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Lakeside increased population?


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11 hours ago, pappysmarket said:

Interesting post. I was always one of the few gringos that did not believe most Mexicans were happy to see us come to Ajijic. It was, and probably still is true that many women and men were able to gain more employment as maids, handymen and gardeners. But as I studied the faces of the younger males no amount of "preaching" ever convinced me they liked my (our) presence. 

I am with you on this .

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21 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

Here is what militant anti-gentrification looks like in L.A. Not a pretty picture - fear and intimidation, from the left this time. I have never personally seen rallies like this in Mexico, but I know they are a common, and accepted form of dissent here. If this rally went though Ajijic, I know a lot of people would leave.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/new-generation-anti-gentrification-radicals-march-los-angeles-around-country-100000522.html

Winding back to the subject of "Gentrification".  I doubt that the scene described in the post above would likely take place here for lack of enough people with the same attitudes and the necessary firebrands to lead them.  However, I understand the sentiments.  It's a worldwide phenomenon.  Some time ago, there was a book about "The Death of Bohemia" which was not so much about poor people but more about creative types no longer being able to find cheap rent and be able to survive on part time jobs while pursuing their chosen dreams.  Now, everybody is being squeezed, even those with full time good jobs.  Witness the article about people "commuting" to Bend, Oregon.  The future?  Let's hope that affordable housing will be built within reasonable transportation distance to gainful employment.  The two factors must exist together or it just won't work.

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Things tend to work themselves out, although not fast enough for everyone to not feel some pain. Let's talk about a system that makes sure nobody feels any dislocations..............I don't think that system has yet been invented.  As employers steadily have to pay higher wages to find and retain employees because of housing costs those employers will look for ways to cut their costs. They don't even have to really care about the employees, trying to maximize their bottom line will in the end help those employees. They either move their company to Podunk where housing costs are lower, they let their employees move to Podunk and telecommute or they leap ahead of their competition, pay higher wages for the best and brightest and stay right there in their beloved Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, those employees are looking around and trying to find as good or better employment opportunities elsewhere where maybe they can afford the American dream of home ownership. Some leave and go to Podunk or next door and others who can't bear to leave Silicon Valley either increase their skills to boost their salary or they endure living in someone's bedroom for $1800 a month. Life is all about choices. The next "right" we'll probably hear about is the right to a good paying job wherever one wants it to be with never the need to move somewhere else. Good luck with that.

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The more things change, the more they stay the same.

In 1973, I had to buy a house in Pickering, Ontario to be able to afford one and I worked in downtown Toronto. Long commute. The house took half my paycheck and the interest rate was 10 % on the mortgage.

So, what's all the whining about... no one starts at the top of the ladder.

 

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Many countries in Europe, I know Germany is one, have hybrid subsidized housing, mostly large apartment blocks, always near a well equipped recreation center. The deal is you pay one third of your household income as rent, which for both working couples, can sometimes amount to a large amount. When you retire though, the same rules apply, and you can afford to stay where you have been living, maybe for years. The Germans are very social, and the pubs take on a trade such as the plasterers, or mechanics. The trades are loyal to these pubs. A German mechanic told me all this. He married a Canadian lady, but said despite them both working, they had trouble making ends meet. He brought her to Germany and I heard they were both very happy. Home/private property ownership is something like only 30% in Germany

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23 minutes ago, pappysmarket said:

So I guess we should be sorry Germany didn't win the war, we'd all be better off, sigh.

I'm assuming your tongue was firmly planted in your cheek when you posted that sentence.

I don't think that was a point Chillin was even within shouting distance of.  

I think most of us can agree that working people all over the globe are in a survival squeeze at present,  and that the idea of paying a certain portion of your earnings during your working years for housing, with the same percentage of your income during retirement has some value.

Some countries in the world aren't scared spitless of a little democratic socialism when it clearly benefits a large group of their citizens.  I'm not voting "yea" or "nay" or that one, but it does seem that the U.S. goes a little overboard bananas when it's suggested as a solution for any problem.

Back in the olden days when I was dealing with housing costs, it was generally thought that 20% of your income was reasonable for rent or mortgage payments.  How that changed! 

 

 

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On 3/5/2018 at 12:00 PM, pappysmarket said:

Well if they could attract a few of the Silicon Valley techies that would be all the better for Lakeside. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Gdl is yet competing with Silicon Valley for the best and brightest.

the best and the brightest engineering talent in Silicon Valley make a minimum of 150k a year and have options and all kinds of perks. You think GDL can compete. They are growing their own. I believe a software engineer here makes about 16 to 20 an hour. Not bad if compared to other professions. However many Silicon Valley companies have sent down Managers etc who work with local managers and I assume they make good money. Meanwhile lots of tech companies are moving from Silicon Valley and are looking at the midwest and south for suitable places because the cost of living in Bay area is too darn high and tech folks are leaving. I would assume as the education system for high tech degrees gets better in GDL and Mexico City, etc you will see many advancements in years to come. 

 

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3 hours ago, gringal said:

I'm assuming your tongue was firmly planted in your cheek when you posted that sentence.

I don't think that was a point Chillin was even within shouting distance of.  

I think most of us can agree that working people all over the globe are in a survival squeeze at present,  and that the idea of paying a certain portion of your earnings during your working years for housing, with the same percentage of your income during retirement has some value.

Some countries in the world aren't scared spitless of a little democratic socialism when it clearly benefits a large group of their citizens.  I'm not voting "yea" or "nay" or that one, but it does seem that the U.S. goes a little overboard bananas when it's suggested as a solution for any problem.

Back in the olden days when I was dealing with housing costs, it was generally thought that 20% of your income was reasonable for rent or mortgage payments.  How that changed! 

 

 

If everyone stuck to that 20% rule of thumb, as well as the 20% down payment we both remember, everyone would be a lot more financially secure. But hey, instant gratification has been the way of the world for many years now. Imagine what home prices would be (much lower) if the builders couldn't jam people in with 2% down and let them pay 40% of what their "anticipated" income in 5 years will be? OK, I exaggerate slightly but not too much. When we subsidize person A's housing costs we have to take money away from B, C, and D to do that. Since we all know "the government" doesn't have any money of it's own, only that which it forces others to hand over, there will always be winners and losers in that system. Call me crazy but I don't resent Bezos or Gates or any other wealthy people. They created things that people willingly fork over money for. I've never heard them accused of being bank robbers, etc. The fact that they were smarter than I am, probably worked a lot harder at pleasing people with a product or service that everyone wants does not tick me off one iota. If you took all the wealth in any country, divided it evenly between all the citizens, in 5 years you would probably have the very same rich and poor people. Equality of opportunity is my idea of fair, not equality of outcome. God made us all a little different and that suits me just fine.

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I knew a guy once who kept it really simple:  He said that the reason communism doesn't work is that if you gave ten people ten dollars, he'd end up with it all. He probably would have; a really good con artist, was he.

But seriously, do you think we have anything like equality of opportunity?  Don't need much of a reality check for that answer.  Crank back the clock to the sixties:  a smart but poor kid could get the college degree that opened doors without being in debt for the foreseeable future.  At the same time, another kid got a slight head start with 20 million bucks from dad.

Equality of opportunity never has existed;  probably never will.

The outstanding exceptions such as the entrepreneurs you mentioned, are noticeable because they ARE exceptions.  I also admire their success.

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OK, that's why lots of folks think I'm crazy! But remember one of the rules for growing old gracefully; what other people think of you is none of your business. I happen to believe that today a college education is not what probably 70% of graduating high schoolers need. Too much money, too little actual knowledge is being taught and for many kids it's just an expected 4-6 years of partying that parents are expected to supply. Not me, thank you very much. It's a shame when you see the parents of some poor kid that died while being hazed by a fraternity. But what the hell were these parents and that kid thinking when they all conspired to let Johnny go off to college and act like some 13 year old?  See, that's why some people think I'm crazy. Have you ever watched some of the interviews a guy by the name of Mike Rowe has done? He advocates that many young people should be going into the trades instead of wasting time and money getting a poly sci or women's studies degree. I know, today that's radical thinking. My brother was a pretty good welder and he made a lot more money than many of todays young adults. How about community college for 2 years first to weed out those who are not really capable of getting a college degree? How about making college like it used to be....hard. I was an A student in HS but a small private Catholic college made me work harder than I ever had, almost didn't make it. Lots of fellow freshmen didn't make it but my degree actually meant something when I finished. Now to the kid who inherits $20 Mil, what is the solution? Don't let people who earned a nice chunk of change pass it on? OK, lots of the Gates and Bezos will quit working and we won't get to buy the products and services we freely like to buy. I guess the government could try to force them to keep producing. So the truly successful and rich people we both admire. I have no problem with the people in between sorting themselves out and some being more successful than others. It wouldn't be all con men who ended up being the same rich people after dividing everything up, it would be the people who produced goods and services more people freely purchased.

Good discussion it's all food for thought.

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I was raised by a Scottish father that believed that what ever you wanted you needed to earn it. I wanted a balloon tire bike and asked him to get me one, his answer was you want a bike "get a job"! So he taught me how to look for a job and I got a job working everyday after school and all day Saturdays working for Donaldson drug Store for $3 per week. Was never out of work again in my life! He had many sayings and used them always to make his points ie " no job is as hard as the thought of it" "you have to work hard first and then the money comes" "the only time success comes before work is in the dictionary" and on and on. He also believed what the Americans were doing ie that they drafted young men and made them serve 2 yrs to him that was male finishing school since we had no draft in Canada and after the money ran out and I could not afford to go to university for my 3rd yr. He had me join the RCMP as they had in his opinion the toughest and longest training of any of Canada's forces.

I loved and respected my father and I truly believe that those of us lucky enough to be born and raised in the 30s 40s and 50s have lived in the best times ever before or in the future of this world

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La Mision: " I truly believe that those of us lucky enough to be born and raised in the 30s 40s and 50s have lived in the best times ever before or in the future of this world "

(Chuckle)  That depends on which gender you were born as, in that era.:rolleyes:

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Too true Gringal. But, we started changing that in the 60's and it's still a work in progress. I was one of two girls in my grade 13 physics class in '69

Did you notice that your last post was deleted? The one where you got a little political about health care etc.? Being Canadian, I'm an advocate of health care for everyone. Ya just never know when the poor kid who needs it might grow up to be the next Bill Gates and employ LOTS of people or shares their fortune for the betterment of the world.

Wonder how long this post will last.

 

 

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9 minutes ago, Ferret said:

Too true Gringal. But, we started changing that in the 60's and it's still a work in progress. I was one of two girls in my grade 13 physics class in '69

Did you notice that your last post was deleted? The one where you got a little political about health care etc.? Being Canadian, I'm an advocate of health care for everyone. Ya just never know when the poor kid who needs it might grow up to be the next Bill Gates and employ LOTS of people or shares their fortune for the betterment of the world.

Wonder how long this post will last.

 

 

I'm with you Ferret and you can add abortion to that one too.

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10 minutes ago, La Mision said:

Darn! How could I forget this one "the harder you work the luckier you get" Oh well " at my age memory is the second thing to go"!

Good one, LM. Wonder how long it will be before the sad faces show up on your post. "How dare you say working hard has anything to do with luck?" Lol

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15 minutes ago, Ferret said:

Too true Gringal. But, we started changing that in the 60's and it's still a work in progress. I was one of two girls in my grade 13 physics class in '69

Did you notice that your last post was deleted? The one where you got a little political about health care etc.? Being Canadian, I'm an advocate of health care for everyone. Ya just never know when the poor kid who needs it might grow up to be the next Bill Gates and employ LOTS of people or shares their fortune for the betterment of the world.

Wonder how long this post will last.

 

 

I deleted that post myself.  Too much personal information (smile). You gave a good reason to take care of all kids.  Amazing adults have sometimes resulted from a helping hand given to children.

Sorry to say it, but the younger generation took the "progress" re women for granted and some of it is being eroded.   Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemies.

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Yes, complacency is bad. But militant "burn your bra" stuff is at the other end of that extreme. R.E.S.P.E.C.T is a two way street. And, thank heaven, that not all men are Weinstein's.

@La Mision The saying that I remember most from my mum... "There are two kinds of fools in this world... those that pay in advance and those that don't pay at all"

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14 minutes ago, Ferret said:

Yes, complacency is bad. But militant "burn your bra" stuff is at the other end of that extreme. R.E.S.P.E.C.T is a two way street. And, thank heaven, that not all men are Weinstein's.

@La Mision The saying that I remember most from my mum... "There are two kinds of fools in this world... those that pay in advance and those that don't pay at all"

Amen, sista.  :rolleyes:

I was alive in that era and thought the "burn your bra" stuff was off the point.  For one thing, bras serve a useful purpose:  you can outrun predators faster without jiggling.  But seriously, the best fighters for women were the ones who put their feet into the political or legal arena.  Let's hope there's more of them arriving on the scene.

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Pappysmarket post makes sense when advocating trades versus getting a degree that "a" bankrupts you and "b" does not lead to a job other then flipping burgers at Mc Donalds.

I grew up in Switzerland where the government made that call. At 15 years old I did not make the grades so I was given 2 options. One enroll in a commercial school or two enroll in an apprenticeship. I chose the later and after 4 years, graduated with a "certificat federal de capacite" as a "Mecanicien Electricien".

Several years later I went back and enrolled with the evening program at the "L'Ecole D'Ingenieurs" and after 5 grueling years, graduated with a BS in electrical engineering.

Now think about it, if no one wants to learn a trade then who you gonna call when a pipe burst in your home....

 

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.......And just for fun go on one of those NOB sites where you can get 3 quotes to fix anything that may need fixing in your house. The prices will take your breath away if you have been in Mexico awhile. Think that handyman you just hired here ripped you off when he charged $500 pesos to fix something for you that took him 2-3 hours? See what you would have paid NOB.

Probably 6-7 years ago we bought a gripper bar to install in the bath of our rental apartment in Houston. The guy who did most of the work in the complex drew up a bid. It was almost $500 US as he explained that to comply with the Disabilities Act he would have to rip out and replace the whole bathroom wall to make it stronger. Needless to say, we just returned the bar and decided we would take our chances and hope we didn't end up on the other side of Americans with Disabilities.

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Amen to the trades!!! They are always needed. Apprenticeship also comes with a built in mentoring program which is an invaluable business experience.

A few years ago, my hubby and I were discussing the "golden handshake" and the fallout in the business world as a result. Does crappy customer service ring a bell with anyone?

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After living in central Ajijic for 10.5 years now, I finally started traveling around various colonial cities in MX with guided tour groups.  I've loved all of them - San Cristobal, San Miguel, and Zacatecas as well as Mexico City so far.  Coming home put me into the culture shock of realizing that I was sick of the dirty streets  here, traffic congestion on the ever-tacky carretera,  too much loud and low quality amplified music - as well as walking on cobblestones which is harder as you age.  I enjoyed the cooler temps and cleaner air at the higher altitudes.  Of course, relocating definitely crossed my mind.

On these tours, I, a single woman, enjoyed the free time in the evenings,  going off alone to explore different areas while walking at a healthy clip.  I taught myself Spanish before coming here and have used it often since Day One.  I have never inhabited the gringo self segregated all-English parallel universe bubble here.  I'm able to break the ice socially with Mexicans as well as handle routine business and daily transactions.  I chat at length with my maid in Spanish.  Still I am not completely fluent and wonder if I would really thrive where not so many people spoke English outside of the businesses that cater to tourists.  I am returning to one of those lovely places soon to test my meddle - alone.

When considering where else one might live in MX, many seem to ignore the necessity of speaking the language and knowing the culture.  How well would you function up north if you didn't speak English?  Many gringos here are married and take for granted that they always have someone to talk to at home.  Single people find it essential to get out and meet people, but you could only do that in Spanish in these other locations.  And the Mexicans are not spending their lives looking for New Best Friends - they have their extended families around them.

Simply, a few points to consider...

 

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