I will use a bit over 800 word on my blog tonight to describe why this is so important to me. This isn't the place.

I would hardly call it “slander” or “maliciously defaming you.” Your bio, which is on the Realtor site I mention, says that you are a “writer for hire.” It is not a far leap to then assume that you get paid to write for that site. Perhaps you should change it, considering it's very easy to assume someone is getting paid to write for a site if their bio on said site says they're “a writer for hire.”

That said, I wasn't suggesting that you have a financial motive in commenting here; but that perhaps you aren't exactly unbiased because of your connection to that site and the local real-estate industry. I apologize if that wasn't clear, and did not mean to suggest you had a financial incentive.

However, I still think you're arguing an industry line that flies in the face of expert opinion, but that's a different matter, and I agree it's time to lay the matter to rest in this thread.

You maliciously and falsely defamed me in violation of the stated comment policy. All I'm asking for is an apology in the same space. Lacking one, I'll have to take it up with management.

I still have no idea why you're so hot about this in the first place. If we're going to have changes to the regulatory structure, we should do it in a way that doesn't keep millions of people from buying homes in the future. Your incorrect statement, and incorrect attribution to an authority, only encourages such a policy. Why a supposedly liberal website would do such a thing utterly escapes me. Giving fuel to the Bush Republicans doesn't make any sense to me at all.

“Second, in the full interest of disclosure, Erik, I think you should note that you get paid to write about St. Paul real estate by a Realtor.”

This is completely untrue. I write, unpaid, for a friend that is a realtor and has a blog about Saint Paul and real estate. Before you slander someone, you should do a little bit of research.

None of this has anything to do with the points that I have raise and which you have refused to answer. At every opportunity you have done nothing more than assert that you are right. Ultimately, you decided to falsely attack me rather than defend yourself.

I think it's obvious that this conversation is going nowhere. Let's close it down after your apology.

And careful about the “political spin” you wanna ascribe to Wab. You don't know what his politics. are. But I do.

Suffice to say that your assumptions – like pretty much every attempt to write fact or report events you've ever attempted – are faulty.