Posts Made By: Tony Aguire

Rod Kaufman said:

As you may know, the 2014 Subaru Forester is Motor Trends SUV of the year. It is also Consumer Reports top pick in its class. I test drove one several months ago and I was entirely unimpressed at the time because the air conditioning was sub-par and the acceleration was quite feeble. I considered a Toyota RAV4 but it scored poorly on the insurance institute's offset accident collision test and is therefore no longer recommended by Consumer Reports. In contrast, the Forester has a top safety rating and in the event of a severe crash, the engine is designed to drop onto the pavement instead of thru the firewall and into your lap. Score one for Subaru. So, I decided to take another look at the Forester. As it happens the model I got, a premium version with the all-weather package and navigation, accelerates quite well and the air conditioner works like it should. I don't what the deal was with the one I test-drove before but my vehicle performs as expected. A few other Subaru Forester owners have also complained about the air conditioning in their Foresters and/or the acceleration as well. Others, like myself, are reporting good climate controls and decent acceleration.
Cost! Here's the scoop on the poop. I elected not to deal with the dealers. Instead, I used Car Bargains to negotiate the deal for me. The cost of the service just went up $50.00 as of the first of the year. In my experience, it is worth it. Here's the link to their website:
http://www.checkbook.org/auto/carbarg.cfm
After a long wait, my bids from various dealers in my area arrived by email from Car Bargains. Several dealers refused to bid, citing the popularity and scarcity of the vehicle. Others, however, did compete for my business with Car Bargains acting as my negotiator. One dealer offered the vehicle at dealer invoice plus $300.00 while two others offered the same model at invoice.(For those who don't know, the invoice is the cost of the vehicle that the dealer pays the factory when the dealer purchases the car. Don't confuse this price with the MSRP price which appears on the sticker on the window of a new car.) Finally, one dealer, who happened to be the one located in my area, bid invoice LESS $600.00!!! Obviously, I bought it there. Thank you Car Bargains for a great deal on a new vehicle.
Getting back to the Forester, the one I got is "tight" meaning it's well-screwed together. You have to shut the doors hard which close with a "thunk". The triple door seals effectively squash road noise. The ride is fine, the AWD is great and the fuel economy is excellent, averaging 27 MPG between city and freeway, with mid 30s on the highway. In other words, it's getting the EPA. The view out from the vehicle is excellent. The seats are fine and supportive. Now, I've only got 55 miles on it so this is only an initial impression on the vehicle. Dislikes? No temperature gauge! Only idiot lights for cold, borderline over heating and over heating exist to warn the driver. I like a gauge instead.
All in all, a fine vehicle and so far so good...

Rod Kaufman said:

Looks like those in the breeder states are getting fed up with those in the breeder states...
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57525921-78/schools-tax-bill-utah.html.csp

Dave Snope said:

Obama's #1 navigator at the LA Times, Michael Hiltzik, continues his campaign of distorted logic to support Obamacare. Losing jobs is good because it gives people choice, is the new message from the admin. How long will it be before Hiltzik makes the argument that people dying from rationed healthcare is good? Because a smaller supply of labor increases wages and reduces global warming or something. This guy is going to earn himself an ambassadorship to some country that he's never been to.

The CBO projects that [ObamaCare] will reduce the supply of labor, not the availability of jobs. There’s a big difference. In fact, it suggests that aggregate demand for labor (that is, the number of jobs) will increase, not decrease; but that many workers or would-be workers will be prompted by the ACA to leave the labor force, many of them voluntarily.

As economist Dean Baker points out, this is, in fact, a beneficial effect of the law, and a sign that it will achieve an important goal. It helps “older workers with serious health conditions who are working now because this is the only way to get health insurance. And (one for the family-values crowd) many young mothers who return to work earlier than they would like because they need health insurance. This is a huge plus.�

http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-cbo-20140204,0,3106578.story#axzz2skYIttDW

Rod Kaufman said:

When he found that "monitoring Muslims was the only way to stop terrorism arising from the Muslim community":
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/26/opinion/sethi-spying-on-muslims-legal/?iref=obinsite
Give that man a cigar!

Dave Snope said:


House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers Sunday said the naivete of President Obama’s national security advisers about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s motivations is allowing Russia to outmaneuver the U.S. in Ukraine and other hot spots around the globe.

“Putin is playing chess and we’re playing marbles,� Rogers, R-Mich., said on “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.�

“As you move down the list in Syria and the Ukraine and other areas,� he said, “they’ve been running circles around us.�

Don't forget Obama's embarrassment in Egypt. Nobody has helped Russia increase it's power on the world stage more than Obama, erasing decades of effort to move them out of the middle east and africa.

That's what happens when a part-time lecturer/community organizer goes up against a forger KGB leader. The presidency is the worst office for on-the-job training.

Rod Kaufman said:

It'll probably go higher here than in Hawaii. It wouldn't surprise me if it wreaks the fragile economy of the state:
http://www.signalscv.com/section/287/article/115912/

Patrick Keafer said:

Sorta...one dummy endorses another?

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2014/03/24/Sarah-Palin-Encourages-Hillary-To-Run-in-2016

Rod Kaufman said:

Here's an account of Wendy's Rocky Mountain High Vacation:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/03/living/weed-colorado-family-vacation/index.html?hpt=hp_c3
and my reply:
rod kaufman • an hour ago
Is this Wendy's idea of an accomplishment? Is this Wendy's wish for a memento of her family's vacation for all to remember? Did Wendy enjoy her heart palpitations? Would she like to enjoy them again? Would she like her family and others to enjoy them as well? As Wendy said, it"can pack a punch" And, to sum up her wisdom, "who knew"...