Articles – Page 4 – Hopeful Romantics

In The Future You Might Have To Drive The Car You Can Afford

I was reading in the Los Angeles Times where Chrysler would no longer be leasing cars through its in-house financial service. Wells Fargo, known for its auto leasing loans, among other things is also getting out of the auto leasing business. Ford took a write down on its auto leasing portfolio of over $2 Billion, which is a lot of money, even in this day and age.

The car makers who sell mostly trucks and SUV’s are being hit doubly hard as those that specialize in passenger cars, but with gas prices being what they are, coupled with the devaluation of leased cars, it is only a matter of time before other auto makers pick up their proverbial catcher’s mitts and trundle on out of the car leasing finance business. Tough break.

Once upon a time, the auto dealership could figure with some degree of accuracy the residual value of the car. That means at the inception of your lease the dealer would project the car would be worth a certain percentage of its initial value. Three year old cars in demand, Mercedes, BMW’s, Lexus, Hondas, Toyotas would be worth more, percentage wise, naturally, and the ones in less demand, Hyandai’s, Kias, stuff like that,would be worth less. This residual value was taken into consideration when they wrote up the terms of the lease. You would pay less per month for a car with more residual value, meaning it would be worth more at the end of the lease, and you would pay more per month for the car that nobody wanted.

Well, now every car dealership is getting killed on most lease returns. The Prius and a few others are the exceptions, but now the Blue Book Value, the estimated value of a car and the actual selling price are at odds. The car is worth less than the evaluation. Enough so that you see dealers who bought out the cars at lease closing now desperate to sell and offering the cars at thousands below Blue Book.

In fact, Santa Monica Lexus this weekend had its first ever “blow out” sale, offering its cars a thousands below the Blue Book value. I was struck by the number of Porsches listed in the ad. This is Southern California, after all, and at first glance one would think they were on the Autobahn what with all the German cars. A Porsche around here is like an entry level Lexus in a lot of other parts of the country. Nevertheless, there they were all models, all colors, just make an offer.

So what’s this all mean, besides the obvious? Well, have always been a country in love with its cars. We would joyride; we would watch movies in our cars, eat in them, have sex in them. They were an extension of our ego, a symbol of freedom and a measuring stick for our worth in society. Hundreds of sons were written about our cars and the things we did in our cars. We have auto shows, auto clubs, nostalgic reviews and television shows.

Once upon a time cars were affordable. Relatively speaking. You drove an American car and there were cool American cars and they didn’t empty your lungs just to buy one. And then as the world globalized we were introduced to the really sleek, cool, speedy, better handling foreign models. First they came from Europe, some vroomed and some sputtered, especially in the rain. Anyone who drove an English sports car in the sixties can tell you about his travails with the Jaguars and MG’s.

And then came the Japanese. First there were the cheap, tinny cars that no one wanted, unless you were too broke for the American car. But then the Japanese cars improved, and Toyota, Honda, Nissan, offered quality cars and premium vehicles with names like Infiniti, Accura and Lexus. As for the cheap part, well that went out the electric window.
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So…to have your symbol of freedom and the status and sex appeal it would bring you, you had to spend bucks. Bucks you couldn’t afford. Enter car leasing. For a lot less bucks you could drive the car you couldn’t afford for several years and then turn it in for its residual value. The auto maker would sell it off, make some more money on it, over your initial leasing fee, and the auto makers were happy as clams.

But now it looks like they will soon be getting out of the leasing business. That symbol of freedom will have to be something you can actually afford. Because you will have to actually buy it. Reality will need a radical adjustment. Your symbol of freedom may lack the sex appeal of the car you once leased. Or it may be a lot older than that shiny new car you drove for three years, put on thirty thousand miles, and then turned it.

Your friends may not envy you as much. Women may not swoon. Few men can ask a woman if you wants to go for a ride in a base priced Kia. Okay, then can ask, but who is accepting? So there you are, no longer in dream city but bogged down in the reality of the times. As for joy riding, forget that at $5 bucks a gallon. You ain’t even going to the movies, half the time. Pay per view and a pizza ordered from the shop where the delivery kid has to pay for his gasoline.

Online dating may end up being more “virtual” than first anticipated. Fashion companies could be offering attire and accessories for weekend phone sex. Pajama parties may again become the rage. Why? Because everyone will stay over for days, since they can’t afford the gas to go home. I suppose it is a good thing after all that drive-in theaters have long gone the way of the rumble seat.

If there is a silver lining, take stock of the car you will be buying and not leasing. The reason many expensive cars were expensive, besides their performance, sex appeal, and a mark of your status, is because they are made well. They weren’t made initially to be leased for three years and turned back in. They were made to be driven for years and years. They were made to go hundreds of thousands of miles, before dying an honorable death.

So if you buy one and drive it for the five or ten years, like the Europeans usually do, then the price of the luxury vehicle still makes sense. You can enjoy it, retain your symbol of freedom, sex appeal, and status symbol, albeit a little threadbare over time. You can enjoy the better cars for what they were made for–quality and performance. Or you can buy a car you can afford, get rid of it when the loan is paid and buy another, maybe an electric car. In the future.

In any event, your car, after being driven awhile, like quality clothes made from quality fabric, will develop the one thing it doesn’t have now. Character.

Happy motoring.

Johnny Edwards, We Hardly Knew Ya

Okay, so by now unless you were living in a cave in Mynamar you would have read or heard about how the National Enquirer, cornered former Presidential Hopeful and Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, John Edwards in the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Apparently, the media gang from the Enquirer chased poor Johnny around the hotel in some modern version of an old Marx Brothers movie. From the different reports, the very bemused hotel guests watched the impromptu floor show.

John Edwards ran for his life, or, rather, for his career, while the Enquirer gang gave chase. They cornered him in a bathroom, where reports are the ever intimidating hotel security guards–you have seen them–allegedly threatened to break heads and cameras. The Enquirer reporters are said to have filed a criminal complaint with the Beverly Hills Police.

I mean you have to admit this is pretty funny. No matter what side of the aisle you rest your laurels, if you don’t look at this with humor and irony, mixed with the usual disgust and admonition, then you are lulling on the ice floes with respect to the cultural and political zeitgeist of the early 21st Century. When you are worth hundreds of millions and your are a very public figure, in fact one that is being considered for the Vice Presidential role, again, or as a cabinet member, you have to feel pretty stupid when you are cornered in the hotel bathroom by a horde of reporters. The only thing worse would be that while you held the door against the narrow shoulders of the reporters, you discover Senator Larry Craig is tapping his lascivious foot at you from inside a bathroom stall.

You have to be an idiot. I’m sorry, but whether or not you want to wax moral on this, and there is plenty of wax on this one to make enough candles to light a sensual sex scene, the morality to me is not the major issue. The issues is whether you are smart enough to run this country. If you can’t take care of your extramarital affairs without getting caught by the media, then how are you going to outfox the Russians, the Iranians the the lineup of “evil doers” you will be dealing with on a daily basis? I mean, how cool can you be.

All right, so up comes the name of one William Clinton. But with Clinton it was different. The women in one form or another ratted him out. He wasn’t caught near in flagrante as was John Edwards. His girlfriend of the moment either talked to the press or talked to her girlfriend who talked to the press, depending on what girl of the moment we were talking about.
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Look, I’m sure there are good qualities about John Edwards. And I’m sure with his wife, Elizabeth, being so ill, there are pressures most of us can’t imagine. He has had his share of tragedy in his life. It is the kind of tragedy that no money nor political or social status will ever fully surmount. You can’t have a child die and a wife that is dying and not be in the need of some relief. Anywhere.

But not here. Not now. That is, if you really want to be considered for Vice President or a cabinet position. If Edwards is on a secret self-destructive bent for one reason or another, then he is certainly in the groove. But I don’t think that’s the case with Edwards. He is far too ambitious to dwell in the world of secret self-denial and self-destruction.

Look, he is definitely an intelligent man, although I don’t care all that much for his personal style. Between the newscaster’s haircut, circa 1980, and the ersatz folksy, populists jingo he spouts from time to time, He is hard to embrace. I see him more as the calculating “Goober Boy,” than as a viable Presidential candidate. I made up my mind on this when asked during one of the oh so scintillating presidential debates what he considers his personal flaw. In fairness, Barack Obama was the only one who gave an ingenuous answer. The rest decided to shuck and jive. But in Edward’s case he “aw shucks” it for a moment and then announced his flaw was that he cared about America “too much.”

I would rather he would have told us he was haunted by unseen and indeterminate demons who, despite what I believe is his genuine love and concern for his wife, he is forced to go seeking solace in the arms of a Santa Barbara MILF where, together they have produced a love child as a result of their passions. Then I would have thought, okay, it’s an imperfect world and it least he isn’t trying to feed me the kind of line you feed the last drunk at closing time.

It least he wouldn’t be living in denial and forcing us to do the same. He wouldn’t sound like Larry Craig.

Does This Painting Remind You of Anybody?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Besides conducting background checks and corporate research, I am still an author and am fairly versed in the arts. I had the fortune of seeing this painting on display in the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, known as LACMA around these parts. It is a most compelling work. It attracts your eye from way across the gallery. This piece was painted in the twenties by German Expressionist, Magnus Zeller. Germany was experiencing a few speed bumps at the time, following the debacle of the First World War, or “The War to End All Wars,” as it was called then. It is a term we view today with more than its share of irony, if not dark humor. But I digress.
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Cast your eyes on the painting and think your thoughts. History does repeat itself, or as the French have been rumored to say, “The More Things Change, the More They Stay They Same.”

The Miss Universe Pageant–Eighty Contestants from Eighty Countries, And They All Look the Same

I was watching the Miss Universe Pageant the other night. It was a brief break from the usual weekend activities and a respite from the world of background checks and corporate research. I came in around the middle of it, or what I thought to be the middle of it, when they weeded it down to the finalists. I didn’t watch all that long, either. I waited until the finalists sashayed off the stage, brimming with perky charm and K-Mart flirtatiousness. I didn’t even see Miss United States take her fabled spilled, which later aired ad nauseum on every news channel on the earth. Well, maybe not on Al Jazeeri TV, but then I don’t watch a it.

Not being much for beauty contests, beyond the initial observation, I did come to some perhaps minor epiphanies, but epiphanies none the less. I thought how it was interesting that young women from all these different nations used to seem so exotic. Now with the United States being the modern global melting pot, if you did away with the hair and the heavy make up, in today’s world you may see any one of these women, or women who look someone like them, exercising at your local gym. You may see them at your local Starbucks or picking up Pizza or hanging out in your local sports bar.

The exotic is not exotic anymore. It is common place. And as for their great beauty, yes they are quite attractive. Enough money has been spent to make them that way. Having worked in Hollywood, I realize you spend enough bucks, supply the makeup artist, the costume director, the coaches who teach you how to walk and talk and flash that chaste but come hither ersatz charming smile and you can make a dumpster look attractive. If the light is right.

But if in early age one doesn’t get enough calcium, or if body does not absorb enough calcium http://new.castillodeprincesas.com/directorio/seccion/trajes-de-novia/?wpbdp_sort=field-1 generic tadalafil india from the diet, and this is seen in animal fat, brain, cheese, egg yolk, beef, pork, poultry, shrimps and cuttlefish. ESPN new.castillodeprincesas.com cialis properien MVP on Verizon Wireless will feature race highlights from NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races throughout the season, as well as all the latest news and information, ESPN.com columnists and in-progress race leader boards. If a man is diagnosed with prostatitis, Chinese herbal medicine Diuretic and cialis no prescription Anti-inflammatory Pill to get a cure. This causes the blood flow to the penis to cialis overnight shipping be enhanced. But what is really remarkable is how they can get that big hair just so, insert the flowing falls to lux it up a little–yes, they are wearing falls–and make them up so at the end of it all, they look exactly like each other. This is no mean feat if all the girls come from more or less the same nationality. But to take contestants from every ethnic group and every nation, and make them all look the same, this is really doing something. This is the magic cookie cutter, which I’m sure begins with selection. Most appear about the same height. They all endure similar dental work and are taught to walk and smile in similar fashion.

In the end they look like the Stepford Beauty Queens. Pretty remarkable. Not that there aren’t millions of men and probably a million women who wouldn’t want to date them. At first glance, as homogenized as they all appear, you have to wonder if they come equipped with the necessary plumbing. I’m sure they do, but you still must wonder as you feast upon their doll-like forms. As you must wonder if they all come out of the same factory, luxury sex objects who are stamped out in some universe standard and then tweaked just so that their features can make Miss Somewhere in Asia slightly distinct from Miss Somewhere in Europe.

Well, it is a global marketplace, after all. And we do have a Starbucks on every corner, and if nothing else, besides lousy coffee, they certainly all look the same. So why not Miss Universe? Look at it this way, when they all look the same, you don’t feel so bad for the losers.

Corporal Punishment for White Collar Crimes and Those Who Betray the Public Trust

Anyone with eyeballs and a set of ears has either scene or heard at least one of a dozen news announcements that the FBI will be investigating IndyMac Bank for fraudulent practices. CNN writes that the government is looking into the bank engaged in fraud while granting mortgages to high risk borrowers. IndyMac is listed as well as twenty one other companies in the sub-prime market under investigation. I’m sure there will be more.

For those who are uninitiated the FBI has a terrific posting, listing of crimes and scenarios related to mortgage fraud. I would urge everyone to read it. It will provide a comprehensive overview as to how we have been hosed for the better part of this century, and who did the hosing. But for now let me give you the brief overview.

Here is a decent insight provided by CNN–“I would suspect they are looking at bad appraisals, bad underwriting, which would mean false statements on loan applications, some of which require federal forms to be filled out — so they can be prosecuted for the false statements,” he said. “I would also suspect they would look at false statements to the investing community for securities fraud violations.”

What this means is say there is a house on the market for $300,000. It’s a hot market to the normal precautions, due diligence, house inspections, common sense and closer scrutiny are thrown out the window in the bidding frenzy. Scammer one, the Realtor, whomever sells the house to someone he knows. He may sell it to another business front, or have someone stand in for a fee, say $15,000. He may sell it to his wife, his mother, whomever. Whomever he sells it to stands in for the mortgage. Whatever the price, it is inflated, say $500,000.

Thanks to certain arrangements, the “buyer,” qualifies for the inflated price. The realtor is on the take, as is the mortgage lender. Each is paid off nicely to grant a mortgage based on false documents or no documents fraudulently claiming that this “buyer” is earns enough and is worth enough that he or she qualifies for the loan. The appraiser is also on the take and appraises the house for the inflated value. Often the appraiser will use specious comps or comps taken from a neighborhood not too far away, but very different in true home value.

The bank grants the mortgage, holds it for ten seconds and then flips it to a hedge fund or some financial group seven billion light years away from the transaction. The house could be in Las Vegas, the ultimate lender who picks up the note could be in France. They don’t know the difference in neighborhoods. They don’t know that three blocks away the houses are $2 million, but here in this neighborhood they are in reality valued for much less.

Once the mortgage is secured, the “buyer” then flips it back to the “seller” or someone else in the ring. They put it on the market again, for an even higher price. And then maybe again. And then some poor soul buys it in the bidding frenzy of a hot market, only to discover he is in way over his head. He may have bought it on an interest only loan, or some other cutesy loan where he pays only a portion monthly of the true mortgage cost. He is told don’t worry, the house will always increase, he can take equity loans to pay the balloon payment coming due. And then the other shoe falls, reality sets in and there is a lot of collective whining about being bamboozled by unfair practitioners.
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Well this is just part of it. I tried to keep it simple. It can get pretty complex. As a background checking company who also conducts corporate investigation and corporate research we at Corra Group had had several mortgage fraud cases cross our desks, all with similarities, but also with variations on a theme. We realize theses cases, under pre-trial preparation, before the attorneys take them to court are but an infinitesimal fraction of the deceit fraud and outright crime that has taken place in the name of real estate commerce.

Okay, so now too late in my opinion, the game of musical chairs is over. There are no chairs left for these asses to find a seat. They want to be bailed out. They want recompense for their greed. In fact, what they have done is betray the public trust. They have betrayed the public trust as have politicians and media people and those involved in myriad white collar crime. They have ruined lives and cost billions, gutted pension funds and lied to anybody who would listen.

In a world where the kid on the corner running a three card monte game may get a stiffer sentence than these politicians and white collar criminals, something is terribly wrong. I propose we not only send them to jail but that we invoke corporal punishment. I believe whole heartedly that these betrayers of the public trust should be treated to a public flogging, before being flung into prison for a hearty sentence.

If we can allow for capital punishment then we can certainly make a little room here for the corporate variety. Frankly, I don’t think it will deter drug addicts or garden variety criminals. It would just be another speed bump on the road to desolation. But with the more high minded alleged reputable citizens of our fair country, flogging behinds would prove a very clear and concise deterrent. The mere spectacle of having their collective pants pulled down around their ankles and being flogged with cane or cat o’ nine tails for the benefit of public access TV would give pause to most crooked politicians and white collar criminals.

The reality of seeing their friends being flogged in living color would turn most into honest men. They would be forced to listen to the berating of their spouses, parents and in-laws. They would be admonished by all, reminded how awful it would for the children, how embarrassing for friends and neighbors, and how they have put on some pounds and wouldn’t look as fashion forward with big red welts on their coddled derrières

They may be capable of doing the time, but they may balk when threatened with the pine. We could even bring back the stocks, where the angry rabble could throw garbage and worthless mortgages at them. I believe this is not only a workable solution, but one whose time has come. As for these evil doers, to quote a President, these folks who believe they are privileged and entitled to operate beyond the law. Those who believe they can betray the public trust, well for their public flogging session, this is one time I wouldn’t mind them butting to the front of the line.