.
now we know where gw gets his "compassionate conservatism" from:.
hurricane katrina victims in houston, texas were "underprivileged anyway" and life in the astrodome sports arena is "working very well for them," former first lady barbara bush says....
HOLY CRAP, Barb!
While long term benefits to the financial situation of some of the evacuees may indeed be realized eventually, I still can't concede that this is 'working out well' for the majority of them.
I once had the unexpected pleasure of staying in a ridiculously over priced hotel where a very proper looking gentlemen in a suit would come into the room and ask how he could help me whenever I pushed a button. I still couldn't wait to get home.
i have never done a 60 month loan and i have sworn i never would... but with how much cars are costing these days i'm wondering if i will have to do a 60 month loan on my next car.
that is five frigg'in years!
i paid cash for my last car ($4,500 - 1999 ford contour se, used) so i had no payments to make.
American made cars are horrible!
It's often a good idea to stay away from rash generalizations based on limited experience. Some "american made" cars are 'horrible'. Many aren't.
Depending on what you're willing to spend, stick with Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Acura, Lexus, Infinity, and higher. That's my take on it.That Honda, Nissan or Toyota you buy is very likely to have been fabricated from parts made in, and assembled right here, in the U.S. Many times the only thing 'foreign' about it is the location in which the profits are counted and spent.
my wife asserts that this is the case.
she adds that no witness is to judge another for their decision, whatever it may be.
is this the case, and if so, does it really play out that way?.
Blood fractions are now a conscience matter.
This has never made any sense to me. It's like declaring the consumption of a turkey sandwich to be an abomination to God, but saying that taking that same sandwich and peeling off the turkey, lettuce & tomato before eating them individually is A-OK with the Almighty--as long as you can't still call it a sandwich.
hi all guys,.
i'm in the process of moving and am having a good clean out.. i've finished reading my coc book and thought someone else would like to read it, instead of it sitting in my cupboard collecting dust.. i live in melbourne australia, so if you want it you can either pick it up from me, if you live in the area, or i can post it to you if you are prepared to pay for postage.. let me know if you're interested and i'll make arrangements to get it to you.. .
lehaa
What a great idea--
I've got one too, if anyone would like it. PM me, I'm in the continental US but would have no problem mailing it where ever it was wanted.
Let me know!
i graduated from high school in 1984!
class of 84 rocked!
1984 graduate.
We're so cool and we're so fine, we're the class of '89!
I'd get out my old cheerleader uniform, but after two kids and *gulp* 16 years, I don't think I could get it zipped...
i don't actually have anything to add to this.
but - isn't there anyplace in your life that you love this dearly?.
gently feral .
Once you've lived in NOLA or south Louisiana, it gets under your skin and you'll never be the same. You will be richer for the experience.
I couldn't agree more. And here's where I may surprise you a little:
I adore New Orleans. My first trip there was as a teenager, and due to our highly creative methods of ditching our more than adequate supervision, I had more fun that week than nearly any other time in my youth. My husband was born in Louisiana, lived the first ten years of his life a stones throw away from the city--right across the lake in Slidell. My honeymoon was spent in a beautiful little B&B in the French Quarter, and every morning of those first few weeks of our married life we woke up with a walk down to Cafe Du Monde for Cafe au lait and beignets. My husband's grandmother, grandfather and infant brother are buried there, in above ground cemeteries that have likely been washed away along with everything else. Our subsequent pleasure trips there over the years have been memorable in more ways than I can possibly relay here. The city I have known and loved has been nearly wiped off the map, and more human suffering than I can fathom has (and will continue to) accompany her destruction.
I have been trying very hard not to grieve selfishly for the destruction of the city, to not place what I have lost in any sphere that is even CLOSE to what those who have lost everything are experiencing. We are aching with sympathy and empathy for what everyone is experiencing there, we have sent as much money and supplies as we can, and have committed to do so on a regular basis. Our family is sacrificing months of separation (again, see my previous posts) to do our part to help rebuild.
I went back and looked over my posts regarding this situation, and I cannot find anything to regret in what I've said (except the harshness in which I spoke in one instance, and apologies and forgiveness were handled via PM). In no way have I declared that anyone suffering deserves to have had this tragic sequence of events befall them.
But what I did say, repeatedly, is that I will not jump on the bandwagon that places the blame for this situation squarely on the shoulders of one governmental agency or group of people. I will not stand idly by and wring my hands over the injustice of it all nor will I raise my fist in judgment without a lot of careful, thoughtful analysis. I have struggled to maintain an even keel in these discussions--to wade through the flying rhetoric and point out that there is blame enough to go around, and that assigning it to one or any factor in this mess does not equal lack of empathy or horror at the situation. I firmly believe that the deepest of empathy for the victims of any situation is not lessened by acknowledging the underlying factors that contributed to that situation.
I believe that as we move forward from this tragic sequence of events, America may well be at a crossroads. I believe that the hard issues, the issues of both governmental and personal responsibility, of the insidious cycle of poverty in this country, the real and deepening racial divide, our very social and political future as a nation, are going to need to be laid bare and examined with a level of honesty that has never yet been seen. And I, for one, am going to make myself ready--by refusing to gloss over what I see as real, causal factors in this situation in the hope that we learn that sympathy and accountability need not be mutually exclusive.
Sara--of the "2 cents turned into 2 dollars" class
i have never done a 60 month loan and i have sworn i never would... but with how much cars are costing these days i'm wondering if i will have to do a 60 month loan on my next car.
that is five frigg'in years!
i paid cash for my last car ($4,500 - 1999 ford contour se, used) so i had no payments to make.
The conventional wisdom when purchasing a car is that since an auto loan provides you no tax beneift, you should finance it for the least number of periods that will still allow you to comfortably make the payment.
But it also depends on what kind of buyer you are: Do you like to drive a new car every few years? If so, look into short term financing or lease programs.
But if you prefer to purchase, pay for, and drive a car as long as possible before purchasing a new one, then a 60 month loan on a new automobile is just about standard given the price of a new car these days, and it is also the longest financing period I would personally undertake. Any longer and you severely limit your ability to refinance or trade in the vehicle if needed, since your outstanding loan value will likely be appreciably higher than the present value of the vehicle itself.
But again, that's just me. I know a lot of people who are financing their cards for 72 and even *gasp* 84 months just to be able to afford as much car as they want. I say choose the shortest period that you can afford, and if that happens to be 60 months and you're comfortable with having/maintaining a vehicle for the long haul, go for it.
Sara--of the "accountants are the most boring people on earth class"
i don't actually have anything to add to this.
but - isn't there anyplace in your life that you love this dearly?.
gently feral .
Sara, I hope that if you should end up in dire straights, people have more empathy for you. I'm sure if that happens, you will hope so, too. Why be so annoyed with suffering people?
I'm not annoyed in the least with the suffering of people--quite the contrary. I'm horrified by it, my family and I are giving all the cash and provisions we can at this point, my husband will be very soon be out on the gulf coast (likely for two to five months) helping to do the work to assess and rebuild the area. On a personal level, I am actively involved in work that has a direct, immediate impact on the financial situations of people in my community every day. I have as much sympathy as anyone for the plight of those who are suffering, and don't appreciate the implication that I don't. (edited to add: If you read my comments in the post you're responding to, you will notice that my frustration is with the governmental officials involved, not the poor people who are suffering due to their actions--or lack thereof)
I am not annoyed at the suffering of people, I am annoyed at the widespread perception that it is all the federal government's fault. I didn't vote for Bush, I think he's a smug bastard most of the time, but very few people seem to want to disseminate any of the responsibility for this disaster below the federal level, and that frustrates me. I simply believe that nothing meaningful ever gets done in this world until people give credt--and criticism--where it is actually due.
i don't actually have anything to add to this.
but - isn't there anyplace in your life that you love this dearly?.
gently feral .
Yes the feds were inexcusibbly slow in their disaster response ;however competent local planning and execution have saved lives and eased suffering.The fleet of school busses, rather than being left in a flood zone, could have evacuated hundreds of ;people.
A truckload of food and water could have been taken to the superdome before the storm hit.
Sanitation planning could have been a small consideration.
All excellent points--the very first 'failure' in New Orleans was that of the local government. It does seem that their entire disaster plan in a nutshell was "1. Herd everyone into big places with absolutely no provisions or plan for caring for them. 2. Scream really loud for faster federal asisstance. 3. When someone suggests that you just migh be a little responsible for the present situation, put your fingers in your ears and scream louder. 4. When federal aid DOES arrive (and at about the time it would have if anyone else had been doing their job) just keep talking about how late it was."
The ineptitude of the local plannners coupled with the inaction of the state government were the dominoes that kicked off all the other governmental failures in the New Orelans evacuation "plan".
ok, some people may call me a heartless bastard for making this thread, but i have to be honest.. i really don't care about the hurricane victims.
i highly doubt that the people walking through walmart with shopping carts full of clothing and electronics would send me one f'ing red cent if i was in need (and i am in need, by the way).. i just can't find it in my heart to care at all.
maybe i'm the only one who thinks like this, but i've been struggling to survive for the past 2 years and no one has ever lifted a finger to help me.
I've read all your posts in this thread, and I'm trying to find some common ground on which to sympathize with you. I'm having a very hard time doing so.
I really don't care about the hurricane victims. I highly doubt that the people walking through Walmart with shopping carts full of clothing and electronics would send me one f'ing red cent if I was in need (and I AM in need, by the way).
The people you see looting Wal-Mart and the legions of people trapped in the city this last week represent a very small percentage of those who have been affected by Katrina. The vast majority of those who lost EVERYTHING THEY OWN were the several hundred thousand other inhabitants of New Orleans and every other city and town along the gulf coast that has seen itself effectively erased from the map. These people lost their jobs, and their homes and every single material possession they couldn't carry with them when they left. They are facing months and possibly even years with not a single thing to their names, with the impossible task of rebuilding a life that simply does not exist anymore.
Perhaps you're having a hard time getting your mind around that idea, I know I still am. But what might help you to find the barest amount of compassion for those in situations far and away more pitiable than yours is to remember that while you sit and feel sorry for yourself and the sad condition of your life, you are doing it with a roof over your head, with water readily available from the tap, with a shower to in which to clean yourself, with a bed to sleep in, with food in the cupboards, with a roomate to help pick up the slack, with a television to watch the destruction on, with a computer and internet access that allows you a place to tell your sad story, and a job that gives you $21,000 a year in which to fund this miserable, terrible life you lead. Why, given the squalid conditions you must exist in, should you be expected to have empathy for anyone else?
Life is tough all over, sonnyboy. You lost your job and took a big pay cut, and you lost the house that you could no longer afford. It sucks, big time. But you didn't lose everything, did you? You might not have the comfortable life you became accustomed to, but $21,000 a year hardly puts you out on the streets either. There are families of four out there who are making the same money you do who fell less sorry for themselves. So you sit and lament the condition of your life all you want, but any sympathy I might have felt at your plight disappeared with the attitude of entitlement that accompanied your relaying it.
