Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

I don’t understand Taco Bell. Taquerias are already fast but it’s real food. WTF is the point of going to Taco Bell and eating plastic when you can just as easily go to a real taqueria and get real fresh food just as fast? That also tastes way better I might add and is just as cheap.

I don’t understand any fast food though. I like in n out. That’s it...

 

Here in DFW it's all about gas station tacos. There's an annual list (I think published in D magazine) for the best tacos. Many of them are from people that set up a small kitchen in a gas station.

They're street tacos rather than something fancy. And…now my mouth is watering.

 

There’s gotta be tons of good Mexican joints in LA. Even in states across the country as long as there’s a Mexican population or part of town there’ll be a taco truck or general Mexican food store often with a taco stand which is generally better than Taco Bell and probably faster.

I’m more a veggie burrito guy than a taco guy but it’s the same. If they don’t have burritos I like veggie tacos just fine.

 

The last 10 posts or so goes entirely against the social media, media in general, business model. How am I supposed to get outraged, and aggravated, and in the mood of uncontrollable clicking. Reading about tacos, and lettuce, and veggie burritos etc...? Give me some hate please !

 

strange. I figured if SF has cheap taquerias all over the city (not just in the Mission) LA would too. There’s even a great Taqueria on Russian Hill (super yuppie). Maybe not in the Marina though (even more yuppie)

 

Our government has been living large on a credit card for decades in good times and bad, and when they max it out, they vote themselves a higher limit. Lots of neat shit and tax cuts to boot. What's not to like? The problem with deficit spending is that it only works until it doesn't. That day is the day the currency crisis shows up on the doorstep because creditor nations don't want our currency any more. If inflation is under control, someone explain a $70,000 pickup truck to me.

Our country couldn't (or wouldn't) handle the extreme and extended austerity required to bring it back under control. It would mean many deaths of politicians. Feeding the bear has dangerous consequences when you stop feeding the bear. You saw the scribbled "Where's my money" message on McConnell's door - probably from someone who has suffered no financial hardship from the virus and only wanted his "fair share". He might have had a 60 inch flat screen from China picked out to buy. We are showing ourselves to be a weak and undisciplined people, perpetually in need of government "help". Land of the free and home of the brave is pretty much bullshit on both counts. I don't see it getting better because I don't see the will to do what it takes. The upcoming crowd looks poised to double down on spending us rich. Never worked before, maybe we didn't spend enough. They will go find an economist who can say that it a way that makes it sound feasible.

When it all comes home to roost, the investment banker living in the high-rise penthouse will starve to death long before the toothless redneck who knows how to farm. This assumes that a band of self-proclaimed "patriots" with black rifles doesn't find his garden on their way to DC.

 

Yep, during the "Occupy Wall Street" thing they pretty much just hung out in tents and smoked pot. The latest featured law and order "thin blue line" supporters beating cops with American flags. A shooting war seems next up. I hope to be wrong.

 

Wonderful profit margins and add-ons that consumers just love on a truck. That's why dealerships makes so much money on trucks + on top of inflation that most people won't even use them for their actual purposes. I see some higher end trucks with the add-ons are hitting the $100k territory. It's crazy what I been seeing on my financial world on vehicles as of late.

Country won't be the same, at least FL won't be the same. The amount of popularity of Trump here is not too surprising. Talked with some folks over the weekend who still think the election is stolen, Trump is right, and this is hand-to-hand combat war against Democrats the cheaters at this point. Guys like my father (who thinks of all of these things now) aren't going away anytime soon, and are very bitter that a 78 year old man who doesn't know how to talk is President.

 

I know a few acquaintances that work in oil/tech/construction that can afford fully tricked out F-150 King Ranch editions while the other half are living with their parents complaining about never having cash. We may not get you income tax but we do get you in property taxes

I've also resigned myself to buying a truck next. Can't jam in bigger ticket items into my small Honda Civic (which is very nice mind you) and being 6'1" it's a pain having to turn my head to get into the low to the ground platform.

 

The big money Raptor is Da Stuff fo enhancing yo male image, until you start believing the marketing hype...

 

Can't talk too much about details, but on my end it's a top ten bank in the east coast who has a 50-state indirect-lending Automotive Finance division (to your n00bs, that means loans thru dealerships only, not direct with the bank).

Most of the decision making is automated, but back when I was indirectly working with our analysts in automotive lending I saw some crazy deals. It isn't uncommon to see a decked out Ram 2500/Ford F-250/GMC-Chevy 2500 with the highest end trim, doing GAP/Service Contracts within the loan, and rolling $10k-$20k negative equity into the deal. If you have Prime and Super Prime credit and the income to afford the monthly payments, boom loan approval. Those monthly payments are close to $1k a month, which I'm like WTF. The ones less than $1k payments are 84 months at 5% APR.

We do finance up to $250k. The high rollers who want that $500k Ferrari need to at least need to do a big down payment in order to get the $250k financed by us. This also isn't uncommon.

Funny about cars, was dreaming about upgrading my paid off 2015 Honda Fit. However, it such a waste of money because my Fit is only 44k miles and it is only six years old. I just need to take it in soon to replace the transmission fluids and other stuff for standard maintenance. Was looking at a Honda CR-V or a Subaru Forester and wasn't too happy with the monthly payment amount even if I put $10k-$15k down. I dunno, not in the mood in paying $300+ a month towards a car if I can help it. Might as well get another sub-compact car that at least I can put all the seats down for storage and get it close to $200ish a month. I'm still the smuck who looks at a car for point a to b.

 

You'd be a fool to get rid of a paid-off 2015 Fit with 44k miles. At that point if you have car lust you buy a classic to drive on the weekends, but the Honda you have will see another 200k miles easily so don't mess up a good thing.