Re: IML: Why there are so MANY Imperials outside the USA

[DONALDDICKINSOND@xxxxxx]

I was both fascinated by the subject matter and at them same time struck by, what I felt was, the bitterness literally dripping from this diatribe.  This bitterness, I feel, colored the writers objectivity.  Some examples:

Quote: 'It was a concerted effort by about 40 dishonest scumbags on the West Coast competing against each other in the late 80's to empty the USA of guitars, jukeboxes, cars, motorcycles, kitchenware, and ANYTHING else they could get their hands on."

I think an objective observer could argue that these people were resourceful capitalist, fulfilling a need in the marketplace while making a profit.

Quote: "They would hire folks to scout through every street in major cities on the West coast, looking for open garage-doors, car shows, parking lots and other gathering places for cars, reporting back so that they could leap into action ahead of the competition."

Again, resourceful capitalists (haven't we all used similar tactics when looking for a bargain?).

Quote: "If a car was found, and there was an attempt to obtain the car legally, then the Coyote would wheel and deal mercilessly, pointing out the flaws in the car, dropping the down to a few hundred.  When the deal was struck, then a roll of hundred dollar bills would come out, a mere few would be pealed off, and the car was onto the car carrier within a few minutes."

What is unmerciful about being a hard bargainer when buying an automobile, including pointing out defects to drop the price...don't most of us do this?

Quote: "The car was worth $450 to some foolish 25 year old in the early 1980s could be sold overseas in 1988 for tens of thousands of dollars, and the Coyotes did NOT want anybody to know this."

This reminds me of my mother who was an antique dealer who would be so proud of herself when she would find an old dish at a yard sale for $2.00 that might be worth $200.00.  Of course she bought the dish for $2.00 and she was hardly considered a Coyote or dishonest scumbag.

Quote: "In the early 1980"s Reaganomics turned the US dollar into toilet paper (it's happening again in the current decade)."

I'm not quite sure the relevance of this obviously political statement, the election is over lets move on and besides political statements are a no-no on the Imperial mailing list.

Quote: "It does no good to whine about how things have changed - They changed, and so must we."

On this I agree with the writer, the cars are gone and the election is over....so lets move on.