The Grumpy Old Fart Customer

In my continued frustration with the ever-disappearing art of customer service and the degradation of what’s left of our economy, I decided to increase my research on the topics.  I was delighted to discover some recently written books on the subject.  Now, I am not in the business of reviewing books, however, if anyone is interested, I will send you the links to three books that I believe will help you better understand this disastrous economy that we are in and the death of customer service.

In all the books out there is an overarching theme that is present: the large oligarch, monopolistic corporations are either swallowing up or destroying many smaller businesses that had once given them competition.  I myself have talked about this before, as competition disappears, so does customer service.  The reduction of salaries, benefits and the degradation of the work environment and conditions offer little incentive for associates to care about the business or its customers.

At the heart of this dilemma is the ever-present capitalist system that so many in this country worship, especially the wealthy.  The capitalist system broke down in 2008-2009 and was kept alive by being put on life support, aka tax dollar bailouts.  The banks and large corporations were given new life by the money they received from the very customer whom they treat like shit today.  But this is no longer news as most of us are aware of this disgusting history.

However, what continues to happen today is the stranglehold that the few remaining corporations have put on the markets they serve, in most cases today there is no competition, just price fixing.  Entrepreneurship and small businesses in the US have all but died as smaller, innovative companies have been eliminated or new ideas do not materialize because of the difficulty to get financing as a small business person.  This reduction in small businesses and innovative ideas kill the concept of customer service as there no other places to go to get it.

My dear Republican and conservative friends hold tightly to the concept that capitalism embraces the concept of competition, which is supposed to improve product quality, price, and service.  So, what has gone wrong here conservatives?  Competition is dying, product innovation is declining, prices are going up and customer service is nonexistent.  It seems to me that capitalism is breaking its own rules.  Sure, it is still great for the 10% who still make a decent living and even better for the 1% who are buying more yachts and bunkers.

With all the above-mentioned bailouts there was going to be the creation of new, better-paying jobs with great benefits.  At least that what we were told by business leaders and our politicians.  Capitalism would be reborn, renewed and would save the day. Really?  Most of the books and many articles that I have read recently indicate that the only thing that got created was wealthy executives and even wealthier stockholders and investors.  Meanwhile, customer service has become the reward for the wealthy, I am sure you get a great bottle of champagne and the little trophy wife gets a spa coupon when you buy that yacht.

So, my friends, as you look out above the fruited plain, just bend over and smile because the oligarch-fascists control everything and we customers are treated like the dirt the amber-waves-of grain are planted in.

Talk to Ya Later

I have flown airlines literally thousands of miles throughout my career (domestic and international) and I am old enough to remember the days when air travel was still enjoyable.  There was a time when you were always greeted with a warm smile and sincere welcome when you boarded an aircraft for a flight.  Somewhere in the late 1980s to early 2000s that all changed as through mergers and acquisitions there were fewer choices of airlines.

A few years ago, while I was still on the road most of the time, I booked a flight to Dallas on one of the largest airlines in the country.  This airline had purchased the carrier that I had commonly used for years, and in the process robbed me of several thousands of flight miles.  This oligarch carrier also eliminated several direct flight routes that were offered by my old airline.  But I digress, I booked my flight using their limited availability schedule and without the use of my points.

On the day of my flight, I went through the usual song-and-dance of parking at the airport and going through the police line-up-like security that now rules those facilities.  After finding a decent cup of coffee, I hunkered in for the long wait that we all experience (face it, flights are never on schedule).  Once my number was called, I went and stood in the endless line of passengers waiting for luggage to be loaded in the overhead bins.  Finally, making my way through the gauntlet of always confused passengers, I found my seat.

It’s all downhill from here, nothing to do but sit back and let someone else do the driving.  Well, not exactly, after two minutes of occupying what I knew was my seat (I can read and it was clearly marked on my boarding pass), another passenger steps up and says, “I think you are in my seat”.  After another look at my boarding pass, I looked at him with all the confidence of a President about to make a State of the Union address and said: “no, this is my seat”.  After showing the man my ticket, he was still adamant that it was his seat.

The man stormed off to find a flight attendant, he had the same demeanor my little brother used to have when I wouldn’t share my candy with him.  Upon return, the man found a female flight attendant who wasted little time attacking me.  “Sir are you sure this your seat?”, she asked in a tone that reminded me of my least favorite grade school teacher.  Again, brimming with confidence I replied yes in a very calm voice.  This did not settle well with the flight attendant, she felt that my attitude was bad (Really?  You think this attitude is bad, don’t try taking my cocktail away from me).

Even after offering up my boarding pass, the flight attendant was already looking to have me bodily removed from the cabin.  A person I was traveling with (a lady) told me that this attendant was looking for some balls to bust, and I was next in line.  During the whole process, this flight attendant treated me as if I was a scum stowaway looking to get my hands on the free peanuts.  Her attitude towards me was very toxic, yet, I had done nothing wrong.  She had convicted me of this egregious crime without even looking at the evidence.

Finally, after close examination of the ticket, the flight attendant realized I was in the right seat (forget about the fact that my travel partner had vouched for my seating assignment).  She simply handed my ticket back to me, turned to the man who started this quandary, looked at his ticket and lead him to his proper seating assignment!   She never offered an apology for the misunderstanding, rather she gave me a dirty look and walked away.  Ok, it was 5 agonizing minutes of my life that I will never get back and I was never afforded the decency of an apology for a mistake that clearly wasn’t mine.

This was not an isolated incident, with the constant merger of airlines (for that matter, many businesses) comes the inevitable shitty service that lack of competition brings.  With the stress, distrust, and anger that these mergers can bring to employees, it is no wonder that customer service dies.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if the attendant would have been smiling and nice while this dilemma unfolded, but instead, she was obviously bitter and burned out.  I am noticing that these situations are becoming increasingly normal.

I have conservative/Republican friends who constantly tell me of the virtues of competition such as innovation, value and improved customer service.  On this, we agree.  But tell me why it is then, that we have constant shrinkage of business sectors through mergers and acquisitions in this capitalist system?  And doesn’t that decrease competition because there are fewer companies in those sectors?  I think the questions are easily answered.  With the constant mergers of companies comes the decline in customer service and other benefits promised under this wonderful capitalist system.

The airlines are particularly guilty of these issues, whether through the lack of pay, benefits or just respect to employees.  The flight attendants are the best example of the problem as they have more customer exposure than any other airline employee.  This makes the flight experience less enjoyable than it used to be (isn’t bad enough that they keep cramming seats into coach?).  And with all the new rules and regs brought on by 911, you are no longer a customer but rather a privileged guest.

You pay good money for a seat, a ride, transportation on an airplane, but so much as fart in the wrong direction and they will drag your happy ass down the aisle and off the aircraft like a wet bag of manure.  At some point, to get on the plane, you will have to be shackled like a prisoner transport–complete with a bag over your head.  The 911 issues aside, it is the lack of competition that has transported the airline business into a cattle transport racket.   All we ask for in this ever increasingly depressed world is just a little customer service and smile along the way.

Talk to Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2109 All Rights Reserved

You might be asking yourself; are all the gripes on this blog legit?  Well, my fellow customers, the answer is a resounding yes!  It seems that every day I am astounded by the lack of real concern for the needs of customers.  You know, the customers, the people who spend their hard-earned money and in return expect a decent product or service.  Every day I am finding that concept to be a fantasy.

Here is the most recent, bad experience.  I own one of the newer releases of the most pop culture cell phone on the market (the one with the piece of fruit on it).  After downloading one of the (strongly) recommended updates, I lost my entire list of contacts.  I am not saying that it was a voluminous list, but it included addresses, email, and phone numbers and was large enough to be a hassle replicating it.  So, after recovering from the stunned anguish and anger, I began my trek to recover my list.

I did register the phone online (again, as recommended) to store all the device’s data.  Well, along with the update of the device, the web-based program database updated also, changing its format and operating structure making it very difficult to find the lost files.  After numerous attempts to locate it on the updated site I called my cell phone savvy friends and they could not solve the issue as well.  Finally, out of frustration, I called CSI Las Vegas, they couldn’t find it either.

So, that left me only one choice in resolving this matter—my provider.   I loaded up my device and headed to my local provider store in the hope of finding a solution.  Upon arrival at the store, I was instructed to take a number and was assured that someone would be with me shortly.  An hour later (an hour of life that I will never get back), I finally got my turn with one of the masters of cell phone intellect.  Surely, they will not let me down, the answer to this puzzling riddle will be solved right?

After doing my best to explain this problem (not like it was complex), the young person behind the counter looked at me as if I had asked for an organ transplant.  The customer representative looked at me again and said, “I don’t know how to fix that”, you’re bullshitting me right?  These people are the experts, aren’t they?  If they don’t know how to fix this what is my next option, scale a mountain and ask a wise old man?  The store associate let me know that they would check with a manager to get help with my issue—oh goody!

The associate came back with an answer that still has me reeling, “we cannot help you with this problem because of privacy rights”, you heard it correctly, the people who voluntarily gave me their phone number with the express permission to call them would have their rights violated.  I guess I would have to get written permission from each person to once again to contact them.  I did, finally solve the problem myself with the help of several online forums and was able to restore my contacts.

The bigger issue here isn’t the lost contacts (I have most of my contacts email addresses anyway), but rather the fact that these updates always change how things function, especially with cell phones.  And there is never any correspondence explaining changes or how to use the updated system.  What frustrates your ass even further is the lack of training of customer service reps, who then cannot help you with your issues.  Once again, who ultimately suffers is the customer, the person who pays their hard-earned cash just to be treated like shyte!

Talk To Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

My grandmother like many other grandmothers always had flowers and plants everywhere.  In addition, she always had a healthy garden full of good nutritious vegetables.  It was a labor of love like no other, to her, those plants were almost children.  They needed loving care and someone to ensure their wellbeing.  She weeded everything by hand, even her grass/lawn!

But alas, that was yesterday, and this is today, a world where we must now depend on a chemical made by wealthy oligarchs, to eliminate those pesky weeds.  A chemical that the US judicial system has overwhelmingly determined to be risky to our health.  This solution kills by destroying cells of healthy biologicals (yes, weeds are that).   So, you must ask yourself; is this really the best way to fix the problem?

I have always been fascinated by the obsession people have with their lawns/landscaping.  They will seed them, spray them, manicure-mow them and in the case of those with a few more bucks, a guy with a truck will show up and spray them.  Flower boxes are no different, what can’t be made beautiful with plants is covered by the latest designer mulch product.  The wealthier folks, of course, have gardeners and landscapers who turn a labor of love into a casual affair.

For those who want the good look of a manicured landscape, but are limited by funds, you have the gardener/landscaper in a bottle.  There is a bottle of chemical for any gardening/lawncare/landscaping situation out there, especially for those pesky, unwanted little indigenous greenery that seems to grow with no help at all.  We want these weeds gone now, but grass be-damned, we are not going to bend down and pull those vegetation varmints.  Instead, we will soak them with a carcinogen chemical and watch them die a hideous death.

Lest we forget, that every time our skin comes in contact with these solutions, we run the risk of growing a tumor.  But tumors be damned man—this is yard care!  I guess it is worth risking life and limb to have that magnificent looking yard, but it seems to me like we are way too obsessed with it.  And never at a loss to make profits, corporations have seized on the opportunity to made yard/lawn care as stressless as possible.  And chemical companies, in their mission to develop a weed killer that works in 5 minutes or less, have stopped just short of using nuclear waste to eradicate those little annoyances.

I guess my point here, is that the search for a better mousetrap for weeds has led us to newly found toxins that now endanger our lives.  This is where the customer has made it easier for greedy corporate pricks to prey on their need to have more while doing less.  We are too busy in our daily little lives to take time out and just enjoy the simpler things in life and we are always looking for an easier/faster solution.

I am trying to picture my dear old grandmother if she had all these modern conveniences in the yard that she dedicated some much love to.  Maybe she could have baked more pies, knitted more blankets or hell, maybe even take a spinning class—I’m just saying!   It’s hard to picture my grandmother with a bottle of one of these poison chemicals.

And for that matter, why do we need the perfectly manicured lawn/landscape anyway?  Is it a pissing contest between neighbors?  Is there a prize awarded in heaven when you die?  “Well John, you did covet your neighbor’s wife, but hell your lawn sure looked good, welcome to heaven”.  We are already drowning in a sea of plastic and just keep buying those plastic bottles of toxins.  Maybe it is time to start pulling weeds again.

Talk To Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

I recently wrote a piece about the aircraft malaise currently going in the good ole US.  The entire fleet of the aircraft in question has been grounded worldwide, although we, the manufacturing country were the last to do it.  The saga has taken some unbelievable twists in the last few days that has led to an out-and-out public relations war.

Many pilots are saying the same thing; “the fact that this aircraft requires such jury-rigging should be a red flag”.  This is a belief that we the traveling customers should have as well. In the last couple of days, several new reports have surfaced that indicate that there were significant budget cuts and massive pressure for the aircraft to be launched.

Now, to be fair, the airline industry has had a very safe record, especially when compared to the number of fatalities in automobiles in any given year.  But why, suddenly, has a manufacturer decided to secretly push out a potentially fatal aircraft without warnings to those fly it and fly on it?  Were they overdue to produce a bad airplane?  Maybe they just got tired of having to follow all those pesky rules that hold them down.

No, I will tell you what it is; pure and simple greed.  The manufacturer in question has many executives and shareholders who are in desperate need of the latest yacht models that are available.  Or maybe it is the need for the bomb-proof bunker that will save their prissy asses when all the shit in this country goes south.   We know we have arrived when human life has a price tag on it.

A home state newspaper of the manufacturer released an investigative report that indicated there were numerous budget and design corner-cutting measures that went on during the construction of the aircraft. We have also been informed of the direct involvement of our FAA, who had the authority to make numerous timeline and budget decisions.  As more news surfaces, the President has nominated a new FAA chief as the agency faces tremendous scrutiny (no sign of guilt here).

Now, what faces us customers is the intense campaign to sell you on the next software patch that they will do to try and fix the plane.  As I researched further about the development of this aircraft, I uncovered something that everyone has failed to mention; the engines!  Many potential airline buyers did not like the fuel efficiency of the current engines used on older models of this aircraft.

The manufacturer in its haste to get the plane sold, selected a larger engine, with bigger fan blades, which, in theory, would deliver better fuel mileage (I must take their word for that one).  They approved the engine but unfortunately, on the day they were to be mounted, the builders discovered that the engines would drag the ground (oopsie).  They could not use higher landing gear, so they moved the engine higher on the wing, giving better ground clearance.  According to some engineers that were interviewed, this changes the dynamic airflow of the wing.

Ok, I am no expert, nor am I an engineer but this doesn’t sound kosher to me.  Many of the engineers believe that the wing needed to be redesigned, but that would cost money and save lives (we can’t have that).  The aircraft will need different systems added to help it remain airworthy (loosely translated; jury-rigging).  You must believe that they will do the cheapest fix that they can find.  And the propagandists will try to sell you that all is well!

Meanwhile, about those word-smiths that work for oligarchic companies and the government (I was once one for both).  They are working overtime to rebuild the trust that they have with you, my dear, fellow customers.  The sales pitches, the interviews and of course our MAGA leader’s stamp of approval will rain down on you like a springtime thunderstorm.  They will spare no expense, which will be paltry compared to a good solution to the aircraft’s problems, trying to convince you that—all is well!

Today, in fact, a talking head being interviewed on one of the news networks smirked while making the comment; “well the software is complicated” (referring to the software being used to correct flight problems).  You are bullshitting me, right?  This pompous ass jerk-off, who by the way was a former FAA executive himself, is talking to us like we are ignorant children who need to be chastised for complaining.  Furthermore, if the aircraft were designed properly to fly, it wouldn’t need the “complicated software” to fly it.

I will continue my boycott of this aircraft until it is redesigned, made airworthy and safe.  I highly recommend to you, fellow customers that you do the same, because, after all, it is our lives at stake and there is no amount of money that can replace a life.

Talk To Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

Ok, so the title of this blog sounds like a song from Little Feat, it’s not, it is just another demonstration of the absurdity that surrounds us–the customers.  We have recently been told that Great Britain will not buy our poultry products because they are dipped in chlorine.  Yes, you heard it right—chlorine!  Just the mention of this process disgusts even the strongest of stomachs.

It has recently been confirmed by several sources that most chicken plants in the good-ole US dip their feather plucked product into a chlorine bath to ensure the “healthy quality” of the birds they sell.  This process is officially known as pathogen reduction treatment or PRT, and it is supposed to remove such undesirables as e-coli and others.   The most commonly used chemical in this process is called chlorine dioxide, there are some other chemicals that can be used to accomplish this mission, however, none of them sound appetizing either.

Experts defend the process as “having been safely consumed for years”, one went so far as to say that you would have to eat over 5% of your body weight in chicken per day for it to be harmful to your health.  Well, it is also said that when you begin taking a new vitamin or drug, you must build it up in your system over time. Wouldn’t the same thing apply here?

Even though chlorine is inorganic, it still contains an atomic structure and isotopes which can build up in a human system.  The process introduces a chemical not normally contained within the meat, possibly binding itself to the proteins.  Experts claim that the chlorine does not penetrate the chicken, sure, and neither does marination.

Here is the real laugher, on some chicken packaging it recommends rinsing the already chlorine-soaked carcass under water.  Wait a minute, isn’t chlorine in the drinking water we use?  Then you are supposed to cook the chicken carcass to a certain temperature to eliminate any pathogens.  Why can’t we just cook the chicken to the proper temperature and eliminate the use of chemicals?

So, I have a solution to this dilemma.  Let’s say you are having some friends over for a wine-tasting/hot tub party with appetizers and a chicken entree.  After you pop the corks and serve the Hors’ D’ oeuvres, you are ready for the hot tub.  So why not kill two birds with one stone (pun definitely intended) and simply take the chickens in the tub with you.  Most hot tubs are so over-shocked by chlorine that your skin almost falls off after ten minutes in that salt-saturated-soup.  Surely this would help cure the pathogen problem for the chickens and would certainly be a great conversation piece for the dinner table.

The inconvenient truth here is that most food plants in the US have weak or poor and, in some cases, almost nonexistent sanitation programs (I wrote about this in an earlier blog).  Often, the preparation surfaces transfer the pathogens onto the food we ultimately consume, so a final step like bleaching is almost a necessity. It is also considerably less expensive to dip the chickens in chlorine as opposed to paying employees a decent wage to do sanitation properly.  Just gives ya warm fuzzies about the crap we consume, doesn’t it?   So, I say something here that I don’t often say; good show old beans in Great Britain!

Talk To Ya Later!

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer

In my former life/career, to say I was a road-warrior was somewhat of an understatement.  On average, I flew over 65,000 miles per year and had every reward club privilege you could imagine.  A vast majority of my Mondays were spent in airport terminals drinking over-priced, lousy coffee, with the occasional bad breakfast thrown into the mix.  On the airline that I flew with most (now defunct after purchase by a lousy airline), some flight attendants recognized me as I boarded the aircraft—I kid you not!

As a frequent flyer, there is always a thought or two about an airliner crashing, but it usually doesn’t linger because of how often you do fly and the great safety record of the airlines (for the last 20 years at least).  There is no question that flying is still, statistically speaking, the safest way to travel.  Cars have a pretty bad safety record, trains are better but still not as good as air travel. For the number of people transported, the number of take-offs and landings, the number of miles covered, airline safety is second to none.

Now, this not say that there haven’t been some issues that cause doubt and concern such as; poor maintenance practices, training, and cargo issues.  In the 1990s there were a number of fatal crashes caused by these lapses of safety that the airlines needed to address.  However, since the start of the Third Millennium, there have been very few air disasters in the US, excluding 911 of course, which was a totally different issue.  Air travel has had very few safety issues over the last ten years until now.

In the last 5 months, we have seen two aircraft built by the dominant aircraft manufacturer in US crash (although not on American soil).  Both of these crashes (although both are still under investigation) are believed to have been caused by flight control issues related to an override system, as reported by several news agencies (I am not an engineer so don’t hold me to the minutia in facts here).  Irrespective of the actual cause, it is very suspicious to have two crashes involving the same model aircraft and both being brand new in such a close period of time.

Most nations who own this model aircraft moved quickly to ground it after the second crash.  The only nation who refused to ground was the US.  The manufacturer pleaded its defense that the aircraft was safe, yet other nations did not agree and protected the safety of their citizens and customers.  Those nations also would not even let the aircraft in question fly in their airspace.  Yet, despite global fears for safety the good ole US of A dug their heels in and allowed this aircraft to keep flying.

So, this brings me to a very interesting question; Why would we allow a potentially dangerous aircraft fly in our airspace with our citizen customers when everyone else would not?  Well, as always, I believe the answer is greed!  Several airlines both domestic and global announced that they would be losing over $46,000 per aircraft every day that they do not fly.  Sure, that is a lot of money, but my friends, what is the value of the over 300 people who died in the crashes that happened abroad?

Here is something that confirms my theory; there is a database used by commercial pilots in the US to anonymously file reports and complaints regarding aircraft and airline safety or other issues.  Two media sources have indicated that there were many pilots who have complained about this aircraft since its launch with the airlines in the US.  The exact number of pilots was not disclosed but you are led to believe that there could be at least hundreds.  Many of the pilots that had reported on the site had indicated the aircraft was very unstable at times and difficult to fly.

After a very dumb tweet, sent by our tweety-in-chief saying that aircraft are too complex and have been unsafe for years (not true at all, as discussed earlier, the aircraft that have been built over the last 20 years have operated very safely), our president, finally did the right thing and grounded the aircraft.  The very sad but not unpredictable thing here is that the manufacturer, FAA, and airlines in this country did not want to ground the aircraft even though everyone else globally did.  Once again, we see that US corporations have little regard for the safety and lives of their customers.

Now, as a veteran traveler, I can tell you with great certainty that I will not fly this plane until it is demonstrably fixed (complete with much testing as evidence).  I laughed at a talking head who felt that the government should not be involved in this process.  That it was a demonstration of too much government control and that the customers should have forced the grounding by not flying on this aircraft.  Allow me to explain to this person why that would not work.

A very small percentage of people fly with the same frequency or miles as me and some others who make their living globally.  The casual passenger has little knowledge of aircraft type, safety or even age of the aircraft they board.  Most could not tell you the difference between an MD-80 or a DC-3 (look it up).  As a customer, they rely on the provider of their service to offer them quality, safety, and satisfaction (I know, it has become blind trust).  I will touch on corporate fiduciary or moral responsibility in an upcoming blog.

For now, all is safe, but I believe that the message that was delivered was clear; we cannot rely on corporations to safeguard our well-being, instead, we must have regulations and regulators looking out for the customer.  More on this later.

Talk To Ya Soon

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer

Over the weekend, I watched a panel debate the feasibility of a “single payer” health care system.  The usual players were there, a couple of token right-wingers and couple of pretend left wingers.  All the usual arguments were brought up, especially the standard-bearer question—how do we pay for this?  It continually blows my mind that there is a cost or premium on a human life.

But that’s not why I am writing today (we will hit more about healthcare issues later).  There was something brought up in this “lively debate” that really tickled the old funny bone.  After the panel somewhat agreed that other countries have done single-payer successfully, one of the panelists chimed in with “yes, but would those who currently like their private insurer plan be able to keep it?”

OK, I am a little dumbfounded here, if we rebuild the health system to the point where all services would be included in the new public plan, why the hell would someone want to keep paying more for a plan that is either equal to or lesser than the new program?  This objection seems absolutely asinine to me, it’s like being able to get the same widget for less but you want to pay more even though the same widget is offered on the new plan.  Believe me, if we were able to build this plan your Doc will participate.

The main argument with this has always been the ability to go see the same Doc, but most of us don’t go to our physician’s office on weekly basis.  The two medical professionals that most Americans see on a somewhat regular basis is the dentist and the general practitioner.  Even if you keep the same people, it isn’t like they remember everything about you when you have an appointment (that’s why they keep records) and let’s face the facts people die or retire.  There is a major revolution taking place in the healthcare field anyway, Nurse Practitioners are replacing General Practice Docs.

Most of the time, if you have a serious or specific medical issue, you will be referred to a specialist.  So basically, you spend an additional $100.00 to have your temperature and blood pressure checked and asked, “how are you feeling?”, you can accomplish that a drug store.  Nurse practitioners are a better option anyway, hell, they know more than GP Docs!  I believe that any system that is created moving forward will be all encompassing and will include your favorite Doc.

So, this brings me back to the question—why the hell would you want to keep sending your money into billionaires when we could build an all-inclusive system and pay money into a publicly operated fund (would work the same as private insurance without the profit)?  Hell, maybe we will save a few more lives in the process—what a concept!

Talk To Ya Later!

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

A young lady who is mostly referred to these days as “AOC”, stunned the establishment politicians and talking heads by winning a congressional seat in her New York district last November.  AOC has every long term, incumbent, bullshit-artist-politician quaking in their boots as she has started a dialogue about changing the corporate, fascist run empire we live in.  Now, whether she is too extreme, inexperienced or just unrealistic, one thing is for sure, she has ignited discussions that have caught the attention of the 90% of Americans who are struggling to find the “American Dream”.

Recently, AOC co-wrote a piece of legislation titled; “The Green New Deal”, which proposes to fix many of today’s societal ills, especially income inequality.  One of the components of the bill addresses global warming and the many different contributors to this potential disaster.  Included in the demands of the bill is that the meat industry (she should say corporations) need to reduce “green-house gas”, a by-product of cow burping and farting.  Cow farts and burps evidently release a large amount of methane, a large contributor to greenhouse gases.

Recently, one of AOC’s staff members was witnessed eating a hamburger and the shit (complete with methane) hit the fan.  Accusations of hypocrisy are flying all around Capital Hill, since you can’t demand that the use of something be stopped then turn around and use it yourself.  From here on out, AOC’s staff should confine their lunch time cuisine to tofu sandwiches and soy bean burgers—right?  This is where I come in to save AOC’s bacon (pun intended).

I am not a scientist and cannot argue the green gas thing (I do believe in global warming), however, I have written about the shitty quality of beef currently available in most middle-class stores especially in the Midwest, the part of the world where I hail from.  I have noticed over the last 10 years that the quality of the beef being sold (at least to those of us who are not billionaires) has gotten pretty shitty.  You have to work really hard to find a pound of ground beef that isn’t 20% gristle and has enough food coloring in it to paint your house.  The flavor has also disappeared with GMO grains being fed to cows who are crammed into tiny feed lots.

For several years now corporations have either bought up most private farm beef producers or drove many of them out of business with pricing schemes.  The corporate behemoths then began doing what they do best, mass production, not only of beef but cash as well. Their huge farms became assembly line production of beef, just as their poultry farms had done earlier.

Most of these farms cram cattle into very small pens where they have little room to roam, just like the poultry industry does.  There are culinary studies that prove that animal stress affects the flavor of the meat, in any types of warm-blooded mammal.  So, in addition to the pollution this causes, it also denigrates the flavor as well.  Because of the cheaper prices for corporate beef, many seldom beef buyers became frequent purchasers and drove up demand and the number of belching, burping cows.

I have throughout the years, always seemed to be lucky in knowing someone who is a private rancher who raises a few cows.  This has given me the opportunity to enjoy beef that is naturally grazed and allowed to roam a decent size pasture in happiness (well, at least until processing time).  As many of you may know there is little comparison in the taste of that beef as opposed to the corporately poisoned, mass produced cattle.  I challenge you—try it sometime!

So, when they accuse AOC of taking everyone’s hamburger, I call bullshit, we just need to use the local butcher shops instead of corporate slaughter houses (and by that, I mean corporate stores).  This whole thing coincides with the loss of other small, more personal businesses that has been going on here for the last 50 years.  What makes it tough is the fact that corporations can offer their GMO beef a lot cheaper than small butcher shops, since they have eliminated or consolidated competition to point where there are only a few choices left.

Look, it is true that we customers should cut back on a lot of this mass-produced shit including beef (and I am a big beef fan), chicken and pork, for health and environmental reasons.  If we all cut back then we could return to the days of smaller beef, chicken and pork ranches which would restore the quality of taste and our environment.  The moderation thing would help here, but as long as corporations continue to mass produce cheap beef and cheap prices the problem will continue.

So, the next time that one of AOC’s staff gets caught eating a hamburger or cheeseburger, keep in mind that it was probably raised on a smaller non-corporate farm and not the corporate farms that she is going after.  No matter what corporations produce, it is always in large quantities, and their output of by-product and pollution is equally large.  So, the story about taking everyone’s hamburger being taken away is not true, but then, how often is anything fucking politicians do or claim true?

By the way, and while we are on the subject, I love what this young lady (AOC) is doing to the political scene.  She is turning it on its ear and it’s about damn time!   Maybe a lot of what she is talking about or proposing is not possible right now, but we have start somewhere.  We need to start talking about how we can fix our world and we need to do it now.  So, to AOC I say—YOU GO GIRL!  Love Ya!

Talk To Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved

More reports are starting to surface regarding the condition of retail stores and its not good.  In the next quarter there could be a record number of store closings and people losing their jobs.  It has been reported that over 4300 store closures have been announced already this year.  I believe I have figured out what is plaguing the brick and mortar retail stores in this country.  Besides the fact that everyone is broke.

Recently, I posted a blog about the misadventures we had trying to buy a new television.  The difficulty we encountered trying to get assistance while making our purchase was frustrating.  Well, it happened again.  We needed two new reclining chairs as our current ones have seen better days and are now ready to be claimed by a couple of poor college students.  After doing our diligence on what type of chair, brand and the features desired, we set out to shop.

We had decided on a chair made by one of the better-known manufacturers (hint: it is a girl’s name) and were interested in seeing a couple of different models that caught our eye.  Luckily, there were a couple of privately-owned stores in our area who carried that line of product, I would rather buy from private stores than the big corporate behemoths.  The opportunity to put money back into one’s community has always appealed to me.

Our first store was a very beautifully laid out show room with different themes that resemble a Hemingway adventure novel.  It had a large showroom with massive amounts of furniture on display, it also carried the brand of chairs we were looking for.  All that is left now is to find a product savvy associate with a desire to sell.  The first person we encountered was apparently just a greeter who politely directed us to the area where our brand was on display and told us someone should be available help us shortly.  Well, shortly came but assistance did not.

This, then required us to seek out help ourselves—again!  After finding a sales associate, we were once again underwhelmed by the lack of interest that was shown to us.  I guess maybe the more desirable customer is buying an entire home of furniture or at least a complete bedroom set.  The next store was no different, once again, leaving us bewildered and wandering what good the physical stores are? I know you think I am making all of this up, but I have witnesses—LOL!

Well, I will tell you what the physical stores are good for, you come in, you try out, on or in what ever it is you want to buy then you go home to the comfort of your home and order it online!  That’s exactly what we did, we were able to find the color and features that we wanted in the recliners and found them at a savings of $200.00 to boot.  As I said earlier, we would rather spend the money locally, but it just seems like no one wants to help you spend your money—a bewildering concept in my mind.

After the world-renowned toy store failure in the US, I began to believe that physical stores (including car lots) should just be showcases where you can touch/feel something then simply go home and order it.  This is a tragic situation that is continuously fed by a stock market that has no heart or soul and thrives on the lifeblood of every American—money!  Living in an oligarchy world that has no consideration for humans, has built a society of customer service-less apathy.  I realize that online sales still have not reached the level of completely decimating physical stores, but it will.  I guess we will just have to adjust to the fact that our money is the only important thing to corporations.  It certainly isn’t our satisfaction.

Talk To Ya Later

The Grumpy Old Fart Customer @2019 All Rights Reserved