Now Is A Great Time To Lie.... I mean Buy

If you think Sarah Palin's a great cheerleader who'll effortlessly lie to your face about the state of the nation, go talk to a real estate agent. Please note that I didn't say the 'R' word, you know - the 'R' word that actually is followed by another smaller 'r' in a little circle because it's a trademark. You know, the 'R' word that has it's own National Association Of 'R'-words.

Now that I've satisfied my lawyer, let's proceed. Real estate agents have long maintained that now is always a good time to buy real estate. Even Wall Street traders don't try to perpetrate that scam, they'll tell you that there are good times to sell and put your money aside. I suppose they make money on the transaction either way, but so do R_ _ l t _ r s (r). I'd like to buy three vowels, please, without a downpayment or proof of income.

What are we to do about these people, these nonsense peddling cheerleaders who try to deceive you into making the biggest decisions in your life the worst ones? Like Sarah, these home-sale brokers are our friendly, winking neighbors. Sometimes these people even use words like 'cozy' to describe your post-Bush era retirement or the phrase 'clever use of space' to describe how you've utilized your SUV after getting kicked out of the too-large house they sold you.

To answer the question as an advocate of personal responsibility, I'd suppose the simple answer is the one Joe Sixpack would most elegantly convey, 'If it looks like shit, and smells like shit, its probably shit'. Couple Mr.Sixpack's clairvoyance with the motive to act, and my friends you have a recipe to protect yourself from the sharp teeth of Lipstick Bulldogs and predatory lenders/brokers, not to mention a plethora of other snake-oil salesmen.