The Grumpy Old Fart Customer

Well, it is oft said that “nothing lasts forever” and this certainly is the case with microwave ovens.  Like virtually every electronic device in the home, the microwave will finally head off to that great kitchen in the sky.  Thus, was the case for us recently, while cooking a microwaveable meal, there was a flash and hardy “High Ho Silver” and our microwave became a boat anchor.  Once we got past the distress of a half-cooked meal, then the reality of having to shop and shell out money sets in.  Oh, joy-of-joys, another shopping trip with the hopes of actually finding a happy store “associate” to help us in our decision-making process (you might remember the TV adventure I wrote about recently).

In today’s world, shopping has been enhanced by the advent of the internet and its associated technological bedfellows.  So, scanning the different brands of microwaves online (and every other appliance) has never been easier but at the same time overwhelming.  Now, our microwave is mounted in the cabinet above the stove (a design that I am not fond of), which will require a certain amount of labor to remove and re-install it.  The replacement microwave will have to be the same size as the one that it is replacing and must fit in the cavity-like hole left by the removal of the old unit. After extensive research, we found a name brand appliance that we liked, that fit our budget and came in the size of the previous unit which had to fit in the space left between the cabinets by its predecessor.

For the purpose of full disclosure here—I am not a handyman.  My hobbies of choice are things like fishing, hiking, traveling and the occasional party, but home-repair is not listed among them.  So, in making our decision on a new wave we felt it might be better to utilize a local vendor who had the model we desired and could do the installation.  Unfortunately, in my community, all small, local vendors have been replaced by corporate behemoths, so we would have to give our money to oligarchs.  The final decision was to go with one of the two giant home repair retail outlets that pervade the U.S. shopping scene (hint: they want to build something with you).  Well, after finding our brand choice of microwave on the website of our corporate empire home improvement store, we trundled off to the local location with high hopes of an easy transition back into nuking food for dinner.

Much to our dismay, the model that we had hoped to purchase was out-of-stock, however, we were assured that the store would have that model back on the shelves within a couple of days. We looked at other models of waves, but none fit our needs or budget, so we decided to wait for the new inventory to come in.  After leaving our contact number we were assured that we would be called by the store within the next couple of days when the new unit arrives, in the meantime, they could have someone come out and remove the old wave and haul it off (presumably to be recycled).  We paid a deposit, scheduled the old unit removal, obtained the associates’ card and headed home with high hopes, although my skepticism is always on high alert in these situations.

The following day the store called to schedule the removal and hauling away of the old microwave, no new units had come in yet.  The next day a man from the store arrived three hours after the scheduled appointment and removed the deceased microwave but had no news regarding the replacement unit, we would have to call the store ourselves for info.  Fast forward one week, still no call from the store, I picked up my cell phone and attempted to get to the bottom of this aggravating situation.  Once again I was told that the new unit had not come into the store, but they are expecting it anytime now.  Starting to get the picture here?

Finally, after two more days, I decided that it was time to go back to the home improvement behemoth and demand to see a manager.  At the customer service desk, a manager arrived, and I told my story.  The manager began pecking on a computer, looked up at me and cheerfully announced that they had 4 of those models in the warehouse.  Curious, furious and ready to begin using curse words, I asked the manager how long they have had those in stock?  The managers’ reply is the reason why I write these blog pages—”oh, we usually have three or four of them in the warehouse”.  After the blood ran back out of my face, I calmly said thank you, insisted that the deal be canceled and demanded my money back as we had paid a deposit on this fateful transaction.

After several minutes of spirited debate, we came to an agreement where I would get a refund of the deposit and free installation of the new unit and a discount on the sticker price.  Finally, somewhat satisfied with the deal, I scheduled another appointment for the installation and returned home feeling somewhat victorious although I am not sure for what.  Two days later I am happy to report the new wave is installed and working magnificently.  Once again, our food is being radiated to a DNA altered, sterilized, mutated but warm state.

This is just another in the many stories of shopping frustration that is out there, since the corporate takeover of virtually every type of business, customers are only numbers.  The only number that really matters is dollars and your ability to pay them.  How I long for the days of the small, privately owned businesses where you received better treatment and customer service.  If you were not treated well it was very easy to spread the word and potentially hurt future business for that store or company.  Today we trade customer service for cheaper prices or some discount coupon to ensure that you return to the store—how sad!

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

There’s an old expression, forgive me if I paraphrase here—“it’s like 10 pounds of shit in a 5-pound bag” (I used a synonym in the title).  It is typically an expression used to describe the lack of understanding of weight and volume, although it is oftentimes used to describe a situation of mismatch or total lack of understanding of an outcome or circumstances and lastly, it can be used to describe how you feel (all of which applies here).  The magnificent minds of those marketing wizards in the good ole U.S. of A are doing their best to redefine this saying.

For example, I recently purchased a box of antacids from my favorite discount store (ole Grumpy just can’t eat the foods that he used to eat in his youth), The box the meds came in is approximately 5 inches long by 1 inch deep.  The total contents of the box are labeled as 24 pills.  Now, I am guessing that since the box is that big then surely there are 2 small pill bottles, probably with 12 each contained within, right?  Wrong!  When you open the box, you discover that there is only one small bottle containing all 24 pills enclosed in a space about 1.5 inches in diameter.  In the remaining 3.5 inches of the box is a tightly folded piece of paper that has more words on it than the novel “Gone with the Wind”, all of which can only be read with a magnifying glass.

The disclaimer sheet of paper only measures approximately 2 inches in length and ¾ of an inch wide (folded) and requires 3.5 inches to house it.  I realize that disclaimer messages are critical to the legal survival of our beloved corporations but seriously, it needs to have its own compartment that takes up more room than the pills.  Why do I bring all of this up?  Simple really, look at the tremendous waste of paper product that was used to package something that could have been put in a box with less than half of the materials used.  We are drowning in our own waste and garbage yet those wonderous marketing gurus and their greedy ass corporate masters continue to strive for the most appealing packaging in order to sell, sell, sell!

Numerous products that adorn your shelves today are packaged in an excessive amount of paper or plastic, most of which can not be recycled.  You have to ask yourself, is all of this really necessary?  I have read reports that have told of some product development examples where the packaging cost as much if not more than the content (I wrote about this previously).  The idea is to make a package appealing, eye-popping, even sexy, it will just jump right off of the shelve!  We can’t come up with packaging that will break down easily, oh no, we prefer to have it flying around our world like a stringless kite long after its contents have been removed and used.

You come to realize that when much of a products development cost is focused on packaging, there is something fundamentally wrong with our buying habits.  Forget about whether or not a product really works or meets your needs or desire, just focus on the pretty package that it comes in.  As it mesmerizes you to the point where you actually forget why you are buying it in the first place, you simply have to have it because it has sex appeal.

It just continually amazes me that we are aware of our waste issues, yet we do not develop better programs to reign them in.  I try to recycle and am always looking for products with minimal packaging in an effort to stop this mess.  But lately, I feel like I am failing to do my part.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

So, as we approach another birthday of our nation, we are once again blanketed by the fireworks stands that open all across the fruited plains.  Drive down any interstate (especially in the Midwest) and you will pass one of these vendor-delights every couple of miles.  They dot the landscape like fruit stands displaying their freshly grown crop.  As a kid growing up, my cousin and I lived for our parents taking us on a trip to find those explosive delights.  Today, I am not so inclined to get excited about fireworks as I did during my childhood, however, out of a bit of personal nostalgia I thought I might check them out.

I found a stand fairly close to my home, a large tent with all the appeal of a small hometown circus or a family of gypsies, complete with the frilly style fringes on its exterior.  Inside was a mass of inventory crammed together so tightly that a dropped match would cause an explosion that would be heard for miles.  This might explain the billboard size “do not smoke signs” that stand like Trump’s wall outside of the tent.  This was surely the gypsy/carny version of roadside sales that used to be commonplace, complete with hawkers who nearly accost you at the entrance of the tent.  What a show.

Sometime later, much to my surprise, I discovered that fireworks stores have gone mainstream and are now located in strip malls.  I guess since store space in strip malls rent out for virtually nothing these days, it provides the perfect opportunity for fireworks retailers to look more professional, shedding the carnival hawker image that has prevailed for years.  This new approach comes complete with websites and all the regular social media outlets, thus moving fireworks into the same retail category as your local jewelry or hardware store.  They are even getting into charitable and political events the same as you would see on a small farm store or even car sales site.

Then there is the multitude of today’s fireworks.  I remember growing up as a kid in the 1970’s when all we really had for fireworks were firecrackers, bottle rockets, sparklers, and the occasional roman candle.  There were a few more “exotic items” like the screamers which only worked about ten percent of the time.  It was all fairly simple back then, you picked up a coke bottle (glass), a few cans and those were your launch pads.  At dusk on the 4th of July, you went out into your mom and dad’s backyard and lit everything off.

Today, it is a different story, walk into any of your local retail fireworks outlets and it is like stepping into a military-industrial complex showroom or an arms dealer’s shop.  There are fireworks that should easily be classified as military weapons, in fact, I saw some third world country leaders lining up an arsenal to take back to their country for war.  Ok, I exaggerate for effect, but I did find this one explosive device that makes the “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB) look like a firecracker.  And there are bottle rockets that can shoot down enemy aircraft and sparklers that could be used as torches while exploring caves.  The “M80’s” and “Wildcats” of my era have been replaced by things that look like sticks of dynamite.

These new retail outlets are a mind blower, there are seemingly endless rows of every kind fireworks known to man.  In fact, in the store that is located in my town, they actually have rows of internationally produced fireworks and explosive visual effects.  End cap displays with numerous “buy-one-get-one-free offers are found on every aisle.  When I was a kid, the little local fireworks stand had mostly shelves that were located behind the stand’s owner and you had to ask for a pack of whatever type of firework that you wanted.  Today, the stores look like supermarkets and have so much inventory that you can actually color-coordinate your fireworks.

In my younger days, there were always little mishaps with some of the fireworks (not much explosive powder in them back then) where the only thing that was injured was your ego.  There were always a couple of short-fused firecrackers or bottle rockets with short sticks that always provided the tense moments.  My cousin once tried to throw a short-fused firecracker after lighting it (against my advice), as he drew back to let it go, it went off in his hand, singeing his fingers and leaving a ringing in his ears.  The defective bottle rocket simply came back at you, causing you to flee while screaming like a sissy.

With the firepower of today’s fireworks, parts of the body get blown away, as evidenced by a star football player who lost part of his hand while “mishandling” fireworks.  In the case of the missiles (formerly referred to as bottle rockets) homes suffer blown out windows, structural damage or get burned to the ground.  Serious injuries are so common that emergency rooms experience their busiest times during the 4th of July holiday.  In addition to the extra added power included in today’s fireworks is the mishandling aspect that results in these accidents.

Parental guidance has disappeared and the “jack-ass” factor reigns supreme.  I believe that there should be training programs and certification required before you can purchase fireworks.  This was the case with the professional level fireworks which seem to be available to the general public now.  There are city laws which are supposed to restrict the shooting off of fireworks in neighborhoods and other areas, but I have rarely seen those laws enforced.  Another factor that seems to prevail here is our desire to blow things up and to make the explosions more powerful every year.  It’s like we are obsessed with the power of the explosion and not just the bang or color that use to give us thrills.

I have also discovered that there are now actually fireworks superstores that are as large as small supermarkets.  Now, you can buy fireworks by the pallet load, giving you the same explosion capabilities as allied nations who purchase weapons from us.  This holiday tradition is now more like an obsession, we are no longer celebrating the meaning of it all but rather trying to outdo our neighbor with bigger explosions.

Finally, there is the cost of these explosives, in some cases, families are spending between $200-300 for the evening’s entertainment.  Since virtually every firework is built in China have the tariffs driven up the costs?  So have a great 4th of July as you sit around wondering if your house will get burned to the ground by some jackass idiot in your neighborhood who is irresponsibly lighting off small missiles with no idea of where they will land.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

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I know you are familiar with the saying the “the shite rolls downhill” or possibly the American version of that expression.  It is an old saying that generally is in reference to the worker/boss relationship, especially in Corporate America.  It is true, as you have to ask yourself, have you ever seen it roll uphill?  I think I have found another situation where that expression actually holds true as well.

I have, in the past, written about the quality of the produce that I get at my stores here in my little 16,000 people community (70 miles south of a major metropolitan area).  It seems to me that it is always extremely difficult to get truly fresh produce, at least stuff that isn’t wrinkled or mushy.  Most of the time the products are on the edge of being completely stale and without any kind of reasonable flavor.  This situation reminds me of a mafia or corrupt government movie where produce gets left on the docks for days to rot because of union or mob disagreements.  The only difference here is they pull it all into the stores just before the rot sets in and sells it to unsuspecting, hardworking customers.

However, I did some research on the subject and found some answers that might surprise you.  As a sort of disclaimer, this may not pertain to all of you especially those of you in larger cities and markets as you probably get first-run, fresh produce.  For those of us in smaller communities—we get hosed.  There are some online reports out there which can be found on the magical device sitting on your desk, in your lap or on that thing that used to be used for phone calls (I know, I am dissing on cell phone users).  These reports tell of supermarket and grocery store organizations who rotate old stock ahead of newer stock, usually placing the older stock on top or in the front of a shelf.  This is the reason why I always pull the product from the bottom or from the back of shelve.

But there is a bigger issue here and it was written about in a few of the online articles that I read, it is the shuffling of older produce from large market stores to smaller markets.  This is a practice that has evidently been going on for a while.  I am trying to figure out in what parallel universe are smaller community citizens presumed to be stupid or less worthy?  How is it that we rank lower on the food chain than those who live in bigger cities?  The other alternative for older fruit and veggies (and other foods) is for it to be donated to the food banks, as if you are helping out the poor by giving them your table scraps and rotting fruit—let them eat stale food!  I’ll bet this makes the corporate executives feel good about themselves during the morning visit to the mirror.

There is another possibility that I would like to explore here—transportation.  Do smaller towns get moved down the chain of delivery schedules.  I spoke with someone who is a semi-truck driver, he told me that he has witnessed situations where refrigerated trailers and non-refrigerated trailers loaded with food products are sometimes stuck in truck yards for days.  And there are occasions where drivers have mixed loads (multiple destinations) where the smaller cities are the last drop point.  What few people understand is that even food that is refrigerated or even frozen will age.  The more time spent within the distribution phase, the less time you have to safely preserve it in your home to ensure freshness or for that matter—healthiness.

I decided to investigate this a little further and paid a visit to the regional supermarket in my city.  I went through every section of produce and found that every fruit and vegetable was soft, limp, some things even wrinkly, some of it looked like the stuff our parents threw out when we were growing up.  Who buys this shit?  I inquired about this to the produce person who was nearby.  I asked, “why does all of this produce seem old and beyond its prime”.  His response was almost comical, he replied “it is this damn humidity, it is spoiling the stuff before it gets off the truck”.  Ok, to be perfectly clear here and since we are speaking of trucks, I did not fall off of a damn turnip truck.

I have stopped by farmer-owned fruit and vegetable stands most of my adult life and many times it was in some of the worst humidity ever and all the produce there was fresh as a daisy.  So, if you can’t come up with an honest and legitimate answer then just say that you don’t know.  This is something that I believe underlies some deep dark truths about larger, corporate type grocery stores—anything for profits.  In other words, they will find a place to sell this shite.

Another little-known fact is that larger chain-grocery stores have developed a way to store produce sometimes up to a year.  And of course, this is made possible by the use of a chemical(s) that is sprayed directly on the produce (yikes, again with the chemicals).  Then the produce is stored in large refrigerators until it is time to market.  One must ask—what kind of chemicals are used in produce preservation?  My guess is surplus formaldehyde that is not used by funeral homes.  Seriously, if the chem can preserve the produce, it surely cannot be good to ingest.  But don’t worry these suppliers have a recommendation, just rinse the produce before consuming.  I’ll bet that works as well as rinsing the chickens bathed in chlorine.

I have a feeling that my town isn’t the only one that is experiencing this situation, probably many smaller communities who are just large enough to have a regional supermarket in it are getting treated to these mummified delights.  When does this end?  When will customers be told the truth and given a product that isn’t saturated with chemicals?  I would say that I probably won’t live long enough to see it, however, maybe I will, as all these chemicals that I am eating will keep me alive for another 100 years—ouch!

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart @2019 All Rights Reserved

There has been a lot of news lately about the growing number of viral and bacterial strains that seem to be immune to our antibiotics and meds.  Many medical experts are alarmed about this outbreak and have done extensive research to try and determine why this is happening.  The virtually unanimous conclusion—overuse of antibiotics and sanitizers.  We are so germophobic in this country that some people actually wear gloves or respirator masks when going out into public places in fear of catching something off of a doorknob or breathing in the next bubonic plague.  This phobia has reached levels unseen in our country before.

Now, I grew up in the 1960s and 70’s an age where snotty-nosed kids ran amuck spewing germs out like a battery-operated air freshener.  As kids in the summertime we left the house at sunup, didn’t come home until dark (except for the long stroll back for dinner).  During the course of the day, you went far into the deep recesses of the woods, where you handled everything from mossy tree branches to frogs (sometimes not alive).  Then, there was the foray to the local pond where every kind of biological nightmare was lurking, just waiting for you to be caught in its infective trap.  There were times when you didn’t wash your hands or for that matter see your parents for hours and in the case of camping out overnight— maybe days.

So, what is causing this lurking biological disaster?  Why are we now facing such a potential disaster of humankind?  Well, I believe that ole Grumpy has the answer.  On a recent trip into one the many stores with the “lowest everyday prices,” I noticed something, every other aisle in the store had a liquid hand sanitizer dispenser or individual packets of the magical germ-killing solution.  Wow, I have been inside a surgical center that didn’t have this much sanitizer or sterilizers!  What, has every one of our stores achieved “Chernobyl” status?

Then, there are the moms following behind their kids like royal handmaidens wiping the child with those disinfecting tools.  I watched with astonishment as mothers disinfect their children enough that they could go into surgery without causing an issue.  Is all of that really necessary?  They have sterilized their children to the point where they could traverse the most-completely disease riddled land or the deepest darkest forest with no worries as nothing could possibly survive contact with their sterilized skin.  All of this helicoptering over these kids must surely have other deleterious effects—can you say snowflakes?

As earlier stated, my mother often times had no idea where I was let alone how many infectious things I had handled during that day.  I have tried to envision her following behind me through the woods wiping my hands every two minutes to ensure that I didn’t get sick—are you freaking kidding me?  Or maybe she would be riding behind me on a bike administering that magic solution to sanitize my surely infectious hands (no easy feat going uphill).  As we see again, our absurdity replaces common sense and plays right into the hands of corporate greed.  And of course, there is the waste factor as all of these sanitizing products produce mountains of plastic and foil wrapper waste.

I am no rocket scientist here, but I think the answer to this issue is pretty apparent.  In the name of healthier living, we have destroyed the germs that actually help us survive.  Since the 1990s, moms have become so paranoid about everything that they hover over children like a guardian angel.  But even guardian angels take a break once in a while.  And the stores play no small role in this as they feed the fears through having all of these sanitizers readily available at every corner.  Gotta make sure we keep people in the stores and spending money—ah, corporate greed at every turn.

In the name of being healthy, we are going to wipe ourselves out.  Paranoia replaces common sense, at what point did we lose touch with history or for that matter reality?  So, in the end, we will have successfully sanitized ourselves out of existence, maybe it can be said that the road to extinction is paved with good intentions.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Recently I wrote about our “plastic kingdom” on this blog.  The next time you walk into any of your favorite stores look all around and tell me that I am wrong, we are drowning in a sea of plastic.  Well, as if that is not bad enough, we are now learning that large concentrations of plastic are showing up in our water and food sources.  Several independent scientific organizations have conclusive tests that show plastic molecules have increased in water supplies and food production.  Over the course of a year, it is estimated that you have consumed a credit card size piece of plastic—good luck trying to pass it.

Imagine your doctor asking you if you are getting enough iron, calcium, vitamin c and oh yeah, plastic in your diet.  Ok, maybe not plastic but from the sound of recent reports, you are getting your fair share of it anyway.  While most of this non-recycled waste is coming to you from the oceans and freshwater sources, many university studies (not yet completed) may show plastic particles showing up in wheat, corn and other food sources.  Studies show that the plastic which is actually recycled (only 12% of the whole volume) is ground into chips that makes it easier to haul to processing plants.  The rest is shipped to other countries to pollute their ecosystems.

The shredding process of plastic produces a fine powder that is easily finding its way into our streams and soil.  This plastic dust washes off of processing properties through rain run-off and off of the trucks that haul it, so the distribution of this waste has been widespread for years.  Rain run-off easily carries the lightweight materials into streams and ultimately into fields, evenly distributing it throughout our ecosystem.  So, what was believed to be a threat contained to the islands of floating plastic in our oceans has now become a threat to land.

This existential threat will eventually become reality as every store out there has tons of plastic on every shelf.  Consumption of water is currently the largest threat of plastic ingestion as we consume an estimated 1700 + particles of plastic per week.  That number is destined to climb as food sources are better examined.  The current water purification process generally removes heavy metals (the exception here, of course, being Flint Michigan), however, plastics are not eliminated through these processes.  So, it would seem that another chemical will have to be introduced into our water to help purify it—for piss sakes (no pun intended) does the cycle ever end?

Here is a radical idea, maybe we start selling more products through bulk distribution.  You purchase containers (maybe stainless steel) and fill them with the product that you wish to purchase.  I can already hear the corporate sphincters puckering in unison, slamming shut so hard that you could cut your cigar with them.  Surely you jest.  Do you know how much cost in labor that scenario would introduce to the store environment?  Why that is preposterous!  We can’t be saving our society with crazy ass ideas that cost more money to implement.

Ok, let’s try this one, how about every one of the greedy-ass corporations who produce millions of tons of plastic waste each year, develop their own recycling programs complete with processing plants.  Hey, you know what, you would create new jobs in personnel for these plants.  Wow, I am MAGA all over this shit!  But wait, corporations will only spend money that they can pass along to the customer as to not interrupt the endless flow of billions into their pockets. This would drive up the cost of products and reduce sales.  Do you see the endless cycle of bullshit here?  In the name of lower prices, higher volumes of production and huge corporate profits we are poisoning ourselves.  However, corporations do not bear all of the guilt here, we the customer carry a certain amount of guilt via gluttony, as we have to have those two liters of soda every day.

We are facing a real crisis here and I do not see many people taking it seriously.  If this continues, we will be able to take hiking trips to Europe as the oceans will finally be filled with our plastic waste.  Our soil will soon be replaced by plastic mulch and we will be unable to grow safe foods.  It is kind of ironic really, for years we have seen images of turtles with plastic six-pack rings growing out of their shells or plastic straws having to be surgically removed from their noses and fish with plastic stomachs, soon those images will be of us.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

The other night I received a call from a longtime friend, someone that I used to work with and have stayed in touch.  She had a healthcare story that just boggles the mind.  My friend has stayed in pretty good shape over the years, eating healthy and exercising.  On one particular evening at her home, she began to experience chest pain on the left side.  As we all know, this is a potential sign of heart trouble and should never be ignored.  My friend did not ignore it and had her husband take her to their local hospital’s emergency room.

Now, it is pretty standard in U.S. emergency rooms that heart trouble or strokes are given priority and first admittance.  This was the case with my friend who was admitted immediately into a patient care room.  The usual tests were performed immediately in an effort to determine if indeed my friend was suffering some form of heart trouble.  Her vital signs did not indicate that there was a serious problem but there can always be other symptoms or signs of a problem not easily detected.  After the tests were performed it was nearly two hours before a physician came in to discuss the results.  The tests did not indicate any form of cardiac distress or potential stroke issues, however, the physician wanted more tests to rule out any other possibilities.

So, after a few more hours of waiting, my friend was finally taken in for more tests.  Then more time passed and finally the clueless physicians determined that she should be transferred to a larger hospital some 60 miles away, as their medical center was not adequately equipped to diagnose the issue.  The larger hospital had a complete cardiac wing that would be better equipped to diagnose the unknown issue.  Starting to get the picture here?  Do the words circle jerk start to enter your mind?   So, my beleaguered friend was transferred by ambulance to the larger hospital.

So additional tests were run, and more time passed, my friends’ husband began to lose his patience with this process (as would I), and started to ask questions, which all were answered with “we are doing the best we can”.  After 11 hours that my friend and her husband will never get back, a doctor came into the room and began to press on her ribs which resulted in agonizing sharp pain.  Mystery solved!  So, after all this time the actual problem ended up being a physical rib and muscle issue.  Now, I am no rocket-surgeon here, but shouldn’t you probably try to rule that out in the very beginning?

Seems to me like that would only take a few seconds to determine that maybe the problem is muscular and not cardiac.  Sure, you can run a few of the other standard tests to confirm your diagnosis but jeezo wouldn’t you start with basics.  If my car won’t start in the morning, I don’t send it in to have the engine overhauled, I start with the battery for criminy sakes.  If your lawn mower isn’t cutting the grass as well as it used to then junk it instead of sharpening the blade (sorry, it was the best that I could come up with).

So, 11 hours and an estimated cost of over $6,000 (ambo rides are not cheap) just to determine that a muscle was pulled, or a rib was out of place seems ludicrous to me.  Here is my point with all of this, we are constantly being told by pundits and politicians alike that we have the best healthcare in the world.  Yet, these kinds of stories just keep popping up everywhere all across our “fruited plains”.  The staggering cost of our healthcare coupled with the overload of doctors who have to increasingly order more expensive tests instead of using common sense does not leave one with the feeling of “the best”.

So, if we are supposed to buy into this concept of “free market”, capitalist-run healthcare being the best, and we have to pay more for it, then this makes us customers of this care system and entitled to be dissatisfied with its service. Right-wing pundits and politicians need to understand that healthcare from a customer standpoint is getting a failing grade.  Now, being millionaires and billionaires, I am sure that they get the finest quality healthcare anywhere in the world.  However, for the rest of us, it is the processed food version of care that usually leaves you sicker than before it is consumed!  Please explain to me again—how and why the capitalist healthcare system is better than single-payer or Medicare-for-All?

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

As a seasoned customer, I like many others (certainly of my generation) know that nothing is free.  Sure, we have all seen the signs, free car wash, free oil change, free soda and on and on.  The word free has always gotten your attention even in a driving snowstorm or in a tornado.  Free is what everyone in life seems to strive for, as well as free-dom.  Maybe we do take freedom for granted sometimes but never something for free, it is a small victory in the lives of all Americans.

Recently, the word free has taken on a new meaning, one of political importance to the point where we are all arguing, even screaming at each other about it.  There is a political movement in this country referred to as “progressive”, where its subscribers (of which I am becoming one) believe in things such as Medicare-for-all and tuition-free college.   Can you really blame them?  The cost of healthcare has skyrocketed out of the reach of many Americans and it is impossible to get a good college education without taking a loan.  Salaries continue to stagnate (as pointed out in this blog many times), and the cost of essential life items are rising as well.

So today, while reading a blog that I regularly follow, written by a man of reasonable intelligence (although he sometimes comes off as an elitist with the use of advanced and obscure words), he brought up the notion that everyone wants everything for free.  Included in his writing were the usual subjects, healthcare, and education, in fact, he stated that everyone wants a “free Ph.D.”.  He also criticized taxation of the wealthy as “wealth redistribution”, a popular expression of those who are conservative or right leaning.  He added to his writing that many expect “free insulin”, which really pissed me off, have you seen the cost of that shit lately?

But let’s discuss the concept of “free” a little bit and see if we can find reality in all of this. First of all, as stated earlier, I realize that nothing is free.  In fact, that free oil change mentioned above is only possible after you purchase something of greater value that more than covers the cost of the free offering.  And that soda is only free when you buy an over-priced, stale hotdog and fries.  Sometimes free stuff is used as a marketing gimmick to promote a new offering (service or product) and if you like it you will buy more, it is well worth the risk of the cost to corporations.

When we look at other developed nations who have been able to provide healthcare and education to all of its citizens, none of it was free.  Most were accomplished through socialist-capitalist agreements which are partnerships between governments and the private sector.  These partnerships have created good paying jobs giving everyone the means to make a decent living.  In most of these arrangements, government-managed funding pools are created that everyone of any means or able body pay into.  These pools are created to support education, healthcare, pensions, unemployment, and other essential societal needs.  And yes, corporations and the wealthy pay a large sum of the pool (more about the wealthy later).

Now, this is a complex issue that would require a lot of re-engineering to make it work, especially in this country.  Healthcare costs are out of control, education needs to be overhauled and many citizens need to stop living on a fast food diet.  But the system of access and paying for all of these needs must be addressed soon or we will find ourselves in a severe crisis.  We certainly need to clean our government house and rid it of the nepotism-ineptitude, but that also is an argument for another day.  We constantly criticize other nations that use a single-payer system for their needs as inefficient, seriously, have you taken a close look at ours lately?

I think the confusion here centers around the concept of not having to pay cash at the time of the service but rather paying into the fund annually, quarterly, or, whatever.  When we talk about how our system works in relation to healthcare what is private insurance?  Private insurance is a pool of money that is disbursed if and when there is a need.  The major difference is that private insurance is managed by wealthy corporate pricks who extract a profit from the pool not to mention the fees incurred in managing it.  The reduction in greedy profits taken alone would seriously reduce the cost of healthcare itself.  Please don’t tell me that it wouldn’t be as efficient, do you know that many claims that are supposedly covered are still denied by private insurance?  For that matter have you seen the number of unneeded tests and procedures that happen daily, many of which are denied coverage (blog forthcoming on that topic)?

Then there is the bitch about wealth redistribution.  How many billionaires in this country made their money whether inherited or earned on the backs of the everyday citizens?  There are many!  Even if they are wealthy by virtue of investments, it was the worker who made it all happen.  While I have deep admiration for the entrepreneur, they could not build their wealth without good people (workers) around them.  I fail to understand why the wealthy do not view the alleged redistribution of money as investment or reinvestment.  It was in this country that they became billionaires and they should put back into the community to ensure that it continually grows and improves and makes them more riches.  Someday, if we do not change this current situation, the gated communities will not be able to hold back the angry villagers with pitchforks and torches—mark my words on this!

Most of these arguments are for a different day, but it continually jerks my frog that pundits, politicians and talking heads use that word free as if we are all that naive or just plain stupid enough to believe it is possible.  If there are progressive pundits out there who believe that anything is free, then they need to do some serious soul searching or just get a life.  We reasonable people (customers) realize that nothing is for free and that we must bust our arses every day to make things work.  We realize that there is no true utopia out there, but we would at least like to try to get closer to it, even if we fall short it will still be better than things are now!

And for those of you, especially right-wingers who think you hold some intellectual or moral superiority in your constant attacks on progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Prof. Richard Wolff —–piss off.  Even if what Cortez proposes doesn’t work at least she has introduced new discussions looking at other ways of doing things instead of following the same path of collapse that you simpleton, corporate worshipers have promoted for over 50 years.  Dr. Wolff envisions a world of worker coops similar to what has been developed in other countries who have a capitalist-socialist agreement, which includes decent living wages, everyone having a voice in the company and all pay into the pool for the benefits. No, nothing is for free, but surely we can build a better system than we have!

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

In every grocery store in America, there is a section of food referred to as “organic”, which by definition basically means that it is grown without the use of some chemical assistance, i.e. pesticides and the likes.  The impression that is given by the labels on organically grown food is that it is pure, almost virgin-like.  By my way of thinking, all organic foods should then be packaged in white and they could be sacrificed at a volcano to save the people of the village.

So, this begs the question; how is the rest of the food classified—inorganic?  Since everything else that we consume does not have the organic labeling then obviously it is produced with the assistance of various chemicals and toxins.  This means that these products do not deserve the white packaging or the wedding night splendor of virginity that organic products enjoy.  But seriously, why aren’t the non-organically produced foods labeled with a warning that these foods are potentially hazardous?  It only makes sense that if the other label implies some level of purity or safety then the non-organic food products should have a warning label placed right on the front of the packaging.

You will notice also that the organic foods are more costly than their corporate, toxin produced counterparts.  So, what does that say to the average American citizen whose wages have not increased since the “Flintstones” were on prime-time television?  You had better find a higher paying job (good luck with that) or work a second and third job so you can afford food that will not poison your children.  Maybe you can take out one more loan and at least be healthy for a year.  Certainly, you are going to have to re-budget your family needs to incorporate more of this safer food into your diet.

There have been reports by investigative journalists who said that the organic foods are a bit of a ruse.  This is especially true when it comes to imported foods because other countries do not necessarily follow the USDA standards.  In fact, some reports state that many of the imported organic foods are really conventionally grown and mislabeled.  Some scientific publications advise that the only way to get “real organically grown foods” is to buy them from local farmers.  Now, that works really well for those who live in rural areas but maybe more difficult for those in urban locations.

There are also arguments that some countries, especially European have an even higher standard of regulations than the U.S. and are truly organically grown but those food products are very expensive and only sold at the more upscale markets.   I guess this means that lower-income individuals will have to try and exist on these garbage products, meanwhile we continue to preach the virtues of healthy eating in this country.  If lower-income families cannot afford higher quality food, then how the hell are they going to stay healthier?  For families who are destitute the only food that makes it to food pantries is the chemically produced and preserved poisons.

Meanwhile, back to the packaging issue, if one group can tout its benefits on its packaging then why aren’t the other foods displaying warning labels.  We went through this whole argument about labeling and nutritional information a few years ago, and it was determined that all values had to be included on the label.  These labels are at best difficult read in some cases and may not mean anything to most people in others.  Food labels do not include the products used in the growing or production of the food.  So adequate labeling should include warnings of food products that have been produced with the help of poisonous pesticides or other toxin substances.

I realize the limitations here and that this problem is not a simple one, in fact as much as anything it is a demonstration of how an increasing number of people cannot afford healthy meals.  Obviously, the problems of wages are an entirely different issue, but I believe it only fair that people are clearly informed about the products.  I believe that new legislation should be enacted that reforms labeling to include very clearly printed warnings about every substance or chemical that has come in contact with the contents of the package.

I also believe that new legislation should be drawn up and enacted that requires every corporate officer of every food company and their families to eat some of their company produced food products at least once a day.  It is also my belief that this would go over like a turd in the punch bowl—just sayin!

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Recently, my son decided to take me on a trip to show his gratitude for my efforts in getting him through law school.  A very fine gesture that makes one feel proud to be a father and even prouder of his children.  I thought it might be nice to incorporate some fishing into the trip, I had taken my son fishing a number of times when he was little, and this might have a nice bit of nostalgia to it.  Besides, going fishing is one of the finer things that a father can do with his children (hiking is another, of course).  So, we set off on this three-day male bonding adventure, ok, that doesn’t sound right, let’s just say father-son adventure.

After a 10-hour drive from my residence, we arrived on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.  It is a beautiful coastline although it can be a little touristy (one of the locals referred to it as “The Redneck Riviera”).  However, the gulf coast is famous for good fishing and has some of the best grouper fish (but because of mercury levels, you don’t eat it often) and snapper and triggerfish in the world.  However, on this trip, we decided to do some freshwater fishing and use the gulf for beach time.  The area is dotted with freshwater lakes that have a full array of the most popular fish.

We sought out a store where we could procure the necessary bait and license to achieve our fishing goals.  Of course, as in any city of any size, we found the famous store with the “everyday discounts” and they have all your fishing needs.  So, after collecting the necessary rations for our trip, we headed to the sporting goods counter to get our fishing license.  I inquired about the price of an out-of-state/visitor license and was informed that the only license available to out-of-state visitors was an 8-day tag for $38.  8-days, why not 7-days or even just 2 days?  We were only going to fish the one day then do the beach thing with some adult beverages for the remaining two days.

Who the hell goes on a fishing trip or vacation for 8 days?  So, forced to purchase an 8-day license, my son went first giving the counter person his drivers license (state of Kentucky) and the associate got him all setup.  Then it was my turn, I handed him my license (Missouri), which as it turns doesn’t work well in Alabama.  So, after two different associates and numerous attempts they could not get my license to work in their state and issue me an 8-day pass (still boggles my mind).  In frustration, we gave up, I told my son that I would just tag along for the ride and enjoy the weather and be his fishing caddie or tour guide or whatever.

Well, after finding what would be our digs for the next three days, my son decided to use his tablet (you know those things with the piece of fruit on it) and look up the fines for fishing without a license in Alabama.  After careful study, we come to find out that the fines were $20.  Are you freaking kidding me?  So, I can fish my one day and even if I get caught, I am still up 18 bucks!  After a really good laugh, we decided that it would be worth the risk and to not worry about it any further.  Man, what a scheme this whole deal is, Don Vito Corleone would have been proud—–I gotta deal you can’t refuse; you wanna fishah for one day, you payah for 8!

We determined that Alabama likes to have fun with numbers, such as the slow speed limit around the state park of 26 mph.  Seriously, it is 26 miles per hour.  My guess would be that this is their idea of humor after hosing your ass for an 8-day, $38 fishing license to fish for one day.  Well, we didn’t have much luck that day fishing as storms had done a murky number on the water and nothing was hitting.  A word to the wise; before taking fishing trips research license costs.  I tell you this though, we have a great fishing tale about the one that got away—$38 dollars for an 8-day fishing license, crazy!

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved