COSA Song of the YEAR

Central Oregon Songwriters Association SONG OF THE YEAR. Attention all songwriters! Dust off that song, grab some friends, record it on a CD and get some well deserved recognition.

The COSA Song of the Year deadline is approaching. The deadline for turning in your song is

Who: COSA Meeting

Date: February 22nd

Time: 2 PM

Where: Johnny Carino's Italian Restaurant, 63455 N Hwy 97, Bend, OR 97701

Cost: $10 per song plus membership fee into COSA - you must be a member. Your song must be on a CD. We will have entry forms available at the meeting.

Last year's categories included Country, Pop, Spiritual, Americana, Folk, Jazz/R&B, Rock, Unique. All songs are independently judged and juried.

The COSA Song of the Year show will be held April 3rd @ The Tower Theater - 7-10 PM. If you enter your song, you have the option of performing it at the show! Bring your friends & family!

Support the local music scene

Hey, things are bound to get tight this upcoming spring, summer, fall... try to support the local music scene if you can. We have some very cool acts in the area - Moon Mountain Ramblers, Empty Space Orchestra, etc... check em out.

Bend Real Estate

The government is trying awfully hard to right this ship, but it'll take quite some time to see appreciation in today's real estate market. There are just too many foreclosures on the market, and believe me... there are more coming.

The banks are getting very aggressive with local builders. Expect even more homes to be sold below cost in the next few months. Also, be extremely wary of local real estate agents. They are hungry for a sale RIGHT NOW and need your commission in the worst way. If you are a buyer... do some due diligence on your proposed sale. Are you getting the best deal in this market?

Bend, Oregon

General State of the Economy

I am a Real Estate Appraiser. I have worked as a Realtor, Loan Officer and Real Estate Appraiser here in Central Oregon since 1995.

Bailout-

I think the term "pissing in the ocean" applies here. There is a reason the administration rushed this legislation through congress. The bailout is the biggest hoax on the American people since Reagan's deregulation. It would have been better to let these financial institutions fail, because the free market has shown that something better and stronger will take it's place. Think of these mortgages as a game of musical chairs... taxpayers are once again out of the game without a chair, but holding all the debt. As you've seen from the stock market the last few days... those in the know are not buying into the bailout as a saviour.

Family Wage Jobs-
The Central Oregon area has some special challenges that occur in other areas of the country (Aspen, Durango, Lake Tahoe come to mind). Unfortunately, we have a number of groups which have formed political alliances to maintain the status quo. The number one priority of our local government should be in obtaining family wage jobs. The status quo group of Realtors, Politicos, Developers and the Bend Bulletin believe that we should be building additional resorts. While tourism brings needed dollars and businesses to our area, the minimum wage jobs these industries spawn does nothing to raise the standard of living for the majority of Central Oregonians. The developing of our land, for resort use, benefits those at the top of our economic food chain with very little dribble down to the majority of Central Oregonians. The time, effort and money wasted by our local government spent in kowtowing to this cartel would be much better spent in wooing businesses to the area with tax breaks and/or other benefits.

The Local Housing Market-
I told my clients at the beginning of this year, that I believed our local housing market was going to get worse. The bad news is that we have not hit bottom yet. This makes the March 2008 prediction of recovery by Dana Bratton, one of our local appraisers, look that much more ridiculous. Home pricing will continue to spiral downward as credit tightens - it's a horrible snowball that is still gaining strength as it rolls down the hill. Check out Kevin Phillips book - Bad money : reckless finance, failed politics, and the global crisis of American capitalism. This gives a glimpse of how short sighted politicians have allowed greed to ruin our economy. Locally, foreclosures are increasing and driving the median home pricing down. This will continue to snowball as local businesses begin to fail and thereby force more pressure on homeowners already struggling to pay their monthly mortgage. This financial pressure has tragically manifested itself through a number of suicides and a rise in divorce filings. The financial strain of our declining real estate market takes a very real toll on the personal lives of all Central Oregonians.

Folks - it's going to get a bit worse before it gets better. There may be a very real up-tick in consumer confidence after the Presidential election. Look for positive signs in the economy after the first of the year. However, if this economic snowball continues, it could turn into an avalanche and take most of the world with it. Most economic experts are predicting a few years of stagflation. The only fix is to pry open the credit markets. This 700 billion dollars would have been much better spent establishing a direct government mortgage system. If consumers know they can once again have access to credit, then home pricing will stabilize and people will start spending again.

Of course, Central Oregon is still a great place to live and work. I am heartened by the citizens of Bend who care deeply about this place. I moved here for the lifestyle and I have not been disappointed, those who moved here to "get rich" in the housing industry can't help but be disappointed.