Obama Snubs Nation's Heroes, Becomes the First President to Skip Ball Honoring Medal of Honor Recipients in Over 50 Years

Submitted by Julie on January 21, 2009 - 10:13pm. 

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Barack Obama may have stumbled over his words briefly during his inauguration, but he made an even bigger blunder later Tuesday evening. The newly sworn-in President opted not to appear at what should have been one of the most important Balls on his agenda that evening - The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball was begun in 1953 for President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration. The event recognized recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. There were 48 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, who were undoubtedly disappointed by the Commander-in-Chief's failure to show. Over the past 56 years and 14 inaugurations, no President has skipped this event - until now.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball is sponsored by the American Legion, and co-sponsored by 13 other veteran's service organizations, including those such as the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Instead of attending this ball honoring our nation's heroes, Obama was busy making stops at 10 other official balls. Obama and his wife's first stop was at the Neighborhood Ball. From there they went to the Home State Ball for Illinois and Hawaii, the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Youth Inaugural Ball, and the Home State Ball for Delaware and Pennsylvania. They finished off the night with brief appearances at the Mid-Atlantic, Western, Midwest, Eastern, and Southern regional Balls.

Celebrities were a plenty at the balls, with Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Mary. J. Blige, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, will.i.am, Sting, Mariah Carey, and Leonardo DiCaprio in attendance at the Neighborhood Ball. In addition, the other nine balls also featured a star-studded lineup including Kanye West and Kid Rock at the Youth Ball, Marc Anthony at the Western Ball, and Cheryl Crow at the Western Ball.

It was the party without all of the celebrities that Obama skipped. The very people who he sought to have support him during his candidacy and campaign, who have fought to protect this country, were snubbed in favor of publicity and the opportunity to rub shoulders - yet again - with the out-of-touch Hollywood elite

Deaths in Motorcycle Crashes Doubles in 2008 (Wed. January 14, 2009) Police trying to curtail future incidents. American statesmen staff

BS Ranch Perspective:

 

There is a theory that I have as to why there are more Motorcycle Deaths as of late, and that is the one thing that most Liberal people would argue, or People that do not ride motorcycles would argue with me about, but it is the fact that the Helmet is a requirement to have on your head while riding, You have to have it on your head by law!! I feel that there are more deaths that are caused by the breaking of ones neck caused by the shear weight of the helmet at a speed of Twenty five miles per hour! The helmet becomes so heavy on the head that at that speed the helmet at 2 lbs can weigh up to ten times its original weight, so its weight goes up to 25 lbs on the top of your head!

 

I feel that a big contributor for the increase is the helmet, and my feelings are that the rider should be the decider on whether they should wear a helmet or not!

 

BS Ranch

 

 

 

 

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Deaths in motorcycle crashes doubles in 2008

Police trying to curtail future incidents.

By Tony Plohetski
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The 1995 Honda motorcycle had been whizzing up an Interstate 35 frontage road in April, approaching St. Johns Avenue, seconds before police said the driver bumped a curb and lost control.

The crash left the motorcycle in a mangled heap.

It also killed Robert Reed Murray, 57, and his passenger, Amanda Kay Corso, 28.

Austin police Detective Adrian Duran said the accident scene "was probably one of the worst I've seen. Motorcycles are even less forgiving than (cars) are."

The deaths have become part of an alarming reality in Austin: The number of people killed in motorcycle crashes last year more than doubled from 2007, rising from eight to 18. Motorcycle deaths accounted for 31 percent of the city's overall traffic fatalities in 2008, compared with 13 percent in 2007, according to police statistics.

Law enforcement officials said the increase appears to be following a national and statewide trend that they think is partially the result of more drivers finding cheaper transportation during last year's gas price surge.

Austin police also count mopeds and scooters in their fatality count. At least one death in 2008 involved such a vehicle.

State and national data concerning motorcycle deaths for 2008 are still being compiled and weren't available Tuesday.

However, John Young, state coordinator for motorcycle training for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said he thinks statistics will reflect a "significant increase," based on conversations with officers across the state.

The spike has prompted Austin police to begin asking motorcycle shop owners to alert customers about the increase and to more often pull over drivers who are not wearing helmets.

Texas law permits people 21 or older to ride without a helmet, as long as they have insurance that will cover up to $10,000 in medical bills or have completed a motorcycle safety course.

Drivers found violating the law can receive a ticket, which carries a fine of up to $500.

Police officials are expected in a meeting today to discuss other ways to address the increase in fatalities.

"It comes down to education, enforcement and engineering," Austin police Cmdr. Donald Baker said. "The biggest impact we are going to have is on the enforcement and education areas."

The chairman of the Texas Motorcycle Rights Association, who goes only by the name Sputnik, said lawmakers also should increase penalties for drivers who disregard the safety of motorcyclists.

They "should share the road and give motorcyclists their fair lane," Sputnik said.

Statewide, police officials from across Texas recently joined motorcycle riders, transportation agency representatives and others in forming the Texas Motorcycle Safety Coalition to address motorcycle deaths. Austin police officials also attended the meeting, which was held in December in College Station.

According to Austin police statistics, the increase in motorcycle deaths happened during a year that saw one fewer traffic fatality overall, with 59 deaths in 2008.

Investigators last year noticed the jump in motorcycle deaths and started studying them more closely, Baker said.

They learned that in 10 of the cases in which drivers were not wearing helmets, five of the drivers were not licensed to drive motorcycles. None of the 10 drivers had completed a motorcycle safety course, Baker said.

Neither Corso nor Reed, killed in the Interstate 35 frontage road crash last year, was wearing a helmet, investigators said.

At the same time, the number of people driving motorcycles exploded statewide in 2008, Young said.

He said officials had projected that they would train about 36,000 drivers in motorcycle safety last year, which would have accounted for the typical 2,500 new drivers they get each year. Instead, they trained 41,491.

"We had instructors who were training as hard and as fast as they could," Young said.

Charles Bishop, an avid motorcycle rider who organizes monthly trips to the Hill County with a dozen to 30 riders, said he is always safety conscious.

He said he usually refrains from driving in heavy traffic and prefers to stay on rural roads.

At the urging of a friend, he recently began wearing a fluorescent vest so motorists can more easily spot him.

Safety, Bishop said, "really boils down to the individual and how much judgment they have. If they don't have good judgment, they are likely to get hurt a lot quicker."

tplohetski@statesman.com; 445

In with the new, Out with the old (Monday; January 19, 2009) Lili Ladaga

BS Ranch Perspective:

 

The sick thing about this is that George W. Bush did one of the greatest things in his presidency and that was to prevent a second attack on United States Soil! An attack mind you that would rate pole percentage scores that he is getting at this time! Barack Obama has not done anything in the time that he was elected as Senator, with the exception of running a successful Election for Presidency, a campaign that usually was done in half the time that he did it in in the previous elections, In other words. Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate, and then two years in he decided to start a Campaign for President, a campaign that lasted for two years!! Two Years of touring the USA, forcing other democrats, to enter the race just to compete and raise cash to also run against him.

 

Obama has a Gift to gab, and that mainly was the reason that he was elected and the reason that he was taken by so many people, but I cannot see that he would have such a high APPROVAL RATING, when he isn't even the President YET!

 

George W. built a successful security team and many fault him for the Iraq war, but that was a successful war, a war that is at its end, a war that Obama will try to take the credit for, but the truth remains that the order was given by the Iraq Government, that the downsizing will start but at the end of the presidency of George W. Bush and not Barack Obama!! Obama will do good things, but the close of the Iraq war is not one of them!

 

To Just close the Military Bases in Iraq and fly the men and woman out of there, it will have to happen in steps, and if done in such a fashion that it is to quick, the men and woman that are left to tear down the Military Bases while the other's have gone home, will be sitting ducks to the People that were freshly released from Guantanamo Bay Cuba, whom want to get back into the war as quick as possible and Barrack Obama says that he wants to close it down and release the prisoners back to their countries, so that they can get back to their lives!! Their lives which was to find ways to attack the American People on their Land or the Land of the countries that are allies with the American People!!

 

BS Ranch

 

 

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In with the new, out with the old

Mon Jan 19, 2:37 pm ET

It doesn't really matter which poll you consult — Zogby, Pew, Gallup — they all show the same thing: Incoming president Barack Obama is hitting new highs in public support, while outgoing President George W. Bush is hitting new lows.

To be fair, it's like comparing apples and oranges: Bush's record includes 9/11, Katrina, two wars, a controversial re-election, and an economic meltdown of historic proportions. Meanwhile, Obama's record includes a low-key decade as a state senator and U.S. senator.

But there's no denying the numbers are impressive. Even Obama's incoming numbers are handing Bush's a thrashing — a pre-inaugural poll by Pew Research Center finds that 79 percent of Americans have a "favorable impression" of the incoming leader. In 2001, George W. Bush had to make do with 60 percent. Pew reports that Obama even has more optimists on his side:

As is typically the case at this stage, most Americans think it is too early to tell whether Obama will be a successful or unsuccessful president. Yet optimists far outnumber pessimists (30% successful vs. 4% unsuccessful). At a comparable point in 2001, 26% said they expected Bush to be successful, compared with 15% who said he would be unsuccessful.

Perhaps more important, these optimists are also willing to be patient. According to the latest New York Times/CBS News: 

Most Americans said they did not expect real progress in improving the economy, reforming the health care system or ending the war in Iraq — three of the central promises of Mr. Obama's campaign — for at least two years.

In his victory speech at Chicago's Grant Park, Obama set the stage, warning that there was a hard slog ahead:

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there."

Not everyone is willing to be so patient, however. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh lambasted Obama's supporters:

"They didn't give Bush a chance in 2000. Before he was inaugurated, the search-and-destroy mission had begun. I'm not talking about search-and-destroy, but I've been listening to Barack Obama for a year and a half. I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he has stated them. I don't want them to succeed."

Bush isn't facing downhill numbers alone. Trust in his party is waning as well. A Washington Post-ABC News poll reports that "just 23 percent said they trust Republicans more than Democrats to handle the main problems facing the nation."

But Bush is confident he will be remembered well, despite leaving office with the highest disapproval rating since Nixon. In his farewell speech to the nation, he defended his presidency:

"You may not agree with some of the tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice agreed, saying, "I think generations pretty soon are going to start to thank this president for what he's done. This generation will."

But the nation is still facing two wars and recession with no end in sight; whether anyone will be thanking Bush or Obama for anything remains to be seen.

 

- Lili Ladaga

JOE BACA WANTS A PATH TO CITIZENSHIP FOR MILLIONS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ALREADY IN THE U.S.A. (BS RANCH REPORT JANUARY 6, 2009) BIG MISTAKE!!!! HUGE

The new Congress is likely to rekindle the immigration debate. Democrat Joe Baca of Rialto wants a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. President-elect Obama favors reform.

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BS Ranch Perspective:

Here is a question of the new demands of "Working" Joe Baca. One of the Senior Class at the Democratic Party, wants some kind of a path made for the many Illegal Immigrants that are living in the United States of America, ILLEGALLY!! The key word Senator Joe Baca, a man who is to lead by example and not break the law, I know Joe Baca, why don't you get Drunk, Drive Your Car, Under the Influence, & Get Arrested for the Offense of DUI (CVC 23152) but instead of being sentenced or even prosecuted, why don't we see if there is a way that we can MAKE A PATH TO MAKE DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE A LEGAL OFFENCE!!

Maybe if we kill somebody, we should then try to find a way to make it a legal offence to kill somebody, but only after the fact!!

Joe Baca Unless you are going to open the boarder and say that everybody, is going to be free to cross the border from now on, not just those that have taken the chance to cross the border, on a one time basis!

The problem is that Baca is so ILL informed as to what is going on at the border, There is One HUGE WAR Taking place at the BORDER between the LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT (SHERIFF DEPARTMENT'S & POLICE AGENCIES FROM THE VARIOUS CITIES), THE BORDER PATROL, THE NATIONAL GUARD, AND THE MINUTE MEN who have been standing firm for the United States of America Against the DRUG CARTEL'S, the most ruthless and most powerful the ZETA!!!

The border open's up then we will not just be fighting a war in Iraq, that the liberals are complaining about, but Afghanistan, and if and that is a big If Joe Baca gets his way, We will be fighting with full force at the Southern Border in Texas, Arizona and California!!

So Before "Working" Joe Baca gets his way, I believe that we better remember that we have a forth war going on at the Mexican Border and if it we want it to get worse then I am all for the "Baca" Plan!!

BS Ranch

California Population Tops Thirty Eight Million (Assoc. Press December 17, 2008)

BS Ranch Perspective:

 

It has shown that the Population has grown over the last years to just over 38 Million people, however it is the Perspective of the People here at the BS Ranch to say that when the Governor of California starts to approve the Raising of Taxes, and all that the new President is applied to the People of California will flee, to other states in a massive wagon train the likes that were not seen since the early  to mid 1900's

 

After all the way that the Finance situation is going the person that is loosing is the person that is at the mercy of the credit card company!! THINK PEOPLE THINK!!!

 

BS Ranch

 

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Calif. population tops 38 million

The Associated Press

Posted: 12/17/2008 11:47:41 AM PST

SACRAMENTO—California's population has topped 38 million, according to a new report from the state Department of Finance.

The department's demographics unit estimates that California's population grew by nearly 436,000, or 1.16 percent, in the 12 months between July 1, 2007 and July 1, 2008, reaching 38.1 million.

That's an increase of nearly 4.3 million residents since the last national census in 2000.

Los Angeles remains the state's most populous county with more than 10 million residents, but Placer County east of Sacramento had the biggest percentage increase in population in the 12-month period. It grew by 2.6 percent.

Nineteen other counties also had higher growth rates than the state as a whole: Imperial, Riverside, Tulare, Kern, Sutter, Madera, Santa Clara, Yuba, Fresno, San Francisco, Merced, San Diego, Yolo, Kings, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Alameda, Napa and San Joaquin all grew by more than 1.16 percent.

Twenty-seven counties had lower rates of growth and 11 of them—Mariposa, Nevada, Mono, Trinity, Sierra, Alpine, Tuolumne, Inyo, Plumas, Amador and Lassen—actually lost population during the 12-month period, the report said.

California is Stumbling Towards Failure (LA Times Dec. 17, 2008) The State can get better, through slower to almost stopped spending, CONGRESS WAKE UP

BS Ranch Perspective:

 

The Mere Conclusion that the State of California Should spit into three separate states to come to some conclusion that would or even could end the problems that they are confronting with the whole state situation of becoming bankrupted, The idea that the state should take the California Retirement System's Account and use all that money that is in that retirement account towards the whole state's woes' would be great, but there is one problem that the people that see that account balance and not the people who own it, but that money belongs to the individual depositor's that worked hard to put that cash into that account!  Money that was hard to put there.

 

The Governor of California originally wanted to take that money from that account and just use if to pay for the benefit, of the Accounts. Sure the total balance of that account was a whopping total of just under approximately $4 Billion Dollars which had been made by Employee's of the State of California. Which included the work forces of the following fields within The State of California.

 

• Pre-School Teachers
• Kindergarten Teachers
• Grade School Teachers
• Junior High School Teachers
• High School Teachers
• California State University Professors
• All (ALL OF) the support Staff, Secretaries, Office worker's, Clerk's and any other full time position from Pre-School on up to State University Employee's Including but not limited to the Librarian's who were bothered many times by many of the students to make this outline.
• Sheriff's Department's (unless the county has a retirement system all their own)
• City Police Department's and all the support units, secretaries, and patrol support units that go with them. Unless the City or County has made previous arrangements to have their own retirement system in place.
• County & City Employee's who maintain the City Streets for your city.
• California Transportation Division, commonly known as CAL-TRANS!
• California Department of Highway Patrol or as they are more commonly known, CHP.
• California Corrections as they are more commonly known as CC. and all the clerical staff that goes with the CHP, CCO, & Cal-Trans. Cal-Trans has a whole bunch of Engineers, to design the roadways, Intersections, and the like there are so many Engineers in the Offices, with so many Retirements, so what I am saying is that these People all paid into their Retirement, and they are entitled to say how their money is spent! If the cash is to be spent on the fixing of the State of California, then it should be just them that has a vote in it and nobody else!! 

That is just the way that I feel on this subject, and Arnold may think that he is a republican, but in many ways he is not! In many ways he is a lot like the guys that ran the whole Country of Russia was like, giving to those that wasted the money that they had, by spending it unwisely, and then taking more money from the people, so that they are not to blame for their unwise spending to begin with!!

 

If Arnold would have gotten his way, and spent the money from the California Retirement Fund, approximately 2/3rds of California would have felt their Retirement pinch smaller, It is my belief that 2/3's of California's Retirement's are all funded through the same one that all the California Employee's Pay into for their retirement!!

 

When the Employee's of the State won their battle against the Governor, it was a serious win!! A Strong Win!!

 

BS Ranch

 

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California is stumbling toward failure Fiscal experts have warned the governor and lawmakers that California's budget deficit will mushroom to more than $41 billion within 18 months. The governor has warned the citizens of California that the state will soon run out of money, and vital programs will be shut down. Members of the state Legislature aren't doing much of anything beyond sitting in their offices trying to figure out how to outfox their political rivals. But these disparate groups do pretty much agree on one thing - this state will fail. It's inevitable, perhaps even destined. Failure is inevitable because California is a ship without a rudder, a missile without a guidance system. Name your problem, and it's a safe bet California has it. Not only does this state have every conceivable issue on the table, it also has the distinction of being among the world's top 10 economies, bigger than most nations, and more dysfunctional by far. Some experts believe it's because the state is too big and too diverse. Folks in the Inland Empire look to the west and, between wedge shots, scoff at the hectic lifestyle of the fading rich and nearly famous in L.A. People living in the Bay Area are afraid to drive to Southern California for fear of being tainted by the working-class groups occupying the Central Coast. The desert rats don't understand how we can stand all this fog in the mornings. Maybe California should become two states, or three. Subdividing the state has been tried dozens of times, most recently in the 1990s, without success. Who is to say three smaller states wouldn't just carry the one large state's baggage with them wherever they go? Political diversity is a major cause of the bigger problem. Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature are hopelessly divided - and will remain that way, as long as they are allowed to create their own gerrymandered districts. At least that practice will soon end, thanks to California voters. But Prop. 11 didn't win the overwhelming approval it should have received, with just 50.9 percent of the state voters wanting to take redistricting out of the hands of the Legislature and give it to a nonpartisan commission. Actually, the ballot initiative process is part of California's bigger problem. Citizens take matters into their own hands when they perceive a lack of activity or progress on the part of lawmakers, which is pretty much a constant. The result is a hodgepodge of conflicting mandates that saps government's ability to govern. Even more damaging to any semblance of progress in California is the constitutional requirement of a two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature, simply to pass a state budget. The supermajority rule is patently undemocratic, and ultimately self-defeating to the goal of creating reasonable fiscal policy. The heart of the problem is that the stumbling blocks we list here only serve to amplify the overall dysfunction, which causes the general public to lose even more faith in government's ability to manage the state, which leads to more ballot measures to trump lawmakers' inactivity, which ... You get the picture. California's chaotic form of government is a living, breathing demonstration of the law of perpetual motion. We're like a hamster in a cage, running inside that little wire ring, thinking the harder we run, the better chance of getting out of the ring. But it just keeps going, around and around. California government needs fundamental change. Fair districts that give everyone a chance to govern is a good start. Repealing the two-thirds vote requirement is a necessary next step. And we need better leadership. Surely, out of the 34 million-plus people living in this state, there is someone who can lead the way into the future. Let the search begin. December 17, 2008

National Forests not as popular, but Inyo may be an exception!! (LA Times Dec. 16, 2008) This is what has caused the Sierra Club and Clubs like them t

BS Ranch Perspective:

 

The government is proposing to close the Inyo National Forest from People using it for Recreational use, such as Cross Country Skiing, or Snowmobiling maybe Four Wheeling in the high Country, either way all these will be closed off in some cases so will the use of Mules and mule teams for trailed in camping and hunting, the whole area is all protected from the footsteps of man, that is what I have heard that the Sierra Club is after! Yet, in most cases those that go four wheeling their tread tracks are not there in one year let alone in two, Oh! But the freak's that are worried about the bush that gets run over by the person driving the Four Wheel Drive Vehicle, I can say that the plant usually doesn't have any problem with the tire that has just ran it over, it recovers in a year or two, again the plant and the dirt are both recovering in a year or two, with no sign that there was anyone there before!!

 

BS Ranch

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« Whale watchers should be on the lookout for Chopfin, the transient orca | Main | Kelly Clark, working toward 2010 Olympic Games, joins U.S. Snowboarding » National forests not as popular, but Inyo may be an exception 12:31 PM, December 16, 2008 These findings are not surprising and yet another sad reminder that today's gadget-minded kids and even their parents are spending less time tuning in to nature: The U.S. Forest Service recently issued a report stating that visits to national forests have dropped sharply -- from 204.8 million in 2001 to 178.6 million in 2007, a 16.6% decline. Some areas are worse than others. In the Pacific Northwest, visitation is down by nearly 30%, but in California it's down only 7%. Indeed, California has its bright spots, one of them being the Inyo National Forest, which includes such breathtaking parcels as the Ansel Adams Wilderness and John Muir Wilderness (and its towering centerpiece, Mt. Whitney). The Inyo Register, quoting an Inyo National Forest officer and using anecdotal evidence from retailers, reports that preliminary findings indicate an increase in visitation. The INF's Jeff Marsolais told the newspaper that visitor sampling was done in 2002 and 2005 and a draft of these findings was produced in July 2007. Data are still being refined but point to an upward trend expected to continue for the next several years. As for the rest of the country, who knows what's going through people's minds. Outdoor recreation is, compared with most sporting events and other types of vacationing, a great value. It helps keep the fat off children and provides them with an understanding and, hopefully, an appreciation of the natural world. That's healthier for them and essential for the future health of our national forests. -- Pete Thomas Photo: Snowmobilers negotiate an Inyo National Forest trail near Mammoth Lakes. Credit: Pete Thomas / Los Angeles Times

Southern California's median home price drops below $300,000 (LA Times Dec. 17, 2008) The November median sales price falls 34.5% from a year earlier.

Southern California's median home price drops below $300,000

The November median sales price falls 34.5% from a year earlier.

By Peter Y. Hong

December 17, 2008

Foreclosures continued to drag home prices to new lows in November, as the Southern California median sales price slid to $285,000, its first drop below $300,000 since 2003.

The November median price was down 34.5% from the same month last year, and 43.6% below the peak price of $505,000 recorded during several months in 2007, San Diego real estate information service MDA DataQuick reported Tuesday.

"It's really hard to say over and over 'It's worse than we expected,' but we've been saying that for a long time now," UCLA economist Edward Leamer said. 

The flow of repossessed homes into the housing inventory persisted last month, undercutting all home prices and dominating sales. Foreclosed homes accounted for 54.6% of the properties sold in November, up from 18.8% in November 2007. 

Foreclosed homes typically sell for far less than their previous sale amounts, driving down the median price in foreclosure-heavy regions such as the Inland Empire, where about 70% of November home sales were of foreclosed homes. 

San Bernardino County's 43.9% price decline from the previous November was the steepest in the Southland, and its median sales price of $185,250 made it the only county in the region to have a median price below $200,000. Riverside County prices fell 38.3% in November from a year earlier to a median of $220,000.

Low prices pushed the total number of Southern California homes sold in November up 27%. Economists say that the sales of foreclosed homes will help the market find its bottom but that a return to rising prices is a long way off.

That's because the sale of a foreclosed home doesn't provide the same boost to overall sales as a transaction that involves a homeowner who is selling willingly. An individual selling a house will typically soon purchase another home. That does not happen when a bank clears a foreclosed house from its inventory.

"Those transactions simply repay lenders," MDA DataQuick President John Walsh said. "They don't trigger a move-up purchase." 

Leamer said the housing market was falling so fast that it would probably overshoot.

By some measures, falling prices have made homes affordable to more Southern Californians. A National Assn. of Home Builders quarterly index showed that at the end of September, about one-fifth of Los Angeles-area residents brought in enough income to qualify for a loan on a median-priced home. During the height of the real estate boom in 2005 and 2006, only about 2% of Los Angeles-area residents could afford a median priced home, the index showed. 

"In three to four months we should be back to historic norms" of home affordability, said Christopher Thornberg, principal of Beacon Economics, a Los Angeles consulting firm. 

But that doesn't mean there will be a rush of home buying. Many people have lost their jobs, and some have lost savings they might have used for down payments. Others owe more on their mortgages than the value of their current homes and would not have the credit to qualify for a loan on a new home, even if their income would support it. 

Thornberg predicted that based on the pace of current price declines, home prices in Southern California will settle at 55% below their peak in late 2009 and probably remain at that level for some time. If, however, unemployment continues to rise, "that may take the life out of the near-term bottom," Thornberg said. 

The typical monthly mortgage payment Southern California buyers committed themselves to paying was $1,323 last month, down from $1,413 in October and off from $2,049 in November 2007, MDA DataQuick said. Adjusted for inflation, current payments are 37.4% below typical payments in spring 1989, the peak of the previous real estate cycle. They are 48.7% below the current cycle's peak in June 2006.

November price declines exceeded 30% throughout Southern California, though Orange County's November median price of $400,000 remained the highest among the six counties despite being down 31.4% from a year earlier. 

San Diego County recorded a slightly smaller November drop than the rest of the Southland -- its median price for November was down 30.7% to $305,000, while Ventura County's median of $355,000 was 31.9% lower.

peter.hong@latimes.com