patrick.net

skibum says:
However, I think that not only is the timeshare market off considerably in second home markets like Tahoe, but the full-on condo and SFH market is significantly down there, too.
One of my bellweathers is the fractional Marriott Grand Residence Club (they are not making anymore land at the base of the tram you know!) Resale prices for a one bedroom/1 bath seem to be holding steady at ~$130k and for a 1bed/2bath at ~$140k. I shudder to think what they were originally marketed at -- some place north of $200k? These are quarter shares (13 rotating weeks) and will bleed you $4k+ and $5k+, respectively, in yearly HOAs. If these ever hit ~$100k, I would say we are near the bottom. Anybody have historic data for Tahoe. I would be curious to see how they performed in the last up & downturn.

I have no interest whatsoever in Paris Hilton, you guys can do her on behalf me.

I actually think she is ugly. Julia Louis Dreyfus is far more attractive, and comes with a complete package. I actually know a guy from Northwestern who dated her for a short while.

How come this site is just as slow as before? Is this a problem of wordpress?

LOL, okay HARM, ya got me. :)

btw, when I think of 'trustafarians', I think of Boulder, CO and the University of Colorado. A bunch of kids whose parents have loads of money, but who wear hippie clothes, smoke a lot of pot and complain about "The Man" (who is probably their rich dad). A lot seem to be surfers from southern California who also like to ski. Whoooooaaaa, dude. Faaaar out, bro!

Plain old rich kids are just trust fund babies or silver spooners to me.

I have yet to hear a good term for all the daddy's little girls who have ridden horses all their lives and never once mucked a stall. Where's dryfly when you need him? Maybe Randy's got a good Midwestern ag name for these girls?

OO,

Not sure, but Patrick's looking into upgrading to Wordpress 2.x. Hopefully that will help (assuming the problem really is SW related, not HW or BW).

Can you imaging Paris or your typical spawn of the American super-rich accepting a similar lifestyle? Not saying the guy is exactly “roughing” it or that he’s living like an ascetic monk, but this does provide an interesting contrast in terms of the social contract from across the pond vs. here.

I believe this was the premise of "The Simple Life."

EBGuy,

It's probably not my place to say but I believe FAB said the area took a pounding in the last CA downturn? I must admit, I see these "distance markets" as something of a bellweather myself! Like I say, it's like hypothermia (non-essentials get shut down first!)

EBGuy Says:

> Anybody have historic data for Tahoe. I would be
> curious to see how they performed in the last up
> & downturn.

With the heavy monthly fees many people in 1994 were “paying” others to take over their timeshares in Tahoe (and other places). Back in 1994 I knew a S. Shore Realtor with over 100 listings with many of them under $100K…

Please unmoderate my last post. Does mentioning a brand name cause the post to be held?

Does mentioning a brand name cause the post to be held?

Depending on what brand name.

It wasn't See Alice

Is moderation really needed anymore since we have a log in requirement?

However, I will concede that Britain could really use more skilled dentists.

Germans love their nationalized healthcare. An Italian colleague once remarked to me, "You cannot die in the street in Italy. But if you want *real* medical care, then you must have a private plan. These are very expensive." He indicated that merely moderate U.S. healthcare was equivalent to a private plan in Italy.

Now bear in mind that he is also a well-paid engineer, but you see that while the lower class is cared for better than here, he considers U.S. healthcare better for people in the middle-middle class and above.

Also, to claim that European healthcare is "free" is rubbish. I had a German offer cross my desk. The deductions removed from your paycheck are prestigious--I would have been taxed at almost 45-50%/year. My potential manager said that I should withdraw from the state health program and enroll in a private plan because it's cheaper for single people earning above the median salary.

Brand,

Never claimed there's such a thing as a free lunch or that Europe is some kind of utopian worker's paradise. But when we're paying 2-3X the per-capita average elsewhere with a coverage gap of 12-16% of the population, something's wrong.

I should also point out that Italy (and the old Soviet-bloc countries) is basically Europe's 3rd world. I bet healthcare in Scandinavia, UK, France or Germany is head-and-shoulders above it. I lived in the U.K. 1 yr. (exchange student) and travelled much of the continent. Can't say I went to the doctor very often, but I never went without coverage.

I should also point out that Italy (and the old Soviet-bloc countries) is basically Europe’s 3rd world.

For a third world European country, they have excellent cuisine and stupid hot women. :o Maybe I should retire there at 35 and get myself a Bella Donna.

Italy is a third world country?

I have lived in or have had extended stays in England, Germany, France, Italy, and Portugal. I would put Italy right in the middle of that group.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a7LCp2Acv2aw&refer=home

>> Italy is a third world country?

Yes, Italy is a third world country ..... like INDIA

PermaRenter: The kool aid must be good where you're at. :o India still has open sewers and a shocking amount of disease and poverty in the non-industrial areas. In Italy, the worst you can say is that people are too lazy to pave your driveway in less than three weeks (also that little La Cosa Nostra thing, but we'll ignore that, si?).

Or you're being sarcastic, and I'm just dense tonight...

Maybe Randy’s got a good Midwestern ag name for these girls?

In my day we called them débutantes (of course without the accent), or in my area of the sub-rust farm belt, Corn Queens. True story, the town I grew up in had an annual "Corn Festival", which was the 2nd biggest fest of the year. At the Corn Festival we crowned a Corn Queen, who was inevitably a real débutante. Then everyone drank Budweiser and got drunk.

Brand says "... India still has open sewers and a shocking amount of disease and poverty in the non-industrial areas...."

How can you be so insensitive? After you whities looted us for over 300 years, and did nothing during famines except to continue to loot us, what would you expect? I it only 60 years since we got Independence and we will win. Why do you think I am here in this country? To serve your whity ass? No fuckin way! Anything and evrything we do is for our country. Just wait and watch and see how we will make our coutry stronger kick your asses in a few decades!

Harm,

I don't know when HeadSet was in Europe and checked out "cars with no safety glass". Maybe 1955? I think Volvo has had laminated glass it since 1960 or so.

It seems that the general argument goes something like, "our rich people are richer than your rich people, therefore our system is better". Duh.

Ok, looks I touched a raw nerve with that "Europe's third world" comment --my bad. Well, to be fair, Italy is a whole lot more developed than the true developing world, but after touring through Scandinavia, Germany and Austria, it sure seems third world by comparison. I can still recall being able to see the exact dividing line between Austria and Italy on the train --neat manicured Bavarian neighborhoods abruptly giving way to dilapidated villas, rubbish and laundry lines. And being sidelined by one of the monthly rail strikes shortly thereafter. Of course, that was 18 years ago. Oh well...

Do you know anyone who was denied needed medical care when required?... The actual poor are covered by Medicaid, and emergency rooms cannot turn away someone based on inability to pay.

Spoken like someone who has never actually gone without medical coverage before.

Yes, I know "someone": me. I could not afford medical insurance for nearly six years after college, when all I could get were various marginal near-minimum-wage jobs. This was during the early '90s recession, which anyone who became unemployed at the time can tell you was much harsher than the post-Dot.com "recession".

Keep in mind this was pre-Internet, and long before most of the individual catastrophic insurance programs around today were even available. I checked around the old school way --by phone-- and quickly found that the only personal health insurance a 20-something-year-old healthy male could get back then was: a) prohibitively expensive, or b) didn't cover jack squat.

Medicaid qualifications at the time were so prohibitive, there was basically no way a non-homeless U.S. citizen earning ANY income could qualify. I suppose I should have lied on the application or pretended to be an illegal alien --live and learn I guess. I quickly found out where the local charity clinics and public emergency rooms were, but mainly coped by being lucky enough not to get seriously sick or injured.

The same thing also happened to one of my brothers for a couple years after he was laid off. He actually got turned away for not having insurance from an West L.A. hospital after being mugged & assaulted at a bus stop, so I can assure you it *is* possible. I guess they felt his injuries at the time did not "require" medical attention... for someone with no medical insurance, that is. *Ahem*.

Having your medical insurance "lifeline" tied to any particular job in this age of zero-job-security is arbitrary, risky and just plain stupid. No one should have to risk his health, or choose between shelter or medical care, or risk going bankrupt for getting sick or injured while unemployed.

The current system sucks and is inexcusable for the richest, most technologically advanced nation on earth. We can do better.

Harm,

Good points. And you are right, I would not dream of going without medial coverage. I put that on the list of must buys. But then, I have the advantage of TriCare Prime.

My experiences are different than yours. Most of my American relatives are firmly working class, and none have any trouble getting getting medical treatment.. My brother has no employer provided coverage for his 8 year old son, so he buys coverage for $238/mo. True, it has a $1,000 deductable, so a broken bone can set him back a bit. But so would a new alternator. My wife taught school that included kids from the projects. I used to visit the projects with her and found that medical care was free for the residents. I know several women who have got breast implants, all who have working class incomes. I have also visited several of my companies independent contractor Taxi Drivers at the hospital (heart attacks, cancer, and other issues related to smoking or poor diet and exercise habits). My mom got excellent treatment at a local hosptal after a car accident, where she stayed several days in a private room, hooked up to medical equipment that reminded me of the old Star Trek sick bay. Since she is over 65, Medicare paid for it. I also have hillbilly relatives in central Virginia that drift between jobs, but all their kids were born in hospitals and they seem to get the medical treatment they bother to go in for.

Yes, we can do better. But Universal and Free is not the answer. We want to preserve the high quality and avoid the moral hazard. That is, if people had to pay a deductable, maybe they would be less inclined to smoke and be more inclined to exercise. You also do not want the medical system becoming like the DMV, with long lines and poor service.

I do agree with you that medical coverage should be portable. Perhaps employers could offer to pay part or all of a private or federal insurance as part of job compensation.

"It seems that the general argument goes something like, “our rich people are richer than your rich people, therefore our system is better”. Duh. "

My specific point was that Euro rich may be better catered to than US rich, to counter the argument about less Euro class distinction. Thus the example of so many Euro makes of seriously exclusive cars. I said our WORKING CLASS are better of economically then their WORKING CLASS, and gave examples to back it up.

The "our rich are richer" was not even implied, and is actually counter to my point. DUH.

"Health care? Fewer of their babies die, and they live longer and with fewer ‘episodes’. Their late-life years are comparatively active, the incidence of diabetes, arthritis, cancer and obesity is notably lower than our own. Against all that, I don’t put too much weight on how many MRI facilities they operate. "

True. But you seem to be talking about lifestyle habits. You will find that the higher US infant mortality is related to substance abuse by the mothers, not lack of medical care. If Americans had European habits on exercise and food consumption, we would have similar levels of the ailments you mention. That has nothing to do with the quality and quantity of medical treatment.

No affordability issue here. As an American, you can chose to eat responsibly and exercise for about the same price as a European.

Headset, your point is perfectly sound and deals neatly with the usual observation that Europe as a whole spends less on health care per capita than we do and with superior results. So far as I know, no one has quantified the differences in personal choices in a convincing way. Still, this doesn't leave us in a reliably superior position.

I just hope that when (if) we get around to reexamining our options, we are sharp enough to look at practices elsewhere and co-opt the best of them. Socialized medicine is done in many different ways - it's not been harmonized across the EU - so rating our conventions wholesale against those of Canada or France or the whole of Europe is a fool's errand. And skipping over, say, Luxembourg or the Netherlands because of scaling questions may mean that smart, effective approaches go unnoticed.

I'm afraid I just can't join in the certainty that our much-beloved homeland has the best of it all, much as I'd like to.

It really doesn't matter why Europeans are healthier, they are.

I'm going to guess that the omnipresence of fast food chains, high fructose corn syrup junk food and soda, trans fats, and dominance of car had something to do with America's unhealthiness.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_6201817

S.J. real estate brokerage files for bankruptcy

"Neri was in Mexico and unavailable"

Too funny! How about, "Neri IS in Mexico and... he ain't coming back"? What a great business, milk it out for all it's worth (and then some) and the minute the lawsuits start oozing in just make for the border!

Thanks for making my Friday lunarpark!

>> Just wait and watch and see how we will make our coutry stronger kick your asses in a few decades!

IndianGuy,

I agree. I will be very happy if US becomes third world. Already so many indinas in Cupertino, Sunnyvale that it indeed feels like third world. US dollar would continue its crash. In 2002, one US dollar used to fetch 50INR, today it fetches 40INR....

US is a nation of flippers ... how far this SCAM can go on?

"I will be very happy if US becomes third world"

You... you mean we're not already?! That's funny b/c every time I take my wife shopping in Salem, OR we're the only people conversing in english, obeying traffic signals and disposing of trash properly.

Anybody rent the Billy Bob Thornton stinker "School for Scoundrels"? I did. Afterward I thought to myself, "that really WAS something of a revelation. Was I the last guy in America to attend this "school"?

My favorite line from the "class" was:

How many of you people have "self-help" books?

Entire class raises hand.

"Throw'em away. YOUR "SELF" SUCKS!"

>The “our rich are richer” was not even implied, and is actually counter to my >point. DUH.

I skipped a step. I should have said "we have more newly rich people than the Europeans, and ours are richer, too"

I think that the original argument was that there is "better opportunity for social mobility" in the US. In other words, it is easier to start from near scratch and become a gazillionaire in the US. Or just move up a few steps.

So let us try that one instead. The reason there is less social mobility in Europe is that there is fewer and less separated social strata to "move up" into. Also, people feel less of a burning desire to do so, because being middle class or less in Europe is not all that bad.

The problem is that most Americans never escape poverty and strike it "rich". The system does not work that way. The ones that strike it reach are highly educated and motivated immigrants, or rich kids like Bill Gates that leverage their parents social position into riches. But even Bill Gates is a Black Swan event. He is literally one in 300M. My point is that an argument (not yours) like "we create more newly minted millionaires per capita than any other country" does not mean that the US has "more opportunity" or is a "better society". It just does not mean that, unless your metric is exactly what I said:" "creates more newly minted milllionairs per capita than almost any other country".

I don't think that is a good metric of overall societal quality. And we may disagree on that.

justme and Headset,

In the 1980s, when the grey market car biz peaked and died, DOT required analog speedometers and odometers replaced and certified, steel crossbeams installed in doors for side impact standards, PCV/catalytic converter installation where not already present with some additional tweaking for California, installation of sealed-beam headlamps and addition of amber side markers front and red markers rear, amber turn signals in front and red rear, break-away rearview mirrors inside the windshield, three-point (and for a couple of years automatically-extending) seatbelt/shoulder harnesses.

Safety glass has been pretty much standard in Western Europe since forbid, but Americans introduced a windshield which fractured into small cubes of glass when it was shown that typical laminates were responsible for horrific injuries when people were thrown through the windshield and then fell back through the closing laminate. I don't know when or if Europe adopted the new standard, but would be surprised to learn they didn't.

Since then, headlamps and turn signals and automatic shoulder harness standards have been messed about.

Of course, all this was done for vehicles manufactured in Europe for export to America. For a long time, Porsche was a favorite grey market choice, since almost all the DOT requirements were already in place and you could buy a new one in Frankfurt for about 50-60% of its US price, put enough miles on it to qualify as a used, personal vehicle (3.4% import duty at the time as against 35% new car tariff).

You might be able to find a Lada with a pre-Cambrian windshield, but I somehow doubt it.

I'm posting too much, but here goes. Social mobility.

We measure it by how much money. They measure it by whether you work for someone (working class), own the business (bourgeois), carry a title (nobility) or are in a position to grant titles (royalty). That's it.

When I hear someone here say they thank their lucky stars they're not bourgeois, I think "Darlin', your lucky stars have seen to it!"

Um. That's 'here' as in 'here in Sarasota'.

So what's with all this comparing ourselves to the British or whatever!? Where Uhmurikans damn it!