Saturday, December 31, 2016

My New New Year's Resolutions! Good Riddance 2016!

Making New Year's Resolutions is NOT something I usually do.  I figure it is a waste of my time.

That's not to say, I don't have goals I want to reach.  I do.  I just usually focus on them exclusively.

Goals, such as: two years ago, I had a personal goal to lose 35 lbs.  I finally made that goal -- even though it took me 18 months -- and I have been at that weight ever since.  (I need to reestablish that goal to lose a few more pounds.)

And, twenty-six months ago, I established a professional goal to sell a very large, piece of Las Vegas Gaming/Hotel Real Estate that I know could be acquired.  And, I almost had the goal accomplished when I found a buyer with the financial backing to make the purchase.  I am more than certain that they would have made the acquisition if not for a certain (phony) billionaire's hateful rhetoric while he was running for president.

And since this person's electoral college win, I have noticed a dramatic change in what people are posting to and replying to on LinkedIn.  There is so much hate being spewed on this site -- racial hate being focused on one particular person because of -- well if you are being honest -- his skin color.

From what I can tell, LinkedIn has digressed from what it was when it first started, and has devolved into a Facebook, Instagram site.  And, even other LinkedIn members have mentioned that postings and replies to postings in fact shouldn't be on a business web site like this.

Sure.  I have fallen for the bait, too.  But my main goal while being a member of LinkedIn was and has always been: helping a fellow business persons/companies acquire Las Vegas CRE Property.

Now, I did make some connections while I have been a LinkedIn member that I will most likely keep in my contacts forever.  But, going back over the actual closed deals I have made through the years, none of those closed deals could be traced back to any connection made while being a member of LinkedIn.

And, with that said, I think I will follow my wife's move that she made a few years ago: when she deleted her LinkedIn account.

At the time, my wife said, "LinkedIn wasn't getting her any business;" and she found it "a waste of time."

Recently, with the aforementioned racial hatred being posted on LinkedIn, I am inclined to agree with her.  And since LinkedIn is rapidly becoming a racial hatred site, I don't want any part of it anymore.

I do blame Don for this sudden change in racial tension.  I do blame Don's hateful rhetoric for killing my large deal.  And, I blame his Electoral College win of the presidency on this, too.

And, more recently, I've noticed that LinkedIn members -- who do have a lot more education than most of the Non-College Educated Americans who voted for Don -- are now reciting the same hateful rhetoric as if it is now okay to come out of the racial prejudice closet.

So, what's left for me?  Well, I need to make a new New Year's Resolution!

Since most of my deals have come from my own hard work; and, they were never, ever reliant on a business web site, I am probably going to do what I should have done a long time ago: follow my wife's lead.  (She is a lot smarter than I am.)

So, my new New Year's Resolution is: By years end, I will have most likely canceled / deleted my LinkedIn account.  (I would do it sooner, but I want to see what the posting/replies will be to this post.) (Curiosity killed the cat, right?)

Why cancel?  Because being a member of LinkedIn hasn't made me any money at all.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

The State of Nevada earns $35 Million from unclaimed Slot Tickets!

Have you ever left Las Vegas with a slot ticket?  And, once you arrive back home, have you thought: I'll just cash it when I return to Las Vegas?

Well, unfortunately, for you, you only have six months to cash that ticket.  If you don't, that ticket becomes worthless because after six months that unclaimed cash -- whether a few cents or a few dollars -- becomes the property of the State of Nevada.

And over the past five years, Nevada has collected $35 Million from unclaimed slot tickets.

http://lasvegassun.com/news/2016/dec/26/nevada-reaps-35m-in-5-years-from-unclaimed-casino-/

So, before leaving that casino, be sure to cash ALL of the slot tickets or just like that -- POOF! -- the money is no longer yours.

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Happy Holidays!


Happy Holidays! to ALL and let's all have a profitable New Year!






Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Monday, December 19, 2016

I don't understand: How do normally intelligent people fall for a lie?

You might think of this blogging today as a lesson.  It's not.  I just truly don't understand why people will believe something just because some one says it -- whether it is true or not.

Mark Twain once said: 'It's easier to fool someone, then to unfool them."

This rings true even until today.

The problem I am having is: I am finding it very hard to believe that normal, everyday human beings are so willing to accept a bold face lie -- just because one person says it is true -- and insist that his/her version is true!

Case in point: Trump verses the non-college educated white working person.

Trump has repeatedly said, he is going to bring back the jobs from Mexico and China! And he's going to 'Make America Great Again!' while doing it.

Okay, I guess Hitler said something similar back in the 1930's that allowed him to take power in Germany.  My problem with this is why haven't we leaned from history not to fall for this?

Now, Trump has been voted president by the Electoral College.  Okay.  So, is he now going to disband congress and take dictatorial powers?

No.  He is not.  Our system of government may allow a clown to be voted into office, but there still are checks and balances that he will have to learn to deal with.

And, as I watch him appoint persons that have no specific training to jobs that require a certain amount of experience to perform those jobs, I will keep an open mind.

And, I believe that most people do have open minds; but Trump, I think, is under the impression (delusion) that as president he can just fire Congressmen/women or Senators at will.

Well, Don, that's not going to happen.

So, with Donald now officially President-elect, I will anxiously wait for his resignation or impeachment; which ever comes first is okay with me.

But, before I end this today, I would like to give my own Thank You Tour by saying, "Thank you non-college educated white people.  Trump promised to bring your job back!  Well, that is NOT going to happen since your job was most likely lost to a robot who does it so much better (and cheaper) than you in the first place."

So, you were fooled into voting for him.  Best of Luck.

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Electoral College GOP Voters May Vote against Trump!

When I saw this, this morning, I thought my prayers were answered.

I would be able to get my Middle Eastern Client/Buyer back on track; and also the two Chinese Buyers to renew their efforts to acquire Las Vegas CRE Property.

I just hope the cat isn't out of the bag too soon.

And since Harvard University Law Professor Larry Lessig has announced this event, I truly hope that there are more than twice as many that will vote Hillary than is needed for her to obtain 270 Electoral Votes.

Here are two links to the story: (You may have to copy and paste the link in your browser.)

http://nypost.com/2016/12/14/at-least-20-electors-could-turn-on-trump-harvard-prof-claims/

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/310309-harvard-professor-says-gop-electors-are-close-to-blocking-trump

Lets hope there are 38 or more actual voters who Vote faithless!

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Monday, December 12, 2016

Trump (supposed) election cost me +$8 Million in CRE Commissions

If money talks, then losing the ability to make money screams LOUDLY!

For two years I have been working with two foreign investors (hotel/resort owners) who want to become part of the exclusive Las Vegas Resort Owners Club.  (This is NOT a real club.)

In order to become such a member, you have to have very, very deep pockets and have someone like me on your payroll (sort of to speak) -- (at least have me signed up to help you for compensation).

With that said, I was lined up to make a very, very large pay day -- which doesn't happen very often if at all -- if the buyer and his/their investors actually go through with acquiring a multi-billion dollar resort.

Even Donald Trump doesn't have this type of cash.

And because of Donald Trump's anti Muslim rant, and his (potential) win of electoral college votes, his election to the US Presidency is costing me a +$5 Million in CRE commission.

And, just this week, with Trump's ignorant telephone call to Taiwan and upsetting the US relation with China, he is now costing me another +$3 Million in CRE commission.

So, no love loss here.

Now, with the Russian hacking and the belated GOP leadership asking for a bipartisan investigation into this Russian hacking of the DNC and the RNC, it is my hope Trump doesn't get sworn in as President.  If he does, he may in the future have to resign.

But, I am hopeful, the Electoral College does its constitutional job and debates the pros and cons of a Trump Presidency; then, they vote for one of the top three vote recipients; namely the politically experienced one - Hillary Clinton.

I say this because my gut feeling is: Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Which leads me to hope that the Electoral College Voters realize Trump's unworthiness and that at least 38 Electoral College Voters vote faithless and elect the popular vote winner as President.

I know, it's a pipe dream.  But Trump has continued to demonstrate that he is NOT ready to be the President of the USA.

And the anti-China rant, to me, was the last straw.

#ElectoralCollegeVoteHillary

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Trump Can NOT save 3.5 Million jobs!

I was going to title this blog posting: "Stupid White Americans" -- But, I deemed that as politically incorrect,  So, how about: "Non-College Educated White Americans"  Is that better?  Or, would you rather be called "Deplorable?"

Anyway, Donald Trump ran for president on a platform of: "We're going to bring those jobs back!"

The problem is: most job losses since 1979 were to automation -- NOT a foreign country.  Now, since Hillary didn't combat this during the campaign with knowledge, the Trump hype succeeded in fooling these non-college educated white Americans into voting for him.

And, this reminded me of what Mark Twain once said: 'It's easier to fool someone; then, to unfool them.'

So, congratulations to the "Stupid" white Americans!

Now, listen up, Stupid Americans!  I think the following is important.  I received this today in an email. And, Susan Phillips makes a very good point:

"Worst Job Killer
 Remember Pearl Harbor because the ensuing war taught America the greatest lesson of all, just because you can do something, does not mean you should do something. The world quite successfully halted the proliferation of nuclear warfare. Today President-elect Trump warns companies, who shift jobs overseas, there will be repercussions for these American job killers. But "Fortune" reminds us the real job killer may be technology, "Roughly 3.5 million people are in roles that are at risk of being automated away, compared to the World Trade Organization estimate the US lost 3.2 million jobs to China from 2001 to 2013. "Amazon debuted its new bricks and mortar grocery store, "Go store," with a design which hints at a future of shopping with no human interaction. We don't need the government to stop technology job killers. Tell Uber driverless cars and Amazon Go, "Hell no, we won't Go. "It's how Baby Boomers stopped a war. Uber's original business model employed so many; our wallets can prevent companies from taking a bad turn on the road to success."
 Susan Phillips, CEO - SelectLeaders

So, that widget making job you lost to a machine is NOT coming back.  (The robot does it much, much better, quicker and for so much less per hour than you ever would work for.) 

But, there is something you can do about other company's attempts at automation.  And, try using your brain this time and NOT partake in those industries that are gearing up to take more humans out of other jobs!

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Trump definitely needs to Thank the 'Looney Tunes' American Worker!

After visiting my doctor yesterday, she said something that I knew: but I hadn't truly focused on: She said that Trump got elected by telling the non-college educated people what they wanted to hear - not what they needed to hear.

Then, this made me think about a Mark Twain quote: 'It's easier to fool someone than it is to un-fool them."

And, fool them Trump did into voting for him because he made promises logical people know that he won't be able to keep.

Hey, even Sarah Palin is now saying his Carrier deal can't be done to keep every company from moving jobs overseas.

You see, most cities, counties or states can't afford to provide the millions in tax incentives which the state of Indiana agreed to, to keep jobs!

And, what's sad is that those very same non-college educated workers will have to accept tax increases on themselves to pay for those incentives.

Plus, the true way to keep their jobs is to accept the same rate of pay as the foreign country workers are willing to work for.  Do you think that is going to happen?

So, after hearing and thinking about this, this made me think about just how "Looney Tunes" these middle American non college educated workers are.

If you view Trump as Bugs Bunny, then it makes sense. "What's up, Doc?"


Also, the jobs lost to automation are never, ever going to be returned because machines can do a much better job of welding, riveting, assembling, packing, etc. better than any human for much, much less per hour.

Now, are these very same non-college educated workers going to work for what in our society is basically a slave wage?

No, they are not.

So, non college educated working Americans, if you truly want your old job, you can have it back. But you must be willing to work for less then $3 per hour.

Are you ready to get back to work?

Contacting David Howes is easy -- either by: davidATdavidhowesDOTnet OR call him at: 70 25 01 93 88 AND Follow David on Twitter: @DavidAHowes