[Jazzman]

Tax evasion is a public pastime not just in Greece, but in many European countries, and is not restricted to just the wealthy. I sometimes wonder whether the vicious cycle of lost receipts is the reason for high taxation, leading to more evasion. On the other hand Scandinavians seem content with very high tax. Why is that? Is their money being spent equitably, transparently and with consent? It seems to me the larger economies have too many competing interest groups making consensus much harder to achieve.

Another problem is that Europe is not homogenous, so cultural differences can be big. Expecting Greece to adopt the disciplines of say the German economy is going to take a shift in mindset. The fundamental difference between all countries used to be the relationship between banks, businesses and governments. The question now might be has globalization brought about more of a uniformity in that relationship.

[Jazzman]

[quote=pri_dk][quote=CA renter]The bottom 99% understandably are angry to be informed that the wealthiest layer of the population […][/quote]

The statement above is based upon a false premise.

There is no 99% / 1% wealth split in Europe.

There is no “wealthy layer” because every country in Europe is socialist.[/quote]
This is misguided. All European countries have free market economies. Don’t confuse welfare with socialism. The former Soviet Union was socialist. Some European political parties have socialist leanings, but many in the US call Barack Obama a socialist.

[Jazzman]

[quote=briansd1]Did you ever do the implants in Mexico?

I just found that Aetna provides coverage in Mexico. I’ve never had to do an implant, but I’m sure the costs are lower.

I’m thinking about giving a Mexican dentist a try, just for the experience.

http://www.aetna.com/docfind/cms/assets/pdf/Mexico_PPO_Dental_Office_Listing.pdf%5B/quote%5D
Are you asking me Brian? If so, no I didn’t get them done. I might have done if I’d moved more south on a permanent basis. Let us know how you got on.

[Jazzman]

Intelligence and intellect are not the same thing. There is more than one kind of intelligence, just as there is more than one kind of stupidity as the OP question clearly illustrates.

[Jazzman]

[quote=sdrealtor]Yes you can find lower down properties. I was referring to the best deals I see which require cash. 2BR/2BA condos with garages for 120K or less with HOA fees of 150/month or less that should rent for 1200 to 1400/month. Cash on cash returns of 10% or better plus upside in the future based upon inflationary rising rents not pure speculation.[/quote]
sd are these older units? What are the neighborhoods like?

[Jazzman]

Oops! Why are these old posts getting dragged up?

[Jazzman]

I have done quite a few websites and had a graphics background. I use GoDaddy but they are not easy to navigate being cluttered with all sorts of deals etc. Like anything, the more your use them the easier it becomes. There are many templates that make it easy to create a website, but I have never used one since I prefer the artistic freedom. Google should flush them out. For a professional site, use a web designer, and before you contact one, have the website content mapped out clearly. Don’t try and offer design ideas, but describe the business, message, and the general feel, or tenor eg conservative, lively, minimalist etc and let the designer create some roughs.

[Jazzman]

[quote=cdesilva44]I’ve spoken to several of my neighbors and we are in agreement that we need to get together and take action. I’ll be going to the County clerk’s office on Monday in order to find out who owns the house, and then we’re all going to write letters to the owner until something happens.

Thankfully the residents of the house left shortly after the incident and haven’t come back yet. I’m hoping they never come back.

I called Child Welfare Services today and made a complaint. Several of my other neighbors have done the same.

Moving is really out of the question. I actually like the neighborhood and have never had any problems aside from that one house. I’m not going to let one neighbor send me packing.[/quote]

Most sensible course of action I’ve read so far. Looks like you have a handle on it if all your neighbors are in agreement. I’ve had young criminals turn very vindictive when police got involved. Our local drug dealer is friendly thankfully. The nightmare is someone who seems incapable of fixing his car alarm, and yesterday issued a veiled threat to my wife if she continued to lambast him. If you move into a better neighborhood, it doesn’t mean your problems end.

[Jazzman]

I have a twin who has always been chubby. He wasn’t very good as sports, and tends to gorge. The question really is how recent a phenomenon is obesity, and how culturally relevant is it? Are we evolving genetically towards an over-weight predisposition, or is there a more basic shift in life style? Everything seems to point to the latter. Exercise has become something you ‘should’ do, as opposed to being part of what one ordinarily does. Food is plentiful, cheap and full of fat and sugar. The food industry is very much to blame, as is government for not combatting the practices. Apparently, we are genetically geared to store fat for lean times when food is plentiful, and that gene has not been turned off from our hunter-gatherer days. Maybe, but obesity is more prevalent where the fast food industry is present. One day fries will carry a government health warning.

[Jazzman]

Masayako, I have been looking for a home in Hawaii for about a year. Choosing which island is the first step. Here’s my very brief run down:

1) Big Island is the cheapest. Hilo is very wet and more local. There are some homes in beautiful lush areas above the town. Tsunamis are an issue. Oustide Hilo becomes rural. Kailua has a bit of a California vibe and is drier. Beware of SO2 which emanates from the volcano, as it wraps around the island and sweeps across the town. It has known health issues.

Conclusion: Much better value, OK if you like quiet, best bet is probably north of Kailua towards Wailea.

2) Maui is first choice for many. Kihei has it all. Sunny, close to best beaches, but nicer homes are in south Kihei, and are often association run. Beware of N Kihei due to cane burning. Kahului is better value but a very drab place. Lahaina is hot and dry, and a longer drive from Kahului.

Conclusion: Quiet expensive, but some deals out there. Best bet is probably around Kula due to moderate climate. Bummer is Kula (hinterland) is not close to beaches due to poor road infrastructure planning.

3) Oahu has it all. A thriving city, beautiful lush landscape and bigger choice of homes. As with all islands, it has a windward (wet) side and Leeward (dry) side. Diamond Head has some nice homes and is close to Honolulu.

Conclusion: Least likely to find good deals, but housing is hurting. Water and Electricty are in crisis (on all islands) so VERY high utility bills. Best bet maybe Keneohe due to higher precipitation (if you want a lush lawn), and enough sun to drive PVs, and not the most expensive homes either.

I have not researched Kuai, but imagine it is similar to the Big Island. Generally, homes in HI are of a less substantial build than the mainland, but are comparable in price to CA metropolitan areas. Property tax is possibly the lowest in the US.

No Redfin or ZipRealty unfortunately. Not even sure Trulia or Zillow have full data there. Below are the best I have found for listings.

http://www.hicentral.com/properties/mls_statemap.asp
http://www.hawaiis.com/
http://www.adrhi.com/

Maui Real Estate

If you want more specifics, please ask and I will help if I can.

[Jazzman]

Don’t most just ignore those they want to anyway …or it is to remove the temptation? Ignoring is good mental discipline.

[Jazzman]

My guess is this may be true for 1% of people. It certainly benefits another 1%. A better take may be on consumerism and how it interacts with human nature. We are inherently competitive, and property has probably got something to do with territorial instincts trying to surface in a modern world shaped by rules, and regulations. I’m sure corporate research has unearthed some interesting theories.

[Jazzman]

[quote=poorgradstudent]In general, one data point is meaningless, two is worth investigating, and three makes a trend.

That said, I don’t really care, because Cain is a terrible Presidential candidate anyways. 9-9-9 is a huge tax increase and wealth redistribution plan, stealing from the poor and giving to corporations. Cain has no coherent policy on social issues; he had a rational moderate stance on abortion that he flipped on when he realized it wouldn’t fly with Republican primary voters.

By all means, if you want 4 more years of Obama (which I do, for the record), nominate Cain. He has the potential to get thrashed worse than Mondale did. He reminds me a lot of Sharon Angle, the woman largely responsible for Harry Reid holding his senate seat.[/quote]

The bigger trend is media obsession with sex …sells products, sells news. Cain comes across as being unqualified for the job, but has voters’ attention who are on the rebound from broken Washington. That anyone is actually proposing radical tax reform is a breath of fresh air, but as we know from Obamacare too much ambition dash hopes. When it comes down to it, I’d be surprised if many take him seriously, but it certainly spices up what would otherwise be a dour event. If these diversions say anything, it is that personality is a biggy with voters …or a substitute for complex policy issues?

[Jazzman]

[quote=markmax33][quote=DomoArigato][quote=svelte]Maybe I’m just getting too used to well polished Hollywood type politicians, but I wasn’t overly impressed with any of the candidates in the debate last night. The parts I saw anyway.

And they all certainly have their vulnerabilities. It is going to be a fairly interesting Presidential race, methinks.[/quote]

As a Liberal, I like that Perry doubled the size of the Texas state debt and grew the public sector at twice the rate of the private sector during his term. Perry also raised taxes during his term as Governor of Texas. I think we need something similar at the Federal level to get us out of this economic jam.

Perry is looking better than Obama at this point.[/quote]

I thought one of the most educational points of the night was when Ron Paul described the difference between Crony Capitalism and real capitalism. I never thought of it this way but he was dead on. Companies that get rich from GOV bailouts, fed bailouts, sweetheart GOV contracts, etc are crony capitalism. Real capitalism is when Steve Jobs creates something unique for the market place and they love it. Real capitalism is when Starbucks started up from nothing, etc.[/quote]

Never quite sure where Paul sits. He’s either a democrat that thinks victory is a wolf in a sheepskin, or idealism is somehow virtuous.

[Jazzman]

Daily Express is the “gutter press” so pay no attention. Five countries have changed leader in one year in the Euro zone as a result of volatility which is a synonym for austerity. New leaders calm the markets, and that’s what appears to be needed. Facciata is not a pizza.

[Author]

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