Culture Shock (insurance, bad credit, houses)

[humboldtrat]

Originally Posted by Fontucky

Regarding point #1: I somehow manage to get through life with no smartphone, nay, not even a cellphone.
In fact, I'm still using rotary dial Western Electric Model 500s.

I agree! I don't have a cellphone or a smartphone either. I don't like being bothered all the time for usually trivial things. It's like being on a leash. People driving down the street while texting or talking on the phone scare the hell out of me.

[Ceece]

Originally Posted by Phil306

I just had to go shopping. Target in Dublin: PACKED with people buying all sorts of things. Safeway in Dublin: PACKED with people buying all sorts of things. Buffalo Wild Wings in Dublin: Parking lot PACKED with cars; oh yeah, forgot about that pesky World Series thing going on. I'm sure people in there were paying large sums of money for all the food and alcohol they were consuming.

Go to: PF Chang's or the Cheesecake Factory, in Pleasanton on a Friday or Saturday night. You will be waiting for a minimum of one hour to get in and probably more like two. Go to ANY decent restaurant in Pleasanton, Dublin, or San Ramon. Again, a minimum of one hour wait times.

Oh, but Phil. Those are high income areas. Ok, go to the Olive Garden, Elephant Bar, Applebee's, Buffalo Bill's, or the Marie Callender's in welfare recepient Hayward. Again, one plus hour wait times.

These aren't fast food, dollar cheap emporiums; not they aren't a 5 star Michelen rated establishments either. But they aren't footlong for 5 bucks either.

People have alot more money then they are letting onto. Most people are using this recession to walk away from their homes, etc and get out of other bills, without a social or financial stigma.

3 years from now, no bank is going to care if you were foreclosed on, walked away from your house, defaulted on your credit cards, and/or even declared bankruptcy. So many people have and will do so, the ones that do will be in the majority, not the minority.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Dublin, PF Changs and Cheesecake at the mall are ALWAYS packed!! I've only been to each one once because I hate waiting

[Bluesmama]

Boy! I can't believe people ever go to Buffalo Wild Wings. I work next door to one, and I refused to pay that kind of money for chicken wings before the economy soured.

Anyway. . .

I think the OP didn't get the full picture. You can bet there ARE lots of people without work. Just because people are out there with their tech toys doesn't mean they can all afford them. I know of some people who have been drawing unemployment for two years, plus a few others who have lost, or are about to, lose their homes. And between all of them they own either smart phones, or smoke, or insist on paying for expensive cable packages. While these stupid vices may not necessarily worsen their situations, it does indicate a lack of skill in prioritizing their finances.

Strip clubs have always done well during poor economy times. It just floors me that people will spend that kind of money at a strip joint, yet ***** about being broke otherwise. But I assume it's an escape, and gambling probably fits into that category, too.

Applebee's is always packed. It's like it has a cult-following. But I do not think that's typical. If all the restaurants in general are doing that well then I'd be surprised. I rarely see a restaurant anywhere that's filled to capacity. And while I live in Oregon, my observations are the same for California (where I go to often).

[Phil306]

Originally Posted by Ceece

Buffalo Wild Wings in Dublin, PF Changs and Cheesecake at the mall are ALWAYS packed!! I've only been to each one once because I hate waiting

I go to Buffalo Wild Wings ALL THE TIME. I live right across the street. Don't have to worry about drinking and driving :-)

[SoCalCroozer]

Sure ther are lots of cell phones and companies like Apple making record profits. But that has absolutely nothing to do with a healthy economy. Same with people going out to eat or traveling. Ask these same people how much credit card debt they have. Ask them if they own a home. Ask them if they own any land. Ask them if they own their car. Ask them if they work in the service sector. Ask them if tbey are putting money towards retirement every month. Monkey see monkey do. There are a lot of monkeys walking around with fancy clothes, cell phones, cars, the latest and greatest. But that doesn't mean they have tangible assets that are worth anything or that appreciate in value. For example, how many Americans are increasingly becoming land owners? The exact opposite is happening. Land is like wealth......it's flowing up into the hands of the few. Value creating private property is pretty much the foundation of capitalism and a capitalist economy. Yet fewer and fewer Americans are land owners. Let alone land that actually produces anything of value.

[SoCalCroozer]

Buffalo Wild Wings Chicken Wings has to be some of the worst food and worst chicken wings I've ever eaten. Pathetic. Americans will eat anything nowadays.

[Mr5150]

Originally Posted by humboldtrat

I agree! I don't have a cellphone or a smartphone either. I don't like being bothered all the time for usually trivial things.

I have a cell phone and if I don't want to be bothered, I turn it off. Quite simple.

OTOH ther have been a number of times my phone has been a lifesaver or eliminated playing phone tag over important matters.

Smart phone? No thanks.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by Phil306

I agree. I've said it too: What recession? I just came back from Italy. Flying out of SFO every single seat on the plane was FULL; both coming and going. Business class and First Class too.

Ford is making record profits; someone is buying cars. Apple? Again, record profits. An iPhone 200-600 bucks a pop, plus 60-100 bucks+ a month in phone charges. Men/women lined up around the block, buying SF Giants t-shirts, caps, and jerseys. One guy I heard said he was buying $500 bucks worth of jerseys.

Any restaurant I go too, on a Friday/Saturday night, I have an hour plus wait. I sure as heck don't see people losing weight; in fact, America is the fattest nation in the world.

People on welfare, who are supposed to be using that money to "feed their children," spending it at casinos and strip clubs in Las Vegas, cruise ships in Miami.

Yes, sorry, I don't see it. I'm sure the economy took a downturn, however, I believe it was blown out of proportion, so people can get out of paying their bills.

There is a recession. It's just not a 1929 bread lines type of recession it's more like 50 million Americans on foodstamps, millions of people collecting unemployment benefits. Those socisl programs didn't exist back then, so poverty is less obvious now days.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by DMenscha

I just returned from 10 days in Redwood City dealing with a death in the family and I'm sort of numb on several levels, but I found a few things fascinating.

1. EVERYONE has a smart phone. Interesting to watch people walking down the street (and unfortunately in their cars) totally engrossed in the device in their hands.

2. Economic activity. Sure seemed to me that there was a lot of visible economic activity, from carpenters doing building improvements, to landscape maintenance folks, even just patrons at an incredible number of diverse styles of restaurants.

3. Traffic. Probably goes without saying that just to navigate around and avoid the above-mentioned folks on their phones was thrilling (and not necessarily a good thing).

4. Air quality. It sure seems like the air quality has improved substantially since I lived there, but it may have just been the way the wind was blowing.

5. Real estate prices. No news here, but boy oh boy, every real estate person picks up one of those glossy ad magazines wherever they go and I think you could buy every property in our MLS for what one luxury home was going for. Rents seemed outrageous too, the dumpy place I had to stay was a 600sf one bedroom on a 4 lane street for $1000/month.

IN short, the bay area looks like it's humming right along and I'm guessing that the rest of the state isn't too far ahead or behind. I hate to quote John Denver, but "thank god I'm a country boy"

I might agree with what you are saying, but if you think the area is moving along quite nicely with new building and lots of landscapers working talk to the unemployed carpeters, construction companies going out of business and the landsacapers taking on 2nd jobs because they don't have enough business. The rest I agree with you.

Nita

[Phil306]

Originally Posted by SoCalCroozer

Sure ther are lots of cell phones and companies like Apple making record profits. But that has absolutely nothing to do with a healthy economy. Same with people going out to eat or traveling. Ask these same people how much credit card debt they have. Ask them if they own a home. Ask them if they own any land. Ask them if they own their car. Ask them if they work in the service sector. Ask them if tbey are putting money towards retirement every month. Monkey see monkey do. There are a lot of monkeys walking around with fancy clothes, cell phones, cars, the latest and greatest. But that doesn't mean they have tangible assets that are worth anything or that appreciate in value. For example, how many Americans are increasingly becoming land owners? The exact opposite is happening. Land is like wealth......it's flowing up into the hands of the few. Value creating private property is pretty much the foundation of capitalism and a capitalist economy. Yet fewer and fewer Americans are land owners. Let alone land that actually produces anything of value.

Uh, yeah, ok. However, the overriding point is: I have no money to feed my kids. I am not going to make my house payments, my rent, my credit card payments, or anything else I have to make, which is not mandatory.

However, these same people can afford an iphone, ipad, a new Ford car, and go to every restaurant in their city.

Simple fact, again, these people and everyone who sides with them, are liars. These people have alot more money then they admit and tell people. And yes, this is from first hand.

I've seen it. I know persons who have walked away from their houses, because they are "underwater." Can they still afford their house payments. YES. But, why? Why should they? There is no reason for them too. They can walk away, spend a year in an apartment, save 50 grand and buy another house outright.

Oh how Phil, their credit sucks. Yep. But their parents doesn't. You people are nieve to the truth and facts.

Again, there may have been a slight downturn in the economy; however, its been over done, so people can walk away from their bills.

I just flew Business Class to Italy. Every seat was filled with American's. So was First Class; both coming and going. Where are all these desperate people who have no money?

I'll tell you: Using the welfare benefits at strip clubs and in Las Vegas. Its BS and history will show this.