I was thinking today that if I just bought stock in companies I believed in, I would be doing very well even today. Costco is a company I know and admire. I haven't checked it's stock prices but their business in booming as is Walmart, a company I don't particularly admire- at least not since Sam Walton died. For some reason Burger King is doing very well. Star Bucks? They are closing 600 stores. The unemployment figures are going to go through the roof and the homeless population is going to explode just when states who depend on property taxes are losing revenue because of falling house prices.

I am very fortunate to live where I do. There is barely a change in house prices and employment is high. We are sitting on top of the Barnett Shale and almost every single homeowner in Tarrant County has the mineral rights. Our department secretary told me yesterday that their homeowners association just signed with a natural gas driller for $27,000 per acre. That means every homeowner will be paid that amount per acre just to sign. (They had 4 lawyers in that association), We signed a year ago and got only $4500.00 for our 3 year lease agreement. When they start pumping we will get 23% of the wholesale price of the gas. That can yield anywhere between a couple hundred dollars a month to $1500 per acre. A lot of poor dirt farmers with land around here became millionaires. I like that- it is very grass roots and democratic. The Barnett Shale is expected to last 40 to 80 years.

So I just want to say publicly that I am grateful for what I have; a healthy family, a good job, health insurance, even a little treasure under the porch. I will not ignore a homeless person because except for the grace of God, that's me.