Thursday, June 30, 2011

Alien Could Be Our Future President

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) led off the first hearing of the 'DREAM Act' by asking all the illegals in his audience to stand up and then provided encouraging words, calling them our future "doctors, our teachers...our senators, and maybe our president."
Video HERE.Considering that this is expressly forbidden in the Constitution, doubtful.

Unemployment Figures Still in the Crapper

And the beat goes on and on and on and on and on...
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits was mostly unchanged last week, evidence that the struggling economy isn’t generating many jobs.

The Labor Department says unemployment benefit applications ticked down 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 428,000.

Applications have topped 400,000 for 12 straight weeks.

This was worse than expected. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones predicted forecast claims would fall by 8,000.
Good grief, still unexpected.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Houston VA accused of censoring religious speech

Freedom OF religion does not mean freedom FROM religion.
Local veterans and volunteer groups accuse Department of Veterans Affairs officials of censoring religious speech — including the word "God" - at Houston National Cemetery.

In one example cited in documents filed this week in federal court, cemetery director Arleen Ocasio reportedly told volunteers with the National Memorial Ladies that they had to stop telling families "God bless you" at funerals and that they had to remove the words "God bless" from condolence cards.
Read the whole story, it's unbelievable.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Bristol Palin says her mom has decided whether to run for president

I think she will but I wish she wouldn't.
The daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said Tuesday that her mother had made up her mind already about whether to run for president in 2012.

Bristol Palin, the eldest daughter of the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, said that she would like to see her mother run for president.

As to whether Sarah Palin had already reached a decision: "She definitely knows," Bristol Palin said during an appearance on Fox News. The younger Palin said the decision would remain internal to the family in the meantime, though.

"We've talked about it before, but some things just need to stay in the family,"

Monday, June 27, 2011

Americans spend at weakest pace in 20 months

Obamaville disappoints again.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Americans spent at the weakest pace in 20 months, a sign that gas prices are taking a toll on the economy.

Consumer spending was unchanged in May, the Commerce Department said Monday. That was the worst result since September 2009. And when adjusted for inflation, spending actually dropped 0.1 percent.

April's consumer spending figures were revised to show a similar decline when adjusting for inflation. That marked the first declines in inflation-adjusted spending since January 2010.

Incomes rose 0.3 percent for the second straight month. But adjusted for inflation, after-tax incomes increased only 0.1 percent in May, after falling by the same amount in the previous month. By that measure, incomes have been essentially flat since the beginning of the year.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sunday Funny

Friday, June 24, 2011

House Rejects Measure To Continue US Role in Libya

Could this be the beginning of the end?
WASHINGTON – The House has voted down a measure giving President Barack Obama the authority to continue the U.S. military action against Libya.

The vote was 295-123 on Friday. The congressional action has no immediate effect on American involvement but represents a repudiation of the commander in chief.

The vote marks the first time since 1999 that either House has voted against a military operation. The last time was over President Bill Clinton's authority in the Bosnian war.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Thursday Funny

No Newt is good Newt.

Jobs Picture Grows Worse as Weekly Claims Post Jump

Good grief, how long is in going to take before these "unexpectedly rotten employment reports become expected.
New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, suggesting little improvement in the labor market this month after employment stumbled in May.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits climbed 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 429,000, the Labor Department said. The prior week's figure was revised up to 420,000.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims to edge up to 415,000 from a previously reported count of 414,000.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Change To Inflation Measurement On Table As Part Of Budget Talks -Aides

Just another smoke and mirrors gimmick.
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Lawmakers are considering changing how the Consumer Price Index is calculated, a move that could save perhaps $220 billion and represent significant progress in the ongoing federal debt ceiling and deficit reduction talks.

According to congressional aides familiar with the discussions, the proposal would shift how the Consumer Price Index is calculated to reflect how people tend to change spending patterns when prices increase. For example, consumers tend to drive less when gas prices increase dramatically.

Such a move is widely seen by economists as resulting in a slower rise in inflation. That would impact an array of federal programs that are linked to CPI including the Social Security program and income tax brackets set by the federal government.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Existing home sales drop 3.8%

Why does the Lamestream Media persist in expecting better than actual results?
Sales of existing homes fell in May, as severe weather and high gas prices weighed on the shaky housing market.

Home sales fell 3.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.81 million, down from a revised rate of 5 million in April, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

Sales were more than 15% lower than in May 2010.

Economists had expected a May sales rate of 4.79 million existing homes, according to consensus estimates from Briefing.com.

Toddler Gets Doll Made in Her Image


There are not enough eeeeeeee's in creepy to describe THIS.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Monday Funny

Medvedev wants Obama re-elected to a 2nd Term

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday he wanted his US counterpart Barack Obama to win re-election next year, fearing that the two men's efforts to improve ties may lose steam under a new administration. "I can tell you directly -- I would like Barack Obama to be re-elected president of the United States maybe more than someone else," Medvedev said in an interview with the Financial Times whose full transcript was released by the Kremlin early Monday.

"If another person becomes US president then he may have another course," he said.

"We understand that there are representatives of a rather conservative wing there who are trying to achieve their political goals at the expense of inflaming passions in relation to Russia, among other things.

"But what use is criticising them? This is simply a way of achieving political goals."
And us conservatives realize the Menendev regime is trying to achieve their political goals at the expense of the United States.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Fathers Day

To all my lucky bretheren in Fatherhood, have a great day!

Fathers Day Funny

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Keith Olbermann hints at Anthony Weiner talk show on Al Gore's network

And speaking of deserving each other.
That was fast.

Within hours after Anthony Weiner announced his resignation from Congress, former MSNBC gabber Keith Olbermann suggested he may hire the soon-to-be-former New York lawmaker for a talk show on former Vice President Al Gore's fledgling television network, Current TV.

Olbermann, appearing on comedian Jimmy Fallon's late night television program Thursday night, was asked how long he thinks it would be before rival network CNN created a show for Weiner.

"Well, you know, I've got a nine o'clock show that I am probably going to hire somebody for," Olbermann told Fallon, referring to the space immediately after his upcoming new show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann on Current TV.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Quote of the Day

President Obama signs an Executive Order creating SelectUSA: On Tuesday, President Obama signed an Executive Order creating SelectUSA, a new government-wide initiative that will promote the United States as the premier place to do business globally and help attract business operations to the U.S., in order to spur economic growth and job creation. To this Graneros at FR had this to say...
"Only the communists could come up with another level of bureaucracy to cut through all the levels of bureaucracy."
Well done young man.

Larry Flynt Woos Wiener

They're made for each other.Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt knows Anthony Weiner is out of work, and he wants to do something about it.

In a column on the Huffington Post, Flynt offered the sexting scandal-tarred congressman an unspecified job at Flynt Management Group, LLC at a 20 percent hike over his Washington salary — which would come out to over $200,000 per year.

Flynt says he’d also pay for Weiner’s move to Los Angeles, as the job requires.

“While this employment opportunity is being offered in large part due to your qualifications and clear passion for making a change, I feel that your unfortunate resignation is a prime example of unfounded political pressure and the hypocrisy that has invaded democracy in Washington, D.C .,” Flynt wrote.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Thursday Funny

No Viagra for this Wiener

Smiling Bob no more...
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) will resign from his seat in Congress, heeding calls from President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and dozens of other congressional Democrats, sources confirm to POLITICO. The resignation ends nearly three weeks of tumultuous political controversy since the New York congressman sent a lewd picture of himself over Twitter which he claimed at first was a result of a hack, and later admitted he had sent himself.

According to two sources, Weiner made up his mind to resign Wednesday night, and shortly after began making calls to inform them of his decision. Weiner called DCCC chair Steve Israel — who had also called for his resignation — on Wednesday night at the White House picnic to inform him and Pelosi that he had decided to resign on Thursday.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

WI Judge Beotch Slapped

Judicial arrogance takes a major hit...
The Wisconsin state Supreme Court smacked the liberal activist judge who tried to dictate policy to the other two branches of state government. The state Supreme court ruled that Judge Maryann Sumi never had the right to stick her nose into state legislative business when she invalidated Wisconsin’s law which would restrict the collective bargaining “rights” of public service employees.

The court waxed quite eloquent in its public flogging of the activist judge:

The court ruled that Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi’s ruling, which had held up implementation of the collective bargaining law, was in the void ab initio, Latin for invalid from the outset.

And, in case you missed it the first time:

The court concluded that Sumi exceeded her jurisdiction, ‘invaded’ the Legislature’s constitutional powers and erred in halting the publication and implementation of the collective bargaining law.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Quote of the Day

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: She's everyman's ex-wife.

Thanks to Red Badger at FR.

Headline of the Week

For the second time in as many weeks the NYP wins this coveted title.

Retail Sales Slip, Inflation Up

Just more confirmation that this economy really sucks.
U.S. retail sales fell in May for the first time in 11 months, dragged down by a sharp drop in receipts from auto dealerships, according to a government report that could raise fears of a prolonged economic slowdown. At the same time, wholesale prices rose at the slowest pace in 10 months in May as food costs fell and gas prices rose by the smallest amount in eight months. The figures suggest consumers could see some relief from rising prices soon.

The Labor Department says the Producer Price Index, which measures price changes before they reach the consumer, increased 0.2 percent in May. That's down sharply from a 0.8 percent rise in April and a 0.7 percent increase in March. In the past 12 months, the index has risen 7.3 percent, the most since September 2008.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Electric cars may not be so green after all, says British study

Smug Greenies aren't going to like this.
ELECTRIC cars could produce higher emissions over their lifetimes than petrol equivalents because of the energy consumed in making their batteries, a study has found.

An electric car owner would have to drive at least 129,000km before producing a net saving in CO2. Many electric cars will not travel that far in their lifetime because they typically have a range of less than 145km on a single charge and are unsuitable for long trips. Even those driven 160,000km would save only about a tonne of CO2 over their lifetimes.

The British study, which is the first analysis of the full lifetime emissions of electric cars covering manufacturing, driving and disposal, undermines the case for tackling climate change by the rapid introduction of electric cars.

GM CEO: Customers Don't Pay High Enough Gas Tax

They don't call it "Government Motors" for nuthin.
It appears peculiar that a company would demand that government do something that hurts its customers. But that’s what many limited-government policy experts are saying after General Motors CEO Dan Akerson told the Detroit News that he wants to see the federal government raise its gas tax by as much as $1 per gallon. Akerson told the Detroit News that he’d like to see the federal gas tax hiked to get customers to be more receptive to smaller more fuel-efficient vehicles.

According to the Detroit News: “A government-imposed tax hike, Akerson believes, will prompt more people to buy small cars and do more good for the environment than forcing automakers to comply with higher gas-mileage standards.”

Akerson’s comments highlight a conflict of interest between General Motors’ ability to please customers and the federal government, which bailed it out and still owns 26 percent of the company, according to Sam Kazman, general counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

“It’s crazy to see industry serving government rather than serving the public,” Kazman said. “Carmakers are calling for an increase in the cost of the things that drive their product – gasoline. That suggests there is something really wrong with the world.”

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Sunday Funny

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Defiant Weiner won't resign, seeks 'treatment'

Hang in there Wiener!
A defiant Rep. Anthony Weiner will not resign and will instead seek treatment even as a the top leaders of the Democratic Party abandoned him en masse Saturday after it was revealed that he had communicated online with a 17-year-old Delaware girl.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the party’s top campaign chiefs — Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) — all called on Weiner to resign in statements released within minutes of each other.

But Weiner has ignored those calls and announced Saturday afternoon that he’s seeking “professional treatment.”
We at OP predicted he was toast 3days ago.

Saturday Funny

Friday, June 10, 2011

Headline of the Week

Gotta love The Post.

Democratic Senator: Environmental Protection Agency Out of Control

West Virginia helped put him into office, now they're paying the price.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, the former governor of coal-producing West Virginia, is blasting the Obama administration for using the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate coal-fueled power plants out of business.

On Thursday, American Electric Power company announced that to comply with a series of EPA regulations, it will close five coal-fired plants -- three in West Virginia and one each in Ohio and Virginia -- at a net cost of 600 jobs.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states.

"We have worked for months to develop a compliance plan that will mitigate the impact of these rules for our customers and preserve jobs, but because of the unrealistic compliance timelines in the EPA proposals, we will have to prematurely shut down nearly 25 percent of our current coal-fueled generating capacity, cut hundreds of good power plant jobs, and invest billions of dollars in capital to retire, retrofit and replace coal-fueled power plants," said AEP Chairman and CEO Michael G. Morris.

"The sudden increase in electricity rates and impacts on state economies will be significant at a time when people and states are still struggling,” he added.

Thursday, June 09, 2011

Weekly U.S. jobless claims rise to 427,000

And the beat "unexpectedly" goes on...
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. applications for unemployment compensation increased by 1,000 to a seasonally adjusted 427,000 in the week ended June 4, according to the Labor Department. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected new requests to decline to 419,000. Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 426,000 from an originally reported 422,000. The average of new claims over the past four weeks, meanwhile, dipped 2,750 to 424,000.

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Quote of the Day

Free Republic is hot today
"A wedding where a Jew is marrying a Muslim, officiated by an impeached President...What could go wrong?"
Thanks to SERKIT at FR.

Top Democrat calls on Anthony Weiner to resign

He's GONE.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, a leading official at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, called for the New York Democrat to resign on Wednesday after a picture of a man’s genitals — purportedly a Weiner self-portrait — began circulating on the Internet. Contacted by POLITICO, a Weiner spokesman neither confirmed nor denied that the picture was of Weiner.

“Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a member of Congress. In light of Anthony Weiner’s offensive behavior online, he should resign,” the Pennsylvania congresswoman, who serves as chairwoman of recruiting and candidate services for the DCCC, told POLITICO.

E-mail of the Week

Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.

When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

The complaint:

'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base:

Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special?

Any response would be appreciated.

The response:

Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m. , a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques. Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.

At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured..

A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show'? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.

USAF


PS: The wonderful and ever vigilant folks at Free Republic have some additional info on this letter.

First it is about 6 years old. It's legit but the author was a Lt. Col Scott Pleus not Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr. and the last line was somehow added to the original by who knows who.

The complainant wrote a mea culpa back after discovering his indignation was heartily misplaced.

Nonetheless, this was a brilliantly written and moving letter that illustrates how us conservatives (sometimes) and liberals (most of the time)are so involved in our own little petty life annoyances that we fail to truly realize the monumental sacrifices that those unseen and unamed hero's are making for us each and every day.

Wednesday Funny

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Obama's rating on economy hits new low: poll

People are finally getting fed up.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Americans' disapproval of how President Barack Obama is handling the economy and its growing budget deficit has reached new highs amid broad frustration over the slow pace of economic recovery, according to a Washington Post-ABC New poll released on Tuesday.

The ratings boost Obama received after the killing of Osama bin Laden has dissipated with his job approval rating back to 47 percent. Forty-nine percent disapprove of his performance.

Fifty-nine percent, a new high, gave Obama negative marks for his handling of the economy, up from 55 percent a month earlier.

Obama's approval rating on the deficit issue hit a new low of 33 percent, down 6 points since April.

Monday, June 06, 2011

Quote of the Day

"Palin has read American history. The media must have only read Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem—which is no more the definitive account of Revere’s famous ride than Oliver Stone’s JFK is the true story of the Kennedy assassination."
With that quote you need to read the entire article.

Chronic unemployment worse than Great Depression

When the MSM starts noticing how really bad things are, look out.
There is an unfortunate adage for the unemployed: The longer folks are out of a job, the longer it takes them to find a new one.

CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports that the chronically unemployed face the hardest road back to recovery, and that while the jobs picture may be improving statistically on a national level, it is not for them. …

About 6.2 million Americans, 45.1 percent of all unemployed workers in this country, have been jobless for more than six months – a higher percentage than during the Great Depression.

New Woman Comes Forward Claiming Cache of Intimate Photos and Communications

Ruh Roh...
A new woman has come forward with what she claims are photographs, chats, and emails with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY). These appear to undermine severely Rep. Weiner’s explanations that he was the victim of a “prank” or a “hack.”

The detailed new information suggests that the Brooklyn- and Queens-based representative and the young woman in question were involved in an online, consensual relationship involving the mutual exchange of intimate photographs.

BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com were approached regarding this information more than a week prior to the separate, independent event of Friday, May 27, 2011, when a link to the now-infamous “gray underwear” photograph appeared publicly on Rep. Weiner’s Twitter feed.

We will be updating BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com throughout the day with photographs, timelines, and other clarifying details. However, we will not be releasing all of the material because some of it is of an extreme, graphic nature.

UPDATE:Weiner's Presser...I'm bad, bad, bad, bad, and sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, but NOT quitting.

He said his wife deserves better, doesn't the country?

Sunday, June 05, 2011

Fox Palin interview

Even the often beligerant Chris Wallace termed the interview "BOFFO" Having watched it I would concur.

Transcript HERE.

Saturday, June 04, 2011

JPM Lowers Q2 GDP For Second Time In A Week, Warns Of A "Severe Downgrade"

When this does transpire the MSM will still maintain that it was "unexpected".
When we revised down our estimate of Q2 GDP growth last week to 2.5% we noted that the risks to this quarter were still to the downside. Given the hard activity data we've received since then -- particularly the auto sales and construction report -- it looks like those downside risks are being realized, and we are lowering our Q2 projection to 2.0%.

Even with this revision we'd assess the risks as still a little to the downside. Most of our downward revision in Q2 is located in consumer spending, where we think growth this quarter is tracking close to 1.5%. If our new estimate for Q2 is realized, GDP growth relative to a year-ago would be only 2.4%, implying almost no closing of the output gap over the past year -- an abysmal performance given that the output gap is arguably greater than 5% of potential GDP, or less arguably, that there are still almost 14 million unemployed workers.

Friday, June 03, 2011

James Arness Dies at 88


A large man in more ways than one. A very sad day indeed.
James Arness, who burnished the legend of America’s epic West as Marshal Matt Dillon, the laconic peacemaker of Dodge City on “Gunsmoke,” one of the longest-running dramatic series in television history, died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.

A family spokeswoman, Ginny Fazer, confirmed the death. Mr. Arness was terribly shy and had almost no training as an actor. A wartime leg wound made it painful for him to mount a horse. But he became the best-known tin star of his era, portraying the towering, weathered marshal for 20 years, from 1955 to 1975. He also made some 50 films and television movies, mostly westerns, in a career that stretched across five decades.

Job growth slows to 54,000 in May, rate up to 9.1%

The only people who weren't expecting this were the government economist's
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Job growth decelerated sharply in May, the Labor Department said Friday. Total nonfarm payrolls increased by 54,000, much lower than the 125,000 gain expected by Wall Street economists.

This is the smallest increase in nonfarm payroll since September. The unemployment rate ticked higher 9.1% in May from 9.0% in the previous month. Economists forecast the unemployment rate to fall to 8.9%. Average hourly earnings increased 6 cents, or 0.3% to $22.98. Economists had been expecting a 0.2% gain. Earnings are up a slim 1.8% in the past year. The average workweek was steady at 34.4 hours.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Mom's Wrath

NEW YORK– The mother of Gennette Cordova, the college student who received a lewd photo from Rep. Anthony Weiner via Twitter, is infuriated by how the politician is handling the issue, and says its a huge distraction for her daughter who is taking finals at the time.

“I’m really upset. I feel like he’s a person of power and influence, who can make a statement and make all this go away,” Carol Mizuguchi said.

Only days after Weiner claimed that his Twitter was hacked and that the photo was sent as a prank, he stated yesterday that he “can’t say with certitude” that the photo was not him.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Jobs Outlook Tanks as do Stocks

More Obamanomics on parade.
NEW YORK, June 1 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks skidded on Wednesday as more weak economic data cemented fears the U.S. recovery was running out of steam and prompted Wall Street firms to slash forecasts ahead of the closely watched payrolls report on Friday.

Goldman Sachs and several other big financial institutions cut estimates for non-farm payrolls growth in May after ADP Employer Services reported much lower-than-expected growth in private payrolls last month.

US home prices slump as crisis deepens

Looks like another "Recovery Summer".
WASHINGTON — US home prices have sunk below levels seen during the "Great Recession," according to data revealed Tuesday, sparking renewed pessimism about a key pillar of the spluttering economic recovery.

Unless you are selling a house in Washington or buying one in Minnesota there is little cause to celebrate the state of the US housing sector.

Despite ultra-low borrowing rates, experts say a steady flow of repossessed homes onto the market, tighter bank lending rules and high unemployment have kept prices at rock bottom.