All Things Considered In Phoenix - Three Hundred Six

While ordering coffee. "I don't need a lid, thanks" I said. The nice girl replied, "I have to put on the lid for hot beverages. You can take it off after you leave the counter, but I have to put it on." All I could do is smile and take my coffee and dump the lid a few feet away before I sat down to drink it.

The Business of Real Estate

The business of real estate can and is often a stressful job, that is if one cares, about the outcome. When a client need to close on a home because he's moving here and an appraisal comes in completely off the mark, that's a problem that may or may not be resolve. It's stressful situation for everyone, even though it's one of the hurdles that comes up in some transactions, though it can't always to resoved to everyone's satisfaction, thus a buyer will not only get the home, they are out for inspections and appraisal: of course, those are minor cost compared to what heeds to be done next.

This disconnect between buyers and appraisals is something that's coming up often in transactions that require a loan. Read: 'The disconnect between buyers and appraisals.'  By the way check out 'Cash purchases in Phoenix' to see how many homes are sold for cash.

Mac & Cheese

If you're anywhere in Central Phoenix then you may know the Lux just expanded into the larger building next door. They now have, in addition to good coffee - I say good because, it's really good, but still not as good as the many places in Europe. In addition to coffee, awesome pastries, sweet and salty, they now have beer, wine, drinks and food, excellent hearty or light food. I've had baked eggs on the weekend for breakfast and mac, cheese, bacon an jalapeno for dinner, of course while working away relentlessly in front of the computer screen occasionally lifting up my head to spy on a sound or to see who is passing, kinda automatically, really, but that another topic. The food is really good. Mac and Cheese does not strike me a summer meal. I like a good salad in the summer, how about you? but, it had to be tasted.  It is worth the heavy feeling of gluten overload!

The Inside Job

If you have an inkling to get mad then watch 'The Inside Job.' I was in the mood for letting of some steam and getting mad so I finally popped the DVD into the player after the Netflix envelope has been sitting on my desk for over 2 weeks.

They, the ones in control and in the know and with the ability to take advantage of it, took us for a ride - capitalism took - took us for a ride, but - guess what - many of us jumped on willingly, but then again many of us based our decision on people and institutions that were supposed to help discern information on which we relied. Those institution like Standard and Poor's, the ones that gave these worthless derivatives high ratings also gave the U.S a bad rating, so It's not surprising that, now, many are dismissing these ratings and that California said good buy to them recently.

This is what happens when we allow Capitalism go 'laisezze faire' Capitalism is a nice idea, just like Communism in it's essence is a nice idea, but both are extreme ideas which will not work without some balance, some counter weight.  You may disagree, but if you do, I know you're wrong. As with anything in life, in nature balance is needed. If you let capitalism go free it lead to unbalance and extremes. I believe in balance, I believe in capitalism as long as it's kept in check, as long as extremes are not allowed to happen: that means no monopolies, no complex derivatives.

Karl Marx, a visionary, figured out that you can control a slave much better by convincing him he is an employee.

→ From The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms