Is the current economy affecting your...

[JCJRSmith]

I think one of the best things my wife and I ever did was open a vacation club account at our bank. When we are ready to get away, the money is there (or at least a good portion of what we need to get away).

 

[lawnspecialties]

About the only good thing about it is at least it's not illiegal residents we're bailing out lol.

We agree 100% on that, my friend.

 

[luke6417]

We are going for a week this summer and were planning a trip for the beginning of Thanksgiving week. Now, with diesel fuel at $3.50 a gallon here we probably won't take our camper at Thanksgiving. We will more than likely stay at the All-Stars.

 

[poohbearwithme]

We're planing on buying a new RV this year so I don't think we will be buying a camper and going this year, All our spare cash is going toward the downpayment. However, we are planning a trip in 2009.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

"You're lucky that since municipalities seem to think they have an unlimited bank account you're job as a ff is pretty safe"


I dont know how things are in FL but up here that statement couldnt be any further from the truth. Since 9-11 we have seen our budget cut significantly, all the while having to figure out how to do more with less. Its been lean up here for quite a while and NOBODY'S job is secure any more. Look what happened in Flint 5-6 years ago and what happening in Pontiac right now.
Never in the history of this area have we been as busy as we are now and all this amid dwindling budgets. People up here are taxed to the limit and the local municipalities are struggling because the state revenue sharing money is all but gone. This was a nice little scheme to convince people to vote for a sales tax increase, now the money has dried up from the state and the local Governements have made huge cutbacks.
Dont fall for the old line that people that work for the Govt have it made, we feel it too.

Scott

 

[stacktester]

"You're lucky that since municipalities seem to think they have an unlimited bank account you're job as a ff is pretty safe"

Dont fall for the old line that people that work for the Govt have it made, we feel it too.

Scott

That comment was made without any research and I was wrong to say that. Florida just passed a bill that will reduce property taxes by about $250 a year average. Jacksonville's mayor told us to vote against it because if it passed they would have to find other ways to fund firefighters, police and other public service jobs. I did vote against it only because my theory is if they raise fees on other services such as water, garbage etc. it gives them this idea that they can charge whatever they want and there's no accountability. I'm sure Scott there's money to fill the budget as needed but gov't spending is out of control and they do whatever they damned well please. The current mayor of Jacksonville's father owns a huge convenience store chain and has basically put the last 3 mayors in office and has benifited very well from it I might add. Crooks and more crooks.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Unfortunately we are forced to ride the political tide on a local and state level, subject to the whims of politicians that may or may not be educated or sympathetic to emergency services. While we all would like to pay less taxes (I know because I pay them too) the reality is that at least around here, the taxes cant be cut without reducing the level of services. If that is truly what people want. then I understand, I think that the vast majority, like you, would vote not to make cuts in public safety.

Sorry, I dont want this OP's good question to turn into a political commentary.

Scott

 

[LONE-STAR]

Sorry, I dont want this OP's good question to turn into a political commentary.

Scott

Polotics polotics polotics I remember when this board was about FW
Just joking continue

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Polotics polotics polotics I remember when this board was about FW
Just joking continue

That, my friend is FUNNY.

 

[dean_and_monica]

While we are planning our first trip from Colorado to FW after buying a new TT this Spring I too am scared to death. I'm always a bit of a worrier. At this point we have not been affected by the crunch, but as was commented earlier that could change at any time. I'm trying to live by the rule that while you should make good choices you can't worry about everything so much that you lose sight of those things that are important like spending time with the one you love away from "life". So, we will go and have a good time and between now and then I will have to relax.

I do have to comment on something I believe Stacktester brought up. I too am very confused by the logic of this country. We continue to ship things overseas to make things cheaper. Okay, that's all well and good but at some point people won't be able to afford to buy the cheaper good because no one will have a job!!! Where does that leave us?? I work in an environment where we are all about automation (banking). All well and good, but it is taking jobs left and right away from the economy. Maybe I'm just getting jaded in my almost middle age, but I wonder where industry and manufacturing will be just ten years from now. Sorry, but all these wonderful posts got me to thinking...All of this is just my humble opinion .

Monica

 

[stacktester]

Fuel is going up again and it's not even spring break yet. That alone is enough to scare people into not going on their vacation. I never thought I'd see the day it was cheaper to fly than drive. All the jobs we've sent overseas is biting us now. Not everybody is going to go into the computer field and go to college which makes manufacturing jobs important. Mattel is really feeling the crunch after the lead paint fiasco. If consumers would quit buying goods from company's based here but made overseas it might give them a hint. If I see something made in China I put it back and look for the made in USA logo. Of course knowing how fraudulent suppliers are today that's a scam too. It doesn't make sense to buy from country's who don't buy from us.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Fuel is going up again and it's not even spring break yet. That alone is enough to scare people into not going on their vacation. I never thought I'd see the day it was cheaper to fly than drive. All the jobs we've sent overseas is biting us now. Not everybody is going to go into the computer field and go to college which makes manufacturing jobs important. Mattel is really feeling the crunch after the lead paint fiasco. If consumers would quit buying goods from company's based here but made overseas it might give them a hint. If I see something made in China I put it back and look for the made in USA logo. Of course knowing how fraudulent suppliers are today that's a scam too. It doesn't make sense to buy from country's who don't buy from us.

Look at the marker lights on your truck that are made in China or the wheels made in Yugoslavia or the brake rotors made in China or the heater controls made in hungary or any number of other things made somewhere other than here. I repair a lot of vehicles at work and the vast majority of the parts I replace are cheap foreign items that died prematurely. I think at this point that Toyota has more domestic content than a GM vehicle, mind you I have bought more than 15 new GM vehicles in my life but anymore I am looking at EVERY brand, if GM isnt worried about American made then I am all done worrying about it (from a vehicle standpoint)

 

[dean_and_monica]

It's true, it's almost completely impossible to buy American made goods. There are some out there and I do what I can, but sometimes even if it was assembled here, the pieces were made somewhere else. Plus, you'd be hard pressed to buy nothing but made in the USA products. We'd all just about be running around naked and and walking everywhere. It's frustrating because we know there is so much potential right here in our own country that's not tapped!!!

 

[des1954]

All the jobs we've sent overseas is biting us now.

In yesterday's Lakeland Ledger there was an article regarding the manufacturing industry in China. The article really made me laugh!! It seems the Chinese people are becoming "westernized" in their thinking - and the workers are beginning to demand higher wages so they have more buying power. This is leading Chinese manufacturers to think about outsourcing their production to ....Viet Nam!!!

Now here's a thought....

Due to the rising cost of fossil fuels, it'll be cheaper in the long run to bring production back to the USA in lieu of paying the shipping costs to import from China, SriLanka, Indonesia, Micronesia or Viet Nam!!!

 

[bord1niowa]

I chose the last choice of we're going no matter what but won't put it on a credit card. We use bonuses, stock options and put lots of stuff on ebay to make the money needed. My wife works and for two weeks without stress at WDW, that is worth doing whatever is necessary to get there. We don't think about work while there. Me, I don't stress about anything anymore, she hates that! Nothing exists but the whole WDW experience, some fake, and we know it, and some peaceful. It also gives us something to look forward to. Kind of a light at the end of the tunnel. Ok, now that I've killed this thread, I'll move on.

 

[stacktester]

I totally agree with you Scott. I've replaced the alternator and starter in my 2500 HD both before I really thought they should be. The speedo quit working last year as did most of the dash lights for the radio and a/c controllers. GM issued a recall on the speedo but cut the fix off if it has over 70k miles. Well I had over that so I now have a Nascar speedo. I let the tach do the talking lol. I wasn't aware that so many of the parts on our trucks were foreign. It doesn't surprise me though. It's getting tough to find american made here anymore. It's all about bottom line for these big co.'s. I'm willing to pay more for a product if it's made in the USA. What makes me wonder is how do these co.'s have this stuff made overseas and shipped here and have to get tariffed and what not. It wouldn't surprise me if the co. is American there's no import fee. I'm sure there's a loophole to make it feasible.

 

[LONE-STAR]

You guys should have bought a FORD. Parts dont brake. So I don't have to change them. So I dont know where they come from. So my truck was made in America.

 

[auntie]

We are absolutely feeling it here in Michigan. We are in the title search field and not many people are buying houses these days !! My poor DH is driving 800-900 miles a week doing searches all over the state so we can keep paying the bills. We are still going to FL next month, but we aren't swimming with the dolphins like we had planned. We can do it another time. We are still planning to go to FW next December too, but I may have to opt of out of DDP.

So the answer for us is....we are still going on our vacations, but we aren't spending as much $$ on extras.

My sister's actually had to close her title company this year. No one is buying and the refi's have stopped..even with the lowering of the rates.

 

[Brer Bear]

What I don't understand is why diesel is more than regular!!!!! Bring on the soybean diesel!

 

[LONE-STAR]

What I don't understand is why diesel is more than regular!!!!! Bring on the soybean diesel!

I don't know how long you have been driving a diesel? But back in 06 the oil company's had started making ulsd instead of lsd every since then around here diesel has been higher than gas. When I bought my first diesel my fuel bill was $75 a month now its more than that just to top off the tank.