[JES]

Rent this month = sign this month

[JES]

Rent this month = sign this month

[JES]

Rent this month = sign this month

[JES]

Rent this month = sign this month

[JES]

Rent this month = sign this month

[JES]

Down 200 and accelerating, how low will it go today?

[JES]

To be perfectly honest, IMO if you are looking for an extremely stable long term job you should look to the US Military and the Federal Government. With the upcoming surge in fereal retirements (we’re talking something like 60% of the entire work force in the next 5-10 years), opportunities will, and do, abound. Not for everyone, but like I said, if you are concerned about getting a stable job look into it. The military is a no brainer, with the caveat that you may get deployed overseas and have to fight in a war. Otherwise, if you were to join as a 2ndLt in the Marines, for example, there is a very good chance that you can put in 20 years, at age 43 (if you start at 23) start getting paid 1/2 your final salary for life plus free health care etc., and continually get promoted through at least the rank of Major. Selection rate to 1stLt is near 100%, to Captain is probably 90-100%, and to major has to be around 80-85%. Corps is growing now = higher selection rates, more opportunities. Just two examples of stable careers. Not always physically safe, and not always stable for a family, but you’ll likely never get laid off, have great benefits etc. Relative to other career options, these two are very, very secure.

[JES]

How exactly do we quantify ‘culture’ anymore? Museums, ethnic enclaves with nice restaurants, historical buildings, or perhaps professional football and baseball franchises? If you live in a city with a rich history, I guess that counts as culture, but I’m still confused. Many of these ‘historical’ areas have given way to urban ghettos and empty buildings. The few times I’ve been to Paris and Munich, it was apparent to me that there was more of this ‘culture’ going on, but it was hard to quantify. Lots of neat churches, but nobody attends them anymore! We are a country that over time has largely abandoned many of the traditions, langauges and customs of our mother countries, wherever they may be, but defining what we have replaced them with is the hard part.

African Americans have very little, if anything, in common with African culture, even though many would claim African cultural identify. Similarily, of the 60 million + German Americans, how many have you met who speak the language, can cook wiener schnitzel or wear leider hosen? As time passes, even our religious identities are changing. I used to be a member of the United Church of Christ – the first church in America, and one that the Puritons planted. I now belong to an evengelical church and have abandoned the UCC, ironically, due to the rapidly changing cultural ideals within the church that have made this once conservative church now the most liberal church in America.

The real challenge is defining exactly what American culture is all about in this day and age. We champion diversity, but isn’t that an antiquated and exclusionary way of looking at culture that risks alienating everyone? But the alternative – a true American culture – is increasingly hard to define. We are becoming a culture defined by mass consumption and secularism. In our house, we don’t cook any meals that are remotely ethnic, but instead go out to eat. Our great cultural traditions are dominated by consumption with the original meaning lost in translation. Christmas is about getting presents, and Thanksgiving is all about turkey and the parade.

And our historical religious institutions are being abandoned for mega churches. EG: Look to the Lutheran ELCA, or any other mainline protestant denominations decline. At school our children are being taught that every opinion or belief, no matter how extreme, needs to be valued for its diversity. So what exactly are they supposed to believe, and by what values will they be defined? We were once defined as a Christian nation, but even that has become controversial and is going by the way side.

So how exactly do we define ‘American’ culture?

[JES]

And in the process, they will likely pass more stringent lending rules, real estate laws etc. that will make it even harder for people to buy homes, therby driving prices even lower.

[JES]

This is laughable. Let me get this straight, we are going to use my hard earned taxes to pay flippers and guys driving H2s in Temecula to hold on just a little longer. And now that their stucco boxes – homes that went from 200k to 700k in 6 years – have dropped a mere 10% in value, we have the President throwing money at them, Congress concerned and the Fed ready to act. Gimme a friggin break! Does anyone in DC realize what is really going on out there? I really hope that prices continue to tank and that we fall into a recession now. There are people who need to learn a lesson the hard way.

[JES]

This makes me absolutely sick! What ever happened to taking responsibility for your actions? I can only hope that the ‘reforms’ he is planning to announce will cause it to become even harder to get loans, even if he will also announce tax breaks etc. In the long run, if less people are able to qualify, programs have more stringent rules etc., the bubble should continue to deflate.

[JES]

Again, I have to share my own personal account. I made roughly 90k/year my last year in San Diego, had a 400k, 7yr, IO loan, no other debt, cars paid off, no kids in school, company car/gas, and I had negative cash flow of approx 100-400 per month.

Note: I included 5% towards 401k in my expenses.

[JES]

And that’s reported income. Actual is probably higher due to the way some people report their income.

[JES]

Refer to this link for data on incomes by city, area etc.,

http://profilewarehouse.sandag.org/

[JES]

Leave California and your problems are solved. March 15th I lived in CA and was financially insecure. March 16th I moved to the Midwest and started living like a king.

[Author]

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