poll
by | Cash for under the mattress | |
| Offset stock market losses | |
| Pay off holiday debt | |
| Save it | |
| Home improvement | |
| Buy a gift | |
| Invest it | |
| Have the boys over for Texas Holdem | |
| Buy a toy |
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I chose save it as my girlfriend and I plan to do something even less stimulating for the American Economy: we are going to use it to travel abroad. We have narrowed the choices down to either Mexico City or Buenos Ares.
I know Congress and the President want us to go out to dinner and get an oil change and a new computer and a humongous flat screen tv....but we would really rather spend the stimulus check, plus our hefty tax returns on a vacation.
With the dollar so devalued by the U.S. war debt, the ARM fiasco, etc... we're going to need all the money we can dig up to have fun down south. Not that the Mexican peso has gained on the dollar, but with global demand, commodities prices will be up no matter where we go...unless we're buying avocados on the road side.
The U.S. dollar is actually worth 1.5 more Argentinian pesos now than it was a year ago today. Maybe Buenos Ares is the place to go.
buenos ares is definitely the place to go...trust me, if u don't need to be in mexico city right now, then u really want to stay away...so much corruption and pollution there right now...
it is not uncommon for americans to be snatched buy their taxi drivers and basically held for ranson until the get all the money they can from you...it is actually a pretty scary ordeal...
i, personally, was held hostage by two police officers about 2 years ago for about 4 hours while their partners held three of my friends and drove them atm to atm collecting as much money as they could...and i am mexican...so i can only imagine how much worse it would have been if i had blonde hair and white skin...
when we told the american embassy about it, they basically laughed and told us now we know better...
so in summation...buenos ares...
I have heard of and seen such things happening in Mexico.
I live in SoCal and we frequent Tijuana. I have never felt completely unsafe, but I always consider where I am: It is a dog eat dog place. Desperation brings out a certain side of people. I was held for about 20 minutes (admittedly it was for drinking in the street) while my friends argued in Spanish for an officer to let me go. This was on the bridge crossing back into U.S. in broad daylight. We had to pay the officer $50. Again, I admit I was in the wrong. That was my first and last slip up in Mexico: a bargain basement price on an education according to other stories I've heard.
A high school friend of mine was held in a TJ jail for a week while his parents were told to wire $1000. Only each time they wired money, they were told the transaction did not go through. Their bank account showed it was going through for a total of $3000.
The last time I was there (Dec. 29) I saw 30 soldiers in riot gear hanging out in the street. This was on a Saturday at about 9:00AM. I remember as we had just eaten breakfast. Oh yeah, did I mention I stay the night in seedy TJ hotels? I am surprised I haven't gotten scabies yet as my other travel companions all have.
So I understand the risks associated with Mexico. However, I hear that Mexico City is considerably more safe as (and this is the biggest factor in my mind) it is not a border town. Also, I think it matters that the economy of D.F. is much better and less reliant on small-time corruption (like shaking down American kids). Mexico gets a bad rap and it's largely due to the border towns.
At any rate, I would really rather go to Buenos Ares. My girlfriend is Mexican and she wants to visit D.F. as she has never been. But Buenos Ares sounds so much more attractive to this white, blond haired, blue eyed second generation French-Canadian, Anglo-American.
An Army friend of mine was stationed in Honduras awhile back and used to work counter-drug operations with the SF folks. Now typically, everyone gets to Soto Cano by just flying the Air Force cargo flights out of South Carolina.
Now, this is a second hand story from my friend, so I can't remember if they were active SF or former SF turned contractor ... but regardless. These "tough guys" decided they would drive to Honduras. They described the drive as no problem whatsoever, except for several stretches in Mexico where they agreed in advance to drive at maximum speed, not stop for anyone/thing and that everyone would be locked 'n loaded for the duration of the speed run. When those guys say Mexico is dangerous ... it's dangerous.
i understand the logic about thinking mexico city is safer...but i am much more at ease in our border towns than i am in mexico city...
out of all the international travels i have had, MC is the only place i have ever truly be on "full alert" the entire time...and that is considering the fact that the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front not anybody's mother) bombed a bus parked across the street from my hotel in Manila...yes, i was scared when that happened, but it was a much more finite amount of time and for a diferent reason...i wasn't afraid of the MILF grabbing me bc i was american...
I chose "Have the boys over for Texas Holdem", but that's really only half the answer... after that, I need to decide to do with their checks, too. Toys sound like a plan. :)
If scottb leaves you with any cash, please buy iPods and iPhones so I can re-gain some of my cash that I lost on Apple stock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm still upset that I was forced to sell my Apple stock at $59 ... I had bought in at $30!!!!
I'm going to do my part for the economy by having a huge party for my friends and getting drunk. Wait, that would be me doing my part for me...hooray me!
Intercepted by the State because you're divorced and paying Child Support or Alimony.
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Nothings free by AnonBCA :: NR6 :: on 06 February 2008
It time I started making interest on the governments money, not the other way around!!
RE: Nothings free by Brandon :: NR9 :: on 06 February 2008
I hope you aren't counting the stimulus checks as "government money." Assuming you pay taxes, the money you receive is a refund of what you already paid. So, in effect, the government is saying, "We earned interest on this money for a while, but now you can have it back."
RE: Nothings free by AnonBCA :: NR6 :: on 06 February 2008
Exactly, thats my point.