Ahhh - I have had a faithful friend in my Honda minivan. It's not considered a "man's" car, the minivan, but it has really been my favorite vehicle of all. Fun to drive, comfortable on long trips, incredibly nimble - more so than any car I've owned, great utility - carries people or belongings in a multitude of configurations, and relatively easy on gas at over 20 mpg. Oh, did I mention reliable? Yes - amazingly reliable. That is, until recently. At 9 years old and with 278,000 miles, that reliability is, I'm afraid, coming to an end.
Things are wearing out, and I am entering the struggle that a lot of us go through. When is "enough enough?"
Dropping $1500 or $2000 a year to keep a car rolling is now forcing me to consider picking up a car payment. Trouble is, I don't want to pick up the $500 or $600 a month a new car will cost. So I look at recent used cars, in the $12-$15000 range.
This is how I picked up the Honda. 3 years old, one owner, available on Ebay, close enough to go look a it and drive it. What a great find. Good enough that I will probably do the same thing and head for Ebay motors. [Disclaimer: I do not work for, or have any vested interest in EBay - it is simply a service that I have used with much success]
Now here's the trouble. The van just sucked out another $1500. Do I replace it now, or try to recoup some of my money by driving it longer. What happens if the motor dies? The transmission falls out? The brakes fail? All of these are real worries, and I must weigh them against picking up another monthly payment of $200-$300 for a late model used vehicle. That is $2400-$3600 per year (without interest) for hopefully trouble-free driving for a few years.
BUT - if I'm willing to spend $2400-$3600 per year, why don't I just keep spending $1500 on the OLD van? I mean I like it! It still looks good, inside and out. It has been my favorite car. And I AM on a pretty tight budget.
Still - the attraction of something new and different...
See?
Something that should be simple, is a dilema after all.
What would you do?
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sad day for me as I leave the Republican Party
The time has arrived for me to make this decision.
I lived through 8 years of George Bush trying to make nice with Democrats receiving the shoddiest treatment over and again by those he "befriended" on the liberal side. I took it on the chin along with Bush, hoping that those evil peoples' better nature might take over. No chance - they don't seem to have a better nature.
I put up with RINOs (Republicans in name only) pulling the rug out from under the President's and the Party's feet, time and again, thinking that in the end it would all work out. From the unconstitutional implementation of campaign finance reform, to the horrendous overspending that resulted in huge deficits in spite of the surge in treasury receipts resulting from tax cuts. From the sinking of judicial nominees and diplomatic appointees, to the outrageous criminal pursuits of Tom Delay and Scooter Libby, and the dangerous failure to support America's anti-terrorist fight.
I watched with disbelief as John McCain became the Republican presidential nominee, and finally, I made a tough decision. I would not mark the ballot for McCain. My presidential vote would go blank, but I would vote straight ticket Republican for the representative races, even if I had to hold my nose while doing so.
Then today I watched two Virginia Republicans endorse the Democratic candidate for Senate.
"According to the The Washington Post, Republicans Vince Callahan and John Chichester will officially endorse Democrat Mark Warner for Senate on Monday."
Gentlemen and ladies in the RNC: enough is enough.
If I go on, I will end up cursing you, and I want this to remain a family-oriented blog!
Therefore, I have decided today to bid the GOP a not-so-fond farewell.
I am mad, sad, frustrated, frightened, and depressed that the great launch of conservative ideas launched under Reagan and the 1994 Republican Revolution have come to naught.
Perhaps I can find a political home where these great ideas, coupled with great minds and with great achievers can once again become ascendant.
One thing I am certain of is that the Republican Party is not that place.
I lived through 8 years of George Bush trying to make nice with Democrats receiving the shoddiest treatment over and again by those he "befriended" on the liberal side. I took it on the chin along with Bush, hoping that those evil peoples' better nature might take over. No chance - they don't seem to have a better nature.
I put up with RINOs (Republicans in name only) pulling the rug out from under the President's and the Party's feet, time and again, thinking that in the end it would all work out. From the unconstitutional implementation of campaign finance reform, to the horrendous overspending that resulted in huge deficits in spite of the surge in treasury receipts resulting from tax cuts. From the sinking of judicial nominees and diplomatic appointees, to the outrageous criminal pursuits of Tom Delay and Scooter Libby, and the dangerous failure to support America's anti-terrorist fight.
I watched with disbelief as John McCain became the Republican presidential nominee, and finally, I made a tough decision. I would not mark the ballot for McCain. My presidential vote would go blank, but I would vote straight ticket Republican for the representative races, even if I had to hold my nose while doing so.
Then today I watched two Virginia Republicans endorse the Democratic candidate for Senate.
"According to the The Washington Post, Republicans Vince Callahan and John Chichester will officially endorse Democrat Mark Warner for Senate on Monday."
Gentlemen and ladies in the RNC: enough is enough.
If I go on, I will end up cursing you, and I want this to remain a family-oriented blog!
Therefore, I have decided today to bid the GOP a not-so-fond farewell.
I am mad, sad, frustrated, frightened, and depressed that the great launch of conservative ideas launched under Reagan and the 1994 Republican Revolution have come to naught.
Perhaps I can find a political home where these great ideas, coupled with great minds and with great achievers can once again become ascendant.
One thing I am certain of is that the Republican Party is not that place.
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