Glad the government planned Cash for Clunkers so well !
Little did the gub no that nearly 180,000 cars would be involved in the CARS program. They ran out of money after only one week of the program, people were getting cheated because the minimum MPG ratings changes mid-stream, and just what the hell happens to all those vehicles that are turned in?
Here are some tidbits of the program I question.:
There are several requirements (but you also have to meet certain conditions for the car or truck you wish to buy). Your dealer can help you determine whether you have an eligible trade in vehicle.
Your trade-in vehicle must
- Have been manufactured less than 25 years before the date you trade it in
- have a “new” combined city/highway fuel economy of 18 miles per gallon or less
- be in drivable condition
- be continuously insured and registered to the same owner for the full year preceding the trade-in
- The trade-in vehicle must have been manufactured not earlier than 25 years before the date of trade in and, in the case of a category 3 vehicle, must also have been manufactured not later than model year 2001
Note that work trucks (i.e., very large pickup trucks and cargo vans) have different requirements
There are several requirements (but you also have to meet certain conditions for the car or truck you wish to buy). Your dealer can help you determine whether you have an eligible trade in vehicle.
Isn’t a car more than 25 years old (if it even ran) be considered one hell of a clunker and omission spitting beast? So all those cars stay on the road.
Has to be in drivable condition? Of course it needs to be drivable so the dealer can either put the piece of crap back on the lot, or sell it at auction, which once again, will end up on some other lot and sold to someone else. I thought the whole gist of the plan was to encourage people to trade a car and purchase a more ECO friendly vehicle? Car dealerships now have hundreds of used cars on their lots that initially met the standard of horribleness to be traded in…..ummm..then will be sold? That goal sounds foiled to me.
So, we just removed these cars and put them back on the road again? I guarantee you the dealers won’t have all these thousands of trade in’s smashed into tiny little , shiny metal sauce pans. They make money by moving the car through the system and they get re-imbursed by Uncle Sam for that hefty allowance they just gave you!! This is isn’t a movement to eliminate these cars, we all know it’s more of a push to get dealers making money again. The auto industry still makes the same ECO disaster models so we are just making our roads temporarily more healthy?
The worst joke would be if people are working that $4500 credit into their loan! No No No…you need to ask for cash in your grubby hand! NEVER have a rebate or cash allowance worked into the loan to ease the payment or bring down the balance. If a program offers cash back, then get the cash back and if they don’t offer that option, walk out the door!
Happy car trading and don’t bank on CARS being your answer. As always, buy a car you can afford to pay off in 5 years ! Here that? 5 years ! Or do not buy the car because you can’t afford the lien.
Kisses !
North Korea…are you kidding me?
I know this is serious and the prospect of any country making nuclear threats is dangerous. The UN and the US are not dealing easily with North Korea and they shouldn’t. I don’t care how imperialistic the US has become in it’s dealings with other countries, there is no room in our world for a country like North Korea. These statements are not going to make people happy who may be of North Korean origin, simply I don’t give a crap.
This is 2009 and the people of North Korea are trapped in a madman’s grip. Relinquish this country of its governments brainwashing and free these people into the modern world. They are one of the few entirely state run economic systems, which means they are very isolated and restrictive in how they deal with international trade. The country has numerous resources for agriculture, however, their economic growth is small and stagnant due to being a complete totalitarian, government controlled economy.
The Korean War ended in the late 50’s , however, North and South Korea have never officially “not” been at war. Tourism for South Korean and US residents is severely restricted as well. (pretty country but would you want to go now?) Tourists are accompanied by a state provided “chaperone” and there are few areas for tourist to roam free in the country.
A country that stifles its citizens and media the right to protected free speech, even though it’s stated in their constitution. Good news is the only news allowed when referring to the current regime. People starve in what is an ongoing famine, but this is never allowed to be discussed. China and Japan have been providing aid to the country for years.
Health care is free but grossly inadequate due to limitation of funds and outside influence. The mortality rate in this ocuntry is one of the highest in the world. They have been called the “most brutalized people in the world” because of strict government influence and punishment (work camps, capital punishment, etc).
I know there are “more visible” regions in Africa worse than North Korea when it comes to famine and lack of medicinal resources, but North Korea is a self containing government which has great potential to be a productive, thriving country in the modern era. The capacity for great economic, industrial growth, and a thriving agricultural foundation because of vast natural resources. However, military and regime come first.
So…why does this seem like old news and now suddenly it means something to me? Because, on the surface, the tactics of this country are laughable. They play manipulative games of “give me what I want or else” with the world. North Korea in the news didn’t interest me, it was just another reference to a country that meant nothing to me.
What used to be a cat and mouse game is now a regime who seems to have the balls (or foolishness) to bark with the big dogs. I once laugh now I worry. I hear nuclear come up in conversations I start to listen. I now know how bad these people have it and they truly don’t know it, because they know no other way of life.
I am sure someone is thinking “Hell, having Bush as President was just as bad and our country is the most crooked in the world” Well, you go ahead and think that as you sip your latte, browse your blog of the morning in the corner coffee shop, bagging on your chosen politican of the month. Meanwhile, there is a little country out east that wants to blow up the world and doesn’t feed its people.
Dunk that in your hot cocoa next time you think the US is a rotten place to be.
Everyday can be an Earth Day…a little PSA
The recognition of Earth Day is now in it’s fourth decade and I think we’ve come a long way in our acceptance that it’s our responsibility to keep things clean and green. If you think about the effort it takes on your part, it is very minimal.
Don’t throw trash out the window of your car and pick up after yourself. How simple is that? There are a ton of “green”products on the market now anywhere from hybrid vehicles to cleaning products made from biodegradable chemicals. You don’t have to buy anything and everything that has an eco-friendly label on it, just do the little things people.
Mother nature has an amazing way of healing herself and making new but I do believe there is a point where we have to step in to lend a hand. Nobody likes to see Diet Dr Pepper bottles floating in a pond or cigarettes being flung out windows. I’m not saying that you need to dawn the scuba gear and plunge into your neighborhood watering hole searching for bottles and cans, but if you see something outside needing to be thrown away or recycled, do it. You don’t need to pack your trunk full of random garbage, but do something. Yeah, trash is icky and god knows who’s hands have been on it, but most bacteria and viral infections die relatively quickly once exposed to the outside air (hehe).
Seriously, picking up something off the ground is no different then you grabbing a door handle at Arby’s…think about it?
Do something small, walk a block or two instead of hopping in your car, carpool if you can (a lot of metro areas have carpool websites and clubs where you meet people close to you and share rides, or people at your place of employment who want to ride share) In the summer, mow your lawn closer to sunset or early in the morning if you can. Drink more filtered tap water if you can’t stand the thought of doing away with your water bottles (Brita pitchers are so cool and easy to refill during the day)
If the government can’t get it done, then you need to. Don’t wait for someone else to come along and make it cleaner or smell better. Get your hands dirty and quit worrying about your god damn manicure or that new Rolex you just wrapped around your hairy, limp wrist. Get down from the narcissistic cloud you float around on and make a real difference. (I don’t mean you unless this fits) You don’t have to be a granola to be environmentally conscious. Just have an awareness that for every little move you make, there are people nearby who see you do it and think twice about their own actions. Kind of like that commercial you see where random people witness an act of kindness and then perform one themselves? Is blogging going to fix the world, no…but it’s a great way to express myself and get you to think too.
You see this pitch all over the place but obviously it’s an important one or we wouldn’t be bombarded by the message. It’s common sense – you take care of yourself so take care of your world.
Blagojevich on “The View”…a true master of distortion and diversion
He is either a case study of the interview dodge artist or has received really bad advisement from his legal team. He never answers the question about whether or not he actually made remarks about selling the senate seat. I literally can’t follow him either and this is a ballsy and self centered appearance he made on The View yesterday.
This was one of the first major public appearances in which he addressed the charges against him and the looming impeachment precedings. We won’t go into his laundry list of misdoings. However, there is a great website which has transcripts from when he was bugged.
I don’t know about this View appearance but it’s really hard not to see right through this loser. He has a history of low approval ratings and shaky activities as Illinois governor – so how can you not laugh under your breath. Accused of a being potty mouth is one thing, but his adamant berating of the impeachment process is a joke.
Indeed a very charismatic (though be it funny looking) dude- the guy his well spoken and makes is sound like he is a legitmately innocent man. After a while , it simply becomes rambling, defensive babble that forces you to stop listening. If he is biting back at his accusers like this- no wonder he’s in deep shit. I have to admit- the average guy bumping into him in a bar would probably enjoy throwing some beers back. On the flipside – he has that very secretive “I know things about you” type of demeanor which is creepy.
Hey Roddy – you’re done and you opened your mouth one too many times considering you are a public official. Here the first series of tapings from the show on Monday.
Health Care and capitalism a match made in heaven
Some people think this is the future - Unfortunately it is the present and it must change
Health Care and capitalism a match made in heaven – seriously if you believe that you are more likely to go to heaven sooner rather than later.
There are truly intelligent people out there who say things like “Our rights were correctly identified by the founders of the United States: we are entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If we study these rights, we can see that they are negative rights. Essentially, we are granted the right not to have our lives, freedom, or property taken away. These are our moral rights. Period. The proper (and original) role of our government is to protect the rights, or true entitlements, of its citizens.”
They then follow up that logic with beauties like this “We are not entitled to the materials or services (labor) of another person without that person’s consent. In a free society, those providing a good or service are compensated for it by receiving fair market value. This is the value set by free exchanges in the open market place. To quote Leonard Peikoff in “Health Care is Not a Right,” http://www.bdt.com/pages/Peikoff.html “Health care in the modern world is a complex, scientific, technological service. How can anybody be born with a right to such a thing?” “You have the right to work, not to rob others of the fruits of their work, not to turn others into sacrificial, rightless animals laboring to fulfill your needs.”
So let’s take a minute and think outside of the wacko box. Let’s imagine a world where the government is not involved in health care at all. In this imaginary world government does not participate in research, grants, medicaid or medicare, city or state or county run health programs and each person and corporation is totally responsible for funding their health care.
Now almost no one can afford to have a hospital in their home. How often do even the super wealthy use a CAT scan machine? Not often enough to purchase their own in most cases, and to have a surgery center on hold just for you is also not logical, because how often do you actually need surgery. Additionally, not many people would want to go through the rigors of becoming a physician when so few people could actually afford to use their services. There would simply not be enough job openings to make the field attractive to the masses. The reduction in doctors would just be the start of the trickle down. Obviously there would be fewer medical devices built, so fewer people would be employed in these industries, and with no grant money available there would be very few research facilities at our universities and colleges.
Essentially with no government involvement in health care the industry would be virtually unsustainable. My guess is it would revert back to the early 20th century and 19th century type of service. Where your local doctor would work in your town and provide house calls. They would be able to tell you in large part what actually ailed you, but they would have to send you to a centralized hospital in order to receive “traditional” services, because local hospitals would be nothing more than doctors offices with very limited technology.
In this world no research would be done into drugs or treatments that do not effect large portion of the population, because any discoveries would not be profitable and pure capitalism will not support philanthropy just for the sake of philanthropy. Additionally, the truly wealthy would be the only ones who could afford most long-term care services.
Now this is all doom and gloom, and to some people this world will sound horrific, but here is the really scary point of this story.
For 40 million Americans this ridiculous scenario would probably offer better health care than they currently receive. The local doctor would probably be affordable, and the billing process would more than likely be reasonable, so you could pay a reasonable fee for the services you receive. Additionally, if the doctor gives you grave news, and informs you that you will need to pay for centralized medical care you can just thank them and die. This option is not much different for many people today.
Some people seem to believe those without health care are demanding health care services as a right, or an inherent right as a U.S. citizen. I the vast majority of cases this is not true. People do not believe health care is a right, just as they do not believe fire departments, police stations, libraries or city halls are built and staffed because it is a right. People believe these services are provided for the betterment of society, and to protect the people who can not afford to purchase and staff these facilities on their own. The truly ironic part, is no one is claiming we should stop funding these core services, because they just make since. Virtually no one can afford to purchase a fire engine, and most people do not want every Tom, Dick and Harry running around with a firearm keeping the peace.
As an educated society we have determined that “some” things are better handled by the People for the People, and it is time we add health care to that equation. We need to work on systematic reform. We need to address not only the process of dispensing health care, but the foundation must be rocked. We need centralized health care goals in research, infrastructure, personnel, disbursement and education. These goals should be centralized one four levels. There should be a national plan, a state plan, a county plan and a city plan. Individual citizens should have a say in the elected officials who oversee their health care priorities, and be able to help their local officials help prioritize health care issues that most effect them.
If someone is sick or needs counseling they should be able to go to their local health care facility and visit their local physician who will assist them in the next steps required in their health care process. Health care needs to be handled locally, but it must have the power of a nation behind it when that power is required. Such as with epidemics, natural disasters and other unforeseen major events that would overwhelm local communities and in some cases even states.
This goal, nay this requirement is not some belief or desire that one man is dreaming. This is something that a nation of great people must demand. We can not watch people suffer. We can not watch friends and neighbors go without treatment when treatments are available. This is not what made us who we are today. We are a great nation, and it is time we stopped putting dollars, and selfishness ahead of the common good.
I hope to readdress this issue in the near future, and I believe there are sound financial reasons for making these changes as well. I believe once these changes are implemented it will have a positive affect on the economy, and if the entire process is implemented it will save money for the vast majority of businesses and people, as well as generating great strides forward with major health care issues.
Time for a new book about Bernard Madoff and all these suicides – I smell conspiracy
Bernie Madoff just looks like a crook
Do you think anyone out there is writing a story about the underworlds of the financial pyramid, and the small group of influential people who control it all? I can see the plot lines now. All of the world’s great puppet masters force Bernie Madoff to take the fall for their loses to keep some horrible secret about the Madoff family from becoming public. Madoff finally acquiesces to the scheme because he is dying of some illness, and it is the only way to save his family. Keep in mind Madoff is not a hero in this story but a co-conspirator who is just as guilty as the rest.
So the plan is hatched and the superpowers push their loses into his fund, and take the remaining money to make themselves whole, and to carry on with their world domination. In addition to Madoff’s fund they have also done this with major public corporations but in more elaborate ways, like CDOs, short selling and debt-swaps. Then of course some of the pack and/or their friend’s find out about the plot and can not live with the guilt, so the financial superpowers have them killed one-by-one until the story finally dies off and is buried at the highest levels of the world’s governments, including the President and the U.N.. Obviously this is just a movie or book plot, but I bet someone could come up with a more in depth version quickly. Just be sure to give me credit for the idea, because I could use the money, my Madoff investment is not looking so hot right now.
If you wanted to fix the big banks and help the little guy…
The government could cap interest rates on certain qualifying mortgages, namely those issued to the lowest income borrowers (not speculators) who actually live in their homes. This would be accompanied by a trade-able tax credit issued to the bank for the loss in value on the mortgage.
In this way the plan would work as a targeted stimulus package with the stimulus targeted at those homeowners most in need while compensating the bank with a tax credit against future income. To the extent the bank does not need that tax credit, it can sell it to a third party receiving cash and enhancing its capital.
A second program could be enacted on those lower quality mortgages the government acquires with the $700Bn bailout.
Assuming, as anticipated, that the mortgages are acquired at 65 cents on the dollar. The government could offer certain targeted homeowners an incentive. The rate will be lowered and capped as indicated above. The mortgage will be restructured into a two tranche mortgage. If the homeowner pays the interest on tranche 1 (80% of the mortgage value) and lives in the home for some period of time (say 5-7 years), tranche 2 (20% of the mortgage is forgiven). I would open the program up to folks who are currently renting, but would be interested in occupying some of the excess housing stock on these terms.
This is a win-win-win (for the banks, homeowners who are not in financial distress but constrained by loss of value in their home, and homeowners in jeopardy) because you provide a major incentive to take the excess supply of homes off the market thus allowing the housing market to price homes at levels that do not reflect significant overhang.
It would be ideal if States would help by reducing / eliminating property taxes only on homes included in the programs above for some period of time, say 3- 5 years. The idea behind this is that the worst thing for our economy is to let the hangover of excess supply in houses cause significant further deterioration in home prices. By getting families in these houses with incentive to make payments the States would benefit long term because there would be someone with a vested interest in continuing to own that home and thus pay property taxes. Allowing them to get their “feet under them” and get established in the home through a property tax holiday really would not cost the State, because consider that abandoned or foreclosed homes will not likely pay the tax anyway. So unless the States want an inventory of homes to dispose of this makes sense and helps to establish future tax paying citizens.
These two programs would help the individuals that need the most help, help a lot of individuals that would otherwise like to get into a home but are locked out of the current mortgage market, help specifically those banks in the most trouble and help the economy as a whole.
A “Little Person” Rant
OK, so most of you know I like to rant, and for some reason the whole “little people” thing has got my guns up in anger, so here is a “little” education for the elite “Big People”.
Disclaimer – If you have never been poor you can stop reading this now, I don’t want you to know a big secret…. (hush)
Poor people resent you because you have money and they do not. In good times you get to live the high life, traveling in first class, driving great cars and basically doing all the things poor people want to do, but you never invite us to play, or give us an invitation to the party. So in short, in good times you get all the advantages and we are not invited to play.
In bad times you talk to poor people like they are idiots who cannot comprehend the gravity of “Big People” stuff, and you tell them they need to do what you say or dire things will happen. Basically you say it is not just a rich person problem it is an everybody problem, and that pisses us off, because we never didn’t have a problem, and now apparently we have your problems to deal with as well. In short, you only invite us to play in your world when things suck, and guess what, things in our world already suck, so your invitation is a real slap in the face, and therefore we resent you for your pious attitude about your problems.
Another reason we think you suck, is apparently you are not good at anything other than screwing things up, and making money while doing it. You see we are not as ignorant as you might think. We knew there were problems in the economy 30 years ago when jobs started going elsewhere, because we made too much money. Now keep in mind the people firing us all made multiples of what we made, and they all lived a great lifestyle compared to us, but it was made totally clear we were the problem and not management. To add insult to injury we were made so poor by losing our jobs that we were forced to buy the lesser quality crap you were importing for ourselves and our kids, because it was all we could afford, so in the end you had us beat before we even got to the game, because you have all the cards.
Today, and coincidentally 30 years ago as well the hot topics are and were energy independence and credit issues. Although it is easy for you to assume we are confused about both of these topics please take a second and think about who loses their home first, who waits in gas lines because they can’t afford to fill up their gas tanks, who struggles to pay electric and gas bills all while being told the American dream is attainable if you only try harder. I hope your answer is poor people and not the “little people”, because size doesn’t matter when it comes to poverty. The really amazing thing is even though we are apparently to stupid to understand these issues we are not to stupid to pay for them. Again the poor people get kicked in the gut while the “Big People” continue to fly first class and live a lifestyle we can never attain in this lifetime.
And the hits keep coming. It turns out that every one of us living in America has raked up an additional $30,000 in debt on behalf of the government over the last 35 years. Unlike the credit cards, mortgage and other debts we already have we also have a debt that apparently you care less about then we do, so we ask you, now that you have made the United States poor are you going to outsource the poor citizens for less expensive citizens?
This rant has gone on long enough, but I ask all the poor people in the U.S. to do me a favor… STOP BEING A DOORMAT FOR THE “BIG PEOPLE”, EXPRESS YOURSELF BY VOTING AND CHALLENGING YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS ON EVERYTHING. Last time I checked the foundation of this country is based on an exceptional document that starts out with “WE THE PEOPLE”, and not we the “BIG PEOPLE”.
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