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Messages - Jim Logajan

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61
Can you expand on that?  I haven't seen anything about it.
I'm not sure if Lucifer is referencing the lawsuit by Stefan Passantino against Cheney, but here is an article by Newt Gingrich wherein he trashes Cheney and explains why:

https://www.realclearpolicy.com/articles/2024/01/11/liz_cheney_vs_stefan_passantino_the_jan_6_committee_fraud_1004191.html#!

62
Spin Zone / Re: Masks Work or Make You Stupid???
« on: March 13, 2024, 01:25:03 PM »
I was vaguely familiar with that law but when you posted about it, I immediately thought, 'What a transparently corrupt law designed to pander to the car dealer pac.'

A federal judge and some corrupt Michigan congresskritters did something similar to  Mr. Tucker automobiles.

What a shame.
A lot of states have similar laws forcing sales through dealers, so I didn't mean to pick on Texas other than to point out it has its share of bad laws. I seem to recall GM somehow got its dealers to agree to a "no price haggling with customers" policy to make sales of its Saturn vehicles easier on customers. But they still had to be sold through dealers.

63
Spin Zone / Re: Masks Work or Make You Stupid???
« on: March 13, 2024, 12:04:50 PM »
It is perfect, if you like:
 Burning heat and freezing cold.
And bugs the size of birds,
And rattlesnakes.

But at least they don't try to tell you how to keep warm or cool or what to drive or where to live or almost anything else you want to do.
Texas doesn't allow car manufacturers to sell directly to consumers. All such sales have to be done through dealerships.

64
Pilot Zone / Re: Joining the ranks of airplane owners
« on: March 12, 2024, 08:56:40 PM »
I LOVE the vintage panel and the modern iPad. It looks somehow, perfect.

Have a great time with your new family member.
Thanks!

Last year I had talked to a local member of the EAA Chapter about buying one of his Ercoupes. He owns four (two are airworthy) along with a motor glider. He's retired and got an A&P "just because". Spoke with him again at the EAA chapter meeting this evening. He is willing to do some mods I'd like done to the plane: replace the old pull starter with a light weight starter, add a spin-on oil filter adapter, and maybe a vernier mixture control. The only other annoying thing is that the radio is down by the left knee and the upper bezel of the radio makes it hard to see the top of the digits without bending the head down. Might try moving the radio to the bay on the passenger side or maybe even install a Trig TY91 radio to go into one of those unused dial holes to preserve the classic round instrument panel look.

65
Spin Zone / Re: 2024 Presidential "Election"
« on: March 10, 2024, 08:16:27 PM »
I found this interesting and thought it may interest some of you.


66
Spin Zone / Re: DEI in the sky
« on: March 10, 2024, 08:59:10 AM »
DIE was misspelled.
 ;)

67
Spin Zone / Re: The Pathetic State of the Republican Party
« on: March 09, 2024, 09:45:40 AM »
And the republican led congress
Damn, I missed when they took over.

68
Spin Zone / Re: Immigration.
« on: March 06, 2024, 09:36:11 PM »
I just did a quit net search for some history of U.S. immigration laws. Didn't bother with the wikipedia entry. Did find a "brief" history at the Cato Institute (a libertarian site):
https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/brief-history-us-immigration-policy-colonial-period-present-day#conclusion
It covers the main changes in laws from pre-colonial times up to the beginning of Biden's administration. It seemed a long read and I got to about the 1950s before skipping to the end. I'll go back and read the skipped portion later.

Anyhoo, it seems that immigration laws changed with shifts in wind direction. Cultural fears and prejudices often shaped the laws, other times economic needs and desires. For example, if I understand correctly, Mexican migrants and immigrants were sometimes encouraged, sometimes not - so deported, sometimes both actions happening at the same time. The latter I think was when the Bracero Program and Operation Wetback were operating: "Some illegal immigrants took “a walk‐​around the statute” to gain a bracero worker visa—a process where they were driven down to the Mexican border by the INS or Border Patrol and made to take one step across the border and then immediately reenter the United States legally with a bracero work visa."

The article seems to conclude current immigration laws are an inconsistent patchwork of past laws in need of correction by congress.

69
Spin Zone / Re: This Is Causing Quite a Stir on X
« on: March 02, 2024, 03:32:43 PM »
Just to throw something out there. We've seen a lot of fires, like the recent Texas wildfire. What if this were actually a government operation using lasers to start some of these fires?
Much more high-tech and expensive than just having someone use a match!

Here's how to start a fire with a laser:
https://www.ourpcb.com/laser-fire-starter.html

70
Spin Zone / Re: This Is Causing Quite a Stir on X
« on: March 02, 2024, 12:35:48 PM »
Aliens
Their weapons are always green.

72
Spin Zone / Re: Presidentuial Immunity?
« on: March 01, 2024, 09:53:42 AM »
  The communist are opening a can of worms if they can get the court to say Trump didn't have immunity during Jan 6th.   Now any setting president will have to think long and hard before doing anything, even if it benefits the country out of fear of being prosecuted.
I'm trying to think, from a libertarian view, why it's a bad thing to reign in presidential actions that would otherwise be illegal for Joe citizen. The whole immunity issue is, IMHO, beside the point since Trump didn't break any laws and was within his rights. Yeah, it sucks that he has to defend himself and the courts are biased/rigged, but if the supreme court does rule that presidents aren't immune in some cases I'll notch that as a small win against the imperial presidency. I don't see such a win as actually hurting Trump though. So maybe a double win by hanging threats over future presidents while Trump's actions are found legal.

73
Spin Zone / Re: 2024 Presidential "Election"
« on: February 25, 2024, 11:18:37 PM »
I wonder what that means.
Maybe "We're going to spend the rest of the dough on getting sloshed."?
Seriously though, it states later on "AFP Action will instead channel its resources to finance Republican campaigns on the congressional level"

74
Pilot Zone / Re: Joining the ranks of airplane owners
« on: February 25, 2024, 07:50:57 AM »
12 year term at 9.64%?  For $30k?

I can see why Lightstream would love to make that loan.
Yup. Unsecured loans aren’t cheap. But since we intend to pay it off in about a year it was a little better than the alternatives. We could have paid for the plane entirely from our retirement investments but this is the last year we are doing Roth conversions and the tax consequences made a temporary loan the cheaper alternative.

75
Pilot Zone / Joining the ranks of airplane owners
« on: February 25, 2024, 12:10:53 AM »
A little story on how I came to buy an airplane:

Our flying club wanted a plane with more useful load than the C-150 we are leasing. We had four members for a few months but dropped back to three. We had set  a limit of about $5000 each toward the purchase. We'd borrow the rest and looked for something under $45k - $50k as a stretch. That meant something like  Cherokee 140 or the like. C-172 prices had climbed into the flight levels, so they were out of the question.

I volunteered to guarantee a bank loan to the club's nonprofit corporation. I decided to seek a loan via AOPA Finance and spent a couple weeks working with them but they couldn't find any lenders under any circumstances that would lend to a flying club, regardless of who signed a personal guarantee. I asked if they had any lenders who would finance a purchase by my wife and I in which case we would lease our plane to the club. This was a week before Christmas. AOPA Finance said they'd look into it but never followed up. I was getting antsy so decided to try lightstream.com on December 29. Their rates for a 12 year term on $30,000 were between 9.34% and 13.74% (their rates for something other than an RV/Boat/Aircraft were typically even higher. AOPA was claiming rates between 7.1% and 9.99%) My wife was good with us covering the difference.

I plugged in claimed income and assets and submitted a loan request to Lightstream. Within hours I got an approval at 9.64%. I expected them to ask for supporting proof of income and assets but they didn't. And there would be no lien on the airplane (they make clear the borrower should NOT list them as a lienholder on any vehicle registration.)

As it happened I found two C-172s for sale below our limit: N7303A (on trade-a-plane; located Los Alamos, NM; asking $50k) and N7305A (on one of the Facebook aircraft sales groups; locate West Liberty, KY; asking $42.5k firm) Asking prices were close to vref.com estimates. I found it interesting coincidence both came off the assembly line one airplane apart.

Anyway, after doing some comparisons and dithering made an offer on N7303A. Closed on Feb 9, flew United to Santa Fe on the 11th. Flew the plane from Los Alamos to Rapid City on the 12th.

I'm leaving it up to the other two members on whether the club should lease or buy the plane from us. It feels odd to finally own a plane after all these years of renting since I considered an ownership stake being too expensive for just a hobby thing. Even if sold to the club I'll still have an equity claim on the plane.

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