11/29/09

Xmas Is Here- Christmas Must Be Coming

Xmas is here! There is no doubt about it . Black Friday has already been endured and tomorrow thousands of computers will be loaded with Malware as we celebrate Cyber Monday. The papers are full of holiday ( code for Christmas) bargains. Editorials impress upon us how important it is for the economic survival of the United States that we shop until it hurts. Xmas is here! Some say that this Xmas spending splash is a prelude to a holiday that has nothing to do with the jing-a-ling of cash registers. Could they be referring to Christmas?

11/24/09

Hold The Campaigns

Thomas Friedman's op-ed article Advice From Grandma has a lot of food for thought. One point which he brought up really hit home with me - a permanent presidential campaign leaves little time for governing. It seems like yesterday That Barack Obama was sworn in as President of The United States but less than a year later his stature as a President is already being critiqued. It seems that every move in Washington is being made with an eye on 2012. Obama has hardly found his way around the White House and already there are those suggesting that he shouldn't bother to make himself at home. All that is lacking right now are the campaign buttons.

As Mr. Friedman suggested there is little time for governing. The health care reform legislation is a good example. Everyone is in agreement that health care reform is long overdue. Unfortunately too many agree that health care reform must be used as a vehicle to enhance election chances in 2010 and 2012. As everyone postures themselves, a garbage bill evolves with little chance of passage. Just what the doctor ordered - a campaign issue for 2010 and 2012.

It is totally unreasonable to expect a turnaround in domestic and foreign affairs in less than a year. It is ludicrous that the failings of the previous eight years are so easily dismissed. It is time to back off and give those we elected a chance to govern.

The lobbyists cannot stomach the very thought that our elected representatives would dare govern for the people and are doing everything possible to foment distrust and fear. A perpetual presidential and congressional campaign and the subsequent need for funds serves them fine. A perpetual presidential and congressional campaign does not serve democracy.

11/22/09

Whither the postal service or is the USPS withering away

My mailbox needs painting. In fact it probably should be replaced. Is it really worth spending money on something which I'm told will soon be obsolete? It has even been suggested that encouraging mail delivery is bad for the environment. All that junk mail , bills from creditors and the occasional personal letter use paper. Paper comes from trees. Deforestation is causing climate change. Go paperless and save the world! Go paperless and watch postal service grind to a halt. Its inevitable. We innovate and some service becomes obsolete.

The horseless carriage brought an end to blacksmith shops. The iron horse brought an end to the stage coach. The airplane brought an end to train service. The first two instances brought new jobs. The last one screwed the consumer. I guess two out three isn't bad.

Fast forward to the age of the computer and Internet and we see the groundwork being laid to make mail service obsolete. E-mail, on line banking, Facebook, Twitter and smart phones are changing the way we communicate and conduct our financial affairs. The United States Postal Service is left sucking hind tit. Of course the USPS has a response - raise postal rates, cut service and close facilities. That's what the railroads did when they raised the white flag to airliners. Now we have an abundance of freight trains, gas guzzlers on the road and guess what - a struggling airline industry. Soon we'll have FedEx, UPS and a struggling USPS delivering packages - no mail. The consumer is left hanging once again. Become computer and Internet savvy or become obsolete along with postal service.

One bright spot in all of this. I can save a buck by forgetting about the condition of my mailbox.
Come to think of it maybe I should refurbish it - I'm sure it will soon be an antique which can turn a buck on e-Bay.

You're All Wet

You're all wet if you think it can rain cats and dogs. This is has been prohibited by the Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals ever since sewers were improved. . Once upon a time, early in the eighteenth century, during torrential rains, sewers would back up drowning cats and dogs. Some wise guy said it had been raining cats and dogs.

While we're at it, your all wet if you think it never rains but it pours. Everyone knows that every cloud has a silver lining. Your all wet if you believe that the sun always shines after the rain. Have you ever been out when it's raining at night? Finally, you will get wet if it rains on your parade.

11/18/09

About Shots

The big shot wanted to be re-elected badly. Although he was running against a long shot the big spender bit the bullet and shot his wad anyway. Lo, and behold the long shot made some clutch shots and almost beat the big cheese.
Translation: Bloomberg spends millions to squeak out an election victory over an underdog.

11/17/09

Miscellany Or Junk

I understand that part of blogging etiquette is to assign a label or category to a post. A label categorizes a post and in turn helps readers find other posts that might be relevant and of interest to them. I'd like to accommodate my readers but honestly, labels drive me nuts. I do fine up to a point, then fall victim to a label called "Miscellany".

Miscellany is defined as a miscellaneous collection of articles or entries. So why not use Miscellaneous as a label? Its obvious - Miscellany is so much more literary. Miscellany does what it is intended to do - it provides a home for blog entries of various subjects.

One must ask that if Miscellany provides a home for blog entries of various subjects why use other labels. The whole blog consists of miscellaneous entries. The answer is simple . Some entries cry out for a distinctive label, other entries defy labeling. Miscellany is therefore a home for orphan entries.

A home for orphan entries? That sounds familiar. After reviewing a previous post about junk drawers I can only conclude that Miscellany is the junk drawer of my blog. It is difficult to admit but a review of entries bearing the "Miscellany" label does reveal a fair amount of junk. That's okay - that's what junk drawers are for.

I have now arrived at the point where I must assign a label to this post. Oh oh, I must assign a label? That's how I ended up with the "Miscellany" label. Is this miscellany or junk. Junk it is: a rose by any other name would smell the same.

11/13/09

No thanks Macy's


Using a department store credit card (or a charge-a-plate per my high primal thinker) was a relatively simple transaction. Pay off the balance each month and avoid astronomical interest rates or run up a balance and enrich the card issuer. Not good enough for Macy's!

A notice of change in terms arrived in the mailbox recently. At first glance it seemed innocent enough. As usual the APR on balances was going up but so what. Pay off the balance and forget about the APR. Not so fast.

Macy's sales are down so it appears that their MBA's were put to work to come up with some credit card changes which could generate more income. Section 5 of the notice pictured above was the result. The key phrase:

" We will begin charging interest on purchases on your Revolving Account Type on the transaction date"


So my statement would now show a monthly interest charge even though I paid off the previous balance? Not exactly , Macy's had provisions for refund on the following months statement provided I met certain conditions. In the meantime they had the use of my money.
Those "certain conditions" are stated in something other than plain English. The best I can determine is that there is a 50-50 chance that I would see a refund for the interest charged (my lawyer is still going over the fine print trying to decipher exactly how I get this refund or rebate).

Its the fault of Congress! They declared war on predatory lenders but are losing the war before it really gets started. The lenders have more MBA's armed with all sorts of gimmicks! What the lenders forget is that the consumer has some amunition.
Concluding that Macy's is trying to screw me, a Macy's credit card no longer graces my wallet.

As I keep telling the high primal thinker, department store charge-a-plates stink!





11/12/09

Ring if you need me

Let it be known that ring if you need me is the cliche of all hospital cliches. The implication of ring if you need me is that a nurse will rush to your bedside in your hour of need. Assuming you can find the call button , the results leave much to be desired. In all fairness ring if you need me does beat have a good day.

11/4/09

Why can't I make hay

Having undergone quadruple heart by-pass surgery as well as carotid artery surgery recently, I thought that my experience would provide me with mounds of material to write a humorous post about my hospital stay and even a post extolling the skill of surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic. In keeping with the times I now had voluminous bills which could attest to the high cost of health care.

There was nothing funny about my hospital stay, the surgery lived up to its billing and it was expensive. I'm home healing with the aid of my high primal thinker, I'm thankful for the skill of the surgeons at the Clinic and I'm thankful for that public option thing called Medicare as well as the health insurance earned after forty years of service in a major corporation.

So why can't I make blogging hay out of an experience aching to tell its story? Because thoughts about mortality keep running thru my mind. Major surgery can do this - some call it the blues or depression, I call it facing reality.

The reality is that an old clunker can be repaired only so many times before it heads for the scrap heat. Having said that I must admit that I'm not ready for the scrap heat and will take every advantage of my major overhaul while keeping in mind the scrap heap is inevitable. In the meantime I'll enjoy a great and caring family and my high primal thinker.

Never did find out when discharged from the hospital when the old ticker will be able to absorb a Bourbon Manhattan on the rocks.

( They say that open heart surgery can affect brain functions for awhile. Maybe I should have waited to resume blogging but whoever said you need a well oiled brain to blog?)