[tijlover]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

That article is very true. Most rich people are self-centered pricks. That does not go for all of them though. I have met some really nice rich people, but they are few and far between compared to the amount of nice poor people. Of course, there are some real a$$holes that are poor too.

Most of my friends are either rich or poor. Few, if any, middle class friends, I just can't relate to them. I worked in the massage business for a number of years rubbing shoulders with the rich during that time. A number of them are still friends.

The rich and poor have an affinity that's hard to explain, but I recognize it.

A homeless person, like a rich person, is not restricted, he can uproot himself and go anywhere he likes, just stick out his thumb along the highway, and off he goes to the next city, next homeless shelter. Not so with the "stuckee" middle class, burdened down with property and a higher-paying job which would be too hard to replace in another city.

I'm low income, next city there'll be another low income job awaiting me.
LVD doesn't have to await the sale of his house to leave Las Vegas, nothing stopping him from taking off for Phoenix for his next low income job.

[happyhunting]

Most of my friends are either rich or poor. Few, if any, middle class friends, I just can't relate to them. I worked in the massage business for a number of years rubbing shoulders with the rich during that time. A number of them are still friends.

The rich and poor have an affinity that's hard to explain, but I recognize it.

A homeless person, like a rich person, is not restricted, he can uproot himself and go anywhere he likes, just stick out his thumb along the highway, and off he goes to the next city, next homeless shelter. Not so with the "stuckee" middle class, burdened down with property and a higher-paying job which would be too hard to replace in another city.

Well, now that the middle class is disappearing, maybe we can ALL be your friend.

But seriously, I do understand what you are talking about. For the same reason renters find it easier to leave, and retirees with pensions can up and move anywhere, there is a sense of freedom being unburdened by a property or high end job that you must maintain. A lot of middle class people are afraid to make big moves when they have kids, and a mortgage, and a job that can't easily be replaced. They are afraid to move out of state, make job changes, start a business, or take on any risk that may upset status quo. While the rich have nothing to fear, and the poor have nothing to lose. Reminds me of a riddle:

Poor people have it. Rich people need it. It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. If you eat it you will die. What is it?

The answer: Nothing.

Sometimes I miss being young and in my early 20s with a crappy job and I didn't own anything or have responsibilties...Life was easier. The more I got, the more I had to maintain and protect. I want to simplify.....and by judging this economy, I'm on the fast track that way.

[English Dave]

When I was young I had that drive, like others mention, first mortgage when I was 24,
all the usual things. I see a change here now. The young are living for today, they say
what's the point of pension schemes, saving, trying to get ahead. The government says
we're all going to have to work till we drop in the future. A lot of them don't think past
the coming weekend. My eldest son is 34, has a good job, nice car, goes on nice holidays
with his girlfriend. The pair of them just say what's the point of trying to make long term
plans anymore?

[English Dave]

After the post above I went to watch some TV. It was the middle of the night here, and
Sky TV News shows American news at this time. It was CBS News I think. After a few
seconds someone said Las Vegas. My ears pricked right away and I paid more attention!!
It turned out to be a piece about evicting people behind with their rent. The camera crew
followed police from place to place evicting people, some of them families. It was very sad
watching families with children just going to their cars and driving away. What the programme did not say was what happens next? Just where do people go in these very sad
circumstances. Here, even if people get evicted by private landlords, the state rehouses them, so we don't have homeless people unless this is what they wish to be, which you do
get some of in big cities like London.

[tijlover]

Not a good nite! I was going to explore 3 new parks I've never been to on the near-west valley: Prospector, Davis and Rainbow, little of each. Got lost trying to find Rainbow park, off O'bannon, and in the process, I was stopped by the police for driving on the shoulder. No insurance card/Registration with either. When he approached my vehicle, I unfastened my seatbelt in anticipation of handing him my driver's license. And then? Oh, I see you aren't wearing a seatbelt! Another infraction?

Driving in an unsafe lane, no insurance card or registration (my glove compartment is locked and I can't open it without a screwdriver).

He was very suspicious, why, if I lived near DI/Pecos what I was doing over those parts at 1:30am. I showed him nocturnal ferret who can't handle daytime heat and I was 1 of 24,000 nightshift workers, sleep all day, up all nite. He reprimanded me for walking my ferret in the parks at night, that there's a closing time to be observed.

"So let me get this crystal clear! A nightshift worker is not allowed to walk his pet in a park at night?"

Well, you can well believe I'm going to fight this all the way to the bloody end and I will go to court, again and again if must be!

So, we walked around the lush green Hughes Corporate Center instead. No signs posted you can't walk around that area with a pet at night.

I get the feeling the cops on the west side are as vicious as the Henderson police, as 2 years ago I was grilled for riding my bike down Charleston at 2am.

Next time I read of a police officer being laid off in the valley, or anywhere else, on goes the helmet, you know, jumping up and down with joy!

[tijlover]

And then after he drove off, a loud thumping boom car passed him, no attempt to stop him! In Oregon it's a $1500 fine, and some areas of the country the fines have escalated to $3000 for those noise terrorists.

The respect I have for police!!!

[English Dave]

Talking about American policemen, my son and I had been in the Sahara last April. We
crossed the road, walked down a little, and sat at a bus stop. Across from us was a police
car parked slightly back from the road. In the time we sat there waiting for a bus he chased
four different cars, pulling them over at the Sahara, I'm assuming for speeding. Just spent
a couple of minutes with each car, then back to his parking spot!!

[las vegas drunk]

Not good

Las Vegas hotels, casinos receive bomb threats - www.ktnv.com

[MadManofBethesda]

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Not good

Las Vegas hotels, casinos receive bomb threats - www.ktnv.com

What's not good?

People attempted to extort money from the casinos by making false bomb threats and a coordinated police investigation led to the arrests of the perpetrators.

Sounds pretty good to me.

Or did you just see the headline and not actually read the article?

[kimba01]

Originally Posted by tijlover

Not a good nite! I was going to explore 3 new parks I've never been to on the near-west valley: Prospector, Davis and Rainbow, little of each. Got lost trying to find Rainbow park, off O'bannon, and in the process, I was stopped by the police for driving on the shoulder. No insurance card/Registration with either. When he approached my vehicle, I unfastened my seatbelt in anticipation of handing him my driver's license. And then? Oh, I see you aren't wearing a seatbelt! Another infraction?

Driving in an unsafe lane, no insurance card or registration (my glove compartment is locked and I can't open it without a screwdriver).

He was very suspicious, why, if I lived near DI/Pecos what I was doing over those parts at 1:30am. I showed him nocturnal ferret who can't handle daytime heat and I was 1 of 24,000 nightshift workers, sleep all day, up all nite. He reprimanded me for walking my ferret in the parks at night, that there's a closing time to be observed.

"So let me get this crystal clear! A nightshift worker is not allowed to walk his pet in a park at night?"

Well, you can well believe I'm going to fight this all the way to the bloody end and I will go to court, again and again if must be!

So, we walked around the lush green Hughes Corporate Center instead. No signs posted you can't walk around that area with a pet at night.

I get the feeling the cops on the west side are as vicious as the Henderson police, as 2 years ago I was grilled for riding my bike down Charleston at 2am.

Next time I read of a police officer being laid off in the valley, or anywhere else, on goes the helmet, you know, jumping up and down with joy!

That really sucks that you got hit with all that. OTOH, I can't be too upset that the cops are checking out people late at night. Hopefully, they are doing that during the day also.

Originally Posted by las vegas drunk

Not good

Las Vegas hotels, casinos receive bomb threats - www.ktnv.com

Desperation. Scary.