RANT: “Cash for Clunkers” thinking

Saturday, January 16, 2010

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/h-m-and-wal-mart-destroy-and-trash-unsold-goods-562909/

H&M and Wal-Mart destroy and trash unsold goods

   * by Joanna Douglas, Shine Staff, on Thu Jan 7, 2010 8:31am PST

*** begin quote ***

This week the New York Times reported a disheartening story about two of the largest retail chains. You see, instead of taking unsold items to sample sales or donating them to people in need, H&M and Wal-Mart have been throwing them out in giant trash bags. And in the case that someone may stumble on these bags and try to keep or re-sell the items, these companies have gone ahead and slashed up garments, cut off the sleeves of coats, and sliced holes in shoes so they are unwearable.

This unsettling discovery was made by graduate student Cynthia Magnus outside the back entrance of H&M on 35th street in New York City. Just a few doors down, she also found hundreds of Wal-Mart tagged items with holes made in them that were dumped by a contractor. On December 7, she spotted 20 bags of clothing outside of H&M including, “gloves with the fingers cut off, warm socks, cute patent leather Mary Jane school shoes, maybe for fourth graders, with the instep cut up with a scissor, men’s jackets, slashed across the body and the arms. The puffy fiber fill was coming out in big white cotton balls.”

*** and ***

After several days of no response from H&M, the company made a statement today, promising to stop destroying the garments at the midtown Manhattan location. They said they will donate the items to charity. H&M spokeswoman Nicole Christie said, “It will not happen again,” and that the company would make sure none of the other locations would do so either. Hopefully that’s the final word.

*** end quote ***

Argh! What is this? More “Cash for Clunkers” thinking.

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RANT: The first “Sertorius” for Cronkite?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=121035

Tavern on the Green and our delusional leaders
Posted: January 06, 2010
Barry Farber

*** begin quote ***

I propose the minting of a new award, like the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys and Golden Globes, for today’s cheerleading, sycophantic media. We’ll call it the “Ludwig,” named after Hitler’s favorite broadcaster during the war, Ludwig Sertorius. German newscasters began having a hard time toward the end of 1942 with sharp and fatal reverses in Russia and North Africa. None of them could spin as prize-winningly as Ludwig Sertorius.

When British Gen. Bernard Montgomery counter-attacked German Gen. Erwin Rommel’s advance at El Alamein in Egypt, sending his “Afrika Korps” into history’s longest and fastest retreat, old Ludwig faced the microphone and – with the Germans fleeing at top speed, mind you – told the German people, “All British attempts to interfere with our systematic advance to the rear have been successfully frustrated, defeated and smashed!”

*** end quote ***

I’d suggest Walter Cronkite for the first “Sertorius” award. (Reserving the “Ludwig” for Ludwig von Mises, who is far more deserving.) Cronkite mislead me about his being a liberal. I thought he was being an unbiased reporter. Seeing him sailing with the Hero of Chapaquidick and his statement after his retirement made me realize that all those years he had an agenda!

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RANT: Time compression causes heartaches

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

http://www.jibberjobber.com/blog/2009/12/31/its-over/

It’s Over
December 31st, 2009

*** begin quote ***

2009 is over. The entire decade is over.

*** end quote ***

OK, you fell for the anti-mathematical propaganda. (I had teacher in high school geometry that ranted until we understood cardinality and ordinality. Year 1 ends 12/31/0001. By extrapolation, the “first decade” runs from 1/1/1 until 12/31/0010. Run it forward to today; this is the last year of the decade. Redefining decade? Maybe a new word.

On a more serious note, the urge to a decade review before the decade ends is indicative of time compression and language corruption. It’s indicative of our short term thinking and that’s one thing that is killing us as a civilization and a society. Corporations and their investors focus on the quarter’s results. Executives are compensated (excessively) on short term results that themselves create a contrary incentive.

GM is a classic example. Well compensated execs signed labor contracts that ENSURED the demise of the company. That string of executives are long gone, like the train robbers of old, and the people are reaping the negative rewards. We didn’t even have the common sense to INSIST that the corpse be buried in bankruptcy. Instead we now have another gooferment department that will be a drain on the Public’s purse for decades to come.

We need to change our focus. And, the tax code policy.

The model of the “family farm” is a better one. Sustainable over eons. An inter-generational asset. Instead, the estate taxes ensure that it has to be sold to pay the death taxes. Crazy. Family farms, family businesses, and such are all at risk. SO the thinking becomes short term.

The Dead Old White Guys had the gooferment running on import duties. That would have ensured that industries couldn’t be moved overseas. Now we have to look for wealth building activities that we can do that are NOT off-shorable. Farming, and food production, seems to be a great idea. We can feed the world.

So here we are at the end of my rant. The decade “mistake” points out our short term focus. The short term focus has led us to make some very bad mistakes. (Age discrimination being one of them. That calendar thing again!) Those mistakes when recognized can lead us to a long term solution.

Yeah, I know get a job.

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RANT: Say what you mean

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Argh!

Just got back from Walgreens, and I am annoyed (again).

Walgreens and I have a lot of history.

We’ve had two serious medication errors, many broken promises, and wasted a lot of time with them.

Today, I had a watershed moment. They have a leadership problem!

In a continuing saga, I’ve been trying to get the Old Lady’s insulin rx straight. For months. Originally, I brought the DIABETICDOC’s rxes in. Knowing the system, I had the doc write them for 90 days with three refills. (I promised that the patient would be back.)

The rxes were never recorded. They used the rxes from the old doc. Argh! The result was we’re always running out of insulin.

So I called in and talked through the problem with A pharmacist. She had to call the doc and get replacement rxes. Argh! Then the insurance would pay for it until January 5th. So no problem, we’ll wait until the Fifth. In the meantime, I order other rxes and find another quantity problem. That problem distracted me from the fact that I didn’t get the long awaited insuling rxes.

Argh!

I call. And, talk to some one who doesn’t know anything about it.

Argh!

Go thru it ALL again. He puts the rxes in again. (How did he get rxes if they were “missing”?) Their computer system gets it in and communicates with the insurance company’s computer. My 90 day rx magically becomes a 30 day rx. (Huh?)

At this point, I give up and say fine. (This TRIPLES my copay since I SHOULD get the 90 day supply for one copay of 25$!)

I picked it up.

Get home and find that the dosage instructions are “wrong”. (They were superseded twice already.) And, they charged my a double co-pay.

Argh!

Imagine if we weren’t seriously on top of the rxes in terms of taking the right meds and stuff? If I get frustrated with the insurance, imagine how older folks cope?

And, Obama-care is going to make this all better? Please don’t make me laugh!

Argh!

Back to what set me off.

I pull up to the drive up for a quick pick up. The pharmacist, who voice I recognize because I’ve talked to her so much, say: “Be with you in one minute.” I happened to look at the clock on the dash. It was 8:59. She came to the window at 9:03. That’s not ONE minute. Lest you think that’s no big deal, I disagree. It’s a leadership issue. It’s setting an expectation carelessly that can’t be met.

It’s a “systemic failure”!

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RANT: Self-reliance?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1240629/At-mercy-deep-freeze-Schools-shut-firms-hit–6-inches-snow.html

Army rescues 1,000 drivers stranded in cars for 12 HOURS as UK is paralysed by heavy snow (with more on its way)
By Sophie Freeman
Last updated at 2:09 PM on 06th January 2010

*** begin quote ***

The 23-year-old said: ‘We went through hell. I am eight months pregnant, I couldn’t go to the toilet all night, I couldn’t warm the bottle up for my baby daughter. It was very frightening.

‘There were loads of cars parked up, just on the motorway. No-one knew what was going on – there was no-one to help.

‘We didn’t see any police, we’ve heard that the Army is out but we didn’t see anyone – it’s not very good really.”

She had set off for Heathrow Airport in West Sussex at 5.30pm yesterday and didn’t arrive until 8am today.

Ms Holt’s father, Mark, attempted to reach his daughter but was prevented from driving up the A3 beause it had been closed because of the weather.

He said: ‘It took my daughter 15 hours to get home and no-one came to help her, they didn’t see anyone.’

*** end quote ***

Totally unprepared Brits, throughout article, whine: “they” didn’t do this for me; “they” didn’t do this for me; wha, wha, WHA! No one takes responsibility for themselves. Maybe it is the welfare state culture?

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RANT: Simple health insurance fixes

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

http://www.humblelibertarian.com/2009/12/how-to-strip-us-health-insurance.html

Monday, December 28, 2009

How To Strip US Health Insurance Companies of Their Power Forever in 1 Easy Step

Regulations Empower Insurance Companies

*** begin quote ***

These regulations usually consist of a long list of ridiculous coverage mandates that require customers to be covered for all kinds of things whether or not they want or need it.

So even if a woman in Maryland doesn’t want to pay $500/month to be covered for in-vitro fertilization, morbid obesity treatment, smoking cessation, substance abuse, and hair prosthesis, she has no choice.

And she can’t purchase more affordable insurance without any unnecessary coverage from another state because it would be non-compliant with Maryland’s regulations and mandates.

*** end quote ***

It’s interesting that the congress critters have deliberately created the “crisis” that they now seek to “save” us from that same crisis!

Argh!

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RANT: Arguing with idiots

Sunday, January 3, 2010

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2009/12/loose-lips-and-hyperbole.html
?showComment=1262014283785#c5749020565567766168

Anonymous said…

   Oh please, Health savings Accounts (HSAs) are the biggest bunch of crap ever, a steaming pile of cow dung. They are great if you are wealthy (they are a tax shelter for the rich), healthy or young. They do absolutely nothing for the poor, the lower middle class, for working folks who live from paycheck to paycheck. HSAs are crapola pumped out by the right wing and libertarians so they don’t have to think about all the people who are dying, suffering and going bankrupt from lack of health insurance or from being victims of greedy insurance companies.

OK. Let’s examine this assertion. HSA’s are characterized by (1) a high deductible insurance policy and (2) a basic deposit savings account like and FSA. When I’ve priced HSAs, they are about a third of the cost of other policies. So which is better, have an HSA policy or none? Can’t go bankrupt from a medical expense with an HSA. And, using the SA part of the plan, the individual is in control of their expense.

Insurance companies typically earn about 4% on their capital. No one is getting rich on earnings like that. So “greedy” doesn’t fit.

   What the hell do tax credits do for the poor or for working folks who work from paycheck to paycheck, who can’t save anything and who are in fear of going bankrupt from medical expenses, whether they are insured or not.

So, is the problem paycheck to paycheck? Or underemployment. As usual, ANONYMOUS want to be chicken little. THe sky is always falling. Automobile insurers offer payment plans; I know BCBSNJ does the same thing. The “POOR” have medicaid; the working folks have payment plans. SO what IS the problem?

   Buying insurance across state lines is more garbage from the right wing and their libertarian lap dogs. Buying insurance across state lines will have no affect on anything worth mentioning.

Except that state mandated coverage for hair implants, and all sorts of other “stuff”, makes the cost of insurance in New Jersey higher that without it. Insurance should allow one to CHOOSE what risks you wish not to bear. Personally, I’d like to forgo “hair implants” insurance. Old folks don’t need maternity coverage. So, once again with the gooferment interference, “one size” fits all!

   Single payer or Medicare for all would have been the way to go. This whole libertarian freak show is a cancer on any intelligent discussion about health care and is a total waste of oxygen.

Medicare is going broke in the next few years. Your beloved Health Care Bill cuts 500M$ from Medicare while the coverage group will increase 30%. And, what about all the fraud that’s going on?

   Why should there be caps on suits for medical malpractice? If hospitals, doctors, drug companies, medical equipment companies screw up, they should pay up, no damn caps. Right wingers love to protect the rich and the powerful against some poor schlub who has been maimed through medical malpractice.

Tort reform is to take the GIGANTIC lottery aspect out of the system. And, when the gooferment takes over healthcare and you get screwed, who will you sue then? The gooferment int he gooferment court.

   Ending FDA regulation of pharmaceuticals is just insane. If anything, the FDA and its regulations should be beefed up and strengthened.

Sure, no one wants cheap drugs quickly. For someone who argues against corporations, you don’t recognize “regulatory capture”!

   The drug companies have too much power and influence over our government as it is, the FDA must be insulated from undue influence and all this massive economic power of the drug companies.

Never ever going to happen. Name one “regulatory agency” that hasn’t been “captured”?

   Dr. Mary J. Ruwart works for Cannabis Science Inc and previously worked for Upjohn. She’s nothing more than a corporate shill for the drug companies who don’t want any kind of regulations and the public be damned.

That’s why she advocated for more freedom.

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RANT: It’s not OK to run up the score

Sunday, January 3, 2010

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/womens-basketball/recap?gid=201001020050&prov=ap

Griner dunks twice, No.5 Baylor rolls 99-18

*** begin quote ***

WACO, Texas (AP)—Brittney Griner and No. 5 Baylor put on a show—at the expense of Texas State.

*** and ***

“We would have beat a lot of teams tonight,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “I don’t care who we would have played tonight, this basketball team was ready to play.”

*** end quote ***

What idiot SCHEDULED this game in the first place?

Guess Coach Mulkey thinks beating up on little kids is “OK”!

Sorry, but even if the scrubs were in, I wouldn’t permit this embarrassment.

If there is any justice in this world, the admonishment will come from UConn.

OK, Geno, I hereby release you from any criticism if you run up the score on Baylor.

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RANT: Air travel sucks

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Note: TSA at PHL is now enforcing a “two carry on bag limit” as you enter their lines. People are being told “Either consolidate or check it”. I’m sure the airlines are happy about this now that they all charge extra for each bag (i.e., 15$ to 100$).

Today, my wife’s nephew, his wife, and their twins had an “interesting” experience. Driving them to the airport, they found that their flight had been cancelled. Hubbie was booked on a later flight and Wifey with kids was delayed until the morrow. (Good luck finding a room on New Year’s Eve!)

Conflicting directions of where to check in. United moved them to US Airways in a different terminal. Then the lines again. Conflicting directions. More problems.

It all worked out. But not without a lot of angst!

Argh!

Confirms my firmly held conviction to never fly again.

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RANT: Self-defense is a mind set

Thursday, December 31, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091226/D9CR18JO0.html

Passengers help foil attack on Detroit-bound plane
Dec 26, 8:49 AM (ET)
By JIM IRWIN

*** begin quote ***

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) – An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke – sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.

*** end quote ***

One thing is new — passenger docility.

The days when passengers would sit idly like sheep and let terrorists act with impunity.

And, how did the explosive get on board?

Yes, security theater!

See it’s all about fooling the traveling public into complacency. And giving job to people who will vote the “correct” way.

Argh!

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