No license plate, no problem

Posted by on Apr 26, 2009 in Economy, Los Angeles, Personal | No Comments

I’ve been spending a lot of hours on the streets of West Los Angeles lately and noticing that lots of cars are without license plates. One car at my children’s school has been sporting the dealer-issued ad-in-lieu of license plate for around a year. The other day, driving north on Sepulveda, a sporty black Volvo ...

Read More

AIG

Posted by on Mar 23, 2009 in Economy, Politics | One Comment

Why have the public waited until the AIG bonuses scandal to become outraged?  This behavior on the part of failing companies is par for the course in the world of people who disapprove of handouts, except when it comes to themselves.  The banks and investment houses that received government bailouts also gave their executives large ...

Read More

The Hybrid

Posted by on Feb 18, 2009 in Economy, Los Angeles, Personal | No Comments

I have had my trusty VW Passat V6 wagon for several years.  I’m still proud of it.  It’s an exponentially better ride than most of the other cars I’ve driven.  My mother’s ’73 Plymouth Valiant comes to mind.  The last time I saw that car was on a “Push Pull and Drag” TV ad in ...

Read More

2009

Posted by on Dec 31, 2008 in Economy, Personal, Politics | One Comment

I think it would be impossible to say that I think 2009 is going to be a great year.  The economy in the United States and abroad is tanking.  Banks and investment houses have failed.  The real estate market is sinking, and no one I know is buying.  Acquaintances who I’d never think would economize ...

Read More