Apparently all WalMarts allow you to spend the night in their parking lots, which was far and away the cheapest and easiest way for them to get to their destinations.
The downside is that you might run into Clarence Thomas.
RV travelers are not typically among the impoverished; your friend is probably typical. There are also lots of retirees who at least have social security; without the social security, you probably wouldn't be able to make the RV payments). I can't find any articles right now, but Walmart occsionally gets some press for expelling folks living in their cars. or living on the streets, from the overnight RV parks.
Right wingers frequently claim that the liberal elite are out of touch because they never shop at Walmart. Saiselgy responded that he's more elite than anyone, but he occasionally shops at Walmart and so does everyone he knows. The people who don't shop at Walmart are in the inner cities, where both Walmarts and cars are scarce. Walmart serves only the non-urban poor, which leaves out quite a lot.
3.2: Yup. The Walmarts are all at least moderately far away. Most of what I think I'd want from them, I could get at Costco, which is closer than all of them. Perhaps Costco is an "elite" store because of its membership model, but the ~$60 annual cost is easily paid back relative to the cost of shopping at (notoriously elite) supermarkets. And I can pay for it out of my tax rebate, y'know.
3.1: I agree. I think the overnight RV parking at Walmart isn't really serving their base so much as allowing them to use a basically free resource (their empty parking lot after business hours) to gain the business and goodwill of people who are not likely to be regular customers.
We don't have a Costco membership because I'm afraid the house would be too full of crap we don't need right away.
That time I got to the front of the airport security line and couldn't find my driver license, the security guy asked me if I had a Costco card. I guess they have pictures? I didn't.
We don't have a Costco membership because I'm afraid the house would be too full of crap we don't need right away.
My god! exclaimed Monsieur Jourdain. It seems I have been a member of Costco all my life without knowing it!
Speaking of travel, my flight just got cancelled. I was able to re-book for later tonight. We'll see if I'm lucky and escape with only a 6 hour delay. At least I'm not at the airport.
If I had an RV I could just drive back to Baltimore.
That time I got to the front of the airport security line and couldn't find my driver license, the security guy asked me if I had a Costco card. I guess they have pictures? I didn't.
They have tiny blurry black and white pictures in the bottom corner of the reverse side, or mine does.
It's been so goddamn hot here lately, and probably where you are, too.
Don't get me started.
Not all Wal-Mart stores allow parking like that. I have seen a few lately with signs saying "No overnight parking." Maybe it is only allowed in rural areas.
Agree with 3.last. DC got its first Wal-Mart within the past 2 or 3 years and it was controversial. I've shopped there once or twice at most. There's a Whole Foods within walking distance of my house and I'm stubbornly avoiding shopping there. What does this say about me?
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Maybe peep wants to be in a movie?
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In conversation with one of my brothers last week, I proposed the following standard for minimum wage: that it should be pegged to the cost of the cheapest two bedroom apartment within a one hour commute of the job. (With some availability criterion.) Is this flawed for some obvious reason?
This is basically just one way of doing a regionally weighted minimum wage, right? You can do it already at a state or even a city level.
The first problem that comes to mind is that if public transport improves then your salary goes down. Look, we've opened a new metro line. Now your employer is within an hour of some half empty village in the middle of nowhere where houses are available for a string of beads and a couple of mirrors. You will now receive a 40% pay cut.
Hey, if it led to increased support for public transportation that intentionally helps connect low-income areas to jobs, that's good, right?
This is basically just one way of doing a regionally weighted minimum wage, right? You can do it already at a state or even a city level.
We were specifically talking about the Bay Area, fwiw.
That might be a solution to "nobody will pay for public transit."
I still don't understand how the Bay Area works. I've even been there.
America has enough money in real-estate speculation to blow up the entire world economy, I don't see why it's so hard for to divert some of that cupidity to get actually useful stuff built.
Because of people like that dipshit economist Forbes professor who wants to replace libraries with Amazon to save everybody money.
22: I refused to be diverted!
Going somewhere fun?
Headed right your way!
Nothing like a little amoxicillin for that.
14: Thanks for the tip, Barry! I've always thought I should be an actor in movies. Every time I see myself in a security camera it's obvious I have a tremendous screen presence.
But that's for tomorrow! I can't make it! O cursed fate! I could have been a Daniel Day-Lewis! A Malkovich!
26 The snow put the fires out in September/October. No lightning yet!
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Here's a 60s curio.
Tom Jones with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (or someone from Planet of the Apes).
>
That's kind of what China is trying to do with its minimum wage, which is supposed to be targeting something like 40% of the average urban wage in the province. It has led to big year on year increases in most provinces.
The first problem that comes to mind is that if public transport improves then your salary goes down.
Unlikely, don't you think? I wouldn't expect employers to cut current employees salaries if the minimum wage went down, just to hire new workers cheaper.
I don't think it's realistic to expect transit to built at that level and that it would be worth the dislocation if it was.
As near as I can tell, every transit debate goes either "Don't build that here because I don't want to make it possible for poor people to live in my neighborhood" or "Transit doesn't serve middle class areas so why bother funding it better".
The ones in NYC tend to go "What the (#$#*@!! is going on with this shit?" Not so much a debate as despairingly irate confusion.
I guess not all the local debates go that way. Sometimes people don't remember to not say racist stuff aloud.
re: 37
In London everyone wants it because it hugely inflates house prices, and makes getting to work a lot quicker.
I'm probably over-extrapolating from when they tried to run the bus line, the one that I use daily, into the "New Urban" development by me.
I can generally throw something pre-baked up first thing in the morning from the hotel.
LOOK, WE POSTED THE SIGNS TELLING THE PRE-BAKERS TO WASH THEIR HANDS! GET OFF OUR CASE!
41: That's why they rerouted the 61D away from there? Wow. I had no idea.
On the other hand, yay BRT line. Not sure how much that's going to help lower income people, but it does sound like they're working to make sure it doesn't make it harder on people who are e.g. at the far end of the 61C line.
They did route the 61D through there. I think the resistance to that was why, when the budget cuts hit, they removed it. Anyway, more transit for me.
I'd forgotten there was a brief period of bus service there.
I'd like some kind of alternate levy on employers that discouraged long/unnecessary commutes in aggregate. Hard to think of something that couldn't be gamed harder than @16 though.
It's been so goddamn hot here lately, and probably where you are, too.
The highs here are barely in the 80s. It's been very nice.
It's not the (temperature) 80s, it's the (humidity) 80s.
Plus, we now have dockless electric scooters.
48: these things are not mutually exclusive. And somehow I have a feeling that upcoming travels -- Chicago and DC -- are not going to help.
Indeed. They're even positively correlated in some places.
OT: I am going to be in NYC to visit karaoke bars August 16 and 17th. Anyone New Yorkers want to join?
It's been 80s+ here, which is miserable. For about 2 months or more. It'll be about 90 ish later in the week.
The UK is just not set up for that. The underground, in particular, is not air conditioned on a lot of routes and by the end of the day, it's crazy hot.
I would prefer 50 degrees and cloudy, but it's July. I'm willing to take what I can get for a cool spell.
I am going to be in NYC to visit karaoke bars August 16 and 17th. Anyone New Yorkers want to join?
Posted by: urple
YES
Apparently, I couldn't come even if I were able to travel.
23: Forbes apparently deleted it, making me wonder if there was more wrong with it than being dumb.
Video of you all singing the "Don't Stop Believing" or it didn't happen. Does not have to be the whole song, but must include the "streetlight people" line.
Also you have to go "doo-doo-doo-doo" to the guitar riffs.
And, at the relevant lyric, someone should say, "Well, actually South Detroit doesn't exist because it's Canada."
Canada's just a conspiracy of cartographers, then?
I don't see how public transit poses a special problem for the proposal. The same goes for road improvements or lower housing costs. It could worsen YIMBYism because now high rents can directly prop up homeowners' salaries.
Re: Walmarts and other stores with free parking: their contribution to car culture far outweighs allowing homeless people to sleep in their cars there. Americans spend an average of $8500 or so a year on cars.
Oops, I meant worsen NIMBYism
63: In Michigan, it is A Thing to yell "Windsor!" over the lyrics "South Detroit."
In Ohio, it is A Thing to sing "Don't give a damn about the state of Michigan," but honestly, I feel like shouting like that about how much you don't care just reveals the pain you have because you care too much.
Oh my. I would be curious in an anthropological sort of way to see that in a natural setting.
What's life if you never get to The Point? Cedar Point!
Go to the Shoe. Wear scarlet and gray. Watch 100,000 people loudly protest not caring while watching every motion with their heart in their throat.
65: It's trivial (and not a criticism or dispute), but I want to know more about that $8500 average. Surely there is some pretty wide variance between people who pay $50K cash one year and nothing the next, people who continuously lease with a steady payment, people who have staggered loan payments on multiple cars, people who pay $2500 and then nothing but maintenance for ten years...
Gory details of personal finance: we paid off a $18K loan in two years (2015-17) and this year have spent very little. We don't expect to buy another car for quite a while. I guess, typing all this out, I can see how a $8500 average can be plausible and useful, but I wonder what the distribution looks like.
people who pay $2500 and then nothing but maintenance for ten years
I am intrigued by your ideas but suspect this works better when you can fix things yourself.
71: Especially the dotting of the i !
AAARGH. We paid hundreds of dollars for a professional lice comber last Monday, because I was panicking about my brother and his family coming to visit on Wednesday. Ace did have lice, the rest of us were clean. I've been combing Ace out every night since, using their conditioner method. My brother just told me they found lice in their daughter's hair. I HATE EVERYTHING.
73: I'm extrapolating from the situation I know better, where parents give their adult child a car with a rough fair market value of $2500 and it somehow lasts for ten years before breaking down completely. Actually, though, ten years is too long; make it five.
75: So much sympathy. But also, you should make up a story about the amazing power of head lice to improve hair follicle health in adult life and/or cure allergies and ward off mental illness. Send a fake lifestyle piece about how people are sending their kids to south Texas summer camps from both coasts. Politely request compensation.
ten years is too long; make it five
Not as long as the Wonderful One-Hoss Shay, but still not bad.
"people who pay $2500 and then nothing but maintenance for ten years"
I assume that $8500 includes fuel, insurance and parking....
Most Americans pay little or nothing out of pocket for parking (they're still paying for it indirectly through subsidies, but in ways that are hard to measure or disaggregate), but I'm sure fuel and insurance are indeed big components of that $8500 average.
72: I expect something like the median household has a car payment, of, say, $300/month, then insurance of $150/month, gas $100/month. That gets you to $6,600 before considering parking and maintenance. I would be a little surprised if most households had two car payments at once, but then, I think $300 is a fairly cheap car payment.
If you are old, insurance gets cheaper. If you have an older car, that doesn't need full coverage, it gets cheaper too. I think I used to pay $600 every six months, but now it's less. I don't know how much less because I'm a feminist, so I'm not the one writing the checks.
81: If you have a car loan, though, it needs full coverage. Also, insurance cost varies a lot by location. And mileage. And driving record. Just spitballing a general idea of what car ownership costs.
True. I think our insurance is cheaper because of paid-off cars, not driving anywhere, and things like that. I can recall times when I considered it a major expense, back in the day.
We don't have a Costco membership because I'm afraid the house would be too full of crap
Costco is on the other side of town, but I was in Sam's Club when I remembered I needed to pick up a pack of lighters, which is how I ended up with a box of 100 lighters and now I'm probably good until I retire.
LB I think I have an old email address for you, if that still works? L., how can I contact you?
If the one you have for me is yahoo.com, I never check that one. Gmail or hotmail are still active. (If you had a work email, it'd be way out of date.)
We pay about $480/year for pretty basic collision and bodily injury liability, with some additional medical. Driving a cheap old car is great.
I dont remember which one I have. I'll just message you on fb
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This seems to be the closest thing to a political thread, so:
Trump administration restores risk adjustment payments under the ACA. Wow. Fantastic.
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BLS breaks down a total figure of $8,427 for 2016 into:
* $3,634 vehicle purchases
* $1,909 gasoline and motor oil
* $1,149 insurance
* $849 maintenance and repairs
* $660 rental, leasing, licensing, and other charges (not sure how or if they disaggregate for full-time leasers)
* $226 finance charges
90: One supposes that because payoffs to insurers are involved, Trump could be persuaded. But this move really speaks to the durability built into Obamacare.
$660 rental, leasing, licensing, and other charges
Does that just mean state/city taxes? In PA, that's really cheap, but in Nebraska it was a sometimes-high fee based on the value of the car.
91: thank you! It still seems like a weird figure, in that the scenarios are pretty disparate.
I probably know our exact gasoline expenses for last year, let me see... looks like $87.75. That's because a) we usually drive only short distances and b) we very very rarely switch to the gasoline engine. Do I win some kind of prize for being out of touch with real America? I still think of myself as a lazy fuck who routinely drives five blocks to Trader Joe's for junk food rather than fixing the bike wheel.
$1,909 gasoline and motor oil
I bet most of them are paying extra for the synthetic oil.
OT: On my way home, many of the houses had a thick cardboard envelope on the stoop. In the address place, there was "A message of hope and gladness for the Jewish people." In the return address place, was an American flag and an Israeli flag. In the stamp place was an clearly fake stamp.
I'm trying to figure out if this is an ordinary charity appeal or something explicitly "Trump moved the embassy so vote Republican." Are there rules about opening fake mail?
It was a really thick envelope. Thick enough that you could fit in a pop-up Jesus with an over-sized hand reading "Try Episcopalian, Suckers."
It is apparently some craziness:
https://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2013/08/09/dont-judge-an-envelope-by-its-cover/
On the one hand, I can't imagine that package will be very effective. On the other hand, usually when the very-not-mainstream Protestant types try to convert the Jews, it's because they think the conversion of the Jews has to happen before the world can end. At least somebody is trying to do something to improve things.
Inorite? It's "a message of hope" and "for the Jewish people". There's a lot of hope in the world.
Has anybody seen my perfect red bull?
100. Oliver Cromwell was trying this in the 1650s- permitting Jews to live legally in England for the first time since the 13th century, in the hope of converting them. Doesn't have much to show for it yet in terms of conversions, except Disraeli. Andrew Marvell was notably less inclined to expect quick results.
Maybe he didn't use a big enough envelope?
Wow $1100 for car insurance .We live in London with a 2yo 7seater, we park in the street and pay £450. I guess it's US healthcare bills that bump up your premiums.
102: I call this drink the "Zionist Russian": Red Bull and vodka.
re: 105
Must depend where you are in London. I drive a 6 year old Suzuki Swift and park in a locked underground carpark.
My premiums (admittedly for fully comp) are about £750.
On the one hand, I can't imagine that package will be very effective. On the other hand, usually when the very-not-mainstream Protestant types try to convert the Jews, it's because they think the conversion of the Jews has to happen before the world can end. At least somebody is trying to do something to improve things.
I can't imagine the Jews For Jesus message is very effective either, not least because they are obviously not Jews, and yet they're still around. They had an outpost in my old haunting grounds in Kentish Town.
"In a Kentish town, a goyish world
The goyish boys and Kentish girls."
That was me, hidden Pet Shop Boys fan.
OT: I hadn't even noticed, but apparently BOGF bar closed and re-opened under a new name/management. I guess I don't get out much anymore.
On my way home, many of the houses had a thick cardboard envelope on the stoop. In the address place, there was "A message of hope and gladness for the Jewish people."
It's nice that Moby lives in such a safe area - if I were to find that on my doorstep, whether I was Jewish or not, I would definitely not open it and would consider calling the police to have it safely removed and investigated. Unexpected or unsolicited letter, bulky, unusual packaging, explicitly religious markings on the outside... that's four warning signs off the list and you're only supposed to need four to call the security services.
As it turns out, if you aren't Palestinian, living around Jewish people is very safe.
But, yes, I really like where I live. It's been 15 years and the only crime I've experienced is somebody ripped open an Amazon package only to dump it a block away because it was just books. I'm a couple of blocks from two very active bus routes, three miles from my office, a quick walk to many bars, and it's quiet enough that I can hear crickets at night.
Crap, I forgot to post before leaving the hotel. Hmm.
I can hear frogs at night, but that doesn't mean it's quiet.
Because the frogs live inside with you.
I can hear frogs at night, but that doesn't mean it's quiet.
They're very loud frogs.
L.! It's karaoke time. How do I contact
I'm not finding her email in my gmail account, unfortunately. Sorry.
heebie! If you're in nyc this weekend please come karaoke
It's free. You should both quit drinking and go.
Millennials killed drinking, houses, and mayonnaise.
How Boomers got the house in the glass, they never said.
Millennials killed [...] houses
Speaking of which, we're looking for new housing (but the local market is stupid hot). A house went up for sale in our neighborhood, priced at the upper end of our range. It was scooped up by this husband/wife real-estate team, and they promptly flipped it for something like double the price.
So from our perspective, the developers took existing affordable housing stock and converted it into rich-people housing stock. Not fucking helpful!
Short story long: the house flippers are Gen Xers, and generally speaking I'm fine blaming more things on Gen Xers. They seem to dodge the blame for things that get blamed on Millennials and Boomers.
Whoa, whoa, let's not go crazy here. If there's one fundamental truth of generational discourse, it's that Gen X is harmless and unfairly put on compared to Boomers, but sophisticated, broadly educated and sensible compared to Millennials. I don't see any reason to be questioning that.
63/67: South Detroit is in Canada!? [Exploding brain gif]
heebie I hope you didn't really fly to nyc last night, because I'm not there. After being delayed for 3.5 hours due to weather, flight went halfway to nyc and then turned around and came all the way back because of weather around nyc. Really bizarre--I've been diverted to philly or dc, etc., before but never turned around and sent all the way home. Got home about 4:00 am. Anyway, going to need to reschedule this trip, but we'll reschedule soon. LB and L., hope you can make it next time
Goddamnit, I've been waiting at this karaoke bar for 17 hours now, asshole. Back to LaGuardia.
I meant to say, "That's super shitty!" but I stuttered.