Not In Kansas Anymore....

.... thank God.

It has been a busy week. Being busy usually makes time seem to go by fast but not this time. I'm just glad it's over. TGIF and all that.

I flew to Wichita, KS on business and stayed at the airport Hilton. I usually try to get something more along the lines of a Hilton Garden Inn or, in a pinch, a Hampton Inn. I actually like these better and my employer likes the cost savings. In this instance, however, the others were booked even though I tried reserving over a month in advance.

My stay at this Hilton simply affirmed my feelings toward the HGI and even Hampton Inn's. Despite being placed on the concierge level with access to food and snacks 24/7, it's just not worth the money. Who needs turn-down service, anyway? I would feel lazy accepting that service. I quickly shooed the lady away. Good thing I was still dressed as she barged into my room at 9pm the first night. A curt knock and then I could hear the electronic buzz as she had swiped her access card. The door opened before I could look up from my laptop. The second night I hung the "leave me alone" sign on the door handle outside the room and latched the deadbolt and bar just in case she felt like the sign didn't pertain to her. Sheesh.

It also didn't help that the walls were very thin and I could hear commodes flush, various bodily noises (coughing, sneezing, etc), doors slamming, and so on unless I turned the TV up to a moderate level. After hearing how noisy it was on my "secluded" level, I noticed the wall thickness wasn't much thicker than the door. Certainly not standard wall thickness. The building looked pretty old, too, so maybe that's it. The name of the integrated restaurant, "Legends", even seems to lend to the age of this "joint". I certainly couldn't recommend staying at this location.

Disclaimer: For any co-workers who might read this, the room rate differential wasn't excessive and I was upgraded to the concierge level due to the HHonors level I've attained over the years. Besides, there weren't any other options aside from a sleep-cheap (sorry but NOPE) or a more expensive Marriott.

Other travel events this week: the rental car scenario at the Wichita airport (ICT) stinks. With the exception of the very small airports, National maintains an Emerald Club Aisle allowing members to bypass the counter and select a car of their choice. Members who rent frequently can attain Executive and Executive Elite status and pick from the nicer vehicles. This is tossed out the window at smaller airports and you get what they give you. I'm sure they are supposed to use status and assign from their fleet appropriately but it doesn't always work for your benefit. For me, I like to drive different cars. I'm going to pass over the Mustang and Malibu if I see a Jetta on the isle. I'll pick the Tundra or a Saturn Aura over the Volvo's. What did I get this time? An Impala. Yawn. The only redeeming quality in this rental was the new car smell.

The HVAC was apparently broken on the CRJ for the last leg of my trip - DFW to LIT yesterday. It was mid-80's in DFW and the large metal tube was getting hotter and hotter. From my vantage point in 13B, I could see hand after hand reaching up to touch the air vent as if somehow it might have spun shut on them while they weren't looking. It's common for the air flow to fluctuate while at the gate and taxiing to the runway but the airflow remained weak to nonexistent throughout the flight. It was pretty miserable. I've thought about emailing American Airlines and complaining. Might be good for a few hundred miles. :) At least the flight attendant was nice. Being PLT I got a refill on my water. Woohoo!

Airport Gate Seating

So what's up with the seating at airport gates? I suppose the question should be "what's up with the moronic passengers and how they choose their seat at airport gates?"

Most airport gate seats consist of rows and rows of adjoined seats. Generally, the airport tries to fill the space with as many seats as possible and use these straight rows to do so. The seats are adjoined (I'm sure) to keep people from moving them all around. Moving them not only necessitates the airport having to move them back but I'm sure the seat would wear out sooner if moved frequently. There are exceptions - some small airports have lounge chairs and I have to imagine they replace them frequently. Either that or the small volume of people moving through the airport allows them to use the nicer furniture.

As an observer of human nature who wants more cosmos than chaos in my surroundings, I am disgusted when I arrive at a gate and do a quick scan of the area for my choice of seat. There are those wonderful times when the gate is mostly empty and void of travelers. I now secretly relish those times. However, more often I notice a huge waste in seating due to Seat Hogs.

These Seat Hogs choose their seat so as to take up as many seats as possible. Let me explain. Most people can fit into one seat. It seems to be human nature for people traveling alone (there are those extreme extroverts out there though) to sit one seat apart from the next passenger. So I expect to see every other chair occupied. If the row contains 20 seats then I expect to see seats 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19 occupied allowing 10 people to sit. This alone is a huge waste in seating, I admit, but wait till Mr. Seat Hog enters the picture.

Mr. Seat Hog will sit in seat 2 and place a bag, newspaper or other item in seats 1 and 3. The next person coming along might sit in seat 4 but if Seat Hog has placed items in seat 3 that seem obtrusive (large bag or stinky food) then seat 5 is chosen. Such chaos! I see this all the time and I've thought about sitting in seat 1 several times. Just to piss off Mr. Seat Hog. But honestly, I don't think it would have that effect because this Chaos Generator is oblivious to the turmoil he creates.

Other airport gates, such as the B terminal at DFW, have seats positioned in pods of 2-8 seats. I'm sure the extrovert architect or designer that crafted this arrangement felt like everyone wants to sit facing their fellow passengers. Why? So I can see every move they make and they me? It works for the family traveling together but not so much for the singular traveler. As a result, many seats are wasted in these arrangements. I see more people standing along walls or around the gate area than I do people sitting in areas like these. Maybe 33% occupancy. Way to go architect! I get enough of Cozy Seating when actually on the plane, thanks.

So I'm usually left to shake my head in dismay and wonder. If you happen to notice a guy shaking his head with a look of disgust on his face in airports in the south - it might just be me. Please don't take up 4 seats, ok? Don't be a Seat Hog.

Vehicle Safety Inspections....

I started to write more about the stimulus plan today but decided enough was enough. Well, I'll mention just a couple of things. First - I have to wonder and haven't seen too much on this yet - how much of the new spending is going to recur next year? How many of the programs infused with Billion's of extra dollars are going to need that extra income as part of their budget come next year? Hmmm.... this spending is going to be recurring, I'm afraid. Not entirely but a large percent will be. The Medicaid funding, food stamps, etc. I'm sure someone's crunching those numbers as I type this. Secondly, the DJIA dropped to 73xx today - the lowest since the big dip in October. Word is that it was a reaction to some White House comments that maybe the banks need to be privately held for a time until recovery occurs. Scary stuff.


Onward with the other item that has me irritated. Representative Flowers has introduced HB1482 to reinstate vehicle safety inspections in Arkansas.

I would be 100% for this if I thought it would really remove the rolling junk from our roads. I have my doubts because we have a law now requiring auto insurance for every vehicle but I'm constantly hearing about accidents where one vehicle isn't insured. They have to be insured to register annually but what's to keep them from driving illegally or perhaps getting insurance so they can get registered and then canceling?

I can also remember years ago when motor vehicle inspections were required here and the inspection consisted of a 1-minute headlight, taillight, blinker, and wiper check. That is - if you knew where to go. You know - some Bubba you knew who would (wink) (wink) pass you without much involvement.

As I read the bill, I immediately noticed that the inspection station has little incentive to perform a thorough inspection. They can charge no more than $10 for a standard automobile and from that the station has paid $1.50 to the State for the sticker. This station stands to make $8.50/inspection. Not much when mechanic labor is maybe 10-15 times that!

I see two outcomes. They'll either spend 1 minute on the inspection and not do a very good job so that they can do a large volume of inspections or they'll find things wrong and fail the inspection in hopes of selling you a headlight polishing kit or new wipers or new brake pads. Either way = failure for this bill in my not so humble opinion.

You want to know the other thing that stinks about this bill? It wasn't borne out of desire to increase safety on Arkansas roadways. Nope. Instead, it exists as a way to fund a couple of causes. Now before I get attacked - I don't have anything against the three causes (autism, community health centers, and non-Medicare primary retirees). I do have a problem with designing a bill to fund a specific cause but I know that's how politics works. If anything, I think a bill like this ought to fund our roadways. What a mess they are in! I travel A LOT and I don't see much worse. :(

This weeks travel blurb includes a celebrity sighting....

More than just a sighting. I was fortunate enough to sit in the exit row with Governor Mike Huckabee. I wondered as I used the salutation "Governor" in my greeting if that were the correct thing to do. I know they retain that title forever I suppose or until they get a new one but it seemed a little odd for some reason.

I've ridden on at least one flight with him before and have noticed him in the Houston, Dallas and Little Rock airports numerous times. But this was the first instance for me to actually talk to him since the election. Usually I see him appeasing someone who wants to interject their opinion on him all the while his food is getting cold. Things like that just reaffirm my understanding and opinion that most people are ignorant and/or rude. I tend to think the rudeness comes from their ignorance but what do I know. But I suppose that's the life of a politician much like Hollywood celebrity's have to deal with their paparazzi. It goes with the territory.

My conversation consisted of telling him I liked his show on Fox. It is interesting with the band and the Governor's participation in the band. I especially liked his piece this past weekend where he named the stimulus plan for President Obama. Take a look if you missed it:



On a more serious note he also interviewed Steven Curtis Chapman about the loss of their daughter last summer. Here are the two parts:

Part 1:


Part 2:


Other than that I told him that my wife also loved his show and we had been rooting for him to win the Republican nomination. After that I left him alone. He read a magazine and I imagined he appreciated the quiet time. We could have talked, I'm sure, about the current President, the Democratic Congress, and the Congressional Relief Action Program. I'm sure I would have learned something. I have an idea we'll see more of the Governor in the coming years.

More on the Stupendous Stimulus Spending Plan

The WSJ breaks down into a neat package some of the spending in the Stimulus Spending Plan. You can read about it here.

Right off I see $116,199,000,000 for tax credits: $400 payroll tax credit for workers earning up to $75,000; married couples filing jointly get $800 for income up to $150,000. If you qualify that comes out to about $15 a week for a married couple. Woohoo!

Then there's $90,044,000,000 in Medicaid spending. I guess that'll stimulate more people to work? Or is this, along with the $19,991,000,000 to bolster food stamps by 13%, preparation for those who are about to be out of work?

Perhaps the $7,500 to $8,000 tax credit for new home buyers will stimulate some who might be renting to make the leap to home ownership. I see this as benefiting a narrow band of individuals who might be on the fence about owning a home - for the first time. The tax credit - originally proposed to be around $15,000 - might be enough to get them to buy a house. The plan sets aside $6,638,000,000 which would provide funding for nearly 800,000 home purchases. There are hundreds of thousands of newly constructed homes just sitting from the end of the housing boom a few months ago.

And what will indirectly assist the auto industry? There's a provision to allow taxpayers earning less than $125,000 the ability to deduct sales and excise taxes paid on new cars. $1,684,000,000 is set aside for this. If you begin to think about the real savings for this, you'll quickly realize the savings is small. New cars aren't cheap and in my opinion are grossly overpriced compared to their value. At $40,000 new and with a 5% state sales tax, you'll pay $2,000 in sales tax. You can deduct that amount on your taxes and with a 25% marginal tax rate, you'll see $500 as a tax refund. It's not as nice as a tax credit now is it? I fear it's simply a matter of months before we see a complete collapse and restructuring of this industry. I think it's about time. The price on new cars is ridiculous and some companies can't make it charging that amount (GM, Chrysler, Ford, etc). I don't know if it's the cost of the labor, the cost of the materials, adherence to Government regulations that ultimately require more labor/parts/R&D, et cetera, but if a company can't make it they should fail. That's the way capitalism works - some other company will pick up the demand. GM announced yesterday the intent to sell off 3 of their auto lines if they didn't get additional assistance. Come on!?!?

The provision that raises some major concern for me has to do with the incentives provided to hospitals and physicians who computerize their medical records systems. The provision sets aside a massive $17,559,000,000 for this. The pundits on the news networks indicate this is a step toward socialized medicine. It could be, I suppose, if the incentives are tied to networking this information. That's what they say it does. I haven't read it myself. I guess that's my homework. I see the owners of some electronic medical records companies getting wealthy off this and I see no economic stimulus as a result. This one stinks.

I genuinely hope something positive comes of this spending. All I can taste right now is foul and bitter. What are your thoughts?

Stimulus Follow-up....

It's been 5 days since my last entry (read it here) on the stimulus bill. Did you download and read any of it? Come on - be honest! Maybe you tried?

I did and I didn't get very far. I'm accustomed to reading long and boring PDF documents but 1100 pages was just too much. I found myself jumping 10-20 pages at a time, skimming the surface and hitting mainly titles. Maybe the ADHD was kicking in but I couldn't stick with it. It seemed to me to be a compilation of spending that provides government agencies with hundreds of thousands, millions or billions of dollars. I was really stretching my imagination in seeing how providing many of those agencies with any money was going to jump-start our economy.

But the question that kept bubbling to the top: "How will this be monitored?" Will it just be doled out to those agencies so that the existing agency's administration uses the money to (somehow) stimulate the economy? I immediately imagined the money being spent to remodel government offices and buildings, maybe enhance some landscaping by adding walking tracks and a pond here and there, expand the facilities for government employees, etc. Maybe that stimulates the construction industry for a short period of time but certainly not long term.

So doubts aside that economic stimulation will even occur from this plan to any appreciable degree. How long will it take? I'm thinking 6 months to a year at best. The tax credit that is reported to add $13 a week to your paycheck is said to take effect in June. They say it'll just take that long to implement. It's a different approach from the stimulus checks that went out last year as a lump sum. It's reported that many people and families used that to pay down debt. Much like many people are foregoing large purchases right now and spending less overall. Don't forget less credit card usage. So the new approach will have a meager increase in takehome pay for the average American. What good does that do to stimulus? $13?

Speaking of credit cards. I have one I use for work. Despite my commitment to becoming debt free, I still use a credit card for travel expenses associated with work. It takes my employer 4-8 weeks to reimburse and I don't want to foot thousands of dollars in expenses awaiting reimbursement. I say all as an explanation as to why I have a card at all. My intent was just to mention the increasing credit card rates with the banks. Their terms of use agreements allow them to do it and just today Citi Bank sent me a notice explaining the rate was increasing to something like 17.xx% and defaults were going to 29.xx%. I had heard this was happening and I wasn't left out. Sounds like they whet their appetite with the billions of taxpayer bailout cash and now the banks monster wants more of our money. Have you heard they aren't lending, either? Talk to a mortgage officer at a bank and see how that's going - a fraction of consumer loans are going through.

So we are left with credit card interest rates going up now and a $13 tax credit on the horizon. Who in their right mind wouldn't be forgoing large purchases right now and saving money? I guess not me as I want a different truck. Something with a diesel. :)

Stimulus Bill. Have you read it? Do you care?

Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Senate is expected to pass it tonight. From there it heads to President Obama for his signature (no doubt this signing will be a Kodak moment) and the funds will be doled out accordingly. Do you know where or to whom?

I don't. I'll admit it. I seriously doubt if many of our congress men and women have read it either. Just vote yes because you're a democrat or just vote no because you're a republican is no doubt the mindset if not mantra amongst those in the big building in DC. Except of course for the 3 Republican's that were needed to pass the bill in the Senate and I'm sure they're expecting some quid pro quo for their efforts (if they didn't get substantial PORK in the stimulus bill).

Since we need to be informed, please take a few hours and read the following. Get some coffee and jab a needle in your leg periodically to ensure you stay awake.

Stimulus Bill Part A (496 pages)
Stimulus Bill Part B (575 pages)

I'm seriously loading both documents now and plan to browse through them. Updates to follow.

Alarm!!!

The etymology of the word dates back to the 1300's when "all'arme" and "alarme" meant "to arms."

That's not exactly what I was doing at 3:56am today when the burglar alarm went off at my house. I wasn't arming myself as I should have been.

If you've never experienced being awakened by a 130+ decibel siren when in the dead of sleep, consider yourself fortunate. It's an adrenaline rush in the worst of ways. It's something you hope you never hear but something you hope you're prepared for when you do hear it. We've tested the system in the past to ensure it's functioning correctly. We've heard the different tones and cadences of the sirens - one for burglary and one for fire. We've even had them go off before ... and not only in test mode.

We were only in our new house for a few days some 5 years ago when the alarm went off around 1am. It turns out a wire leading to a window contact was somehow damaged in the wall or ceiling space. That zone was open no matter what and decided to open, of course, at 1am. That was our first taste of what to expect when an alarm goes off while asleep. Then there was the morning the alarm was still on (stay mode) following being set the night before and Liz let a kitchen cabinet door slam shut tripping a glass break sensor. Yes, they are that sensitive. There was even the time when the fire alarm cadence sounded due to a steam cleaner being placed too close to a heat/smoke sensor. The ironic part of that scare is that Jamie and I were burning some boxes about 50 yards from the house near the creek at the back of our property. My first thought was that somehow a burning ember floated on the wind to the house and somehow it was burning. It would have been Murphy at work as that is a long shot that I don't think could even happen but nonetheless we panicked. Liz was already on the phone with the monitoring company trying to clear it up.

This morning's scare occurred because a french door opened. I go through a routine each night of checking doors so how I missed this door not being locked is beyond me. And I've already heard about it from Liz! Outside that french door is the upper level of our deck and it's covered by the roof. If you've got an imagination, think of this upper level as being an alcove with steps leading down to the next level of the deck and two sets of french doors on the opposing side. It had been raining and while the upper level was dry the lower deck level and stairs leading between the two were wet. Later when investigating what happened I realized there were no wet foot tracks on the upper deck. No two-legged intruder breached our home. I've come to the conclusion it was the wind. Last night and even now as I type this the wind blows fiercely - the same storm system that brought tornadoes to Oklahoma yesterday. Not having the deadbolt latched allowed the door to flex. If you recall that part of the deck is an alcove and the pressure on the door was enough to deflect the upper portion of the door just enough to open the contact. I played with it this morning and could reproduce this.

What upsets me about this the most is that we failed to react accordingly. I jumped up and grabbed my glasses and turned on my bedside light. Maybe a second or two there. I went directly to the alarm keypad to turn off the alarm. That seems to be the first reaction each time - turn off that noise. Hearing is a valuable sense and that noise has to stop so I can hear what's going on. Also at the keypad I can see the zones being triggered. I see "french door" then immediately "living room motion". I also hear the chimes sound at the keypad - something that happens with each door open and close. The brain can process at a high rate of speed and the outcome at that moment was that someone entered the french door and either shut it behind him or he went back out. Perhaps he opened the door and when the alarm triggered and siren blared, he took off. But that "living room motion" told me someone was in the living room - right where the french door is. It was immediately after this thought and the siren ceasing that I could hear my daughter sobbing. And she was close. Again - all this in a second or less. I move to the bottom step from our master bedroom entrance and see my daughter walking through the living room and toward our bedroom. This puts her walking in front of and very close to the french doors. And here I am unarmed.

Fortunately, this was a false alarm and I didn't need to be "to arms" with a weapon in hand to deal with an intruder. The monitoring company called within a minute of the alarm and, in retrospect, telling them it was a false alarm and providing my code might not have been the best thing to do. I had very quickly made the determination it was a false alarm but what if it hadn't been raining? I couldn't have expected to see wet footprints on the wooden deck and there certainly could have been an intruder in the house. Perhaps in another room.

We are also going to do some planning and review for how to react during the daytime and night when faced with a fire siren and a burglary siren. While Jamie did the right thing and stayed in his room (with a weapon in hand I might add - kudos to him) awaiting either an all clear from dad or mom, Sarah was frightened and made her way toward mom and dad's room in the dark. Yikes! Liz did the right thing and stayed back and found a phone. She was prepared to call 911 and in the future will call right away rather than waiting. The next time it might not be a false alarm. For me, the unloaded gun that sits in the bedside table will get loaded and secured in a quick access, compact handgun safe.

Airplane Etiquette

I'm certain volumes have been written on this subject. Unfortunately, I keep flying with folks who haven't read a word of it. And come to think about it neither have I. But because I know I practice a high level of etiquette this certainly makes me think one shouldn't have to be instructed on appropriate etiquette. It should be something that's taught as one grows up.

During my flight this week, my neighbor in the exit row seated in 20A and I discussed this very issue. It started off simple enough, talking about how some passenger had clogged the isle with his carry-on bag, personal item (another bag), and coat. He had to stop and put each away but stopping first to pull a book or maybe laptop from his bag and then take off his coat and try to fold it and place it in the overhead on top of his bag. It took several minutes and is just plain rude to the other passengers who are piled up behind him.

After shaking our heads and collectively saying "typical" our conversation turned to all the other things that annoy us amongst our fellow passengers. We outlined a laundry list and I'll attempt to recreate it here. I'm all about lists. They keep things nice and neat.

1. Being prepared when you walk onto the plane. Lack of preparation leaves you floundering around like the toad I saw this week trying to get your stuff put away and hoping you remember to get out the noise-canceling headsets, iPod and/or your book. Take those things out of your bag before you board and keep them handy or put them in the bag you intend to place under the seat. Then have an idea where you intend to stuff all your things before you get on the plane.

2. Know ahead of time what size plane you're boarding. If your big bag won't fit in the overhead, please don't force it! On my return flight this week some newbie (or idiot?) forced the door closed and that causes the door slide to come out. Even if it latches the flight attendant will spot the door slightly ajar and get the captain. The captain will call maintenance and guess what? Ten to thirty minutes are lost - thanks to you! If you need to valet or gate check your bag then PLEASE do so. Even if you don't screw up the overhead door you'll still slow things down as you trod back off the plane to check your bag because it's too big to fit in the overhead or under the seat.

3. If the seats have arm rests that raise and lower, keep them down. I certainly don't want your leg (inevitably sweaty) contacting mine for hours. Don't get mad when your neighbor lowers the arm rest you raised. Just live with it. Down.

4. Use deodorant. I don't like your earthy, musky natural scent and I'm guessing most others don't either. And don't use copious amounts of perfume or cologne. It's just as bad. Stinky who? Stinky you!

5. Don't grab the seat back in front of you to assist you in standing if someone is in that seat. Did you like it when your mother grabbed you and shook you as a child? Neither does the person seated in front of you.

6. To go along with 5 above, don't touch each seat or each shoulder (worse!) as you walk down the aisle. Have you noticed the flight attendant will place their hands on the overhead doors if they need steadying as they walk down the aisle. Take their lead. Do the same. I don't want you grabbing me.

7. If you recline your seat, please turn around first to see if the person behind you is leaned over asleep on the tray table or using a laptop. Some people will also lower just a tad to give the person back there a head's up that more reclining could be coming. This is better than nothing but when fully reclined realize I'm looking at the top of your head. Yeah, it goes back that far. So if you smash my knees or knock over my laptop because you slammed your seat back abruptly I'm sure you won't mind if I sneeze or cough on your head. Beware.

8. Elbow space. I'm a big guy with wide shoulders and on these sardine tubes dressed up as regional jets there's already not much space. Something like 17-18" of seat width. Even the 170lb average Joe's with size 40 coats will rub elbows. This can't be helped as the designers weren't interested in comfort - but rather maximum capacity. So elbow touching is tolerated but realize the other person might want some armrest room so maybe you should share. Like when you were a child. Share.

9. Exiting the plane. When the little DING noise occurs and the fasten seat belt light goes out, don't jump up and move ahead a few rows. Do you know how rude that is? I'll trip people like you given the chance. My big foot will enter the aisle and cause you to stumble. You'd then be trampled and that wouldn't feel good. Just stay in the aisle next to your seat. Don't move forward in an attempt to get off the plane 3-4 people sooner.

10. Children. I know they have to fly. I'm not going to suggest they be banned from commercial flight. But for the love of Mike, can you contain them? Can you prevent them from using their LOUD voice with the never-ending questions? Can you make them keep their seat belts on and not jump into the aisle prompting the ever-alert flight attendant from coming and having a little chat with you? Or from standing in the seat and leering over the back of the seat at the poor soul behind you who is reaching for his wallet to see if he has enough cash to buy several of those small alcoholic beverage bottles so that he can induce sleep? Or from leaning the other way and peering onto the balding scalp of the middle aged business man in the seat in front? Perhaps letting some drool or some gum fall into his thinning hair? Just exercise some control over them for the rest of the plane? Can you do that? If you realize you can't, just dose them with some Benadryl about 15 minutes before boarding. That's a joke. Not really.

11. This should have been at the top but I forgot about it: Board when your group is called. Even board later but never board earlier than you are allowed. I see it all the time on the boarding pass of the person in front of me as the gate person scans the boarding pass. It'll say group two when the gate person called for . Some yahoo decides he needs a little extra time. Really he just wants to be first. He's usually seated near the front, too, and probably an aisle seat so he has to get up to let in his neighbors and his shoulder sticks out in the aisle like an obstacle you have to avoid. What a dope. He probably tries to get up and run forward an aisle or two when the plane starts to depart. Someday maybe I'll get to trip him.

Really etiquette on an airplane is no different than etiquette elsewhere. The offenders are the same people who cut you off in traffic, drive around school buses, cut in line, don't pay their taxes, don't mow their lawns, expect the Government to take care of them, and want something for nothing. That sums it up. Thanks for listening.

It ain't what it used to be...

... could probably describe a lot of things but right now, for me, I'm thinking it aptly describes Customer Service at many retail outlets.

There's no doubt in my mind that some time in our recent history people actually cared about the outcome of their jobs, how they performed, how they interacted with others, etc. Maybe it's called pride in a job done well. To me this is fundamental to a prosperous business. Fundamental and not at all optional.

Case in point for me - my recent experience with a local John Deere dealer. I'd purchased a not-so-cheap riding mower from them last summer and over the course of 5 months I had some pretty significant outstanding issues ranging from no keys upon delivery, the wrong mowing deck, and no owners manual to some o-ring blowing out in the carb causing it to flood. The local dealership was no help - from missed delivery dates to not returning my calls or emails. I received a call from a regional customer service representative at John Deere corporate after I blasted the local dealership on a survey card. He seemed genuinely interested in resolving my issues but... he's a customer service guy. That's HIS job. I expected he would take it serious. The problem children are the local outlets and the employees there. They are the true face of the company. And that face told me "Thbssssttttt!"

In the end, they felt like it was worked out and I was left thinking I can't recommend this company to anyone because they really don't care. I was dished out some "We're sorry" and "I'm sorry" phone calls from the goobers at the local dealership but it wasn't sincere. It wasn't "without flaw". No, it was coerced by the corporate office.

What can be done? I honestly don't know. If you tried protesting establishments that have crappy customer service you'd likely find it difficult to spend your money anywhere.