Every LASIK machine in the country should be running 24x7 until every corrective procedure that should be done has been done. The marginal cost for the "other" 22 hours per day of operation are less than the billing costs. The billions in eyeglass and optometrist and contact lense purchases and such saved make this a public health priority orders of magnitude more important than fast food workers washing thier hands but... But what Rob Dawg? We'd destroy several "vital" industries that depend on extending human misery? Bausch & Loam will miss their quarterly earnings? We MANDATE measles innoculation and subsidize the vaccination process. That makes sense so clear that it is barely questioned anymore. Where is the moral or economic distinction here? Think about it before reading further.Okay, you've thought about it. And the housing bubble? Or our anti-hero? Any connection? Post your thoughts and after a bit I'll make the connection.
14 comments:
Just remember to only get one eye done at a time. If they are going to screw up your eyes, it is better to have one that only needs a mild correction than two that may be unusable (happened to a coworker, though I guess current technology can fix what past technology screwed up).
Personally, I've got 20/20 vision without correction, and higher with ... while a very minor correction, it makes a huge difference when sitting in front of a computer for 12 hours a day ... I ain't letting them shoot laser beams in my eyes though, so I max out my insurance company's ~$200 benefit per year, and cover the rest from a tax free medical reimbursement account.
I had Lasik about 8 years ago by one of the pioneers in the field.
Vision was 20/500 before. Horrendously nearsighted.
Vision now 20/25 in one eye, 20/40 in the other. What a difference it made in my life, I highly recommend it.
I agree with anonymous @ 10:41 PM. There are a lot of possible side effects to LASIK such as double vision and poor night vision. I'd definitely consider it if my vision were 20/500 like bogalusan's was, though.
The connection to Rob Dawg's "broken window" example with the vision correction industry:
There are many industries that feed off of the residential real estate industry. Title insurance, mortgage bank, mortgage broker, realtor, lawyer, home warranty, accountants, etc. Many of these people have a vested interest in making the "deal" go through, whether or not the buyer is capable of buying--hence the connection to Casey. Who cares if he can afford it, if the mortgage broker and realtor get their fees--they have a vested interest in coming up with a creative way to finance it just to make the deal go through, so they can earn their commission. Did I get the connection?
I would also only consider lasik if my eyes were 20/500. I would rather stick with what I have and wear glasses or contacts if need be. Too many horror storys out there on Lasik, even if they are only 1 in 1000 or whatever. Just google it.
segfault pretty much said it all
there is a long list of people who made money on Casey's fraud and probably not much doubt that some of them committed fraud themselves to make his "sweet deals" happen
Here's how Casey and his family did it, although the example is that of another family:
CLICK HERE
Excerpt:
12 Quartz Ln., Ladera Ranch, CA 92694
--05/2004: purchased for $421,500.
--06/2005: purchased for $530,000 by Angelica, associate of "The Family."
--06/2005: Angelica immediately deed the title to Janneth.
--01/2006: sold to Saul the truck driver for $630,000.
--07/2006: NOD filed, Saul just committed a first payment default.
--11/2006: REO
--Total Profit: $100,000 for "The Family."
No, I don't think Casey's intent was to pull inflated equity out and run ... his business model (haha) would have more-or-less worked had values and demand kept increasing. The fact that he paid what he did (and there are comparable sales) for homes in Florin and North Highlands in Sacramento speaks to the fact that home prices in some of the worst areas were sky high.
Casey is just gullible; I can't imagine anyone else falling for a RE investors tour trip or the private website where the best deals are kept for the NR graduates.
I'm sure his intentions were never criminal. I'm sure he thought buy, fix, flip and reap a combination of added value and appreciation was his plan all along. Even if values had continued to soarCasey's exectution precluded his ever making a profit on these ventures. He was undercapitalized, lacked a cash flow conduit, was inexperienced, too far from the projects, kept poor records, made poor deals, on and on. Basically he did everything wrong. No amount of appreciation was going to save his speciific deals. Appreciation and/or luck might have let him stay at the table a whole lot longer but not changed the outcome.
Our friend's greed has made him into what is known as 'the bagholder' or the 'greater fool'.
On another note, I have temporarily switched to a banana smoothie theme in honor of Jamba Juice. Does any know if they sell banana smoothies over there?
Rob Dawg said:
I'm sure his intentions were never criminal.
I'd modify that a little. His concept was to be a legit business man. When it came time to fill out the loan application the little white lies about owner occupancy, income, and the illegal cahs-backs were intentional. If he wanted to be legit, that's where he should have regrouped and figured another way to reach his dream
Since, from CS's viewpoint, he was working from a legal concept, and the flips would work out, everything was OK.... there was just a little risk. He intended to fill out the apps fraudulantly, but the legal ends justified the means, right?
Rob Dawg said:
I'm sure his intentions were never criminal.
I used to feel the same way. In fact, I posted something like that at IAFF but I don't feel that way anymore. The old blog entries that Trent dug up a few days ago made it clear that CS knew the RE market was collapsing EVEN AS HE WAS SCOUTING FOR MORE PROPERTIES! That suggests that he was just trying to squeeze the cashback at closing out of them. I have made other comments slightly favourable to CS at IAFF that I now feel stupid about. It suggests that CS (King of the Gullibles) played me, amongst others, for a fool. So what does that make me?
NR
PS Anybody know where I can buy a house? I hear it's a good time to buy.
LASIK is a godsend to those of us who had severe myopia (-7, both eyes, in my case)
And pick a decent doctor if you are worried about the horror stories you read online - most of those are w/ storefront/mall clinics.
I picked the eye clinic run by a top 10 university medical school (practitioners there are faculty at the medical school).
It sure wasn't cheap (>$3000), but included everything (& all followup care)
I did need another procedure on one eye, since 10%-15% rebound is common when you correct over as many diopters as mine.
5 years later I'm still 20/20 in my dominant eye, and 20/30 in the other.
I had the PRK procedure done not two weeks ago, and it is truly remarkable.
It is utter bullshit that Viagra is covered by my health plan, yet laser surgery is not.
BTW, PRK is the original proceure approved by FDA (LASIK is technically not approved, but uses the same laser for a different procedure).
Best $3000 ($2000 after taxes thanks to MSA) I ever spent.
And fuck Casey once he gets to prison. Not jail, prison. My brother elaborated on the prime distinction: in jail you might get beat up; in prison you get raped.
Pack the lube Casey, you will soon be a "looser" in more ways than one!
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