I am talking about those people who are accelerating at the green light as if they had a rocket under the hood, pass going up hill with the yellow solid line on their side, cutting in and out without regard for others, speeding 30 - 40 - 50 and more km above the speed limit.
For these morons I have a question "Are you in a hurry? If so, why?
Are you tired of living? Mentally challenged? Showing off your immaturity and arrogance? Are you speeding and/or disrespectful of the laws because you want to show your bravery? Do you own your vehicle or is the bank part owner?
Could it be that your mortgage payment, your car payments and your wife and/or girl friend :) are all 90 days past due? If this would be your problems, your wish to end your life could be understood. This would be a set of circumstances which could explain your ridiculous conduct.
Some unfortunate, half wit, from some African nation tells me that there is a great fortune waiting for me. All I have to do send $ 5,000.00 and the millions will hit me. I have special thoughts about this kind of fraud, but I will not comment further.
Some other outfit tells me that I have been selected to participate in their "fail proof" investments which will assure me a return only idiots will believe. They underestimate the intelligence of people by telling them that this offer is only for a preselected number. When that number has been reached - I am out of luck.
I am getting Credit cards in the mail which I did not request. I am also getting cheques which I could readily use for "CASH ADVANCEMENTS" at a real INTRODUCTORY interest rate. These institutions are (supposed) to be reputable Banks.
According to news reports dated June 15. 07 the FBI caught one of these characters in some Asian country. It has been reported that this guy defrauded not only anyone he could get a hold of, but also his friends. The amount in question is supposed to be in the hundreds of millions.
a) The super rich
b)The middle class (professionals e.g. Doctors, Lawyers, Dentists, Scientists and self employed entrepreneurs etc. etc.)
c) The blue color working class and those who have been left behind in the FREE WORLD of choices.
I often visit book stores and I am amazed and impressed with the thousands of books written by people who believe that they have a message. The subjects are almost endless. I would like to comment, not in any particular order, but only as these items come to my mind.
I will address these subjects of interest as you would at your dinner table, with your family, your friends, neighbors etc. I find that there are major problems in this world. Some which are generated by powerful people or organizations and are beyond the reach and change of the ordinary citizen. I therefore concentrate more on the conditions which affect your life and mine.
I come to the point. Ask yourself: "Are you better off now than 10 years ago?". This is hardly a question which could be asked of a 20 - 30 year old person. A 40 - 60 year old male or female may be in a better position to answer. I have done just that. I got as many different answers than questions. Most thought that they were doing better now. However this situation changed greatly when people of the age of 70, 80 or older were asked the same questions.
I would humbly submit that the average citizen, those who were wage earners, are much worse off now than ever before. Sure, millions of people are now occupying a house which was years ago not feasible. Only the availability of cheap money, made possible by the Federal banks, made people decide to own instead of renting. However, when it comes to the word "OWN", it loses it's value considering that most people have mortgaged the greater part of their life. 35 years or more of paying on a mortgage may very well be a risk. I am thinking of the possibility of being laid off from work, taking ill, other economic upheavals, which could make it difficult to keep up the periodic payments.
Presently, the housing market is in rough shape. Hundreds of thousands of homes are on the market for sale. Some by choice, others because they no longer can afford the payments. This is pre-dominantly happening in the USA but sooner or later will spill over into Canada.
In today's media it is said that the authorities will intervene on the site of the Mortgagee. Laws are supposed to be passed to help those in trouble to be able to re-finance their mortgage obligations. Considering how the Banks, Finance companies and other institutions lured these people into believing that they could afford a house, it is highly doubtful that there will be a quick fix. After all the easy way to get a mortgage - e.g. no money down, Interest payments only etc. - was not designed to do something for the working class. It was a tool to infuse new blood into the economy. After all the economy depends mostly on the buying power of the public. These lending institutions, which induced people to purchase a home when it was obvious that they could not afford it, were interested only in profit. They knew that sooner or later they would benefit from this situation. We are seeing the results now and more so in the immediate future.
I don't think anyone would seriously dispute the fact that the quality of building material and workmanship is comparable to the 1960's, 70's. I have been able to look over many new and still under construction private properties. It is incredible how cheap these houses are being built. Of course one has to be aware that the lot the house is built on cost alone $ 50,000.00 and up. That does not leave very much for building a quality home. Aside from the low quality of the building material there is also shoddy workmanship. There is a TV show called "Holmes on Homes" which is a testimony to the short comings of the lower priced new homes.
Another complexity arises from the enormous amount of mortgage principal. You don't need me to give you a lecture on mortgages, you can look that up on more qualified places e.g. Banks, Trust Companies and Credit Unions. What I am trying to say is that in simple terms - "MOST PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD" the properties they bought. Just for an example:
A mortgage for $ 250,000.00 at a rate of 6% would require the mortgagee to pay monthly $ 1,413.13. That is calculated over a period of 35 years. I would submit that very few of these houses would last that long without major repairs. I have seen siding dangling from the side of new houses (less than 1 year old), Particle board on all sides AND ON THE ROOF. One would think that at a quarter of a million one could expect a well built house. I have seen the workmanship and the material used in some of these houses, I would not buy a piece of property like that, specially since a lot of these homes are built in three's, fourth's and more units.
Because of the great demand of new homes, condominiums etc. the demand for the number of builders increased considerable. While there are construction companies which maintain a reasonable high standard of workmanship there are plenty of rip off artists out there. Any one watching TV should watch the program
This URL does give you the upcoming episodes. When you see what he finds in homes which are "LESS THAN PERFECT" it may turn your stomach.
There is an organization in Ontario (seemingly sponsored by the Government of Ontario) which offers you membership. If you have any legitimate complaints about shoddy material and/or workmanship you can contact this agency. According to one article in the Toronto Star (June 16. 07) a couple, who paid $ 800.00 for this coverage, did not have complete satisfaction from their complaints. The article in the TS is titled "BEHIND THE TARION SHIELD". TARION is the name of the organization who is supposing looking into the deficiencies of the new homes. It would appear that from the commentary of unhappy home owners the Housing industry should be investigated. Investigated by whom? The Government agency TARION is supposed to be representative of several groups. Presently builders and developers have at least HALF of the seats on the board. Does anyone in their right mind believe that this organization will be leaning toward the rights of the consumer? I guess not. I would suggest that each individual person considering purchasing a new home spend much time in seeing new constructions. Look at the material and the workmanship. Investigate the ground where the buildings are to be constructed. If that was formerly a swamp - don't just walk away - RUN.
Of course if you are one of the many thousands who are willing to move into these "BOXES" which are in some of these miserable subdivisions of low cost, you cannot be too choosy. After all, if you cannot afford a Rolls Royce you may have to settle for a "MINI". So, it is not just the fault of the builders if your home is not perfect, the builder has only so many of your dollars available. Strictly speaking, renting an apartment or condominium is less costly (over time) than buying. there are so many additional costs involved in buying a property which are not listed in the initial cost estimate. Also there is upkeep which a renter does not have. If you are renting and should want to go on a vacation - all you have to do lock the door. When you own a property this is an entirely different story.
Most people are unaware of the total cost of purchasing a home. It is not only the cost of the property, but also the closing cost(s), the extras e.g. having a grass lawn, steps into the house, a porch and many other desirable extras. Those who are finding themselves in financial difficulty did not check their ability to consider all costs. I would recommend a site on the Internet which (like many others) is giving basic information which is a must for anyone considering the most important purchase in their life time.
We are living in very uncertain times. Changes are happening constantly AND NOT FOR THE BETTER OF THE WORKING PEOPLE. For instance, just this week Ford, GM and Chrysler announced that the employees of these institutions must be prepared to make major financial concessions. We all know what that means. The working people are being squeezed for the general purpose of the bottom line and in particular for the shareholders and of course the top management who are getting obscene bonuses. We see it happening every day. Less and less North American vehicles are sold and foreign manufacturers are now the dominating manufacturers in North America. Who would have thought that this could ever happen. Well, Those who know and those who should know, the management, the directors and major shareholders of these outfits are responsible for the mismanagement of the last 20 years. When the hand writing was on the wall e.g. Gasoline prices raising, foreign cars were being built better and smaller, Detroit still kept on building gas guzzlers as if there was no tomorrow.
Now I am coming back to what I just fleetingly mentioned a few paragraphs back. Because the memory of people is very short. This may very well be the reason why we allow our politicians to lie to us every 4 years, because they know that the public is SO forgiving. This unfortunate state of having a short memory is largely connected with APATHY - believing that the government will take care of us. the Government - any Government - has only one major task in mind, to tax the working class out of their mind. The tax payers money is used to fund wars which are not in the interest of the people, to shore up the liquidity of big industry which already has special tax status.
Who of the people living now, remember anything about 1929? To my knowledge, none of the people I correspond with or have verbal conversations, know anything about this financial disaster. The fortunate few who are still alive and remember this fiasco, are not believed by the younger generations. The old people are being told that they are too old, senile and after all times have changed and nothing like that could ever happen again. I have news for you - the times are ripe for a major correction. Never before in the history of mankind has money been so plentiful. Unfortunately, the top 3 percent of the worlds population own most of it. A man who I respect very much - former President Harry S. Truman said:" there is nothing new in this world only History repeating itself". He and the former President out of Georgia were people of the highest integrity. Both, unlike some others! - have not enriched themselves. Mr. Truman left office with only a very meager pension and Jimmy Carter, who dedicated his life after his Presidency to helping others, specially in Africa.
What I am getting into - hopefully I am wrong - into tough times. The national debt of the US and Canada is hitting astronomical proportions. Foreigners are financing the day by day financial operation of these two states. Sooner or later these loans would have to be repaid. Since this is an absolute impossibility, there are only two avenues open:
1) HYPER INFLATION which may pay off commitments to foreign states and investors with worthless currency.
2) DEVALUATION OF THE CURRENCY. The debtor nations would declare that their currency is being devalued by a rate which may very well be in the neighborhood of 90%. This would be the easy way out but there is another solution:
3)Declare all current money supply void and start new. E.G. Give each citizen a certain amount of the new currency and hope that the folks who worked hard all their lives and lost everything will again have laps of memory and will forgive those who put them into this misery.
You say this won't happen?. Think about it. The governments are no different than a family, a business etc., there are only two types of accounting ink - red or black. Governments do not go bankrupt only it's citizens. This is what I meant by people not living long enough to pass on the experience they had during their life time. The governments spend millions of dollars just to have the minds of the people examined, to see what people think. According to what the people want to hear, the so called representatives of the people are bending the rules for their own personal advantage. Have you ever seen or heard of a politician being out of work after they retire? Of course not, they are either shareholders, or are being directors or otherwise gainfully employed by those who have been served well.
People, wake up, the stakes are stacked against you.
Why do you think we have all these different social level services clubs?. E.G. Country club, Rotary club, Lions club, Kinsmen club, Foremen's club, Optimist club etc.
People are generally being pre-selected according to their social status. Some club members are of a higher standing than those members of a lower social status. This has been a historical event dating back for hundreds of years. Certain people wanted to associate with others of their same social ladder. I don't find anything wrong with this, everyone should know where they belong. There are some who believe that they are fit to belong to a higher:) social climate, but they soon find out that they are not desirable to join. When one is in doubt where the economic train will end up, one has to admit that the rich and super rich no longer have the exclusive vacation spots they once had. Years ago, the Hilton e.g. Hawaii was the playing field of the upper class. Today this is no longer true. They either have their own islands, have huge properties on limited access land and similar situations. The super rich are paying $ 10,000.00 and up for a nightly stay in some super fancy spot e.g. Dubai. There are very few spots available to them where the travel industry does not send a plane load of "DOMESTIC ENGINEERS" to sit side by side with the Elite.
Please don't misunderstand this. This is history and it is being extended to it's fullest possibility. When the time has come where the rich no longer can have their privacy, that is the time that the working class will pay the price. I hope that you get the idea if not, you may learn the hard way.
How does that happen? Can anyone explain why this appears to be controlled by
a few? There was a time when one could figure that some stations would be less
(or more). Not anymore, they all change at the same time.
Your input would be welcome.
I would not like to name any of these outfits who, while within the legal limits, offer their products in ways which is insulting to any reasonable mind. If you would write down some of the slogans and the associated misinformation and later on examine word for word what has been shoved into your face, you would find that a lot of it is double talk. Some of the wording is such that it can be taken both or several ways.
For those who are aware of this practice of "smart advertising" it is nothing new. People of intelligence will not be swayed by such low down and dubious sales promotions.
Just imagine, if these peddlers of misinformation would be forced to be factual about their ware and only spend a certain percentage of their gross income on advertisement, the savings to the customers could be astronomical. Who is making the big bucks? Advertising agencies, Movie Studios, Television studios, News papers, Magazines, Radio Broadcasting etc. And who is paying for all of this? The CONSUMER.
I have to smile when I see and/or hear advertisements as:
LIMITED TIME OFFER.....
NO SALES TAX CHARGE THIS WEEK.....
WE OFFER FREE......
FREE ESTIMATES.......
FREE DELIVERY.......
IF YOU CALL IN THE NEXT xx MINUTES YOU WILL RECEIVE.......
WE SAVE YOU XX% AND NEXT DAY INSTALLATION..........
And on it goes.
To those who do not know, do not care or otherwise are apathetic to some of the near swindles, I say: "You can't be helped".
It is no secret that people of low income are greater credit risks than those who do have a certain amount of equity, may it be in property value, bonds, shares, cash etc. These people are treated by the banks considerable better than the "have Not's". People with connections and the necessary funds always get better interest rates. Banks are never giving you a break unless you are of prominence. If you don't believe that, try it.
Buying a vehicle can be an experience. The lots of the Car Dealers are full. Sales are not what they could be. There is certainly no shortage of trucks and cars in any shape or form. I would like to remind those of the readers, who are of mature age, of the golden years when one could buy an automobile e.g. Ford Mercury for $ 3,000.00 fully loaded. I am talking about the end 1960's to middle of 1970's.
You most likely will point out that at that time the wages were much lower - right. However, the ratio between net earnings and gross expenses has widened out of proportion. I would like to say that 36 payments on a vehicle for the purchase of a car which was $ 3,000.00 was easier to accomplish then. This same vehicle today would cost over $ 30,000.00. That is an increase of at least 1000%. Did your wages to up 1000%. If you say yes, you are a lucky person. However, you are fooling yourself, since you make more money, your deductions are higher as well. Your income tax also increases.
The same goes for Mortgage payments. A house which cost during the 1960's $ 12,000.00, complete with finished basement and blacktop driveway, is now costing $ 250,000.00 and up. That is an increase of over $ 2,000%. But, and this is the interesting thing, the length of the payment schedule is adding $ 287,000.00. This is assuming (which is highly doubtful) that the interest rate would stay stable during the time of the mortgage contract. Of course one can easily add a few thousand dollars to the purchase price for incidentals e.g. a porch, steps, lawn, finishing basement, paving driveway etc. I am listing one of the many available mortgage/loan calculators for your convenience.
Look what you are getting for $ 250,000.00 (CA). If you are lucky a semi detached home, a cluster of homes in one row. Particle board instead of plywood just to mention a few items which would not be acceptable to me.
You should look at the affluent houses, conservatively estimated at $ 350,000.00 to a half a million and up, plywood on sides AND ROOF, better quality all round. These beautiful "castles" are not 6 feet apart from the next well designed and built structure. Do you believe that the people who own a "castle" pay the same high mortgage cost as the one's who just buy a "BOX"? There could be a lot more said about SMART buying and financing. However, most people are familiar with their purchases and certainly know their monthly payments.
We are living in uncertain times. We are also living in a fast world. Things change from one month to the other. Example: A few days ago I bought a fixture from an International chain for the price of 34.00 plus taxes. It was 12 inches shorter than the usual item, much cheaper built and worst of all the 2 accessories were $ 5.00 more each than last year. I now have a fixture which is smaller, built very fragile and cost three times as much. The same goes for electric wire, 250 feet of # 14 Romex, which could be bought a year ago for $ 50.00 is now close to $ 150.00. I was told that the price of copper went up. While this is true, it also is a fact that the CEO of that company had a bonus of 20 Million Dollars US on top of his wages and other benefits. The previous CEO had a severance pay of 200 Million plus. I gladly pay more for my purchases, knowing that it is for a good cause:)
If you have any input to my thoughts, go ahead. I am always willing to learn.it is obvious that I am not a professional writer but I am willing to speak out. I do not have command of the diversity of the English vocabulary as professional so, but I am writing from the heart.
If you care about any subjects written above, you are welcome to contact me. I am willing to discuss my concerns with any reasonable person but I do not wish to debate. I am not interested to change anyone's mind but I am very much inquisitive to the opinions of others.
Most people - working people - have a limited budget. That would mean that very little money is available for luxury items. After the Mortgage payment, the car payment, the credit card obligations are looked after that is just about the limit what the average houshold can afford these days. How is it that we are practically slaves to the Brokers,Manufacturers, Wholesalers, Retailers etc. to force the public to show an unnecessary OVERABUNDANCE of merchandise variety.
Have you ever thought how much could be saved to the consumer if it was not for the greed of those who run the system. Let's take for example a small item as toothpaste. I am not sure what a tube of toothpaste cost due to the variety of name brands, sizes and (so called) quality differences.
Assuming that a tube of toothpaste costs $ 2.50. Another example the literally dozens of different breakfast cereals which are on the shelves of the Groceries stores.
Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that the Merchandisers would believe that the public is NOT stupid then all this advertising on TV, Radio, News papers, Magazines, Bill boards etc. would not be necessary. The majority of people know that they need a certain item, and there is nothing wrong with a reasonable number of items of the same product. However, if the consumer would be trusted to make their own decisions in selecting their brand and quality of toothpaste, more than 50% could be shaved off the cost of ANY item. Remember the cost of advertising is NOT paid by the companies, it is paid by the consumer. Since advertising and the obscene wages of the CEO's is tax decuctable that will go on as long as the shareholders are getting enough to satisfy their hunger. I truly believe in free enterprise, but this is not.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone can explore this creation of "RIPPOFF" by studying economics.
When you watch TV - if the program is really low quality suitable for mentally challenged people - the quality of the advertising message is also incredible low grade.
If you ever watch these "Court sessions" in the afternoon by judges which are more entertainers than law officers, you will find that one after the other law firm is advertising their services. In the event that you had the misfortune that you were injured in a vehicle accident, were the victim of Doctors malpractice, Hospital mistakes and dozens of other prohable causes they promise you "money you deserve". I do not wish to voice an opinion of these "Ambulance chasers", but it is obvious that these firms are not at par with distingished law establishments.
What it comes right down to the facts of life - we are being screwed left and right.