believe that a competitive corporate rate is the key to an economic engine driven by greater investment, capital stock, business formation, and productivity — all of which will yield more jobs and higher wages. Your vote throughout the weeks ahead will therefore put more money in the pockets of more workers.

Supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will ensure that those workers — those beneficiaries — are American.

Sincerely,

  James C. Miller III

Former OMB Director, 1985-88

  Douglas Holtz-Eakin

American Action Forum

  Alexander Katkov

Johnson & Wales University

  Ali M. Reza

San Jose State U (Emeritus)

  Ann E. Sherman

DePaul University

  Anthony B. Sanders

George Mason University

  Anthony Negbenebor

Gardner-Webb University

  Arthur Havenner

University of California, Davis

  Austin J. Jaffe

Penn State University

  Barry W. Poulson

University of Colorado

  Boyd D, Collier

Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University System (Emeritus)

  Brian Stuart Wesbury

Joint Economic Committee

  Carlisle E. Moody

College of William and Mary

  Charles W. Calomiris

Columbia University

  Christine P. Ries

Georgia Institute of Technology

  Christopher C. Barnekov

FCC (Retired)

  Christopher Lingle Universidad Francisco Marroquin

  Clifford F. Thies

Shenandoah University

  Daniel Fernandez Universidad Francisco Marroquin

  Daniel Houser

George Mason University

  David H. Resler

Chief US Economist, Nomura (Retired)

  David Ranson

HCWE & Co.

  Dennis E. Logue Steven Roth Professor, (Emeritus) Tuck School, Dartmouth Colleges

  Derek Tittle

Georgia Institute of Technology

  DeVon L. Yoho

Economist Ball State University (Retired)

  Donald J. Oswald California State University, Bakersfield (Retired)

  Donald Koch

Koch Investments

  Donald L. Alexander

Western Michigan University

  Donald Luskin

TrendMacro

  Douglas C Frechtling

George Washington University

  Douglas Kahl

The University of Akron

  Douglas O. Cook

The University of Alabama

  Kingdon Hurlock Jr.

Calvert Investment Counsel

  Edward M. Scahill

University of Scranton

  Eleanor Craig

University of Delaware

  Owen Irvine Michigan State University (Emeritus)

  Farhad Rassekh

University of Hartford

  Francis Ahking

University of Connecticut

  Frank Falero

California State University (Emeritus)

  Gary R. Skoog

Legal Econometrics, Inc.

  Gary Wolfram

Hillsdale College

  Gene Simpson

NPTC, Auburn University

  George Langelett

South Dakota State University

  Gerald P. Dwyer

Clemson University

  Gil Sylvia

University of Georgia

  H Daniel Foster

HDFCO

  Hugo J. Faria

University of Miami

  Inayat Mangla

Western Michigan University

  J. Edward Graham

UNC Wilmington

  Jagdish Bhagwati

Columbia University

  James B Kau

University of Georgia

  James C.W. Ahiakpor California State University, East Bay

  James D. Adams

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

  James D. Miller

Smith College

  James F. Smith

EconForecaster, LLC

  James Keeler

Kenyon College

  James M. Mulcahy SUNY - Buffalo economics department

  James Moncur

University of Hawaii at Manoa

  Jeffrey Dorfman

University of Georgia

  Jerold Zimmerman

University of Rochester

  Jody Lipford

Presbyterian College

  John A. Baden

Chm., Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment (FREE)

  John C. Moorhouse Wake Forest University (Emeritus)

  John D. Johnson

Utah State University

  John H McDermott

University of South Carolina

  John McArthur

Wofford College

  John P. Eleazarian

American Economic Association

  John Ruggiero

University of Dayton

  John Semmens

Laissez Faire Institute

  Joseph A. Giacalone

St. John's University, NY

  Joseph Haslag University of Missouri- Columbia

  Joseph S. DeSalvo University of South Florida - Tampa

  Joseph Zoric Franciscan University of Steubenville

  Kathleen B. Cooper

SMU’s John Tower Center for Politico Science

  Kenneth V. Greene Binghamton University (Emeritus)

  Lawrence Benveniste Goizueta Business School, Emory University

  Lawrence R. Cima

John Carroll University

  Leon Wegge

University of California, Davis

  Lloyd Cohen

Scalia Law School

  Lucjan Orlowski

Sacred Heart University

  Lydia Ortega

San Jose State University

  M. Northrup Buechner

St. John's University, New York

  Maurice MacDonald

Kansas State University

  Michael A. Morrisey

Texas A&M University

  Michael Connolly

University of Miami

  Michael D Brendler Louisiana State University Shreveport.

  Michael L. Marlow

Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo

  Moheb A. Ghali

Western Washington University

  Nancy Roberts

Arizona State University

  Nasser Duella

California State University, Fullerton

  Nicolas Sanchez

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA (Emeritus,)

  Norman Lefton

Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

  Paul H Rubin

Emory University

  Pavel Yakovlev

Duquesne University

  Pedro Piffaut

Columbia University

  Peter E. Kretzmer

Bank of America

  Peter S. Yun

UVAWISE (Emeritus)

  Phillip J. Bryson Brigham Young University (Emeritus)

  R. Ashley Lyman

University of Idaho

  R. L. Promboin

University of Maryland University College (former)

  Richard J. Cebula

Jacksonville University

  Richard Kilmer

University of Florida

  Richard Timberlake

Prof. of Econ., Univ. of Ga. (Retired)

  Richard Vedder

Ohio University

  Robert B Helms

American Enterprise Institute (Retired)

  Robert F Stauffer

Roanoke College , (Emeritus)

  Robert H. Topel

University of Chicago Booth School of Business

  Robert Heller

Former Governor, Federal Reserve Board

  Robert Sauer

Royal Holloway University

  Robert Tamura

Clemson University

  Roger Meiners

University of Texas-Arlington

  Sanjai Bhagat

University of Colorado Boulder

  Scott Hein

Texas Tech University

  Seth Bied

New York State Tax Department

  Stan Liebowitz

University of Texas

  Stephen Happel

Arizona State University

  T. Craig Tapley

University of Florida

  Thomas H. Mayor

University of Houston

  Thomas J Kniesner

Claremont Graduate University

  Thomas M. Stoker

MIT (retired)

  Thomas Saving

Texas A&M University

  Timothy Mathews

Kennesaw State University

  Tomi Ovaska

Youngstown State University

  Tony Lima

California State University, East Bay

  Victor a Canto

La Jolla economics

  Vijay Singal

Navrang Inc

  Wallace Hendricks

University of Illinois

  Ward S. Curran Trinity College Hartford Connecticut (Emeritus)

  Wayne T. Brough

FreedomWorks Foundation

  William B. Fairley

Analysis & Inference, Inc.

  William Buchanan

Valdosta State University

  William McKillop

Resource Economics (Emeritus)

  William R. Allen UCLA Department of Economics

  William S. Peirce Case Western Reserve University

  Wim Vijverberg

CUNY Graduate Center

  Xuepeng Liu

Kennesaw State University

  Yuri N. Maltsev

A.W. Clausen Center for World Business, Carthage College

NOW WATCH: How much money you need to save each day to become a millionaire by age 65

from Feedburner http://ift.tt/2Akell3

[topinforma]

New Post has been published on Mortgage News

New Post has been published on http://bit.ly/2j6dz0d

whats-in-store-for-housing-market-in-2017

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Mortgage rates may rise

Homebuyers and mortgage refinancers had a nice run in 2016: The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was under 3.75 percent all summer. Then it shot upward after the presidential election and averaged 4.24 percent in December.

Forecasters believe mortgage rates above 4 percent are here to stay. The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts that the 30-year fixed will average 4.3 percent in the first quarter. Fannie Mae, the National Association of Realtors and Wells Fargo predict it will average 4.1 percent. Freddie Mac forecasts an average mortgage rate of 4.2 percent for all of 2017.

Matthew Carbray, a certified financial planner for Ridgeline Financial Partners in Avon, Connecticut, says he urged clients to refinance throughout 2016 to lock in low mortgage rates. Now he’s telling clients that early 2017 is a great time to buy a home — again, because mortgage rates are still low, even if they’re in the 4s.

“For those who have been contemplating a purchase, it may be as opportunistic a time as you’re going to get to lock in a rate,” Carbray says.

Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.com

Millennials buy houses?

For a long time, the real estate industry waited for millennials to start buying houses in big numbers. They finally arrived. In 2016, people under 35 made up 61 percent of first-time homebuyers, according to NAR.

Lisa Ford, a Realtor and a board member of the Orlando Regional Realtor Association in Florida, has a list of New Year’s resolutions for anyone (especially millennial first-timers) who want to buy in 2017.

Prepare and file income taxes early, because lenders want to see the latest information about borrowers’ income and taxes. Doing your 2016 taxes helps you gather the documents you need.

If you get a tax refund, set it aside for expenses such as a down payment or mortgage closing costs.

Before looking at homes, find an experienced loan officer “who’s familiar with the first-time homebuyer down payment assistance programs that are available.”

RATE SEARCH: Ready to buy your first house? Shop today for a mortgage.

EdgeOfReason/Shutterstock.com

Inventory stays tight

In many places across the United States, it continues to be a seller’s market, in which there are more potential homebuyers than sellers. In the hottest markets, such as Denver, sellers can expect to get multiple offers if they price their homes well.

Nationally, the inventory of homes for sale was less than 4 1/2 months toward the end of the year. “The inventory has been low, although if new homebuilding continues, that will help inventories,” Ford says.

It’s especially hard to find lower-price homes suitable for first-time buyers. Entry-level homes have been kept off the market because so many owners owed more on their homes than they were worth, says Rick Sharga, chief marketing officer for Ten-X, which runs Auction.com. “Disproportionately, it was that segment of the market that was hit the hardest,” he says.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, says, “The good news is that the tightening labor market is beginning to push up wages and the economy has lately shown signs of greater expansion.”

Iakov Filimonov/Shutterstock.com

Home sales ramp up

January and February tend to have the least number of home sales, as people stay indoors and recover financially from the holidays.

A.W. Pickel III, president of the Midwest division of AmCap Mortgage Ltd., believes that rising interest rates will push buyers into the market earlier in the year. People will try to buy in winter, figuring that higher interest rates will make homes less affordable in spring.

“I think it’ll begin to pick up in earnest in February, and in March it’ll be running full-bore,” Pickel says.

READ MORE: Here’s why you shouldn’t panic over rising mortgage rates.

Sharga believes that rising mortgage rates will cause home prices to rise more slowly in 2017 than they did in 2015 and 2016. Slower price increases should help sales, too, he says.

Joseph Sohm/Shutterstock.com

The Trump Effect

The new Donald Trump administration might tackle the fate of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The government-sponsored enterprises have been under conservatorship since autumn 2008. In effect, they are managed by a federal agency.

The conservatorship of Fannie and Freddie was supposed to be temporary, but policymakers haven’t figured out what to do about the companies. Congressional conservatives favor abolishing them. Wall Street and many people in the mortgage industry favor privatizing them.

Steven Mnuchin, the nominee to be Treasury secretary under Trump, says privatizing Fannie and Freddie will be a top priority. “It makes no sense that these are owned by the government and have been controlled by the government for as long as they have,” Mnuchin told Fox Business.

Rick Roque, president of MenloFinancial, a bank consulting firm, is heartened by Mnuchin’s words.

“Privatizing Fannie and Freddie will infuse those organizations with more capital, which will enable them to purchase greater volumes of mortgages from lenders,” Roque says. “So that should have the effect of lowering interest rates, or at least keep them from going higher.”

RATE SEARCH: Found your dream home? Search Bankrate.com today for a low down-payment mortgage.

[tee-hee-lawrence-blog]

-A.W. Lawrence on his brother

Edited from T.E. Lawrence by His Friends

[ouphrontis]

A.W. Lawrence - The Last Lawrence - by Michiel Hegener

Michiel Hegener has finally published the English version of his wonderfully insightful article on A.W. Lawrence, the brother of T.E. 

http://www.michielhegener.nl/AWL.pdf