Some points you can raise to get a conversation flowing this weekend
The great talking point this weekend is what are the benefits of taking over a car lease online? Short-term commitment, zero money out of pocket for a huge down payment, and no hassle from auto sales people to push a car. The top 5 car brands on LeaseTrader is, BMW, Mercedes, Range Rover, Toyota, and lexus car leases. The average car length from a dealership is 48-60 months. On Lease Trader the average lease assumption is 12-18 months.
Michigan's shrinking school year
The State of Michigan recommends 1,098 hours of classroom instruction per academic year for grades 1-12. The national standard is 180 classroom days. But 98% of Michigan students come up short on both counts, according to a new study by the Center for Michigan. Read it online at thecenterformichigan.net. The findings are disturbing. Weather-related cancellations are understandable, but in many districts, the report says, a shorter calendar is a cost-cutting step or offered to teachers in lieu of raises. Meantime, in nations such as Korea and Japan, American rivals in the global economy, school years run 220 days or more.
"Trading a couple more minutes a day in school for fewer days is outrageous," State School Superintendent Mike Flanigan told the center, a self-described "think and do tank."
The bad news takes top billing
It's not easy to overshadow President Barack Obama but the rotten economy is doing just that. The Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that in the six weeks after Obama's inauguration, coverage of the economy filled 43% of the available time and space on the nation's print, broadcast and online news outlets, compared to just 7% devoted to how the new administration was taking shape. Obama remains the top individual newsmaker, according to the survey, but last week saw conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh come in second, ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Credit crunching on insurance rates
Michigan Insurance Commissioner Ken Ross said this week that auto insurance companies can't use customers' credit scores to help set premiums. That seems fair enough, especially in these tight times. It also provides some comfort for those of us who, for whatever reasons, have credit scores lower than our bowling averages. But it won't do much, if anything, for the perennial problem of unaffordable urban insurance rates -- and politicians shouldn't pretend that it will.
As many urban policyholders now have good-credit discounts, amounting to 3% to 40%, as do rural and outstate residents. Eliminating the use of credit scores will shift, but probably not reduce, overall insurance costs for urban and low-income policy holders. Legislators must continue to work on finding real ways to lower insurance costs and reduce disparities.
Spring clean your ride
Many people will devote some time this weekend to getting a winter's worth of salt and trash out of their car or truck.
LeaseTrader.com says its annual survey of this practice shows Audi A6 owners keep the cleanest cars in America, while Honda Accords tend to accumulate the most clutter. The cleanest cars after the Audi were the BMW 5 series, Mercedes C Class, Infinity M35X, and Lexus ES, the owners of which can probably also usually afford to have their cars cleaned.
Give the man no quarter
A Saginaw County man faces sentencing March 25 after pleading guilty to indecent exposure for what police say was a sex act with the vacuum at a coin-operated car wash. Maybe this hoser figures he got his 50 cents worth before the cops arrived. But if the guy ends up doing jail time, he may want to come up with a more believable answer to the inevitable cell-mate question: "What are you in for?"
This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com