Unabashed Shnorring

Look, I know that hard times have arrived. The economists, at least some of them, say that this recession is over.

I am not seeing it. I don't know too many people who are. I see empty stores. I drove past a small strip-mall yesterday that was completed last year and has no tenants. I know another one that is a year old and is 25% occupied, a third that is two years old and is 50% occupied.

Most people don't realize that a lot of commercial real estate loans are done on a far shorter term than residential loans, unless the SBA is involved or the loan is bond-financed through a local industrial development agency. Five year balloon loans are very common. Which means that, if you do the math, that a lot of commercial loans taken out during the recent boom are soon to become due on places that cannot now meet the loan-to-value criteria of banks. Which means a wave of commercial defaults and foreclosures. So times may be getting harder.

I don't know. But what I do know is that there are a lot of men and women who stepped up and went to war when this nation asked them to. There are ones who have been badly hurt and for some, technology may offer some relief. GPSs for those with short-term memory problems who tend to get lost. Voice-operated computers for those who cannot work a keyboard. We can all help for that.

So please, if you can throw a few bucks to Project Valour-IT, click in the center of the thermometer to the right (at the top of the right-hand column) and give a little to help those who gave a lot.