I am Tired of Everyone Trying to SCAM Me.

A couple of days before Christmas my American made Dodge Intrepid died out and the last month I have been looking for a new used car.  

I looked on Craigslist and on Autotrader and Cars.com, plus the local newspaper and even ebay.

Well, time after time I would run into people who were trying to scam me.  Here are a few examples.

I called this one guy about his Honda Accord.  We agreed to meet at his house at a certain time and date.  Me and my wife went there, but he was not there.  He stood us up.  This happened with 2 different people on 2 different cars.

Another time, I called this dealership about a Nissan Maxima for sale.  The salesman told me the car was absolutely there and to come on down and check it out.  I drove in the snow to get there, over 25min. away.  When I got there, they told me that the car was sold 3 DAYS AGO!  I was steamin mad.  I complained to the Manager and told them that this was bait and switch and would report them to the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.  By the way the name of this dealership is Midway Kia, in Des Plaines, IL.   Two weeks later, this dealership was still advertising this same car for sale, even though they KNEW it was sold.   DO NOT GO THERE.  THEY ARE SCAMMERS.

Another time a guy advertised about his car for sale, saying it had 98,000 miles.  After I did my Carfax check it turns out this car had 198,000 miles on it.  This happened 2 times with 2 different people.  More Scammers.

Another time a guy advertised about a car being a 1999.  When I got to see the car, I found out that it was a 1997.  

I was getting so tired of the Scammers.  

Finally, I found my car.  I ended up buying a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant with 48,000 miles.  I am happy with my purchase.  

I went with a Japanese model since the American cars that I have been buying have been breaking down way too early.  My 2003 Dodge Durango needed a new transmission at ONLY 50,000 miles.  My Dodge Intrepid's timing belt snapped and the Engine froze up at only 87,000 miles.  This is why I needed a new used car.

It is true that I have in past posts encouraged you to buy American, but when it comes to Cars, you need something reliable and the used Japanese models have a better track record when it comes to reliability.  

I have no problem with free trade amongst developed countries like Japan.  What I do have a problem with is "so-called free trade" with third world countries like China.  China's superlow slave wages put a downward pressure on our much better American wages.  This is the trade that I disagree with.  Japan has wages similar to ours.  China has slave wages.

Also,  when I brought my truck in for an oil change at the local Dodge dealership, it took 3 hours and they tried telling me that I needed new front brakes and rotors.  Little did they know that me and my friend JUST CHANGED THE BRAKES ONLY 8 MONTHS AGO.  So it was obvious they were trying to SCAM me.  And then when the bill came due for the oil change, they tried to overcharge me by $10.  I promptly told them that they were overcharging me.  I had to eventually talk to the Manager in order to get the price reduced.  

Oh I am sick of all the SCAMMERS!

One good company that sells great products that does not scam is a company called ABT Electronics.  They matched the lowest internet price I could find on a Digital Camera that I bought for my mother's birthday.  They didn't try scamming me or anything.  I showed them a lower price that I printed out on the Internet and they simply said, we will match that.  This made me happy since I needed the Camera right away and did not want to deal with a company online when I could deal locally.

I am just getting very weary of almost every company, from the local car dealership to the cable company, trying to SCAM me.  What ever happened to "The Customer is always right" ?  Whatever happened to Honest Businesses?  

So be Wise and DON'T GET SCAMMED.  Ask questions.  Do your due diligence and research everything.  

Jimbo

Bill Clinton Makes Millions from Foreign Nations-Is this Really American?

Former President Bill Clinton earned nearly $6 million in speaking fees last year, almost all of it from foreign companies, according to financial documents filed by his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press show that $4.6 million of the former president's reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources, including Kuwait's national bank, other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal and a Hong Kong-based company that spent $100,000 on federal lobbying last year.

The Hong Kong firm, Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Holdings, paid Clinton a $300,000 honorarium on Dec. 4, 2008. Twenty five days later, on Dec. 29, a man listed as the company's chief financial officer, Jack Xi Deng, made a $25,000 cash donation to the Virginia gubernatorial campaign of Clinton confidant Terry McAuliffe, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Hong Kong firm paid at least $100,000 in 2008 to lobbyists on immigration issues.
The other foreign honoraria Bill Clinton received in 2008 are:
• $450,000 from AWD Holding AG, a German-based international financial services company.
• $350,000 from the state-owned National Bank of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to the foundation's disclosure.
• $300,000 from Value Grupo Financiero SA de CV, a Mexico-based financial holding company, whose chief executive officer, Carlos Bremer Gutierrez, is one of the Clinton Foundation's leading donors. Gutierrez donated between $250,001 to $500,000 to the foundation, according to foundation's documents.
• $250,000 from Germany's Media Control Gmbh, which bills itself as the world's leading provider of entertainment data and was founded by Karlheinz Koegel, who contributed $100,001 to $250,000 to the Clinton foundation.
• $200,000 from Malaysia's Petra Equities Management on behalf of the Sekhar Foundation run by Malaysian multimillionaire Vinod Sekhar who donated between $25,001 and $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation, according to its documents.
In addition to the foreign earnings, Bill Clinton made just over $1 million from domestic speaking engagements, including $250,000 from MSG Entertainment, $225,000 from the National Association of Home Care and Hospice, $200,000 from the United Nations Association, $175,000 from the ING North America Insurance Corp., $125,000 from the Rodman and Renshaw Capital Group and $100,000 from the Hollywood Radio and Television Society.

It must be nice to make loads of money off Foreign companies who could care less about America.

I guess why this is the reason Bill Clinton is such a big free trader. No wonder he pushed through NAFTA.

This is JUST PLAIN WRONG. An American President needs to be pushing American Interests. But instead Bill Clinton is just pushing his own SELFISH INTEREST.

But that is all we got with Clinton as President. His OWN SELF INTEREST OVER WHAT'S BEST FOR AMERICA.

As Bill Clinton gets MILLIONS from FOREIGN COMPANIES, regular Americans are losing their jobs, losing their homes, and most of all LOSING FAITH IN AMERICA.

Shame on Bill Clinton. Once a Scumbag always a Scumbag.

Jimbo

Spank your Kids on Plane-Go to Jail as a Terrorist

Tamera Jo Freeman was on a Frontier Airlines flight to Denver in 2007 when her two children began to quarrel over the window shade and then spilled a Bloody Mary into her lap.

She spanked each of them on the thigh with three swats. It was a small incident, but one that in the heightened anxiety after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would eventually have enormous ramifications for Freeman and her children.

A flight attendant confronted Freeman, who responded by hurling a few profanities and throwing what remained of a can of tomato juice on the floor.

The incident aboard the Frontier flight ultimately led to Freeman's arrest and conviction for a federal felony defined as an act of terrorism under the Patriot Act, the controversial federal law enacted after the 2001 attacks in New York and Washington.

"I had no idea I was breaking the law," said Freeman, 40, who spent three months in jail before pleading guilty.

Freeman is one of at least 200 people on flights who have been convicted under the amended law. In most of the cases, there was no evidence that the passengers had attempted to hijack the airplane or physically attack any of the flight crew. Many have simply involved raised voices, foul language and drunken behavior.

Some security experts say the use of the law by airlines and their employees has run amok, criminalizing incidents that did not start out as a threat to public safety, much less an act of terrorism.

Indeed, the law has given airlines new flexibility to clamp down on unruly behavior. But the intent of the Patriot Act provisions was to put terrorists in violation of the law before they could execute an actual takeover, said Nathan Sales, a law professor at George Mason University who helped write the Patriot Act when he served in the Justice Department.

Well, I will say this. This lady's actions were not right, but they DEFINITELY were NOT worthy of a TERRORIST ACT. But thanks to the OVERREACHING PATRIOT ACT, the Airlines will continue to ABUSE their authority.

It is time to ABOLISH the Patriot Act NOW. It clearly is being abused to prosecute Americans for nothing more than unruly behavior. It is ridiculous that this lady had to spend 3 months in jail and get prosecuted as a Terrorist for just some unruly behavior.

The most she should have gotten was a small fine and not be allowed to fly on this particular airlines.

But our Congress, in its rush to do something post 9-11, rushed through anti-civil liberties laws like the Patriot Act.

But this should also serve as an example to all parents. Thanks to knee-jerking Liberals out there, DO NOT SPANK YOUR KIDS IN PUBLIC. I don't think that there is any thing wrong with spanking your kids, but MANY IDIOT LIBERALS DO.

So do yourselves a favor and make it a policy not to spank your kids IN PUBLIC. There are way too many busybody people ready to yell "child abuse" and the next thing you know, the authorities have taken away your kids.

However, on the Patriot Act, it is time for it to be Abolished.

Call or Write your Congressman, and tell them it is time to Abolish the Patriot Act.

Jimbo

Tim Tebow--Florida's Championship QB both On and Off the Field

Tonight I saw Tim Tebow for the first time. Some of you are saying, "Tim who"?

Tim Tebow is Florida's Quarterback for their College Football team. Tonight the Florida Gators beat the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14. Tim Tebow was the player of the game.

Moreover, Tim Tebow is an ON FIRE BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN, NOT ASHAMED OF JESUS.

In fact, under his eyes, he had John 3:16 marked CLEARLY for the National audience to see for tonight's game.

Tim Tebow is an outstanding Quarterback, a scrambler, not afraid to get hit. He motivated his team to victory tonight. He laid his body out there, getting hit hard but pushing threw for additional yards with each of his many runs. I was pumped up watching the game, and I don't normally watch College Football. I am glad I did tonight.

Off the field Tim Tebow was born to Missionary Parents in the Philippines. He has worked with Lepers in Third World Countries. He lived at an Orphanage for a while in a Third World Country. He is the youngest of five children.

Also, he was HOMESCHOOLED. He was allowed to play Public H.S. Football even though he was being Homeschooled, thanks to Florida Law.

This is why us Homeschoolers need to fight for all our rights. We should be able to place our children in the local public schools athletic programs. We pay Taxes just like everyone else.

Tim Tebow was not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He wore the witness on his face and WAS a witness on the field, giving 110%. Also, during the post game interview, he boldly gave thanks to Jesus Christ his Savior.

Tim Tebow makes me proud to be a Christian and proud to be Homeschooling.

May God bless Tim Tebow's career. Maybe someday he'll play for the Chicago Bears, hopefully.

Jimbo