Scottsdale | Scottsdale Sucks

Attempted abduction in "safe" North Scottsdale

A man attempted to force a 19-year old woman into his car near Frank Lloyd Wright and Thompson Peak in "affluent" and "safe" North Scottsdale last night. Luckily she got away.

I'm guessing there was a Scottsdale cop right around the corner, preoccupied with his radar gun instead of patrolling the neighborhood.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0227abrk-kidnap0227-ON.html

A reality check for Scottsdale homedebtors

Without all the subprime loan buyers, without the no-down, no-doc, liars-loan crowd, without all the cash-back-at-closing scamsters, without all the flippers, without all the investors, and without all the people betting on future price appreciation, my question is:

Who the heck is gonna buy any of those millions and millions and millions and millions of homes for sale?

Here in Scottsdale, tons and tons of un- and under-qualified buyers used the no-qualify, no-income-verification, no-doc loans to get into luxury homes they couldn't afford. This year, most of those "interest-only" payments will convert to full payments ... now that the subprime mortgage industry is going bankrupt, those people cannot refinance before the loans convert, and they sure as hell can't sell their houses right now unless it's at a severe loss.

Scottsdale real estate is going to be a bloodbath ... if you doubt this, look at price depreciation in Orange County over the past year, where it's already happening.

The worst part of all is I don't feel sorry for any of these people. They "bought" out of ego, vanity, and greed, and are getting what's been coming to them.

http://housingpanic.blogspot.com/2007/02/housingpanic-stupid-question-of-day_27.html

NOTE: Subprime doesn't necessarily refer to bad credit. If you have a credit score of 800, but make only $80,000 a year and "bought" a $600,000 home, you were unqualified and the loan is technically considered subprime.

The #1 biggest proof that Scottsdale is fake

Here's a very simple, logical argument that proves, hands-down, that Scottsdale is full of phonies:

If you were rich and could live anywhere, would you actually choose SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA?

I mean, come on, really. Think of all the affluent communities that have so much more to offer and aren't in a place where the summers are miserable and where your car isn't covered in dust two hours after washing it. If you want the "hip" lifestyle that Scottsdale pretends to offer, there are Miami, Los Angeles, and so many other cool cities. If you want the ultra-luxury lifestyle, there's Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach next door offers the laid-back artsy lifestyle. If you're more of an outdoorsy type, there's Jackson Hole and Park City. If you're a big city type, you've got New York and San Francisco, among others. And, of course, there are international destinations - I know two fellow authors who have moved outside the U.S., one in Auckland and the other in Sydney.

Seriously. SCOTTSDALE?

There's no way anyone who is as rich as Scottsdale people claim to be would ever live in Scottsdale. There are simply too many better choices.

Now that I can afford much better, my movers arrive on 3/12 to take me out of this bizarre black hole and off to Newport Beach.

Only idiots pay photo radar tickets

It's well-known amongst people with brains that photo radar tickets sent in the mail are not valid. The ticket must be served on you personally, which simply means don't answer the door for strangers. Oh, and posting it on your front door or leaving it with someone else in the house doesn't count.

A friend went to traffic school, where the Scottsdale P.D. blatantly lied to the class and said that leaving a ticket on your front door or with another member of your household counts. Nope, wrong, you thieving liars. The Maricopa County Superior Court routinely throws out photo radar tickets that were "served" in such a way. If they pull this scam on you, pay the $35 or so to file an appeal and get your ticket thrown out too. Don't worry, childish Scottsdale will be ordered by the Superior Court judge to reimburse you for the $35, so it costs you nothing in the end.

In one of my favorite cases, a woman unknowingly answered the door for a process server. When he announced that he was there to serve her with her photo radar ticket, she slammed the door in his face. The crooked Scottsdale court decided that it was served, and assessed her the fine for the ticket. She appealed to the Superior Court, which said the ticket was NOT served because the process server must not only hand it to her, but must also obtain the identity of the person being served. The Superior Court threw out her ticket and ordered Scottsdale to refund her fine and court costs. Nice!

(All of this talk about the Superior Court ordering Scottsdale to be good sounds like a parent disciplining a disobedient child, which is an accurate analogy if you ask me.)

Don't get suckered in by the photo radar scam. Don't pay them, deny all knowledge, don't answer the door for strangers, and if they falsely "serve" the ticket by leaving it on your front door, appeal to the Superior Court which apparently has zero tolerance for Scottsdale's illegal shenanigans. Here's a link to one of the Superior Court's reversals:

http://www.courtminutes.maricopa.gov/docs/Lower%20Court/112005/m2001223.pdf

DISCLAIMER: This post is intended for informational purposes only. If you require legal advice, please contact a licensed attorney.

Why photo radar will eventually die

The death of photo radar will not come as a result of legislation ... it's already on the way for a very good reason: The companies (such as Redflex) who operate photo radar are going bankrupt!

Due to severe limitations on photo radar, including several states banning it outright, as well as strict regulations, such as Arizona's requirement that signs be placed at least 300 feet away warning motorists that photo radar is in use, the number of tickets issued has dropped severely, and revenue has dropped with it.

Redflex stock has dropped to almost nothing in recent months, and the same is true for other photo radar contractors. The cameras will soon be dead once these shyster companies go broke for good.

Loop 101 cameras back on and the Scottsdale "sheeple" support it

The sheep residents of Scottsdale - otherwise known as sheeple - are actually supporting the Loop 101 cameras.

Think about this: I just returned from house-hunting in Newport Beach, CA, where traffic moves at 80-90 mph on freeways, 50-60 mph on surface streets, and there are NO crashes anywhere.

The problem on 101 isn't speed. The problem is that it's full of idiotic, stupid, brain-dead Scottsdale people who are completely unable to drive safely at any speed.

Pelosi visits Scottsdale - how appropriate

Liberal Nancy Pelosi visited liberal Scottsdale to see her grandchildren. How appropriate. Let's face it, Scottsdale is full of left-wing extremists (the kind who put cameras on the roads to watch your speed). The only reason Scottsdale tends to vote Republican is because of all the middle-class and upper-middle-class people who want to keep their taxes down. Aside from that it's no better than San Francisco. And, now that the great J.D. Hayworth has been voted out of office, it's clear that Scottsdale has really gone to the far left.

Even for golf, Scottsdale sucks!

A good friend of mine who is a total golf addict moved away from here recently. We were discussing the fact that no one with real money would actually choose to live in Scottsdale. When I mentioned that someone might for the golf, he pointed out why even that isn't a reason:

- It's too hot for half the year, and nobody wants to get up at 4am to play.
- It's far too crowded the other half of the year and the rangers rush you through the course.

So, even that excuse for living here is out. The bottom line: Anyone in Scottsdale who claims to be rich is a liar.

Scottsdale the black hole vs. Newport Beach paradise

I just returned from a very busy weekend of looking at houses in Newport Coast, California (Newport Coast is the newest and most beautiful area of Newport Beach). Coming back to Scottsdale after that experience is really an eye-opener as to how much I can't stand it here. It's easy to get complacent and become content and forget what you're missing out on after living here for a while.

Here's what I experienced ... I'm going to do this as a Newport vs. Scottsdale thing:

Newport: Beautiful, inspiring views and scenery.
Scottsdale: A dismal, dusty desert.

Newport: An air of positivity and inspiration ... the smell of the ocean in the air, and far superior weather.
Scottsdale: Dust.

Newport: Beautiful neighborhoods with lush landscaping and tree-lined streets.
Scottsdale: Barren desolate neighborhoods where the houses are painted to "match the desert" and where the Gestapo HOA will slap you with a fine should you dare to beautify your property with nice trees, flowers, and a paint scheme that is non-depressing (California has HOAs, yes, but in Newport they are actually there to HELP residents and don't act like Hitler's Gestapo).

Newport: People who never drive below the speed limit, never hog the left lane, move out of the way if you're driving faster, and signal 95% of the time.
Scottsdale: Mean, insecure drivers who get a sick thrill out of cutting you off then going slow in the left lane.

Newport: Traffic consistently moving at 80-90 mph on freeways and 50-60 mph on surface streets with no accidents in sight.
Scottsdale: Cameras that will mail you a ticket should you dare speed up to avoid causing backups.

Newport: Cops who aren't wasting their time on speeding tickets and instead worry about important things - in fact, Orange County is VERY safe and Irvine was just named the "Safest City in America." And, interestingly, the streets are MUCH safer than Scottsdale's even though there isn't a camera or cop waiting for you every 1/4 mile. Hmm....
Scottsdale: Cops who are under orders to write you a ticket if you even think about going 3 mph over the limit, and a crime rate that places everyone at very high risk of burglary, car theft, or some other property crime.

Newport: Lunch and dinner at some very nice restaurants where the clientele, despite being very upscale and well-dressed, are also very friendly and polite and don't act like they're judging everyone else, including people who don't "look rich."
Scottsdale: Nice restaurants full of clientele who act self-important, rude, and are constantly judging everyone else. If you don't "look rich," you will get dirty looks galore.

Newport: People who have enough dignity and respect to wear nice clothes out to dinner.
Scottsdale: Tommy Bahama shirts in nice restaurants (something I consider very offensive).

Newport: A one-hour drive to Los Angeles, a ninety-minute drive to San Diego, and plenty of things to do in between.
Scottsdale: Not much to do besides golf, drinking, and dining, and the nearest cities are a four-hour drive, too far for a day trip.

Newport: A high cost of living that is a bargain considering what you get for your money.
Scottsdale: Not nearly as expensive as Newport but grossly overpriced - in fact, a complete ripoff - when you look at what you're getting for your money.

The bottom line: If you've lived in Scottsdale for more than a couple of years and have "settled" for living in a "nice place with good shopping and restaurants," you've forgotten that there's a whole other world out there with MUCH MORE to offer. You owe it to yourself to get out and see other, better areas. Unless, of course, you're one of the stereotypical Scottsdale phonies - you know your behavior will not be tolerated in real cities, and here you have a huge network of other plastic rejects to lend you comfort and support and you can all pretend to be rich together.

Scottsdale's crime wave continues

An 18-year old girl was kidnapped by two armed gunmen at Scottsdale Fashion Square, the "upscale" mall in this supposedly "safe" city. Please send a thank-you note to Mayor Manross and her city council for forcing the police to sit on the side of the road with radar guns instead of protecting citizens such as this girl:

Girl Kidnapped At Scottsdale Fashion Square