15 Year or 180 Month Car Loans

 Apparently, the gov't will review the idea.

I paused here....wondering what car could possibly last that long. 

My wife's Audi TT....might. 

Anything American made?  No.

Once we got to the level of $75k for a new car....the system was broke.

The $30 Dinner Date Is Long Gone

 I watched a video tape....black gal who had been invited out (1st date) for coffee.  She declined....telling the guy a $5 coffee date won't work.  He responds....a real dinner date is now up around $100 and he's wanting more assurance that she's worth a 2nd date. She said NO.

I paused over this.   

To be honest....a first date  today....at a decent place....would run a minimum of $75. 

Going to Five Guys for a burger?  It probably won't work.   Pizza shop for $30? Nope.  Ribs shop for $40?  Nope.

Just a cocktail 'stop'?  Well....you can figure one drink each....near $25. 

Here's the outcome of this generation....with 20 to 40 year old gals.....guys will start to demand more of a assurance....to reach date number one....meaning that $5  coffee date might be your only avenue to date number two.

Working-Poor?

 I read a piece yesterday.....teacher in Philadelphia saying she has a degree, has a a mortgage, has a car payment and is on SNAP Food Stamps (never saying the amount but would guess $400 minimum).

So she used the term 'working-poor'. 

As I grew up in rural Alabama in the 1970s...you usually associated this  'class' of pay-scale to the guys who worked at the local lumber-mill, the gas-station attendants, school-bus-drivers, and such.

I progressed in high school to the Air Force, and for five years....felt like I was working-poor.....then reached some level where the pay scale corrected itself.

The problem in looking  at this teacher....there's probably half-a-million teachers in the same category....trying to live in a highly urbanized area (like Baltimore, NY City, Philly, Atlanta, Chicago, and so on). 

There's a problem brewing....but I doubt that we really want to discuss it.

James Carville Commentary

 I noted this AM....a suggestion put forth by the Democratic strategist...probably aimed for 2028:  bringing the Supreme Court to 13 (instead of the nine presently), getting both DC and Puerto Rico arranged for statehood (adding four Senators), 

I pondered over this. 

I'm of the mind we  should reset the Supreme Court entirely....mandating 50 Justices (one from each state), and a lucky-pick situation for each hearing....selecting nine folks to hear a case (at random).   At the same time, I'd  limit the term to one single term of seven years....then forced retirement.

As for the statehood thing....I'm already open to allow in Alberta and Saskatchewan....as they exit Canada.    I guess I'm open for five or six other provinces as well.  

I'm pretty open for Guam to enter.

I could see the logic of Puerto Rico....although each time this has come up to a vote....folks there just wanted the status of  'no-change'.

Approaching the current Senate and saying it might have to find room to allow 20 more Senators in the hall?  Some of the old guys would freak out.