Merv's Politically Incorrect Audio Blog

Discussion in 'SBAF Blogs' started by purr1n, Dec 26, 2018.

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  1. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    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...
     
  2. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    It's a combination of many things.

    El Tacotote is not available in many states. It is also way more expensive than Taco Bell. A single Sirloin taco will cost about $4.19 while a fajita taco will cost you $4.89. The tacos are well filled with quality steak. But not everyone think of tacos as a quality item, and don't expect to pay $15+ for an order of 3. In Mexico there are very commercial, and premium taco joints. Around here you will be hard pressed to find a premium taco shop.

    El Gordo tacos tend to be scarce, and service is not immediate. It is way cheaper than Tacotote, but the quality of the steak is not as high. It's somewhat of your regular commercial taco joint. But more authentic and better quality than Taco Bell.

    Taco Bell serves standard and expected food quickly. I go there, because it's convenient and IMO does a pretty good job. I understand what it is: A hard shell corn tortilla burger. Sometimes I'm fine with that. Doritos tacos are good.

    IMO everything has its place and its reasons to be.
     
  3. Syzygy

    Syzygy Friend

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    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.
     
  4. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    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.
     
  5. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    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 !:bow:
     
  6. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Across the 55 from Irvine in Santa Ana sure. In Calabasas, not really. There are some higher-end places, but I've had a lot better higher end Mexican. There is a taco place in the Chevron gas station on Las Virgenes that is merely OK. The legit Mexican joints were in Santa Ana or San Pedro, where nobody spoke English, and medium hot usually meant burning anus.
     
  7. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    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)
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    SoCal is geographically massive and highly segregated. There are suburban people who think Sharky's is good Mexican and steaks are edible well-done. The Asian food in Irvine isn't even that good. You have to go to the ghetto in San Gabriel for good Chinese or Garden Grove / Westminster for pho. Heck even the Jewish delis in heavy Jewish populated Calabasas / Woodland Hills, suck compared to East Coast or Midwest or few select places in SF.

    There are better places in LA proper, but the main problem in SoCal is traffic. It's 24x7 rush hour. I takes one hour to go 10-15 miles. In the Bay Area, traffic does die down after 7pm.
     
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2021
  9. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    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.
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2021
  10. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    [​IMG]
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    ^ We are already seeing its effects. "BLM" occupying courthouses, "patriots" occupying Capitol building. This will subside for now, but it will happen again, with each time being progressively worse.
     
  12. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    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.
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's never a good time to pay back the deficit. Getting out of debt is not easy as anyone here who has had student loan or credit card debt can attest. The only way to dig out of debt is PAIN AND SUFFERING. Better to do this now, than the kick the can down the road. The reason is because the next time, and there will be a next time, will be worse.

    As far as small businesses going out of business - too little, too late.
    • People wouldn't stop being stupid and continued to have 22 person virus parties, 300 person raves, so the like of Garcetti and Newsom said "you guys dumb, all restaurants closed, even outdoor dining".
    • Stimulus checks of a few thousand aren't enough to keep business alive when businesses are used to taking in tens or hundreds of thousands in revenue.
    • The sectors that needed help didn't get anywhere as much help as they needed. They were left out to dry. The stimulus made rich people richer, and even poor people richer, especially in the near term. The politicians have finally figured out what the Romans did. Give money to the people to buy votes.
    This shows how suboptimal the first round of stimulus checks were.
    upload_2021-1-18_10-12-16.png
     
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2021
  14. YMO

    YMO John Bomber

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    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.
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    It's crazy isn't it? I would be curious to see what's on your end. I never did auto when I was in banking, and I bet if I did now I'd probably burst out laughing. I bet folks are putting some of that stimulus money on trucks, Teslas, or Tesla stock.

    Around here, I see lifted Jeep Rubicons and Ford Raptors all over the place. These aren't cheap. Maybe no income tax and H.E.B. allow folks to have more disposable income.
     
  16. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    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.
     
  17. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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

     
  18. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I guess they didn't realize most of those TV commercials are done at VFX houses. :)
     
  19. YMO

    YMO John Bomber

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    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. :rolleyes:

    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.
     
  20. Erroneous

    Erroneous Friend

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    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.
     
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