By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… Rumors are they are building two round-a-bouts at the first Mesquite I-15 exit. If this is true, will someone tell me who the genius is that thinks this is a good idea?

My most frequent experience with a round-a-bout is the one at Bloomington, Utah. When you exit there, you find yourself on a round-a-bout. This immediately puts me in a crisis mode. Do I want to be in the outside or inside lane? If I am to peel off, is it at the first exit meaning I should be in the outside land or is it the second exit which means I must be on the inside lane but ready to move to the outside lane? Is it the third exit; which would mean I must remain in the inside lane until I pass the second exit?

What it really means is that I am going to go around the round-a-about again.

They should install a bass ring so you can catch it as you go around and it should be redeemable at the store of your choice in the nearest town to the round-a-bout.

The last time I was on a round-a-bout, the car in front of me took a drastic lane change without warning and barely made the exit they decided they needed. I would have made a caustic remark to the driver but it was hard to criticize him as I made my third loop of the round-a-bout.

I must admit I have more than once found myself in the must turn lane on the wrong exit. Actually that is not a bad plan. If you take each exit then return to the round-a-bout, you will eventually get the right exit.

We were in Rifle, Colorado, where there is a small town restaurant where we like to eat. We left the interstate at the first exit which is a normal road. As we entered town we stopped for gas.

My wife got out of the car to stretch and said to me that the front tire on her side of the car looked low. She always says this and I have a tendency to ignore the comment, but I went around and looked. Sure enough, it was almost flat. Don’t you just hate it when your wife is right?

Unfortunately, gas stations are now most often convenience stores and not places where you can get a car repaired. Remember when the station attendant filled you car, washed you windows, checked your oil, made sure your tires had the proper air and then tried to sell you shocks you did not need? These things have gone the way of unicorns and mermaids.

I asked the clerk, who looked and sounded like he would have been more at home in Bagdad, where I might get my tire repaired. The clerk directed me to the Wal-Mart. It was about five miles from the gas station but you could see it across the open flat plains around Rifle. He explained it was after the third round-a-bout.

I pulled my car up to the air hose and filled the distressed tire to its maximum with the hope that it would hold air for the trip. By the way, it cost two quarters for enough air to fill the tire. We are now paying for air. However, I digress.

We set out for the Wal-Mart and at each intersection we encountered a round-a-bout. The only thing that saved me was no one lives in Rifle, therefore, I had no real problem with the various illegal and improper lane changes I made to get to the right exits.

After leaving the car at Wal-Mart, where I purchased a new tire, we walked to a nearby La-Quinta and got a room for the night. Had we not been nearly 70 years old at the time, the clerk might have been a little concerned with a couple looking for a room sans car or luggage. I guess it would have been a little flattering if he had questioned us at least a little.

After checking in, we walked across the road to a barbeque restaurant. As we entered, we saw hats and tee-shirts for sale that stated “I Survived The Rifle Round-a-Bouts.” I was tempted to purchase one, but I still had to back track the round-a-bouts and I was not sure I would survive.

Now if Mesquite is seriously considering a round-a-bout on each side of the first exit, I will definitely be using the second.

No one asked me but… Someone needs to explain to me how the banks are losing money on homes that they are reclaiming and selling again. Even if the individual who borrowed the money is just walking away, how is the bank losing money?

If a person purchased a home for $200,000 and made payments of $1500 a month for five years they would have paid in $110,000 and the bank has that money. If the bank now sells that house for $150,000 in a depressed market considering the $110,000 they have already collected they have a $260,000 home.

Now I understand that most of the early payments on a home are on the interest and little is on the principal but that is merely a banking issue. The bank may not collect the amount of interest they would like, but they will be collecting the interest on the second purchase and will have made a $60,000 profit on their $200,000 home. This is all on top of the taxpayer bank bailout of a few years ago.

This whole banking debacle reminds me of the parable Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 28:23-35. It tells the story of the King who forgave the large debt of his servant who then in turn refused to forgive the small debt his fellow servant owed him. The taxpayer bailed out the banks but the banks have no mercy on the taxpayer.

The bailout should never have occurred without the guarantee of loan forgiveness or at least restructure. It is another example of the failure of “trickle down” economics. Little or nothing ever trickles down.

Thought of the week….A banker is a fellow who lends his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain.

– Mark Twain