dr_hunt Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Yes, but the situation will never end. I had a guy I know call me yesterday on Thanksgiving wanting me to give him my spare 10 bolt 4wd front end. He must be smoking crack, I told him $300 and he said that was too high. I said well, maybe you can find another one somewhere else then. I'm a generous person, I do alot of things for free, but I have my limits. If someone is really trying to do a project right and in need of help, I'll do what my conscious tells me is ok, otherwise they better get out the checkbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Reality is things are great for some, and not for others. I'm very fortunate at this period in my life, and that helps me be more generous. I'd like to think that those I've given truck fulls of parts over the last decade or two truly appreciate it. Only one or two times have I regreted giving parts after the fact. If you have money (And in on case a member had well over $600K in investments, no mortgage, and a great career) and you're asking for a handout, You may well be greeted with some severe language and told to hit the road. If you truly need help or are young and don't have a father-figure handy with tools or an interest in cars, I'm more than willing to assist. I expect that one day you'll do the same for someone else... As to the state of the economy today, Without getting "political", overall we're doing well. The single biggest hit to the growth we should be seeing currently is the price of fuel. That eats into the weekly take-home for all of us, no matter how much we make. My investor and I had a long talk last week about his speculation for growth... Tech stocks are back on the rise. I thought that was the case before our chat, but he confirmed it with some very hard data. As to realistate... I'm sitting and hoping that the 7 acres behind my property doesn't sell. It's been inflated to $295K and is worth about 1/3rd of that. If it drops by 50%, I'll be buying it and foregoing that Porsche/Viper/Z06 purchase for a while... Those of you contemplating buying or selling realestate, the speculation is that we're not done slipping lower (At least not in my area), and the market will go lower for at least another 9-18 months. Finally, let's all be a little more giving if we can, gang, and less judgemental in doing so. Know who you're helping, but help if you know that it's going to a good cause... Any number of events could occur and cause each of us to fall on hard times... Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Guys... I didn't intend to sound judgmental. Just let me clarify one more time that I do understand people need help sometimes and I'm often at the front of the line to offer that help. My only concern is with those who ask for help when they don't really need it... they just don't want to do without one thing to have another. I guess I'm a bit sensitive about this because I know someone who asked for strangers' help for a family emergency. He had tons of stuff he could sell but didn't. He accepted funds from those who couldn't afford it. Some of those folks ate beans and rice for a couple of weeks in order to help. Not one month after this emergency was resolved he bought a brand new sports car... cash. I wonder where he got the money? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Trust me Mike, I understand, which is exactly why I posted my comments about my experience with someone here. It boils down to YOU deciding who needs help and who doesn't. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Mike... Yeah, I know. I just don't have the intelligence/savvy anymore to tell the difference between truth and BS. Case in point: I donated for years to Firefighters' Association, State Troopers' Association, Local Police Association, etc. As it turns out, these "non-profit organizations" collecting these funds only pass along 13-17 percent of what they collect. These are scams... all of them. I'm tired of being lied to and used. I'm tired of seeing this happen to others. To top it off, individuals do the same thing. I'm getting to the point where I believe no one. BTW folks... I really don't want to sell my camera stuff. After all, I'm a photographer at heart. So some of you guys give up something you need/want and give the money to me so I can have the new 434 SBC stroker I want and still keep my camera gear. See how ridiculous that sounds?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Gee, boobies on credit. I knew there was something I liked about you and your services. From one Doc to another, I'm just trying to make the world a better place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 DOC... Observant? Nah... you just can't stop thinking/fantasizing about BS' clients. I've seen billboards here in SATX similar to what you suggest, BTW. You need to travel a bit, Doc;) He does need to get out a bit. Have you ever been to Soccoro? Me neither, but it's in the middle of frickin nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 I went through Socorro once on the way to somewhere else. It's pretty there... pretty small, that is;) Actually, my little town is smaller than Socorro but it's been engulfed by San Antonio just like all the other little towns in this area making it feel like one big city. He does need to get out a bit. Have you ever been to Soccoro? Me neither, but it's in the middle of frickin nowhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 I know what you mean by giving away your services.... As and autotech on a "flat rate" pay scale I am constently doing things for free. It's not nearly as bad as it was when I was working for Dodge(now at Nissan) but you still get those people who don't understand the concept of 3year/36,000mile warrenty. They come in with 45,000 miles on it and expect use to fix it for free because "it's just out of warrenty." Just out of warrenty my as$, your 9,000 miles out of warrenty! I guess maybe they should have bought and extended warrenty. Sure they think they are just screwing the dealership by tring to get something for nothing, but they are really screwing me because I don't get paid because Nissan wont cover it but the service writer wants to help them because he wants to look good! Do you think I care that after 45,000 miles your dash has a squeak in it? NOPE! If you want to pay to have us look at I'm more than happy fix that squeak but if you "just want me to take a quick look at it" then you can go fly a kit! It's almost never "just a quick look!" And then I have all my friends who expect me to drop everything and go fix their cars! Yeah like I don't have anything else to do in my spare time! It would be different if they had some way to pay me back but they don't really have any that I want or need them to help me with. Yeah they are my friends but I'm often taken advantage of because I'm a little too nice and I don't like asking for money(but I will take it if it's offered!). I agree with you guys some people need help but most don't, most are just cheap or lazy! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 80LT1... Sheesh... so the dealer makes you work for free on some jobs?!? Just because the service manager decides to give away services doesn't mean you should. That's lousy. If you OFFER to help some unfortunate sole, that's different. But to be FORCED into it sux. I agree that... IF POSSIBLE, people should OFFER some kind of EVEN TRADE of something the other person actually NEEDS. If one of my neighbors came to me and asked for a spare car (if I had one) so he could drive to work, I would expect him to offer something else in return. It doesn't have to be money or durable goods. He could offer to help me work on the car or mow the lawn or whatever... then follow through with the deal. I'm not saying we should turn our backs every time. I think everyone here agrees that people do sometimes need help. And, if we can, we should offer that help. Who knows... maybe it'll be us who need a leg up next time? I think the issue is that our society has developed a gimme-this/gimme-that mentality. Mommy and daddy have spoiled us all and Uncle Sam doles out our hard-earned tax money too liberally... no, I'm not a hard-A$$ conservative Republican. I just worry about our gen-X future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 i did the loan a car for a week program for a freind and all i asked him to do was to fill it back up and put her in the driveway, since i almost always have a backup z that needs some miles i figure what the hell.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 That's a short-term loaner. I was talking about someone asking for a car to keep:) It was a nice thing for you to do though. OTOH, he was your FRIEND... not a stranger:biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 there had better be a blow job involved with me giving away a z...(nevermind the last statement) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Umm... remind me never to ask for anything from you:eek: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 almost got one from a chick that i gave a ride to LAX, she was pretty hot too.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 "Almost" dosen't count... now does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_hunt Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 From one Doc to another, I'm just trying to make the world a better place. Well done my friend, well done! :hail: He does need to get out a bit. Have you ever been to Soccoro? Me neither, but it's in the middle of frickin nowhere. I just got home from the bar, I was the designated driver, had a blast, danced with all kinds of drunk women and listened to all the drunk guys talking about trying to get the drunk women to go home with them. Watched PO'd guys leave their drunk women at the bar cause they were flirting with other guys and visa versa. What a riot! The only drawback was that most of the women don't seem to miss too many meals and most of the rest needed an appointment with Silicone Boy IMO. Oh, and Socorro isn't in the middle of nowhere, it's only 75 miles to somewhere in any direction!!! So there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silicone boy Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 Well done my friend, well done! :hail: Oh, and Socorro isn't in the middle of nowhere, it's only 75 miles to somewhere in any direction!!! So there! My daughters are heavily involved in dance competitions (ballet, jazz, etc). Last summer we took them to Vegas for a competition. There was a very talented young lady from Socorro who had to drive 90 minutes each way 6 days a week to get to a studio in Albequirky, and that's in the middle of nowhere! Talk about dedication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted November 25, 2006 Share Posted November 25, 2006 For the record, I like middle-of-nowhere places. A higher percentage of truly kind, decent, honest people life in small towns... away from big city "users". Yes, there are many good people in big cities... and small towns have their share of lousy jerks... but the ratio of good:lousy is better in small communities. Just my opinion, of course... garnered from my limited experiences;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A. G. Olphart Posted November 26, 2006 Share Posted November 26, 2006 My wife has been known to tell me that I need help... Wonder what she meant? Not certain that the good people/bad people ratio is hugely different form tiny town to Albuquerque, but the odds of knowing who the baddies are improves as town size shrinks. <> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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