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[James Edward Smith]

ah yes the rent-a-center gambit

i will be sure to help you spread the word to all those people for whom $11,000 is six months' pay that they can achieve financial independence by having more cash on hand

But how can having more money NOW NOW NOW possibly hurt me in the future?

Who are you talking to and about what? Your glibness has confused me.

P.Bird, if you are infering that poor people can't afford to buy 2004 Jetta like I can with the money I made working as an intern at RIM and so they clearly have no option but to finance one then I am kind of confused.

I admittedly don't post in Real World much, but I thought Thad bred false choice arguments out of the gene pool here a long time ago.

I think MCE is calling him dumb, but I'm not sure.

[Mongrel]

I think he was saying that poor folks have to finance stuff because they're poor.

It IS a truism that the rich can afford to be more frugal (just because they don't always do so doesn't mean they don't have a better capability).

Anyway, I already went over this:

Wow, I didn't know you got in an accident in the Cav... when the hell did that happen?

Also, two points: 1 - you are more disciplined with money than most folks I know Geo. Not to mention generally higher costs in the US. I doubt a fresh-out-of-the-military student paying American tuition had even 2k lying around, and 2 - a car is much more of a forced necessity in the states, and many US laws have anti-clunker laws that make the supply of cheap used cars much smaller than they are here. In know in Ontario I could find any number of $500 cars (hell, my dad bought a 95 Saturn for $500 that he's still driving over three years later... that car owes him NOTHING), but in Baltimore a used car simply couldn't be had for less than 3 or 4 grand.

I'd agree that it's generally dumb to finance cars if it isn't a necessity.

[Doom]

Fiscal Responsibility is practically a super-power and you are over-estimating the number of Americans who are even aware of it. It is the sort of thing that should be taught in primary-to-high school.

You have to understand that this is a culture in which if you have a few hundred extra dollars you go buy a flat-screen TV or a Playstation 3 or something and who cares about tomorrow you'll have another paycheck next week(at which point man wouldn't some surround sound go well with this new TV.) Not to even mention folks with legitimate problems.

But yeah basically you are using yourself as a standard when you are an exception!

[Brentai]

T FROCTO: The people flipping out here are the ones who have a reasonable expectation to have their shit paid for.  The ones generally disinterested are the ones who have never gotten a single dime from the government, and in certain cases are still paying it for the education they never received because they couldn't consistently get a large enough loan.

T GEO: Mind telling us what you actually made doing that?  Because I'm seeing RIM intern salaries at anywhere from 2400-4000 per month, which is a pretty good take for a lot of people here.  Plus or minus the cost of living in Canada vs. Bushmerica.

[McDohl]

I financed the car three years ago, when my income was substantially less than what I was making a year ago.  Also, I had just come off deployment, so I had a lot of cash in my pocket.

[James Edward Smith]

I know that I am the exception, I just find it hilarious that I am. I find it silly that so many people are spending money, to buy things that are out of their price range so that they can look like they are more well off than they are.

I'm not tying to mock the poor here, I'm laughing at those that are in say, the lower middle class and are house poor or car poor due to poor decisions.

Anyway, this is all very off topic.

Also, I think I made $13-15 $/hr there, I make $21.75/hr at my current horrible job and I think I'm up for a raise in about a month or so.

[Miss Cat Ears]

they can achieve financial independence by having more cash on hand

But how can having more money NOW NOW NOW possibly hurt me in the future?

[Brentai]

Will admit that financing a car is generally a chump idea even though A) I did and B) I don't regret it.  Basically the cars I spent cash on were so horrible that I don't at all mind paying relatively low interest on something that I use every day, enjoy, and can feel confident that it won't throw itself into a guardrail.

[Miss Cat Ears]

Agreed.  I adore my car and would rather have it than a cheap used car for the amount I put down, around 6k.  Plus I didn't think the interest rate was bad at 3%.  I think it just depends on the person, especially since not everyone can wait until they have the amount of money saved up to pay for a car in cash.

[Mongrel]

Well, as stated previously, a crappy car is not nearly as much a social stigma OR a necessity to get to a job in Canada as it is in most US states.

[Büge]

It is if you want to be a social worker.

One of my friends from Uni tried to get into social work. She has her degree and volunteers at the Women's Shelter downtown on shift work. But she's never going to get a job as a full-time social worker because she's got a form of albinism that makes her legally blind.

[PhilosopherDirtbike]

So, what megacorporations will you guys be applying for citrizenship with in a few years? I don't really like needles or the RFID chip thing so I will probably apply to be a citizen of Walmart. Enough Christian influence that the higher ups would realize that any RFID chip would be seen by their constituents as the Mark of the Beast told about in Revealations. Plus, you do get a cool vest and if you work long enough and get your rank up to citizen first class I hear you get a free chinese indentured servent who makes you cheap clothing and sneakers.

In all honesty, I am not too worried. At the risk of sounding jingoistic everything always works out in the end for the USA and has through history so I have no reason to think it will be different this time. I have faith in this country and its people.

[Burrito Al Pastor]

I think he was saying that poor folks have to finance stuff because they're poor.

It IS a truism that the rich can afford to be more frugal (just because they don't always do so doesn't mean they don't have a better capability).

Yeah, I've always liked the Terry Pratchett theory of wealth - wealthy people stay wealthy because they can afford to be frugal. I think his example was that rich people can afford the boots which cost twice as much but last five times as long - a net savings, if you can afford it up front.

[Burrito Al Pastor]

I have faith in this country and its people.

That must be really nice. I envy you for that.

[Brentai]

We can talk about the credit rating system in this country if you like.  I don't know if it's US specific but the fact that it exists anywhere in this universe is enough to make you stop believing in rational mathematics.

Though I may just be bitter because I'm going to be up for buying a house* this summer and the fact that I got a car and some health care in the last couple months means I probably can't.


* okaycondothisiscalifornia

[Miss Cat Ears]

make you stop believing in rational mathematics.

 

Good day sir.

[Brentai]

I don't know if you're agreeing or threatening to devour me.  I haven't really followed what your occupation is other than "office drone" so forgive my harsh tone if you're partially responsible for that fucking mess.

[Miss Cat Ears]

I SAID GOOD DAY

[Brentai]

No you didn't, you edited it in!

[Miss Cat Ears]

I most certainly did not, how dare you