Today 02/11/2010 is election day in the U.S.

Election day is so important! If the past is not working, election day is the time to make changes. This is what a Democracy is all about. Here’s my problem with the whole process!

I am a registered voter in the state and county that I live in. Unfortunately, I can’t vote in this election. Stupid me! I was unaware that each time you change an address, you must change your voters registration. I’m a living, breathing, American citizen and I am unable to vote. Dead people vote, illegal people vote BUT, I can’t because of an address change. Am I the only person that sees a fault with this situation? Dead people and illegal’s can vote but, I can’t!!!!! 

This is unbelievable to me! Trust me, I have filled out a new registration today but, day late and dollar short! I’m a living breathing,  American Citizen and I’m turned away at the polls!

 I want to hear some comments on this!! Speak out and I will publish your comments. Let me hear from you!!!!

 If you have just now found this web page – WELCOME. If you have been following my page you will know that sometimes I have to blow off some steam. I call it VENTING! You also know that I follow the web and keep up with my competition.  It never fails, when I start doing something several people follow suit. They always have more ready cash to exploit their endeavors to you the public or consumer. I just pulled up a website that claims to be #1 on Google and Bing for car buying tips and negotiating. I will not print the name of the site here, but it is easy enough to find. If these jokers are number one, which actually they are, I can’t believe it. Their capture page is the poorest written hack I have ever read. This is the worst and best example of what lots of money can do for an idiot and a web page.

 I have written about it before and will do it again! The funniest thing I see on the web; car dealers that have web pages giving instruction in price negotiations and how to deal with a dealership. Lord knows, they have lots of money to get their page in the top ten of all search engines. Just so you have an idea of what I mean by money to work the web, here’s an example: When you search a key word with any search engine, you will be taken to a page showing the top ten websites for those keywords or phrases. The cost of this top ten listing can cost as much as $500.00 or more each month, to keep that position. Well, I guess my page will never be number one!!!

 The best bullshit I have seen is the #2 listing of almost every first page search engine directory for anything tagged about automobiles . “CarMax”

 CarMax is a national chain car dealership and growing every day. They are known as the no haggle car price dealer. Now, they have auto buying and negotiating tips for the average consumer on the web? BULLSHIT! They are a dealership and I’m soon to publish an article about the “GREAT “no haggle dealerships. But with deep pockets, they dominate search engine space, keeping you from finding real information pages such as this one! It’s a hard row to hoe, but I keep digging. Look, when it comes to car buying someone has to be on your side! It’s just gotten to be so difficult to determine who that is. I’m real, I’m every day and I’ve been in the trenches. I’m sorry about ranting and raving, but you need to know. To find out how real I am, email me at jim@askthecarbuyguy.com .  The response you will receive will be from me, not some set up auto responder email. In fact, what a great way to check out a web sites credentials; email them and see what you get in return. Let’s call it the email litmus test!

 The car salesman or salesperson to be politically correct, has such a stigma to work through, just to earn your trust! You arrive at the dealership and there he or she is to greet you. Are you afraid now and have you already thrown up your defenses? REALLY, there is no need. Today’s car salesmen are not of yesteryear! The sales people of today are usually mid twenties to thirties and just trying to make a living within a market that comes with many skeletons in the closet. Are there still DIRTBAGS out there? YES! But, most are just like you and I; just doing their best to put a roof over their families head and food on the table and pay the electric bill.

 Remember, these people are usually commission paid and how scary is this! If they do not produce sales, their income is a big fat zero!! If a sales person does not produce 10 car sales per month, the dealership will usually terminate their employment. Day by day, month by month is how these individuals live their lives. Let’s talk about stress!

 You probably do not realize the pay scale for these people. Usually the salesman will make a “mini” when they close a car deal. The mini in most cases is $100.00 total income and they just spent 3 to 5 hours, maybe days working with a customer to close the deal. I once calculated total time spent with a customer to close their car deal and put it into a dollar per hour rate. Unbelievable as it may be, I made $1.29 an hour. A $1.29, what happened to minimum wage? It’s called commission sales.

 Most sales people put in 10 to 12 hours a day, six days a week. Holidays really don’t mean anything except the dealership is going to run some stupid sales gimmick and they will be stuck working BELL to BELL!

 These web pages giving knowledge and advice to “BEAT the SALESMAN” or anything to that effect are STUPID! The problem is, these experts have either never been in car sales or they just forgot what a hard and stressful life it really can be!

 If you decide to do your own car negotiations, remember your salesman. He’s usually just a hard working individual, trying to just make a living. If he or she ends up being an asshole, say “BYE BYE “ to the idiot and find someone who is willing to work for you.

 I just had an eye opening experience concerning DWI and our laws. Every now and then we hear about someone who has numerous DWI offenses and convictions and in the end we hear about all of this due to a fatality accident.

 Two years ago, I was on my way home from a 12 hour day at the dealership. It was about 10:30 PM and the evening was clear and cool. I was passed by a car that almost sideswiped my car as it passed. We were about the only vehicles on this stretch of road and I began observing the driver’s inability to drive. This driver was having great difficulty keeping his vehicle between the painted lines of the road, almost hitting the curb several times. Of course, I kept what I thought was a safe distance from him. We came to a light and I couldn’t help but catch up to him. As we left the light I attempted to get safely ahead of him, hoping he would turn into one of the numerous subdivisions and just go home. Fortunately we were on a one way highway or it would have been disastrous. Unfortunately, I followed him for about 14 miles and we were coming into a high traffic area of town. I felt a need to do something, so I called 911 and gave a description of the vehicle and license plate number. Very soon the driver was pulled over and I later found out arrested for DWI. The arresting officer later that evening contacted me to thank me for doing my civic duty. He informed me that this individual had several prior arrests for the same offense.

 I decided to write this article because of a recent development in this case. Two years later this individual was finally headed to trial. ( Two years later!? ) The way I found out is the prosecutor had asked if I would serve as a witness if needed. I had accepted rather reluctantly because of obvious reasons. But, as it turned out the individual plead guilty to this offense and a prior offense to the same charge and there would be no court case. Here is the part that floored me! For a guilty plea to both charges, he received nothing but a small slap on the hand. His sentence was 18 months probation; a few dollars in court cost, a $1,800.00 fine and mandatory AA meetings and finally meetings with people who have lost loved ones due to alcohol related accidents.

 I’m sorry, I just don’t agree with the law. This is not someone who occasionally stops and has a couple of drinks with the boys after work, gets stopped and blows .02 on the breath test. This is a person that stops and gets blitzed to the gills, almost daily after work and then gets behind the wheel of an automobile. With behavior such as this, we are all at risk. All I will say is; I don’t believe this slap on the hand, will stop this dangerous habit and I will not be surprised when the time comes when it finally ends. It ends with a fatality! Will it involve you, me or a loved one? I pray not!

 Let me hear from you on this! Tell us what you think.

 The new school year is just around the corner. I still remember the first day of school each and every year. The new clothes, some new friends and now that I look back, a new adventure. Actually, as I got older it began to be a pain in the ass; now in my mid fifty’s, I find myself wanting that same feeling of new and unknown. Sorry, back on task!

 Many states have recently passed laws banning the use of cell phones in school zones. Many cities and communities have passed these laws even though their states have not. Be aware of the laws governing your local cities and communities concerning this issue. If you happen to live in an area with no regulations concerning the use of cell phones in school zones, become pro-active within your community.  

 Accidents that occur during the use of cell phones or any other electronic device is on the rise. Some say, vehicular accidents that occur during the use of these devices will soon out number accidents occurring due to DUI or DWI within the next 2 years!!! Actually the same goes for us as pedestrians. Let’s face it, when you are talking to someone on your phone or even texting, your mind is not on what you are doing at that moment or even your surroundings. The number of pedestrian accidents in large cities is actually on the rise. WHY? Cell phone use, that’s why!

 Tell me what you think! Let me hear ya! Let’s all be safe out there!!!!!

Ok, I’m forever checking around the web for my competition and I have noticed everyone looks at negotiating as a game. If you approach any negotiations as a game, you are not going to be the winner. You negotiate a deal every now and then, but the person you are negotiating with does this everyday of his or her life. If you approach this as a game like all the “experts” say to do; then you will be a high school 5A champion going against last year’s NBA or NFL champion.  How one sided and stupid would that be?

 This is not play day and why hiring a negotiator is so worth the fee paid. If it is the 250 to 500 dollars you’re wanting to save, then go ahead and handle your own negotiations. You can do it, but only with research and a good plan. I recently wrote an article about having a “game plan” and now I wish I would have entitled the article “Have a Negotiating Plan”. This is not a game people and these fools referring to it as such are ignorant.

 I almost feel like apologizing for ranting, but I’m not going to because I can’t help being passionate about this subject. Look! Just because someone has a single article or web page ranked on the first search page of Google, Yahoo, Bing and many more only means one thing! They have either been around for sometime or they have VERY deep pockets (money) to be placed so high with a search engine. Yes, I’ll pat myself on the back a little here. I’m new, I’m going to be here in the future and this page is innovative. There is no other page like this on the web!

 Now that you have found my page, spread the GOOD news to everyone you know! Give me your comments so I can grow this page with your thoughts.

 I just spent 14 hours of windshield time going to visit my father in Arkansas. I began watching and noticing people and their driving habits. The one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb was the use of cell phones while driving. I actually observed an individual using a computer that was in the passenger seat, while traveling at speeds above 70 mph. What has happened to us as a society today?

 So many of us and myself included, use our automobiles as a mobile office and it scares the HELL out of me, as it should you! I have made a commitment to change and make my driving time just that, driving and nothing else. My cell phone is the heart of my business, but if a customer is not willing to leave a message, then so be it. Unfortunately we have been using voice mail as a call screening devise and so many people when they get your voice mail, figure that is what you are trying to do. I have considered changing my voice mail message to include the fact that I may be traveling and will return their call at my first chance. Come on let’s be safe!!

 Please consider those around you when having dinner out and your cell phone rings. First, if you answer the call, you are being very rude to your dinner guest. You are also being inconsiderate of the other people around you. Case in point: Sitting in a very small eatery and a very popular female at the table next to us ate her entire meal with her cell phone pinched between her head and shoulder. She was also the type, that to speak on her cell phone, her voice was about 3 decibels louder than normal. Never mind her table guest, but those of us around her, attempting to enjoy our eating experience. Think about it the next time you’re out and happen to experience the same thing. If you are guilty of this, consider what you’re thinking about that person and that is what others are thinking about you when you do this.

 I think it is time to just say enough is enough and take control of our actions. People, we have forgotten how to live. Tell me what you think! I really want some feedback here!!!!!!

 You know, this is my page and I certainly feel I can write and publish anything I want to. Now, whether you read it or not, is up to you and I’m sitting here thinking, should I keep it auto related, but I just can’t!

 I’m my own marketing manager and so far have done this completely for free. If I would have spent mega dollars, you may have found my page earlier, but I could not afford the expense. If you’re thinking about getting into internet business, please reconsider. This has become such a cut throat business and there are sooo many people out there just waiting and wanting to take advantage of us. It’s almost like car sales, but I believe on a new and larger scale! At least at a dealership we can look into the other person’s face and eyes. The EYES tell all!

 My promise to each and every follower is to never ask for a penny for the information contained on this web page and every ad on this page can be trusted for your benefit and not just your hard earned dollar. I apologize for venting, but I just get sick and tired of these stupid market campaigns and sales pitches.