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  1. #51
    In Uranus
    bsnub's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee View Post
    Median apt rent in SF is now $3,900.00 bucks a month.
    Maybe if you are a racist homophobe.

    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee View Post
    And for that, you have to navigate thru sidewalks of human feces & used needles .
    Well worth it for some of the best restaurants in the world all with in a short walking gasp.

    But you think that Houston is a good place to move.


  2. #52
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    what the average American spends in a day
    How is the "average American" calculated? Do they calculate in also such like Bezos, Gate, Trump, etc?

    And also these?
    Today, more than 46 million people in America are living below the poverty line — far more than the population of our largest state. This is POVERTY USA, our largest state.

    NEARLY ONE IN SIX OF US LIVES IN POVERTY USA
    And worse yet, nearly one in five children.

    Who Lives in Poverty USA?
    All those who make less than the Federal government's official poverty threshold. . . which for a family of four is $22,811.00. People working at minimum wage, even holding down several jobs. Seniors living on fixed incomes. Wage earners suddenly out of work. Millions of families everywhere from our cities to rural communities.
    PovertyUSA

  3. #53
    I'm in Jail

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    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee View Post
    And for that, you have to navigate thru sidewalks of human feces & used needles .

    Sounds good but why so damn expensive? I can get that in any other country for say 5 to 700usd a month.

    Funny thing about it all is that I once rented a place, a place I once lived in years ago, to a guy that had mastered the system.

    I was repainting the place after the prior Tennant moved out so I put a for rent sign out front. Cheep advertising I know. I was.

    Anyway this guy pops in and asks if I accept rent assistance. I said I didn't and told him I didn't really know that much about it.


    He gets excited as he throws me the pitch. I figured I'd swing. He sets me up with his agent. They inspect the place for code compliance ect and say it's all good.

    The gal said to me that unfortunately "the man" only qualified for a one bedroom place and that they could only pay market rents on a one bedroom joint.

    This was a two bedroom single family home so she said he didn't qualify for two bedrooms. So I'm like hold on, as I really wouldn't mind a single "older" guy living in the place, he qualified for one room, right? She says, yes. So I ask what exactly is the median rent rate that he qualified for in a one bedroom place.

    She throws out the number and I'm like you know that room off the kitchen is a bit small for a bedroom ( well, not by Romanian standards) and that I previously used it as office space. And that I would agree to her terms for a one bedroom house. The deal goes through and the guy moves in. I get a monthly check from the city and he pays me $98 out of his social security disability payment from the federal government. I call it a win win for all.

    It gets better. After a few months "the man" says to me, you know they pay a utility stipend to me because I'm on disability. I'm like good for you then. He say no good for you. He clues me in on the program. Says if I rent to him for five years the County will pay to have a high efficiency gas furnace put in. I make the call.

    They come out, do more inspections to make sure it's a sound investment and tell me that they also would blow in insulation in the attic ect. And that they would like to replace the hot water heater as well because the current one is not " energy efficient."

    Then they break the bad news. They can't do any of this because the fuse box is outdated and that they would have to upgrade it to a breaker panel. I'm like but what am I going to do with this pack of spare fuses? Oh, ok just do it.

    Now at that time I was living in the County paying crazy high taxes and now I knew part of the reason why. I believe this was solely a County program and it may have had backing from the state or the feds.

    Why am I telling you all this? What's the point.

    Having been to a few places I guess being poor here isn't all that bad if you know the system. The man sure did.

    The story continues. So 4 years into this deal "the man" claims "the house" has made him in his words sickerer.

    I tell the gal that there is nothing I can do if this is the case. I tell them I will not renew the lease and that he must go because he is saying the house had made him sick. He moves out.

    Maybe four years later I get a letter from his lawyer asking for almost 90k in damages the man suffered while living in "the house."

    I take it to my insurance man, he reads it looks up at me and says, it's a scam. Happens all the time, dont worry we've never lost a case like this and never will as it would open the floodgates to more of this type of thing.

    Needless to say I gathered all the records from all the home inspections. From the 1st one to every yearly one that they did. All good ect.

    I don't know what my guys sent to his but his lawyer dropped him like a hot rock.

    Still he goes to pretrial ( as its free for him and all, paperwork paid by the state ect) where he says he felt much better after moving out of "the house".

    The mediator says " you'll need a doctor to back up these claims" and sets it for trial by judge.

    My lawyers said don't say anything just let him do the talking.

    I did have a copy of his medical records and I highlighted several instances where the county threatened to throw him off the program for drug use including mary jane.

    I thought surely this could agrivate asthma as that was his complaint.

    Anyway with no doctor or lawyer present the Judge ( Who is an honorable brother presiding to bring Justice for the people) Asked how do you know the house made you sick?

    The man said, Because after I moved out I got better.

    The judge asked, Why did you wait so long to bring this case before the court.

    The man said, because the statue of limitations was about to run out.

    After a while it was my turn for a rebuttal. I simply said I lived in that house myself for years as have many others and no one has ever had any problems like this.

    Needless to say it was ruled in my favor with 30 days for him to press for a retrial. That never happened.

    I have since never rented to another person on "the program."

    Subsequently I found out he had tried to sue his prior landlord for poor bathtub drainage amongst other issues as well. No kidding.

    Man I love this place. Forgive me for any spelling and punctuation errors.

    I never said I was an English major.

    the fish.
    Last edited by fishlocker; 12-03-2019 at 11:42 PM.

  4. #54
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bowie View Post
    Now that's a "Wow"... whereabouts - you one of the San Fransicans? Does keep my side of the USA in perspective.
    Heart of Silicon Valley

  5. #55
    The Fool on the Hill bowie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JPPR2 View Post
    Heart of Silicon Valley
    assume you're families spending was the rule and not the exception... the benefit, or cost, of modern technology

    ever figure out your tax burden?

    I was paying just under USD $7k property tax, 33% in income taxes (fed, state, local), 7% sales tax. After fleeing a place where the property taxes would have been @ USD $20k, income taxes scrapping 40% and sales tax hitting 10%.

    All with annual increases and no end in sight. Now I have a rare skill set in high demand and made a high end salary. But, many I pal'ed around with and worked with didn't. The taxation was a most onerous and very heavy burden. It did drive most of them into the poverty trap and cycle. Most folk were heavily indebted, owing far more debt than their assets and "trapped".

  6. #56
    Thailand Expat Boon Mee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fishlocker View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee View Post
    And for that, you have to navigate thru sidewalks of human feces & used needles .

    Sounds good but why so damn expensive? I can get that in any other country for say 5 to 700usd a month.

    Funny thing about it all is that I once rented a place, a place I once lived in years ago, to a guy that had mastered the system.
    SF & environs are so expensive couples move into houses together to share rent. It's insane & for what?

    Weather is much better further south say in OC but that's getting paeng too.

  7. #57
    Thailand Expat AntRobertson's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee
    couples move into houses together to share rent
    Read what you wrote there again. Slowly.

  8. #58
    Thailand Expat Texpat's Avatar
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    "American average daily spending" thread polluted by dodgy panty-wearing American wannabe.

  9. #59
    Thailand Expat Boon Mee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat View Post
    "American average daily spending" thread polluted by dodgy panty-wearing American wannabe.
    They all want to be Red/White & Blue Americans but can't.
    Illegal aliens from Central America are taking their place! LOL

  10. #60
    CCBW Stumpy's Avatar
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    The avg stated in the article must have a higher end demographic for sure. I know if you live in say out skirts of Nevada that number would be far lower. However no industry so it's all relative

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