The Respectfully Republican Conversation

Moody I like Veal and baby carrots.........anything that screams...........(sorry Saluki)(just kidding).............but I think my b12 is down.....been craving beef.........I will take a ribeye and those baby carrots............oh yeaaaah...........what wonderful news about your beautiful daughter...........there is a nasty virus going around in the schools here in Texas.......be sure Olivia's school is safe for her to return............Shokk

Is anyone watching the townhall meeting.  See all those people who look like they're the age of receiving S.S. payments?  They're applauding, having a good time...the dems have voted down a small temporary tax relief legislation on their S.S. payments.  Keep applauding. 

That You Tube video says it all ...

But, if people have confidence in his plan and what the gov't is doing, even that would help, but I haven't heard a lot of it.   A mortgage friend was happy, seems like it's not good for him personally (his home value) but he thinks he might be getting back to work and THAT is good news.  Fingers crossed!

If the mortg biz comes back, my biz will bounce upwards.  So, I am praying that this plan will work. 

THE NUMBER ONE TRENDS FORCASTER

You should really take a look at his sight.....has been accurate for years.

http://www.trendsresearch.com/index.htm 

 Other amendments voted down by the dems besides the S.S. tax break:

Vote 37: H R 1: Vitter Amdt. No. 179; To eliminate unnecessary spending.

Vote 53: H R 1: Graham Amdt. No. 501 As Modified; To limit wasteful spending, to fund a systematic program of foreclosure prevention, to be administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and for other purposes.

Vote 45: H.R 1 Feingold Amdt. No. 140; To provide greater accountability of taxpayers' dollars by curtailing congressional earmarking and requiring disclosure of lobbying by recipients of Federal funds.

Vote 42: On the Motion: Motion to Waive Sec. 201 of S. Con. Res. 21, 110th Congress, Re: Cornyn Amdt. No. 277; To reduce income taxes for all working taxpayers.

There's more, but why bother.

The average price of an rv is under $50,000.   In 2007 it was $41,000.  Rich people are not the average customers, families are.  Families on a budget.  RV's are not just motorhomes, but campers, trailers, 5th-wheels, and toy-haulers.  Motorhomes come in small, medium and large!  You can buy a used motorhome that is super nice for $20,000 or spend a million. It's all about budget.

Somehow the RV industry will survive because Americans love to camp. Europeans love to rent RV's and tour the country. Even this summer, reservations were needed in all the state campgrounds. 

What is happening is not only the credit freeze but market correction and correction of the way loans are given.  As I said before, people were buying motorhomes for 0% ... when there was no such thing or even 2.99%.  There is no mfg company that has a finance company.  So what happened was some dealers would buy the money down, put that cost on top of the loans so the customer was paying sometimes $20,000 more than he could buy it for so he could have that $500 payment for $150,000 motorhome!   The average trading cycle is less than 7 years, it had dropped to around 4 years.  Try unloading your motorhome then!!  Well, the banks did it, they gave extended terms and financed way more than the normal advance guidelines.

Now that banks have cut the terms, required down payment and proof of income, people's loans and equity will be in line with the trading cycle.

Even if people have to start buying used more often, or purchasing cheaper motorhomes or going with a trailer instead ... they will buy. You can't keep people from doing what they like to do on vacation. Dealers will have to downsize.  Some will go out of business and mfgs certainly have already gone under.  Country Coach went last week and Monaco still has not opened their doors since Christmas break ...  

Thankfully, Winnebago is solid.  Forest River is owned by Warren Buffett so that is solid.  Skyline (in business for 30 years) has no debt. Thor Industries has no debt either.  Fleetwood will probably not make it past the 2nd 1/2 of this year.  Monaco is probably gone, too. 

So, when you have these coaches that the mfg has gone belly up ---- the banks don't want to finance them -- new or used!!!  So, it costs us lots of money to move it --selling them below cost and getting cash from customer as down payment. And there is no warranty -- zip, nada. Customers much purchase a service contract.  We can't give them a service contract because then it becomes a warranty (which has certain rights).  So, they must pay for it.

It's a mess but it will clean itself up but not for a few years.

And yes, Elkhart is where they make most of the RV's .........

I think if you have a Bloody Mary with celery, an olive, .. that's not only nutritious but those vegetables scream loud .. try that in the mornings in your Airstream!

add a mini dill pickle, a dash of of Worchester, a pinch of celery salt and lemon pepper...

Rock - dang girl... why didn't we toast with some in Vegas! Ya know... you can get one whole days vegetable requirements in a single - really large - bloody mary!

Ok, ok.  I got the best drink ever thought up.  Sour Apple Martini, sold at the Cheesecake Factory.  I had one 2 weeks ago and I still think about it. 

I'd love to see the sunrise and sunsets with company since I basically watch the sunrise alone, pink skies opening up.  No one gets up in my house or any house I ever visit.  What's with all this sleeping?  Time is a wasting.

Now on to a stimulus package alert.  I was listening to McCain give the list of what they took out as a compromise.  They shouldn't do it.  There is so much pork in there and they took out billions for education and wellness programs.  Billions.   

Sen. Collins can be reached by anyone by her Sen. email.  Begging is in order.  I haven't checked the other two turncoats email yet, but Collins is a start.

http://collins.senate.gov/public/continue.cfm?FuseAction=ContactSenatorCollins.Email&CFID=39113496&CFTOKEN=99427497

OK, Rosemary, I just sent my begging email off to Senator Collins.  I'm sure she's wondering why someone in Michigan is writing her - but I think we have to contact whomever we can at this point, right????

Still trying,

Pat

Mr Spouse,

That may be how you make them in your neck of the woods, but north of the Mason/Dixon line you'd be hard pressed to find an okra pod that you'd be willing to use for that.  You can find them occasionally, but most of them are sad wimpy things that no self respecting southerner would use. 

Okra and grits are things that you may occasionally find up north, but eat them here at your own peril.  That's one of the best parts of vacationing in the south...indulging the craving for those southern foods cooked well.

Sherri -- right, extending unemployment to a town where there will be no more increase in production? Where no plants will reopen?  Lower Cobra?  OK so what --- Cobra only lasts 18 months.  We have a guy who is working for minimum wage just so he doesn't end up on Cobra which will cost him $800 per month for him and his wife ... 2 people.

Sherri -- I tied Vivre up behind the bar.  She was trying switch the red wine with grape juice.  When she unties herself she'll probably need a drink!

I think Vivre went to Whole Foods to grocery shop..........Shokk..........(I am sitting here thinking about my martini and visualizing world peace).............

Hey, I just poured myself a tall glass of Pellegrino with a few squirts of lime and I come here and everyone is bashing me! Gee, It is MONDAY. No one should be drinking on MONDAY.Actually you should not be drinking at all. Yes, I am on your case again. NO alcohol! It turns to sugar and feeds cancer.

But I do LOVE okra! C'mon south a ways Laura and I will cook ya up a batch. I do not fry it though!

And since I had avocado with picodegallo and spinach for lunch, and since this sounds like something you should eat with a margarita, am I forgiven?

Thanks for the funny links. You guys have been busy today!

Glad to hear Olivia is doing better!

Now where is our dear Maria??