Kenmore maintained a large inventory of single family homes in 2008. On any give day there were over 200 homes for sale; however, this changed in November and December. Today the inventory has dropped quite a bit as there are 149 active listings:

SNAPSHOT OF ACTIVE LISTINGS TODAY

The majority of homes are between $350,000 and $550,000. The average days-on-market are a little over 3 months. I’ve noticed that a lot of resale homes have dropped out of the game since November. We may see them return as Spring approaches (and the sellers sober-up about pricing). Even so, 44% of listings have experienced price reductions, some being significant. It’s also interesting to note that almost 35% of the homes for sale today are new construction.

PENDING SALES - LARGE % OF SHORT SALES

The good news is that houses are selling in Kenmore. The bad news is that 58% of the pending sales today are SHORT SALES. For those of you unfamiliar with the process of short selling a home, I highly recommend you read: How To Do a Shortsale to better understand the process. The Wikipedia definition is helpful:

In real estate, a short sale is a sale of real estate in which the proceeds from the sale fall short of the balance owed on a loan secured by the property sold. In a short sale, the bank or mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic or financial hardship on the part of the mortgagor.

We are living in some extremely challenging times. If you, members of your family or your friends feel that they are having trouble making their mortgage payments, it is imperative that you/they seek the advice of an attorney to determine if a short sale is your best course of action. There are some serious consequences as a result of selling your home short, most of which are negative: Tax exposure, Credit Damage, Legal Problems and a myriad of other issues. Although one might be tempted to choose this course, there may be better alternatives. I highly recommend you contact the law offices of Dale J. Galvin of Galvin Realty Law Group with your questions. Click on the picture below for more information about Dale and his services:

Only time will tell if Barack Obama’s new administration will have a positive influence on the real estate market. Many of the economists I’ve been listening to (cranky folk they are!) feel that we’re in for a tough 2009. I’d like to make this point in spite of all the bad news: If you are ready to buy a home, you need to do your homework. Assemble a team of professionals (e.g. mortgage lender, real estate agent, accountant and attorney) and proceed with confidence!

Utterly Confused Courtsey of inju

Today the Northwest Multiple Listing Service released it’s monthly press release for December 2008. The results from 2008 were as one would expect - heart breaking. It was not hard for market observers to guess that the sour financial markets and the insane weather this last month basically knocked-out home sales with a big left hook in the last round of 2008. Ouch! Bloody nose!

I’m going to stick with basic home sale statistics for Kenmore in this post. In the next several days there is going to be a lot of year-end data and analysis that I will share with you. For now, let’s keep it simple and local. Just click on the graphs for a large, more detailed image:

UNITS SOLD

UNITS SOLD, 4-YEAR TREND

Numbers: 2005 - 42 sold, 2006 - 24 sold, 2007 - 19, 2008 - 13

There has been a steady decline in home sales here in Kenmore since 2005. What’s interesting is how precipitous the decline was between 2005 and 2006. The change was not as significant comparing this year to last, a sign that the market was already weakening two years ago.

AVERAGE PRICE

AVERAGE PRICE - 4 YEAR TREND

PRICES: 2005 - $388,000, 2006 - 470,000, 2007 - 430,000, 2008 - 438,000

The media has been quick to point out that prices in the Seattle area have fallen to 2006 levels. Kenmore seems to be experiencing more of a flattening-out since the beginning of 2007. Home owners in Kenmore haven’t been immune from a stagnant increase in equity. It may be some time before we make up the losses in the last three years.

DAYS-ON-MARKET

DAYS-ON-MARKET - 4 YEAR TREND

DAYS TO SELL - 2005 - 48 DAYS, 2006 - 70, 2007 - 62, 2008 - 103

A lot of agents are reporting how difficult it has been to sell homes in the current market. As you can see, it’s taking over 100 days on average to sell a home. If you’re going to enter the market in the current environment, it is critical that you have your home priced aggressively and ensure that it is properly presented (dressed for success). Even though interest rates have dropped to historic lows, buyers are still sitting on the sidelines in the hope that prices will fall further.

If you are considering selling or purchasing a home, please give me an opportunity to consult with you to explore your options. Even though there are a lot of “experts” saying that it’s an ideal time to buy a house, you owe it to yourself and your family to work with an agent familiar with the market.

Statistics Often Lie courtesy of mac steve

Yes, I absolutely worship Anthony Bourdain’s program “No Reservations” on the Travel Channel. I love it for a number of reasons but the the first is: Anthony reminds me of all the irreverent, profane, gruff, pushy, in-your-face, arrogant, impatient, blasphemous (debauched/drug-addled), nutty cooks I used to work with in the restaurant business. And I confess, I was one of them. It’s a tough, blue-collar job. Make no mistake about it. The second reason: Anthony has written eloquently about the restaurant business in his two wonderfully candid books:

and

If you want to know more about these two excellent books and the “underbelly” of the restaurant business, just click on the pictures for some interesting reviews.

Finally, the third reason I love Anthony is because his program, “No Reservations” is, in my opinion, one of the best TV travel/food experiences ever. Anthony’s pushy New York bravado and his sometimes misanthropic tone make you hate him at times. He can be a real cynical jerk. BUT, there are more times when, after eating at the table of a humble family, his defenses drop and he’s absorbed into the country and cuisine he so obviously loves. He seems to have a love affair with food that transcends culture, boarders and the craziness that makes us human. So, goodbye for now, I’m going to watch Anthony in Mexico!!!!! Adios!!!

Click on the picture below to find out more about NO RESERVATIONS

The Real Estate gods must have been connecting the agent subconscious yesterday. As I was writing about the influence of technology on the real estate industry, Ardell DellaLoggia of Rain City Guide was writing an extremely thought provoking post entitled: Open Letter to NWMLS and Local Agents. Ardell asks us to consider the functionality of the MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE which is the hallmark database used by real estate agents. In short, she believes the system is broken and it needs repair. It no longer adequately addresses the needs of the consumer or, for that matter the agents.

I agree. I believe that the age of agent-controlled multiple listing services are coming to an end, much like the Alaskan Way Viaduct here in Seattle. They are functional, utilitarian (if you have access), ugly and fatally flawed by an outside source (e.g. The 2000 Nisqually Earthquake). Those of you who have driven over the Viaduct know what I’m talking about: it certainly gets you where you need to go, but access to it is limited, it’s claustrophobic and your choices of exits are limited. One feels trapped. Knowing it could fall down at any moment isn’t comforting either! There is hope on the way and one of the cavalry is Estately.com.

Estately.com very well may be the future of consumer real estate services in terms of property research and statistics and agent referrals. It’s not yet ready to take on the multiple listing services; however, there are a lot of very smart people behind the scenes at Estately who may very well break the information log jam created by the real estate insiders.

Galen Ward, the CEO and co-founder of Estately deserves the credit for putting together a wonderfully functional system at Estately. As a Realtor who focuses-in on Kenmore, WA I was impressed with the ability of Estately to provide excellent real estate data for Kenmore. Additionally, if one wishes to work with a neighborhood specialist, Estately provides referral services.

As I mentioned above, large structures like the Alaskan Way Viaduct don’t last forever. Sooner or later an earthquake or other huge event breaks them. In the coming years, I believe the real estate industry is going to be broken apart and re-tooled by new technology and new business models that allow consumers a much wider range of options. This isn’t news, but we are beginning to see evolutionary services such as Estately more and more. Change is inevitable and I’m looking forward to what’s coming.

OUR FIRST HOUSE IN SHORELINE, WA

My wife and I purchased our first house in 1989. It was a small 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom home in the Shorecrest neighborhood of Shoreline, WA. We lived there for 16 wonderful years. It was 810 square feet, had a perfect-sized yard (about 6000 sq ft) and I remember we bought it because there was a raspberry patch in the back yard!

THE VALUE OF A REAL ESTATE AGENT THEN

The real reason we purchased that particular house was because we were working with a good Realtor. In the late 1980’s there was a rush to purchase homes as property values were rising quickly. This was due, in large part, because the Puget Sound was experiencing a huge migration of people, especially from California. We were afraid that we would be priced out of the market, so we went in search of our first home.

We worked with our agent for about two months, made several unsuccessful offers and were beginning to get worried  when our agent was tipped-off about a house that was being remodeled by an investor. It was not yet listed. We rushed over to see the house, decided we liked it and wrote an offer on the trunk of our agent’s car at the Bite of Seattle. It was an exciting event. The house cost us $85,000.

Please ponder this for a moment: in the 1980’s there were 30-year mortgages and much tougher underwriting criteria. There were no mobile phones. Our agent used print-out reports that were produced by the “multiple service” only periodically. No one “owned” a fax machine, you had to go to an office or your bank to receive documents. There was no Internet, no websites, no blogs, no text messaging, no social networking……………….my gosh, email didn’t exist……..So why did we work with Margie, our Realtor?

1) She was highly recommended to us by a colleague of my wife. As it turned out, this was a good recommendation. She had years of experience and was great to work with!

2) She worked for a reputable real estate brokerage. The agent’s brokerage was located in the vicinity of the neighborhoods we were interested in.

3) She had access to the “listing information.” All we had were newspaper ads and yard signs.

4) In our world, she was an expert in the marketplace. We simply did not have resources or time to do our own research. Real estate was (or was perceived as) a complicated and difficult business.

To this day, I feel our agent’s greatest value was her ability to give us access to potential homes and facilitate us through the sale process. Additionally, she was sharp enough to keep her eyes and ears open for a home that was not on the market.

HIRING A REAL ESTATE AGENT TODAY

Let’s say you were going to purchase or sell a home this month, January 2009. And let’s say you were looking for an agent. What criteria would you use in today’s world, to select a real estate professional? Let’s use me as an example. How do I rate with my own criteria of 20 years ago:

1) I have been a Realtor for almost eight (8) years.  In this time I have helped close to 100 families purchase or sell their homes. I am an Associate Broker. I specialize in North King and South Snohomish residential properties. My particular expertise these days is my current home-town, Kenmore, WA. In short, unless you and I have a personality conflict, I have the makings of a good agent.

2) I have worked for two very reputable brokerages: Prudential Northwest Realty and, currently Keller Williams Realty.

3) I have access to highly sophisticated technologies and databases that allow me to gather and interpret a huge amount of information about the real estate market. My main source of information as an agent comes from the Multiple Listing Service to which I subscribe. Non-professionals don’t have DIRECT access to this data. What do you, the consumer, have in today’s world? No longer does the consumer have only newspaper ads and yard signs. The consumer has access to highly sophisticated technologies and databases that allow them to gather and interpret a huge amount of information about the real estate market.

4) I consider myself to be an “expert” in residential real estate; however, is my value as a broker of information and market knowledge as valuable in today’s world?

REAL ESTATE REALITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

“I’m worth every penny for my services and I’m not cutting my commission!” Such is the mantra of most real estate agents. Unfortunately, the market (and the consumers) don’t really care what real estate professionals think. With the advent of new Internet technologies, consumers simply don’t need to rely on real estate agents the way they once did. To the public, there is little differentiation between us. We can no longer claim to provide “value-added” to this part of our services.

In the last year, I have communicated with many agents who describe situations in which they had been working with “a good client” only to be released when a “less expensive” agent agreed to write a contract. One agent cynically said, “there will always be someone out there who will do the job for less.”

The professional’s “value proposition” has been diminished because of the information age. In his provocative book Freakonomics, economists Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner suggest that real estate agents are like the KKK because both groups traffic in “secret information.” In the case of real estate agents, this secret information has traditionally been the listing service. Indeed, this was very much the case when I bought my first home. Not anymore. In fact, I believe that a large part of professional real estate services have been com-modified.

Please understand, I believe you should use an agent to help you buy or sell your home. I’ll be the first to tell you that dealing with all the details and emotional baggage in a transaction should be facilitated by agents. AND, consumers need to understand that real estate professionals deserve to be paid for their services. I, for one, am not running a non-profit corporation; however, I have come to the realization that my value is no longer tied to the “research” end of the process.

I appreciate any comments you have on this subject both as consumers and agents. The reason I wrote this post is because I believe the difficulties we are facing in the financial and housing markets along with advances in technology are going to forever change real estate services. The classic brokerages and business models are under huge stress today. Many are closing while others are attempting to redefine their relationships with the agents. Let me know what you think.

After stewing over what to say about the Real Estate Market in 2009, and knowing full-well that I’m not qualified to make profound “predictions” about the marketplace, I have chosen to take my own advice and “outsource” the job to one of my favorite resources: HousingPredictor.com. I highly recommend you take a look at this informative website.

Some of the more interesting topics are the Top and Worst Picks for 2009. As you can see, the Top 25 Housing Markets are not expected to experience much appreciation in the coming year:

And if that wasn’t inspiring, please turn your attention to the Worst Market numbers:

As you can see, Seattle is not likely to avoid the overall downturn in the housing market. Many experts have been saying that we tend to trail behind national trends, which means we may be in for a long 2009. The chart below shows the major metropolitan areas in Washington State:

On a positive note: with prices so soft, there should be opportunities for buyers in 2009. If the financial and credit markets awaken from their veritable hibernation and start lending again, there will be some winners. Just remember, always seek professional advice from a real estate professional before you make an offer on a home. If you ever need help understanding the process of buying or selling a home, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 206.713.2102 or email me at jlupori@comcast.net.

Crystal Ball Courtesy of  Isobel T

BREAD LINE IN NEW YORK CITY DURING THE DEPRESSION (COURTESY OF BRITANNICA)

My alter-ego, Mr. Freeze the Financial Curmudgeon, was having a tizzy fit the other day. If you read this blog you know that the poor guy means well. He’s just plain cranky. And why not? The whole world has changed in cataclysmic ways and anyone whose paying attention knows that we are facing a challenging future.

Not only is the small party over, you know, the New Year’s party you enjoyed last night with friends and family, but the THE BIG PARTY created by supply-side economists and speculators has also come to an end. All you have to do is look at your 401.K to know that you lost at least 30% of your wealth in the last year. Some of you have lost your jobs and, if your a real estate agent, you’re living on borrowed time.

No individual captures this zietgeist better than Alan Greenspan who, on October 23, 2008 admitted to congress: “I made a mistake.” What he was referring to was his disbelief that an unregulated free market had been hijacked by unscrupulous speculators (let’s not call them investors please) and that the “free market” wasn’t working quite the way Milton Friedman promised . Since his appointment as Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank, in the early 1980’s by Ronald Reagan, his fiscal policies helped foster a super-capitalism that seemed unstoppable. It was a result of this over-inflated market that lot’s of Americans felt richer than they actually were. Unfortunately, reality came home to roost and we all found out that something has been terribly wrong out there in the world of lazier faire economics .

Now it’s time to face reality: the lifestyles we have been used to living are far more fragile than we thought and we need to be better stewards of our own households, our country and the world. For some reason, Americans gave control of their destiny to a financial elite who only had their own selfish interests at heart. We need to quit believing the propaganda of the free market and start thinking about a future that works for all Americans.

LOOKING TO THE PAST FOR INSIGHT

I believe one of the best ways to plan for a better future is by reviewing the past. Since the word “depression” has been used in recent months, I would like to offer you a very interesting presentation I found on www.truthdig.com. Below is a multi-media time line entitled Financial Meltdown 101. I don’t expect you to watch the whole thing in one sitting, but it is a magnificent piece of historical analysis. I hope you find it interesting:

If I, Mr. Freeze, the Financial Curmudgeon, had a dime for every news story in 2008 that reported on yet another failed bank, or multi-billion dollar ponzi scheme, failing car company, disappearance of the American manufacturing sector, hundreds of thousands of lost jobs, crumbling infrastructure, unbelievable corporate bailouts/bridge-loans, outsourcing, no-bid contracts or the real estate disaster……then I would be able to pay off the whole national debt three times over. By the way……..

But Mr. Freeze lives in the real world. Mr. Freeze has never felt comfortable with investment banks, hedge funds, derivatives, or the regular old Stock Market. Mr. Freeze always tells people to live within their means. Keep a rainy-day fund of three to six months cash in the bank. Have just one credit card. Practice a little frugality for heaven’s sake…………………….

But I, grumpy Mr. Freeze know that no matter how hard I huff and puff, gripe and complain, bellow or yell, people simply won’t listen. Do you know why? Because America has a disease. It’s called the STUCK ON STUPID SYNDROME. We caught this disease in the late 70’s and early 80’s when a bunch of privileged, upper class jerks told us GREED IS GOOD as if it were some sacred mantra. The God of Greed was aided and abetted by corporate idolaters such as the heartless economist Milton Friedman who told America that “the free market will always prevail in the end.” Phrases such as “a rising tide raises all boats”  and  “wealth will trickle down and create more wealth” were repeated over and over until people started to believe this garbage. Even George Bush Sr. called this voodoo economics!

GREED IS GOOD…….YA, RIGHT

So, here we are, in the midst of the worst financial crisis since the early 20th Century and Mr. Freeze can’t believe there isn’t a revolution brewing out in the heartland. A year ago, if someone had told Mr. Freeze that TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF WEALTH would suddenly disappear from the face of the earth, Mr. Freeze would not have believed his ears. Face it, my dear readers….(pardon my language), we are  getting screwed: regular people, working people, honest people.

CRY BABY CAPITALIST - “BUT MOMMY, ALL I WANT IS AN $800 BILLION BRIDGE LOAN”

The most ironic thing of all is that the very “free market” capitalists who lived by the sword of economic Darwinism are the very cry babies that have their hands out for as much tax payer money as they can get. Mr. Freeze believes that the financial markets need re-engineering. Let’s hope the new administration addresses this.

Whew, now that I, Mr. Freeze, got all that off my chest before I had a grand-mall stroke, I would really  like to spend a few moments before the end of this tumultuous year and consider the following:

The next time you’re listening to some moron from a conservative think-tank going on about the virtues of capitalism and free enterprise, ask yourself if you feel wealthier today than you did 1 or 2 or 5 years ago. Ask yourself if you’re going to retire when you thought, or if your children are going to the nice college you had planned for. Ask yourself if privatizing Social Security would have been a great idea given the criminals in charge of the financial markets. Ask yourself why the top 1% of Americans control 90% of the wealth and why they fly in corporate jets when you can’t get health care. Then do this: PROMISE YOURSELF THAT YOU’LL PAY MORE ATTENTION IN THE FUTURE AND THAT YOU WILL QUESTION ALL THE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT OUR AMERICAN ECONOMIC SYSTEM. THEN CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND TELL THEM YOU WANT CHANGE FOR EVERYONE. YOU WANT A BETTER LIFE FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE FEW.

My friends, in spite of what “the rich and powerful” say, we are all in this together. There is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. We are successful as a people when we work to improve the lives of everyone. Mr. Freeze hopes that 2009 brings you good health, joy and prosperity!

Mr. Freeze Pic courtesy of ElDave

I began blogging in April as a means to advertise my real estate business. At that time it was simply a dollars and cents decision. I thought it would be less expensive than print advertising (which didn’t seem to be very effective anymore). What I didn’t realize was how blogging would fundamentally change my perspective about EVERYTHING! It started out as a high-tech way to convey real estate statistics and talk about the market (not too exciting). It has ended up being far more than that:

1) It has become the creative outlet I’ve always wanted: writing, interviewing, interacting, taking pictures, educating, journaling and philosophizing ALL IN ONE PLACE!!!!!

2) Blogging has made me smarter. Really!!!  Just ask my wife. Strike that, just take my word for it!

3) Blogging forced me to incorporate a lot of new, useful tools and skills such as google, the “blogosphere” and social networking. We really are living in a hyper-connected world.

ITALY & ITALIAN

My wife, Virginia, and I first visited Italy in 1981 during a foreign exchange program in Kiel, Germany. My mother wanted me to visit our Italian relatives while we were in Europe as none of our immediate family had ever gone back to the “fatherland.” Needless to say, my family was wonderful. The funny thing is, it took us 25 years to return. In 2006 we went back for one month and discovered just how wonderful my families are (my mother’s family in Torino and my father’s family in Lucca). At that time we started learning Italian in earnest. We returned this last summer (August-September) for five weeks and during this visit we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary in Torino. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I was with the woman I love, in a country of unfathomable beauty, celebrating with some of the most joyous people on earth: my Italian family. Good times! Today, Virginia and I can speak and understand enough Italian to be quasi-functional. I’m glad my family is understanding……

MY READING LIST

I’m a NON-FICTION reader these days. This is ironic because I studied Greek, Latin and Comparative Literature in college. I love all sorts of literature, but there’s nothing I like more than reading about the anthropology of this or the economics of that. Hey, I used to like Classical music but now I listen to Korn and Marilyn Manson………things change. So, here’s my reading list for 2008. If you click on the individual book pictures, you will be taken to some interesting reviews:

I read some utterly fascinating books in 2008. As you can see, I have a penchant for reading books about “how people/organizations/cultures work. I can still remember being knocked-over by the late anthropologist, Marvin Harris’ “Cows, Pigs, Wars and Witches” way back when. I was hooked.

TECHNOLOGY STUFF

ALL THINGS GOOGLE - Google has become the most powerful player in the world of the Internet. If you are not already connected with several of the tools Google offers, I highly recommend you consider using the following:

GMAIL - Easy to use and universally accessible, having a email account through Google is one of those basics we all should have.

GOOGLE READER - As a blogger, I scan a huge number of publications every day. This seemingly difficult, time consuming chore is simplified by setting up a Google Reader. Click here to learn more.

GOOGLE ALERT - If you want to know if your name or other important word comes up on a google search, set up a Google Alert. I have mine set to inform me when the words Lupori and Kenmore are referenced in cyberspace. As a result, I’ve made contact with some Argentine folks who are also Luporis. As it happens, their ancestors come from a town close to my relatives in Tuscany. Wow, who would have thought…….

Google has a huge number of tools. Go there and find out for yourself. By the way, most everything in Google is FREE!

FLICKR.COM

Flickr.com is a Yahoo product that allows you to download your pictures (and video) from anywhere in the world to your own, personalized site. There you can edit, organize and store your photography. You can also see literally millions of other pictures from around the world. This is an amazing tool if you do a lot of traveling as you can safely put your pictures into Flickr.com. If you lose your camera, your pictures will be on Flickr when you get home. For $25 a year, you can download an unlimited number of pictures. It’s free to set up. How cool is that????

HOW FORTUNATE I AM

I’ve been a very fortunate man over the years. I’ll be 50 in April and, other than the gray hair (which I blame on my wife) I feel pretty good. How many guys can say they look good in an apron (a red one at that)? My greatest strength and gift in the world has been my beautiful wife, Virginia. We’ve been together almost 30 years and we’ve done a lot of wonderful things together. How she puts up with me, I’ll never know…….but I’m damn lucky to have met her.

We are living in extraordinary times. I have a sense that adversity will bring all Americans closer together and in that coming-together we will find new strength and vision. My most sincere hope is that the coming year will bring you all good health, joy and prosperity.

“This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou Canst not then be false to any man. Farewell, my blessing season this in thee.”

Polonius          Hamlet Act 1, scene 3, 78–82

At the end of every year we all have license to get a little philosophical. 2008 is exceptional in this regard. There is a LOT to get philosophical about: war, failing economy, real estate bubble burst, starvation in Africa, car company crashes, never-ending election campaigns, and on and on. It’s simply overwhelming. If none of this has touched you personally, you’re not paying enough attention!

On a very personal level, I can’t remember a time in my life when the troubles of the world were more evident. Nor can I remember a time when I have felt more powerless to change the circumstances around me. In my professional life as a real estate agent/professional, it has been an extremely tough year. Sales are at a standstill and, simply put, there’s not much I can do about it. Yet, I cannot nor will I blame myself…………..The economics simply are not working right now. Yet, today I was truly inspired by the most unlikely of documents: The Realtor’s Code of Ethics. It’s one of those high-minded pieces of literature that only insiders read, but revisiting it made me re-focus on why I’m a real estate agent. Here’s the first paragraph of the Preamble:

Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. REALTORS should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment.

These words impressed me because they reach beyond the real estate profession. The code of ethics by which Realtors operate are also those that should guide everyone in America. You know, we are all in this together. I think Americans forget this fact. We tend to be an independent lot; however, I think this virulent frontier mentality blinds us to the needs and problems of others. My most sincere hope is that new leadership in the White house can move this nation on a new course of true stewardship and compassion.