[AK]

Recent European vacation was a major reality check on high-speed rail and ubiquitous public transportation in general.

It ain’t cheap. A one-day bus pass in, say, Copenhagen runs about $25 US, which coulda got me a full tank of gas not so long ago. A short intercity train trip like Bonn-Amsterdam (about 200 miles) runs $120 US one way, or about the cost of an SAN-SFO flight on Southwest.

It ain’t always convenient. For example, Paris is the hub for all long-distance trains in France … but trains arrive at / depart from different stations and you gotta schlep your stuff through the subway or take a cab. After weighing all the alternatives I booked a trip on an unsubsidized carbon-spewing private bus instead … it was a very proletarian experience and toward the end of the trip a malodorous one too, but I saved a bunch of money and arrived at my destination at noon rather than 1 a.m.

Don’t get me wrong. I think high-speed rail will work well in the right corridors. I’m not entirely convinced SFO-LAX-SAN is the right corridor. And I’m not too encouraged by the fact that we can’t even get conventional train service running again on a no-brainer route like LAX-LAS!

(edit: I meant LAX-LAS … a route I’d love to see in operation again. I mean who actually enjoys the weekend drive out to Vegas?)

[AK]

My house has a builder-grade fiberglass entry door that certainly cost nowhere near $400, much less $4000. With a good coat of paint it could pass for steel …

[AK]

My house has a builder-grade fiberglass entry door that certainly cost nowhere near $400, much less $4000. With a good coat of paint it could pass for steel …

[AK]

My house has a builder-grade fiberglass entry door that certainly cost nowhere near $400, much less $4000. With a good coat of paint it could pass for steel …

[AK]

My house has a builder-grade fiberglass entry door that certainly cost nowhere near $400, much less $4000. With a good coat of paint it could pass for steel …

[AK]

My house has a builder-grade fiberglass entry door that certainly cost nowhere near $400, much less $4000. With a good coat of paint it could pass for steel …

[AK]

Si se puede.

[quote=DataAgent]cdkmom…
Is your existing mortgage a VA loan? If not, I’m not sure you can refi a non-VA loan into a VA loan. The VA program was designed to help GIs buy homes with low down payments. The VA refi process is a whole different animal.[/quote]

[AK]

Si se puede.

[quote=DataAgent]cdkmom…
Is your existing mortgage a VA loan? If not, I’m not sure you can refi a non-VA loan into a VA loan. The VA program was designed to help GIs buy homes with low down payments. The VA refi process is a whole different animal.[/quote]

[AK]

Si se puede.

[quote=DataAgent]cdkmom…
Is your existing mortgage a VA loan? If not, I’m not sure you can refi a non-VA loan into a VA loan. The VA program was designed to help GIs buy homes with low down payments. The VA refi process is a whole different animal.[/quote]

[AK]

Si se puede.

[quote=DataAgent]cdkmom…
Is your existing mortgage a VA loan? If not, I’m not sure you can refi a non-VA loan into a VA loan. The VA program was designed to help GIs buy homes with low down payments. The VA refi process is a whole different animal.[/quote]

[AK]

Si se puede.

[quote=DataAgent]cdkmom…
Is your existing mortgage a VA loan? If not, I’m not sure you can refi a non-VA loan into a VA loan. The VA program was designed to help GIs buy homes with low down payments. The VA refi process is a whole different animal.[/quote]

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[AK]

I’ve never been to Israel nor have I ever flown El Al … but I have been through Heathrow a couple of times, and I was amazed by the way they managed to screen everyone thoroughly, methodically, and efficiently while treating everyone with respect and dignity.

It can be done … it just takes effort.

[Author]

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