Unfortunately, Lawrence Wright7, you have to be careful... when even the people who usually disagree with you on everything start finding common ground, it’s rarely a good sign for us... I honestly don't see any silver lining that could turn this whole situation around, because quite frankly, most of the people running the show are just steering us in the wrong direction. Interest rates have hit rock bottom out there, and now we're seeing that curve start its inevitable climb again—mind you, just ten years ago, mortgage rates dipped below 10%, which felt like a massive win at the time, but if everyone is whispering about 7% or 8% for long-term forecasts, we aren't exactly in the clear...
Since your folks are from the Midwest, I imagine you've felt the weight of some real hardship firsthand, maybe even more than most, but look at it this way: twenty-five years ago, people actually had something to their names, whereas twenty years ago, people were practically fleeing with nothing but a single suitcase, losing everything they owned... yet somehow, most people managed to pull themselves together and they're living a semi-normal life now, as much as anyone can... Even though most of us on this forum are pretty materialistic, you seem to live by that old philosophy that money is just paper and what really matters is the man himself... 😉
Lawrence Wright7 said:Interest rates have got to come down, and I mean fast... just fast... because honestly? This whole situation is becoming absolutely unbearable.
there isn't much left to do besides wait for the end personally, I have a feeling we're going to see more price hikes coming, especially with everything going on with the dollar and all the chaos surrounding it...
off honestly, I still can't wrap my head around why they’re making that a requirement... since everything seems to be shifting toward fixed-term contracts anyway (which I don't mind, personally), and even those indefinite ones aren't exactly bulletproof when it comes to layoffs or being let go
Lawrence Wright7 said:Whoa... I honestly had no idea about that part... The thing is, they appraised it at $90,000 back when it was sitting vacant. So what, should I just let them sell it for $50,000 and then I get stuck paying them an extra $25,000 out of thin air?! (I originally took out $75,000 on the loan)
Selling the place actually crossed my mind, though I haven't pulled the trigger yet—I’d probably save that as a last resort.. My first move would be trying to rent it out instead...
if that’s how you want to look at it but you aren't just paying that flat $25,000 difference, because then you've got interest piling up on the remaining balance too, and it isn't just "air"... it's a bad appraisal that leaves you hanging and if you don't settle up, they'll just take you to court, which means more interest, and eventually they're just waiting for you to inherit something or looking at whatever else you own to grab it all...
loneviper15 said:How's the e-bike treating you? What kind of top speed are we talking about, and what's the range like? Also, what did the whole setup run you... I know you can just Google all this stuff, but I figured I'd ask someone actually doing it...
And are you maybe from Naperville? I feel like I see someone from the Naperville area popping up on the electric bike threads all the time...🙂 They even wear a motorcycle helmet...
It’s going great, honestly... my current top speed—verified by my Garmin GPS—hits about 27 miles/h on flat ground, though it really depends on how hard you push... if you're cruising at an average of 19 miles/h and give it some extra juice on the hills, it handles them without any trouble, easily clearing 50 miles (I don't have a battery gauge on this thing, but I rode out to my cabin in the mountains last weekend and still had plenty of juice left when I got back 😉)...
The whole new bike setup ended up costing me roughly $2667... it's nothing too fancy, just a starter rig, so I'll probably upgrade to something more serious next season... I'm not from Naperville and I don't wear a helmet, but you might spot me riding between Arlington National Cemetery, downtown, and over toward the suburbs... I've got a red and white bike 😉
I don't really ride a traditional bicycle since I actually built myself an e-bike from scratch, though there are plenty of other reasons why I went the DIY route instead of just picking up a scooter, which I've already laid out... The only times I bother pulling the car out of the garage is when it’s pouring rain or if we're expecting snow, or maybe if I'm heading out on a date at night, or if I've got a massive haul of groceries to lug home... Like I mentioned before, the perks are pretty obvious; I don't have to circle the block forever because I can park basically anywhere, and honestly, I'm usually moving way faster than cars would be, even when traffic isn't backed up... I'm talking about life here in Chicago...
Thomas Fowler84, you’re honestly killing me with that idea... thinking you could just sit down and have a regular chat with her like that... Just say: "exactly." 😂
I mean, I highly doubt someone out there buying a luxury tank or a Rolex isn't checking the build quality first, but hey, that's just my two cents... Over in the East, they produce some seriously high-end stuff too, provided you're willing to pay the premium price tag...
The reality is, looking at things from a mainland perspective, nobody in the US would be crazy enough to try starting any kind of mass production here when you can just manufacture it overseas for a third of the cost and import it... we're simply too expensive for massive plants and heavy manufacturing, so we really ought to be pivoting toward specialized niche products and high-end finishing work instead... Even someone like a major CEO wouldn't be mad enough to open an entire factory here; most of the heavy lifting happens in places like Singapore...😉
I remember how it used to be—and I’m pretty sure things haven't changed much since then—that when you took out a student loan, the debt was officially in the student's name, even if your parents were the ones acting as guarantors or putting up property as collateral... you just settled the bill once you actually finished your degree, or if you decided to drop out entirely so, basically, it functioned like some kind of deferred check
If that guy from the mayor's office actually lands the presidency, he’ll probably just pack up and leave the city behind... giving us a smaller budget to play with, which really just means there's less money for his buddies to skim off the top via those little backroom deals... I bet they're thinking the exact same thing about the guys over at the local precinct 😬
hollowharbor56 said:The only remedy for this... bringing high-speed internet to rural America 😂
You really hit the nail on the head there... exactly what I was thinking... 😉
I mean, let's be honest, someone who’s living in a bubble, just getting bits and pieces of news dropped in their lap every once in a while... they aren't exactly going to see the big picture the same way someone who’s constantly plugged in, pulling from a dozen different sources and actually keeping tabs on everything... it’s just not a fair comparison, really...
It’s kind of like the whole situation with the team owner... I know, I know, some of you are probably going to think I've completely lost my mind, but honestly, there are people out there who just don't get why the fans are so incredibly hostile toward him... it’s like they’re living in a different reality where the math just doesn't add up... All they ever seem to care about is sitting at the top of the standings, or qualifying for the Europa League, or whatever other trophy is currently being tossed around... it's always just that one singular focus, isn't it...
I honestly think even a grandma living out in rural Montana would feel the same way about the local GOP and their leadership... mostly because they’re the ones who finally paved her driveway, hooked up her electricity, and kept some cash flowing her way... Most people have something to gain from the status quo, you know... and let's be honest, very few are actually going to step up and fight against their own interests just for the sake of being right...
Those folks who cast their votes still haven't seen any sign of high-speed internet, even though the former administration promised broadband for every single household 😉 I know a few people personally who voted for those guys, and their excuses are always the same... either they claim they aren't actually part of the party, or they figure since they're members, they'll eventually get some sort of kickback—you know, like a free trip to Europe with the Olympic team after a big win, or maybe being someone who lives abroad but keeps an address here just to collect government subsidies and such It’s not that they don't exist, they're right here among us, they just know when to keep their mouths shut And honestly, most of that party's base is tucked away in the rural heartlands
I see what my colleague was getting at regarding the labor unions 😉, I just wanted to offer my own two cents on the matter
I really ought to be led by some union rep making maybe fifteen bucks an hour $0.00 😂 say, I’d probably put someone from Walmart 😉 right at the helm, just to give you an idea of what a typical American union leader looks like honestly, the only ones I actually trust are students
Mark Nguyen6 said:Anyway, let’s move past Wells Fargo. I only brought them up as a representative example of a domestic bank—I didn't mean to drag us into a deep dive regarding their specific current management issues. Rather, looking at it more broadly, assuming we have a stable domestic bank in place—what would be the actual advantage of such a move? I mean, what's the upside for the bank itself, and potentially for the country—both directly and indirectly?
The advantage, assuming the government isn't completely unstable or drowning in debt, might be things like providing solid credit to fuel economic growth—where the state could step in with some subsidies—or maybe offering different lending terms, like letting a company use private property as collateral... plus, the government could route its own accounts through there, avoiding all those pesky service fees and whatnot.
But honestly, given how the current administration is running things, I don't think I'd ever fully trust a "nationalized" bank... And then you have JPMorgan Chase, though from what I gather, they mostly just act as intermediaries...
I mean, even if a bank is technically owned by foreign investors, if the leadership feels local, I often find myself thinking of it as one of ours...😉
Honestly, I couldn't care less if they’re strictly partisan... as long as those parties actually stick to their own platforms, I’d be a happy man because at least then you’d know what you're getting into, like how the Democrats push socialism and expanded social safety nets the Republican Party sticks to right-wing or Christian values liberals actually advocate for liberalism and the agrarian types focus on empowering farmers instead of having some liberal sitting in the administration passing labor bans or restrictive reproductive laws and stuff like that it’s just nonsense when you see farmers being passed over for the Ministry of Agriculture while they end up running Tourism instead... total absurdity
And can we please just move on from anything that happened more than ten years ago? I am so incredibly done talking about the American Civil War, WWII, the old extremist factions, partisans, and all that other garbage—look, we shouldn't forget history, but we really need to stop dwelling on it I truly don't give a damn if someone wants to wear certain symbols on a hat, or if someone is singing old songs about historical atrocities, or if they head out to some rural town wearing a cap with a star on it It’s never worked to try and ban things, because history just shows us that whenever you try to prohibit something, it usually just makes it more popular Because even if you issue a hundred bans, you aren't going to lobotomize the public... people are always going to think what they want and say what they want
We basically walked right into this mess ourselves; in other places, governments step in to bail out the banks, but here, it feels like the banks are the ones bailing out the government... 😉
And just like the article mentions, they’re going to be hunting for evidence and looking at every single case on its own merits, all while making sure they don't cave on banking privacy
I mean, let's be real, nobody laundering money is doing it under their own name anyway, so they'll just use some offshore shell company 😬
I honestly don't see any reason to be complaining about this when the public actually voted for it—unless they were just being incredibly foolish to begin with...