Sam Brownback

I wish to thank Chair Maloney for arranging today's hearing and to thank today's expert panel on home foreclosures and foreclosure mitigation.

I am writing on behalf of South Tule Independent Ditch Company in support of Tule River Tribe's efforts to secure funding for a feasibility study.

When do you think that will be done?

The United States government and its agencies should recognize water resources are the purview of the individual state.

It is essential, though, to balance this need in a manner that addresses the economic climate our nation currently faces.

I am pleased to join you in welcoming the witnesses and members of the public.

I appreciate the hearing. I am sorry for being late. I got captured in my office in a longer meeting.

We commend Senator Brownback, and others, for their work in this area.

On behalf of the Jicarilla Apache Nation, I am writing to support passage of S.1453 that provides for continued annual funding of the Upper Colorado and San Juan fish recovery programs at current levels through fiscal year 2023.

Just an excellent panel.

I sure want to invite you or any of your industry associations to come up with specific proposals to put forward because certainly my office would be interested in putting them forward.

Can we learn anything from past difficulties on policy moves that we should or should not make that can either make this easier or exacerbate it?

Yeah, that is--let's talk about policy proposals here.

Now, my experience again on these things, everybody is bottom feeding, if you will, on these...

The only thing that is selling is something at a real fire sale or distressed, somebody just dumping on the market

I want to thank the chairwoman for doing that, and I promise I won't do a coup here.

I think this is one of the most important issues for us to keep our eye on at this point in time.

I appreciate, Mr. Parkus, your assessment. That is one of the more bearish ones I have heard in this climate, but I am not discounting it.

We need to look at what it is that is taking place and what policy issues we can address to try to make it better or at least not as bad as it could possibly get.

But I am just trying to track this timeline.

So unemployment is not projected presently to pick up until middle part of next year, I don't think.

The lending rates both in terms of interest and time are so severe that it makes the property almost become a nonperforming asset

Prices have fallen by more than 20 percent since peaking in late 2007, and my guess is there is still further downward trending taking place.

One thing that did come out of that debacle that was worthwhile was a move to a more transparent and public ownership of both debt and equity in commercial real estate

I think, on these things, what we have got to do is try to stimulate money back into the marketplace.