What Does Primary Residence Or Main Home Or Principal Residence Really Mean

 A primary residence (also called principal residence or main home)...means the place where you spend the bulk of your time.

So most of us (probably 60-percent of Americans)....have one single unit.  Some of us have a condo, a cottage, a cabin, or a 2nd house....where we go for special weekends or summer/winter vacations.

Probably 3-percent of us....have even a 3rd residence.

I worked with a guy who had a wooded area in Minnesota, with a RV trailer, and he'd go for hunting weekends to the trailer...around twice a year (at least....that's the story he told his wife).

Where you get into legal trouble? Well....you with an accountant/lawyer, and sign  papers to say both properties are primary (which that can't really occur).

The problem I suspect that is brewing.....it's possible that if we did a true national audit....we might find several million folks who've lied, and the paperwork is truly messed-up. Adding to the burden....half of them have been doing this for twenty-plus years. Plus a added burden....there might be two million couples....dual-residenced, and dual-voters....having voted twice on five or six occasions.

McRib

 About a month ago....I had a German McDonalds McRib....one of  my favorite menu selections.

I paused over it....opening it up and gazing at the slim piece of cheap pork.  Cost  here?   It'll range from 4.99 Euro to 6.19 Euro (figure $5.50 to $7.20).

The problem is....the longer I look under the 'hood'....it's a cheap pork slice....maybe 7 bits of onion, and a high-sugar sauce, with a decent bun.  All total?  I'd value the 'parts' at no more than 1.60 Euro ($2).  The rest?  Cost of labor, and profit-built-in.

If they went to automation? That's the funny thing...you could probably have a machine load up the pork patties, and pop one out every 20 seconds. You'd just need one guy every hour to refill the pork-machine, and the sauce/onion/bun machines.

The Car Price 'Mess'

 I sat and pondered over this AM....where the hell did car-prices go 'crazy'?  I remember in 2012....a general trend....that you could still go and find new cars for $30k and do a 48-month purchase deal that made sense.

So I asked Grok for the story (AI). Grok said:

"Car prices in the United States began to escalate significantly in early 2021, driven primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on global supply chains. Factory shutdowns and a severe semiconductor chip shortage reduced new vehicle production, while pent-up consumer demand surged as economies reopened. This imbalance caused average new car transaction prices to climb from around $37,000 in late 2020 to over $47,000 by late 2021, a roughly 27% increase.  Used car prices followed suit, jumping nearly 60% from June 2020 to January 2022, peaking at over $31,000 in April 2022."

Yep....this goes to Covid, and the 2020/2021 era.

I should add....Covid-era-inflation also started to play a role....so you could add another $5k to $7k to this problem.

Last year....the average base-model of a US car...ran to around $48k (new).  For a used-car?  For a 3-to-4 year old car....up around $27k.

Once you added the extras?  Well...you start talking about $10k to $20k.

Trying to blame Trump or Biden?  That's a goofy position to take.

Moving the four-year loan onto six or eight years?  You just compounded the chip and inflation mess...adding another layer of banking cost.

Fixing this?   You'd have to solve the chip-mess (lessening the cost), and start asking for base-model vehicles....then start looking for a path back to the 4-year loan business.

My humble 'bet'? A quarter of all present car companies will cease to exist in two years. And we will reach a point where most people are driving a 7-to-15 year old car. 

Four Syndromes That I Believe Exists

 1.  The 'Superman' Syndrome.

This is where you have an opinion and it's rock-solid for you....plus you need every single relative/friend/associate....to also believe in your opinion.  If they can't believe in your mindset....they can't stand in your shadow.

2. The 'fake-Einstein' Syndrome.

You made your way through high school, and intellectually-speaking...you peaked in the 7th grade.  Yet as each year passed, and your dimwittedness stalled....the 'system' advanced you....all the way to graduate. 

Upon reaching college....rather than deny you entry...they continued the 'fake-Einstein' trend.  This is mostly because you were seen as 'crazy-dollars'. After four years, they handed you a degree while privately admitting you were no brighter than when you were in the 7th grade.

3. The 'friend-of-Epstein' Syndrome.

This is a group of approximately 500-to-1,000 folks who openly vouched that  Epstein was their 'friend'...until the day arrested....then they went completely silent...never able to say anything.

4. The 'Gotta-leave-the-US'  Syndrome.

You've self-hypnotized yourself into believing somewhere is better than the US. The problem here....you might reach a point to believe this....move to London, and discover things are way more screwed  up elsewhere.