"Wilbur Hubbard" wrote in message
anews.com...

"Tony Helton" wrote in message
...
Too much of the US economy is based upon excess consumption and easy
credit. Many people buy things they don't really need or can't afford.
Just take a look on the water - big, expensive Bayliners with idiots at
the helm. The US economy is now returning to where it should be - houses
are becoming more affordable and leisure good are once again becoming a
luxury. I most certainly welcome it! Less people on the water, food
prices will solve the obesity epidemic and gas prices will solve traffic
and pollution problems. Lower tax revenue will shrink the size of
government. People will learn to focus more on living rather than
spending.


I like the way you think. I wish there were more people like you around
because it would be a saner and less disgustingly obese country that
wallows in ignorance and hedonism. It says a great deal about this country
when you look around and see that so-called 'poor' people are just as
obese or even more so than the 'rich' people. And so-called poor people
have two color TVs with cable and just about all of them own one or two
cars and their houses are air conditioned and they all have hot and cold
running water and they own washers and dryers, ovens, dishwashers etc. Our
so-called poor live like kings compared to the real poor in many other
countries and yet they complain about how bad they have it and they demand
govt. handouts and taxpayer financed health care, etc. Sad!

These idiots (lending institutions and borrowers) who had no business
borrowing well above their ability to pay a loan back and the lending
institutions that allowed the unqualified to borrow should all be forced
to go bankrupt or close their doors. This would be a lesson to future such
insane activities. Act irresponsibly - lose your ass! And that's the way
it should be. There is no free ride. As the bikers used to tell the biker
babes, "Ass, grass or gas - nobody rides for free!" You've got to let the
free-market have its normal cyclical ups and downs. The more govt. tries
to interfere with the normal swings the harder the whole thing will
finally crash.

There needs to be a law passed something along the lines that any luxury
item and recreational boats are luxury items have to be paid for with
cash. No financing allowed. And a large cash bond of say a million dollars
for liability would need to be posted. This would get the ignorant,
irresponsible jerks off the water.

Wilbur Hubbard


You, sir, are a learned man! It is only the forces of nature and its natural
consequences that prevail. The best mankind can do is delay the inevitable,
but only at a much higher cost. It is far simpler and moral to let those who
act irresponsibly pay and pay alone for their actions. Their failures will
serve as great lessons to those more prudent. The notion that "one is thy
brother's keeper" can only lead to mutually assured self destruction. Such a
philosophy in the political arena is known as "Liberalism" which is a death
sentence upon a civilized and responsible society. Sharing blame, ill
fortune and misery are the signs of a civilization in decay.

Larry wrote:

You're right about boating for only the rich, now. How can any "vehicle"
that has no tires/suspension system/air conditioning of any kind/ and such
a rudimentary engine and transmission with so few real systems sell for so
much money. They killed themselves with greed.

Well, while we're at it, what the money grabbing rapacious marina
operators? Why not just give them a printing press and let them print
money?

Cheers
Marty

Martin Baxter wrote in :

Larry wrote:

You're right about boating for only the rich, now. How can any
"vehicle" that has no tires/suspension system/air conditioning of any
kind/ and such a rudimentary engine and transmission with so few real
systems sell for so much money. They killed themselves with greed.

Well, while we're at it, what the money grabbing rapacious marina
operators? Why not just give them a printing press and let them print
money?

Cheers
Marty


You missed the point. There aren't enough rich customers willing to pay
$99 for the cheapassed Chinese 12V fan the company paid $8 for. The
average guy passes it by. IF we had priced the little plastic box fan at
$48, making only $40/fan, They could have sold lots more at higher
profits.....duhh...

On Apr 1, 2:44*pm, Larry wrote:
Martin Baxter wrote :

Larry wrote:

You're right about boating for only the rich, now. *How can any
"vehicle" that has no tires/suspension system/air conditioning of any
kind/ and such a rudimentary engine and transmission with so few real
systems sell for so much money. *They killed themselves with greed.

Well, while we're at it, what the money grabbing rapacious marina
operators? *Why not just give them a printing press and let them print
money?

Cheers
Marty

You missed the point. *There aren't enough rich customers willing to pay
$99 for the cheapassed Chinese 12V fan the company paid $8 for. *The
average guy passes it by. *IF we had priced the little plastic box fan at
$48, making only $40/fan, They could have sold lots more at higher
profits.....duhh...

like any body or any business, some swear by them, some swear at them.

From the complaints I've seen on the "net. there's plenty that have
sworn at W. marine. More so than compliments.

On Mar 30, 4:29*pm, "Roger Long" wrote:
I'll got to Hamilton Marine where I always do.

You can too:

http://www.hamiltonmarine.com/t1.html

Great outfit. *Old time Maine service and integrity.

--
Roger Long

I don't need to buy much so I do it locally or ebay

On Tue, 1 Apr 2008 17:05:12 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

like any body or any business, some swear by them, some swear at them.

From the complaints I've seen on the "net. there's plenty that have
sworn at W. marine. More so than compliments.


It's not like they have a monopoly on marine supplies. If you don't
like them, buy somewhere else. I use them when it's convenient and I
need something in a hurry. It can be very handy having 3 stores
within 5 miles of the house but frankly I don't see how they can
afford the luxury.

On Apr 1, 7:58*pm, Wayne.B wrote:

" *It can be very handy having 3 stores
within 5 miles of the house but frankly I don't see how they can
afford the luxury.

From the way the financial report shows, Wayne... Evidently they
can't.

"Larry" wrote in message
...
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=wmar
http://www.reuters.com/article/marke...0080326?rpc=44
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080327/west_...over.html?.v=3

$65.4M loss....burning through cash pretty quick.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/mh?s=WMAR

Poor mutual fund holders losing their asses....

$7.19/share...falling in after hours trading more.

Boating is in trouble. Listen to their investor conference call:
http://tinyurl.com/3belex


==

Larry,, West Marine is a victim of the credit crisis [ wait, there is no
crisis ,, just lots of people spending money they
dont have ].

My last visit to West ...

First, the paint department .. where is the paint ,, empty shelves ..
Second, the lights department .. where are the lights.. where are the
LED's..

Finally, the "other" employee sees me ..

"Yo,, how you been" ..
"Great, looks a little thin in here".
"Well, we are just getting going for spring"
"I heard the new CEO is going to kick ass".
"Yup,, that is what I'm told, we are going to get back on our feet, and be
better than ever".


Have not been back but will go .. just to see if anything changed.

"Thomas, Spring Point Light" wrote in news:izBIj.6460
$Ps1.4197@trndny08:

Have not been back but will go .. just to see if anything changed.


Our "other employees" are those wannabee snobs from the docks in any
marina. They dress all up like a rich boater, which they're, obviously
from having to work at West Marine for a pittance, NOT. I always wear my
sloppiest jeans, black pocket T-shirt and dirty old Adidas sneakers so I
can follow around the yachtie Sperry Topsiders, those tan "boat shorts"
with the funny patch pockets and the designer casual shirts from exotic
islands sometimes capped off by the "broker look" wide brim Panama hat.

You're truly lucky if you get the time of day, to say nothing of where the
toilet parts are for the **** pump...(c;

Maybe I have an attitude problem not properly projected when I say, "Have
you got this valve for the head?", handing him the old one so he can see
what I'm looking for that I took out from under the plunger not 30 minutes
a go and it's still "wet"....(c;

I don't understand why they handle my Chase Business VISA and West Marine
discount card with rubber gloves at all! Don't they have heads on their
boats?? Maybe not the kind that will flush....hmmm...

Maybe if his boss got out of the way so I could get to the store head and
wash MY hands it would make a difference......

They can't jack up the prices much higher because they're aleady charging
the MSRP in the catalogs.....especially for **** pump parts where they
think they got you by the short hairs.....(c;

Larry wrote in
:

"Thomas, Spring Point Light" wrote in
news:izBIj.6460 $Ps1.4197@trndny08:

Have not been back but will go .. just to see if anything changed.


Our "other employees" are those wannabee snobs from the docks in any
marina. They dress all up like a rich boater, which they're,
obviously from having to work at West Marine for a pittance, NOT. I
always wear my sloppiest jeans, black pocket T-shirt and dirty old
Adidas sneakers so I can follow around the yachtie Sperry Topsiders,
those tan "boat shorts" with the funny patch pockets and the designer
casual shirts from exotic islands sometimes capped off by the "broker
look" wide brim Panama hat.

You're truly lucky if you get the time of day, to say nothing of where
the toilet parts are for the **** pump...(c;

Maybe I have an attitude problem not properly projected when I say,
"Have you got this valve for the head?", handing him the old one so he
can see what I'm looking for that I took out from under the plunger
not 30 minutes a go and it's still "wet"....(c;

I don't understand why they handle my Chase Business VISA and West
Marine discount card with rubber gloves at all! Don't they have heads
on their boats?? Maybe not the kind that will flush....hmmm...

Maybe if his boss got out of the way so I could get to the store head
and wash MY hands it would make a difference......

They can't jack up the prices much higher because they're aleady
charging the MSRP in the catalogs.....especially for **** pump parts
where they think they got you by the short hairs.....(c

Larry,

Perhaps I don't understand something. It appears that you can't stand WM,
yet it also appears that you shop there. Why? If you can get much better
deals elsewhere, why don't you take your money to those other stores?
You'd be much more credible if you put your money where your mouth instead
of just shooting your mouth off.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org