Stu - you're a fool. Remember - I offered a gift card to you after your last tour ended, and you NEVER responded. I like our military people here on the forums. Several people in that other place we used to haunt got the card, my little thanks since the govt just gives you a slap on the bum and on your way. And gees, you were even in the right branch of the service too.
I have been hit, I have a house that is worth about 2/3 what I paid for it nearly seven years ago. I am going to move out too, bought another larger home more accommodating for our family - and leave the current place vacant until the market picks up. My neighbours would be concerned about having a vacant house, but our next door neighbour works for a newspaper that is folding so they maybe leaving too. There is a place across the street that has been vacant for over five years now - the neighbourhood is on the slow decline.
Sorry to hear that Jack but you can not blame the goverment for the fall in the prices of the housing market, that is I am sorry to say the FREE MARKET at work. One of the effects of deregulating the morgage industry is that they will flood the market with high morgegaes and prices go up, then it hits home that people can not afford them and the bubble bursts.
No problem here, in no way do I blame the government. If I had more money, I'd be buying more houses right now Besides, by the time I retire, it'll be back up. Markets come and go and always correct themselves.
lol I have never been real comfortable with that stuff. It was always a job and not an adventure to me. I enjoyed it but no different than anyone else who does a job they like and likes to at least think they are doing something positive. It is a weird feeling being 'retired' from it, though, I will tell you that. Of course, we tend to refer to retirement pay as 'back pay'.
As I sit here in my whites, I have to agree. I got a master's degree and became an officer just so I can look like the ice cream man. It's a job. ;-) I'm just glad I'm living on base. No equity to lose, and we both know how good base housing is!
Stockholders. The Board of Directors. The UAW during contract negotiations. The customer by not purchasing GM products. The list goes on and on. My question is "has the government EVER proven itself capable of making decisions on behalf of business?"[/QUOTE] Your right I was just venting.
Your right I was just venting.[/QUOTE] Sure, they have done such a fine job of being profitable, there are no budget deficits etc. Government doesn't belong in business, and business doesn't belong in government. When you mix church, business, and government together they manage to F things up big time.
lol Yeah, we lived on base about 6 or 7 of our years in the military. I know one of the places we lived on base when we first got married was finally torn down a few years ago because it was so bad. They haven't even built anything else there since. It just has a sign that says something like "Restoration Area' or 'Reverted To Natural State'. A nicer phrase than 'We Let The Weeds Take Over'! We had a lot of good times living on base when we were young 'uns, though. We were always tight with teh neighbors. Misery loves company. Ha! Now we have to go out and buy our first house. Probably the only good part of the current economic situation (as a buyer). I am so glad we didn't buy a house here 6 or 7 years ago. We really thought about it but the house we were renting was so cheap, we never did decide to buy.
When I was the AF brat, the military housing was little more than rundown WWII era barracks that should have been torn down some 20 years before. But base was fun though, we got to play in the old WWII POW camp there, could see where the Japanese POWs scrawled stuff all over the walls etc. I doubt those places are still on the base now, I know the barracks are gone. Yeah, military life for a family could have bitten, but there were benefits too, like the camaraderie that existed and being able to share gripes about the BX and the lousy medical facilities.
FWIW, I'm convinced the big 3 manufacture vehicles to fail! Think about it. If they build a reliable car for you that rarely requires repairs and holds up well for 200k+, then after you purchase a vehicle, you won't be in the market to buy a new one for a long time! They need to find ways and reasons to get everybody to want to upgrade and buy new to keep profits rolling in. You will lose some customers along the way, but it will work on the rest. Look at the $$ spent on marketing. Superbowl adds, billboards, etc.... 120k and transmission goes out? Not worth the money to fix it. Time for a new car. Wheel wells rusting out because of design flaws that allow water and salt to sit behind the metal and never dry out? Flaws that have been there for decades that average people, (non-designers/engineers) can recognize? Time for a new car! Tired of fighting engine repairs yourself because everything was bolted together outside of the chassis and the motor was dropped in with no thought to how bolts will need to come out in order to replace parts down the road? Shop repairs too astronomical? Time for a new car! You would almost have to be nieve to believe they don't design things purposely to wear out post warranty and make you want or need to buy new vehicles. Why not just make payments and not have the hassle anyway? If the marketing can suck enough people in, then GM profits and the consumers take the beating forever. Unfortunately, all the marketing in the world can't fix an economic crisis in which a lot of people are broke and credit ratings are destroyed, where banks don't want to lend money anyway. As long as this persists, GM will hemorage government bailout money until they can't keep the electricity on. And until or unless good paying, stable jobs return for everyone, people will be leery of getting that 6 to 7 year loan it takes for the average person to comfortably afford one of their gems.
Just for the record, I have a 99 Chevy K2500 with 276000 miles that's all original, short of a fuel pump and water pump. I'd say that truck doesn't owe me a dime. I also have a 97 GMC K3500 with 199000 miles that has needed a bit more work from time to time, but still with original motor, tranny etc., and that truck has been a plow truck all its life. They both have worked extremely hard since day 1. I'd say it makes it a little tough for me to bitch about GM.
I can't say I've ever had a bad experience with a US made car & I've owned all three over the years. Sure there's a dud every once in a while or else the dealerships wouldn't be half service department but I firmly believe the way you care for a vehicle is a huge part of it as well. Our '03 Expedition has over 80k miles & never a lick of trouble. Our "toy" is a convertible 'vette we've had for a while...again, never a problem. On the farm, we have 1 Dodge & 2 Chevy trucks that get abused but we service them regularly and they've never failed us. My everyday driver is a '97 Lexus I got new. It has 160k miles on it & has been a fanatastic car but really no better than any of the US made cars we've owned over the years.
Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/AP-SourcesGM-to-shut-many-US-apf-15004037.html?.v=2 Sounds to me like the UAW should go on strike and demand a raise and more benefits !!!! Perfect timing. Broom pushers should not have to get by on $40 an hour.
