Sears Revisited...for the last time

After about 50 some odd years, it's finally come time to sever all ties with what was once the greatest retail store on America, Sears Roebuck and Company, now simply known as Sears. Sadly, I attempted to make a large purchase last week and after hours of frustration and their bait and switch shopping cart tactics, I'd had enough. I bought the appliance from a Big Box store, something I have avoided in the past simply due to my long association with Sears.

The story: On September 6 I brought up the appliance sale and chose a Bosch dishwasher which was highly rated by Consumer Reports. It was on sale for $808, a large discount off the regular price of $999. Added installation, extra parts, haul away, etc. I didn't check out immediately as Sears will hold your purchase in your cart for several days, and the sale was good until Sept 8. I anted my spouse to look at the dishwasher to be sure it was the one she wanted. She agreed and when I went back to purchase the dishwasher, the price in the cart was now way over $1100. The dishwasher had reverted to the non-sale price.

Not to worry, I e-mailed customer service which is in India or the Philippines and here's their answer:

 

Dear Valued Member,

Thank you for contacting sears.com. Please accept our apologies for the pricing error on the dishwasher you have found on our website. Let me look into this for you.

I want to make it right! It does appear that this item has an error in pricing and we have notified our web pricing team to correct it. The sale price listed on the item page is part of a promotion that has now ended. The price in the cart is the correct price.

The feedback that you have provided today will be taken into consideration as we continue to enhance our services to meet the needs of our customers going forward.

You have been an excellent customer to us and hope this experience does not deter your shopping interests from sears.com. I appreciate you for your understanding and patience.

Sincerely,

Alex A. (jambro3)

Sears Customer Care
webcenter@customerservice.sears.com
1-800-366-3028

Have you ever heard such a bunch of crap? They admit there is a pricing error but then tell me the price in the cart is correct? WTF? And "he wants to make it right"?

I wrote them back telling them they didn't understand the problem so here's their next idiotic response:
 

Dear,

Thank you for contacting sears.com. Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience that you are experiencing with the price of the item. Let me see what best I can do to get this resolved.

I have checked our available resources and I see that the current price of the item is $999.99. As we are unable to honor the sale price, you are valuable customer and we do value your time and business with us. We encourage you to place a new order for the item and reply to this email with your new order confirmation number, and we will gladly issue 10% refund for the item value. Please click here to place an order. We always want our customers to be happy.

I have found a similar item, please click here to view it. This Dishwasher is one of the top seller on our site.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth G. (nganapa)

Sears Customer Care
webcenter@customerservice.sears.com
1-800-366-3028

These people are morons. The last time they promised to credit me anything it took a month and an act of congress to get it as they immediately develop amnesia and can't read nor remember who might have sent an e-mail offering a discount. No way would I believe this offshore call center person.

Then Sears home office gets involved, after I have already ordered a new dishwasher from the Big Box store. They want to honor the original price less 15% . No thanks. I let them know I am so done with Sears they could stick a fork in me. No more tools, no more appliances, no more At Home Services, not a damn thing from them or their affiliates. This was the final nail in the Sears coffin for me. And they can't understand why their profits are so bad. I can tell you. Using offshore call centers to handle their business. A bunch of assholes who keep saying they want to make the customer happy but just piss them off. And who keep their jobs by working for pennies on the dollar while taking work away from Americans here in the US who might actually be able to understand the problem without reading from a script board.

5 Brands Most Likely To Be Gone By 2015       FORBES CMO NETWORK

Prophet recently conducted a spot survey of some 5,000 U.S. consumers to see which brands they’d put on the deathwatch for anytime between now and 2015.
Anyone who even skims the news headlines will find their rankings no big surprise: Eastman Kodak topped the list with 27 percent of the group, with Netflix and the U.S. Post Office coming in with 19 percent and 18 percent of the vote. RIM (Blackberry) came as fourth most likely to fail (14 percent), and Sears came in fifth (11 percent).

Decisions by an Indecisive Man

Once again, the world finds us the laughing stock, as our president waffles in a decision to take care of business in Syria and help stop the genocide of the Syrian people by the current regime.

In just one day he says he has made a decision and shortly thereafter decides that he has not made a decision, but has rather made another decision to place that decision on the Congress of the US, so they can make the decision for him, so that he can then make the ultimate decision. Then if it doesn't work out just as planned, he can point fingers like a child and say "They made me do it."

I think most Americans would agree that using chemical warfare agents against ones own people is enough evidence to send in missiles to neutralize the potential of there being any repeat performances. Yet here we are, waiting days and perhaps weeks, while hundreds and thousands die because Mr. Obama can't make a decision. If I thought I was disappointed in this president before, it was nothing considering my disappointment with him now.

Imagine if there was a crisis in our own country of this nature. Obama would wait for positive tests and check with local leaders and go through all sorts of gyrations and never make a decision here either/ Because that's the kind of president he has been, one who sets tasks before others to do the dirty work and when they come up short, closes his eyes and knows nothing. Like Fast and Furious and a few other nasty screw ups that he and Mr. Holder blew off. Nixon had nothing on this guy at all. He's cut from a whole new cloth.

God forbid we are ever attacked by a foreign power. Our president will take eons to ponder what the right thing to do as our country is reduced to a nuclear waste pile. He isn't a man of action as long as we all have Obamacare. Oh wait, that's not working out very well right now, is it? What a sad commentary on what was once the most powerful and well respected country in the world.

Let me finish with this. I am against war. Been there and done that and it's not pretty. But you need to stop people who would gas innocent women and children in the name of political righteousness. I never want to see another boots on ground war, but some surgical precision strikes to destroy their stockpiles of weapons would be fine. Of course, with the weeks of advance notice, the word in the press is that it has all been moved to avoid destruction. Let's hope our intelligence gathering is smarter than our leader.

Another Idiotic Snail Mail Oozes Into Your Mailbox

Here we go again. Just when we thought we were getting enough of a screwing from the shippers who advertised one type of shipping and then used another, we now have yet another contender in the ring for slow shipper of the year. DHL Global Mail.

First off it frosts me to see a merchant state they will ship my order by FedEx and have the FedEx logo emblazoned all over their site. Then find out after the order is shipped that it has gone out FedEx SmartPost which in reality should be named StupidPost since it can take ten days for a package to travel a relatively short distance that U.S. Mail alone could handle in a few days. It starts out with FedEx and eventually ends up in the hands of your postal carrier for delivery. You note I said eventually since sometimes it doesn't happen for a long, long time. I've had packages never show up and the services point fingers at each other as to who lost the item. In many cases this is not even "free shipping", so you end up paying for the slowness too.

UPS Mail Innovations is no better. Merchants advertise they will ship by UPS and then use this snail-like service. They have the same modus operandi where the package starts out with UPS and at some point is transferred to the USPS for further handling and then carriage to your home or post box. One of the HUGE glitches in both of these systems is that the package can sit in a postal distribution center for days before it is transferred to the local post office because the paperwork has not been sent electronically to the Post Office to match the package. Or, the electronic paperwork is there and the package has not arrived, so you have no idea where the package actually is, but it is "in transit."

Enter DHL Global Mail, the new kid on the block. Or maybe that should be the new kid on the blockade as merchants find cheaper ways to get our mail to us slower and slower. Frankly, you need to complain and complain loud if you find your order is being shipped this way. Be careful to look at your order and ask how it's being shipped. Tell merchants if they ship this way you won't do business with them.

One example is Amazon's "Super Saver Shipping" which is supposedly "free". A shipment costs $9.49 or about ten percent of the value of the item and that is deducted as "free shipping". However, my FedEx regular shipping would only take 5 days and would cost no more, so why ship via Smart Post and let the customer wait 8 days? Because the merchant let me think I was saving over nine bucks while they were probably paying four or five at best.

Holiday season will be coming, thousands will not receive their gifts on time to give them for the holiday and you can thank the merchants who use these snail trail oozing services for that. And yourself if you don't ask first. The bottom line is to just say no and spend a couple of extra dollars for Priority Mail or some service that gets you what you want when YOU want it! Or get a shipping account and make the merchant charge the shipping to you! That's a novel idea they don't like because they can't pad the shipping costs!

Respect for the Disabled...or Better Yet... Differently Abled

Both my son and I are disabled American Veterans and damned proud of it. My disabilities are internal and don't often show, so most people would never know unless they know me, or see that it's one of those days I use the disabled placard at the local shopping center. Pain is a silent and individual disability that takes your joy out of life slowly and insidiously, but some is always there, unless you want to become a slave to medications. I prefer not to become so.

My son's disability resulted in his voice changing and difficulty breathing due to a chemical inhalation accident while serving in the U.S. Army. As a result, he is required to take multiple medications and carries inhalers that may be needed to save his life if his breathing becomes in jeopardy. Perhaps his greatest disability is people...because his high pitched voice doesn't sound like it should come out of a good looking six foot man, one who doesn't seem to bear any outward marks of his challenges in life. And people think that's funny sometimes. Maybe they think he's making a joke. He isn't. If he had another voice, he would gladly We all thank God every day he has a voice and is with us, because he might not have made it. Any voice he has is a gift from God and we're just happy he can tell us he loves us, as we love him.

My son and I have worked, given back to our communities and maybe we're just differently enabled. Sure, they're called disabilities, but getting through the days, weeks, months and years is a whole new challenge that brings out your best. We've raised families and made a good life for them and deserve respect from those who might see us as any different from themselves. Sure. we're different. We've raised above those disabilities and lived a good, productive life. That makes us special! And it makes anyone with disabilities special who makes it through another day and on to the next with hope for a better day tomorrow.

You see, we were volunteers in the service of this country and proud to do so. Nobody made us go, we did it because we wanted to serve our country. No matter what anyone might think of the current administration, or the politicians in office, there is one thing for sure. America's service men and women are willing to place their lives on the line for not only every American, but for others to give them a chance at the freedom we so much enjoy.

So when you see, or hear, a person who has or might have a disability, be respectful. First of all, Thank God or whoever you pray to, that you don't have to bear the cross that person has to bear. Second, if that person is a veteran, Thank God again that there are people like him or her that will stand up for you and this country, so you can live how and where you do. And, yes, even defend your right to be a jackass and giggle or sneer or smirk if you find you have to. But maybe, before you do, take a trip to the local Veterans Hospital or Rehabilitation Center and look at some of the people there and imagine if they were you. How would you feel if the giggle or smirk or comment were pointed your way....huh?

Chevy Volt...It should have been called the Chevy Dolt

Once again, GM sold the government a bill of goods on the Chevrolet Volt, the wonder car that would soon be flooding America's streets with amazing fuel mileage and beating the crap out of the imports.

It didn't happen and it isn't going to happen. Reports released yesterday show the Volt will probably die from a terminal discharge sometime in the near future, unless GM can con the Obama administration to throw more  money at a sinking ship.

Here's the latest IBD Editorial:
August 7, 2013
Chevrolet's Electric Volt: Is Failure Within Its Range?

"Gone Green: Nearly a year ago General Motors was losing almost $50,000 for each Chevrolet Volt it built. Now GM's business model, driven by trendy environmentalism, calls for it to cut the price and lose even more money.

The green lobby wants more hybrids and plug-in electric cars on the roads. Therefore the president wants 1 million electrics humming around by 2015 — and the car makers have to ignore market reality under pressure to do what the environmentalist-political complex demands.

Even if it makes no sense.

In September of last year, we said "Obama's Government Motors needs to shut down the Volt line indefinitely" — not just for the month it planned to halt production — then restart the assembly lines only when it could make a profit on the car.

In May, we noted: "The market for electric cars is so weak that consumer costs are approaching almost nothing."

Here it is August, and the Volt, the car that USA Today calls the "supposed" star of General Motors' portfolio, is back in the news.

This time it's because the automaker is going to drop the price by $5,000. USA Today reports that with "a full $7,500 federal tax credit, the price is cut to $27,495," a figure that doesn't include some state tax credits.

Aside from those whose egos demand that they use their cars to scream out their moral superiority as environmentalists, and maybe a few enthusiasts who dabble in the technology, does anyone really want these electric cars? Their dismal sales numbers simply do not justify their existence.

Sales of the Volt, the most popular electric vehicle, were only a little more than half of the 45,000 that GM expected last year. Ford built 1,627 Focus Electrics in 2012 and sold only 685 of them.

Foreign makers fared no better. Mitsubishi could sell only 600 of its i-MiEVs while Nissan sold fewer than 800 of its Leafs last year. Sales in 2013 remained stagnant until Nissan cut the price by $6,400 early in the year.

Yes, Tesla seems to be doing well. But remember: It makes a luxury car that appeals to the wealthy who buy them as toys. It's an outlier.

Meanwhile, Chrysler has wisely decided to stay out of the EV market until "consumers are willing to step up and pay for the technology," Automotive News reported this week. That's the way it should be.

Government involvement invariably introduces inefficiency, improper incentives and, in the end, failure."

Well said. Government encouragement, money and lack of foresight and oversight equals squandered taxpayer dollars. All the while watching the economy go south as those sad cars plow the streets at way below the cost to make them, due to subsidies paid by the taxpayers.

Here's the story from The Blaze, dated yesterday, August 16, 2013:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/08/16/whatever-happened-to-the-chevy-volt/

More detailed info on how, in 2012, the government spun the losing proposition in to great political press: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/seton-motley/2012/07/17/media-fail-chevy-volt-makes-gm-no-money-costs-taxpayers-hundreds-thous

How much money will the government throw at Green technology that fails? Just look at the record of the current administration and the back-room deals.

SDG&E Power Outage - Rates go up and reliability goes down!

Calif. outage leaves 123,000 without power overnight in San Diego, Orange counties

Published July 19, 2013

Associated Press

SAN DIEGO – Authorities say a power outage in Southern California has left at least 123,000 customers in the dark in San Diego and Orange counties.

San Diego Gas & Electric spokeswoman Jennifer Ramp says the blackout began at just after 11:40 p.m. on Thursday and continued into the early morning hours of Friday.
Ramp told KNBC-TV (http://bit.ly/13ECZkb) that the company's entire south Orange County customer base was without power. That includes the cities of Mission Viejo, San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, as well as Camp Pendleton in neighboring San Diego County.

The company is investigating the cause of the outage.

(That means they don't have any idea what caused an eighth of a million people to be without power! And they call this reliability!)
How about this statement:

"Cause: We have determined that a combination of factors has caused a problem in the electric system."

Uh, sounds like a mechanic telling you why your whatever failed in your car and why they don't know what the hell caused the failure. Just a guess, folks. Bullsh*t it appears for the press.

But they know how to bill millions of people more money anytime they please? And wrap it all up in monthly bill changes and split months and other gobbledy-gook to confuse the customers so they really can't read their bills. Like a carnival barker selling lightning instead of snake oil!

Incidentally, why does your power bill baseline power allowance change every month so you use more than the baseline no matter how much you use? We don't have air conditioning, have gas hot water and range, only use fans to circulate the air, got rid of all the old tube type TVs and use timers on lights. Switched to LED's and fluorescent lights everywhere and are very judicious about turning lights off. Yet every month, I notice the baseline electric usage is lower than what we use so we fall into the tier 2 category for some of our electric bill, allowing the gougers to charge a higher rate.

Once again, are the "Smart Meters" just a new way to screw the customers in Southern California to pad the electric company pockets?

The Riots...

Once again, the black community hears an unfavorable verdict and the riots begin. No matter where in the nation the verdict is handed down, those intent on destruction and mayhem will find an excuse to riot and do so in the name of righteousness.

Had the verdict been guilty for George Zimmerman and he been given 5 years probation, the riots would have started a bit later, because the same narrow minded idiots would believe the sentence was too light, even though the verdict was guilty. No matter what came down, there were going to be riots, either by those using the innocent verdict as a reason to destroy, or those who would use the guilty verdict, no matter how harsh the sentence, as a cause for jubilation and destroy in the name of "justice."

Can anyone see how this further destroys the progress we have made in race relations in this country? How such idiotic behavior undermines the trust and dignity that we have begun to develop between brotherhoods as a result of so many years of work? That people would allow others to run amok and burn, smash, destroy and injure in the name of alleged justice? Come on, this isn't justice. It's hooliganism and vandalism in its' highest form. And done in the name of a deceased person who some people are trying to canonize like a saint. Shame on you.

I went through the Baltimore MLK Riots in 1968 carrying a Remington 870 shotgun and my greatest fear was not the dark streets, not the Molotov cocktails, not the roaming gangs of looters. It was the possibility that I might have to shoot a fellow American. Even after tours in Vietnam, I just wasn't hardened enough to wrap my head around that; this was happening in an American city. Sure, Newark was in the past, but this wasn't Newark, this was Baltimore and the people here were more civilized and gentile. Or were they? No, the streets were just like Newark, taken over by the young people who burned and looted, while their elders sat on the curbs and wept, not about their own burned out stores and shops, but about the race relations that had fallen back 20 years in just a few nights. Yes, I spoke with many people in the streets those nights, and we all agreed that Martin Luther King's death was a horrible thing, but these riots were not going to bring him back, nor would he be pleased by the actions of these thugs.

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with the Trayvon Martin - George Zimmerman verdict, the justice system has spoken. There was no prejudice on the part of the jury who made the decision. It's over and time to move on to constructive things. Don't let Trayvon Martin's memorial be one of looting and burning; let it be one of building new bridges towards peace and a renewed commitment towards brotherhood between races. Zimmerman will have to find his own way. Please find yours. Peacefully.

Why is it?

A life is a terrible thing to have ended by violence. Regardless of how the verdict comes down, a human life lost is a condemnation of society as a whole, that something went wrong in what should be a peaceful, co-existing relationship between humans.

That said, why does everything have to have some smear of civil rights or racism tossed in? The just ended Zimmerman-Martin case is decided, but long from over it seems as now the government wants to establish whether civil rights violations are possible. And whether the family may sue in a civil case. What? This case should be closed. How can there be a civil rights violation when a man is found not guilty? How did he violate Trayvon Martin's civil rights?

What if...George Zimmerman had been killed? Would the government step in and open a case to see if his civil rights were violated? Of course not. We're told not to think racist, and I for one tend to be color blind, but it galls me to see the government and others jump in and pander to causes regarding civil rights only when it behooves non-whites to do so.

Look at it this way. Trayvon Martin kills George Zimmerman and the facts are exactly the same. Trayvon Martin is found not guilty. Case closed. No civil rights violations, no marches in the streets by ethnic groups saying this was a racist thing, no cries for a retrial, no cries for the government to step in and appeal the verdict. No riots, no mayhem. Absolutely nothing. Trayvon Martin would have gone home and lived as normal a life as he could have lived under the circumstances without a followup circus being staged, all in the name if "civil rights" and racism. Oh, wait. How does this race card get played? Only if it behooves the party that plays it. Since we're becoming a generally accepting and mixed society, it's less and less an issue, until some group wants it to be an issue.

Remember the professor in Massachusetts who was detained at his home because the police had a burglary call, He was black and the police officer was white. Made no difference that he had no identification and no way to prove he owned the home or had the right to be there. But the fact that he was subjected to the indignity of being stopped and questioned by a white cop and not allowed to proceed into the house that was "allegedly his" brought forth racist cries from the community. And, this professor turned out to be one of President Obama's buddies, and of course Obama played the race card there because it became opportunistic for him to do so. He did invite all to a glass of beer in the Rose Garden at the White House to smooth things over. I'd have told him to shove his beer, but, then again, I don't have a career to toss down the drain to do the right thing, albeit politically incorrect.

Numerous Caucasians and other persons are killed, maimed or injured as a result of crime by non-white aggressors and criminals, some guilty and others adjudicated not guilty. Yet when can anyone remember there being a civil rights case being opened against a Hispanic or African American person for the death or severe injuries of a Caucasian?  Is this some sort of a double standard?

I'd just like to know how this civil rights thing works. Is there something that says if you are one race, creed or national origin and are killed or otherwise injured by someone not of your same race, creed or national origin that your civil rights have then been violated? Or does that specifically exclude Caucasians and certain other ethnic groups? Or is it inclusive of certain groups only?

I'd really like to know.

Solar Roof Fans - Beat SDG&E to Cool Your Home!

I've written about many things, mostly how people get ripped off, but this is one of those times I would like to send kudos to a great company and a product that can save you angst and money too. It's called the Solar Star solar roof fan by Solatube Home Daylight in Vista, CA.

First, let me explain that we live close to the Pacific Ocean and have no air conditioning but the ocean breezes. That said, the attic gets hotter than a convection oven on the warm summer days. Even with the requisite six inches of insulation, the master bedroom ceilings were showing 86 to 90 degrees on a laser guided digital infrared thermometer. Some areas were in excess of 90 degrees where tight ceiling/roof areas prevented significant air flow and there were dead air pockets. The bedroom was uncomfortable for sleeping, even though we had installed heavy duty UV resistant double pane windows with one-third and one-eighth glass to cut heat and light, so heat penetration through them was minimal.

Second, you might ask, why not just put in more insulation? Great question. The answer is the same Pacific Ocean winds that help cool the air in the summer bring huge winds during the Pacific storms in the winter. Roof vents already in place allow the wind to circulate in part of the attic, insulation becomes dislodged and blown all over, necessitating recovering and replacement of the batts, which are irregular and some several feet square. Plus, the attic area over the master bedroom is a vaulted ceiling, with very low access, making the choice of insulation in that area blown in, rather than batts. That, combined with the low clearance between the roof and the ceiling joists creates a low flow air space. So no matter how much insulation were in the attic, the space itself would not be getting any cooler during the summer heat. (I am excepting insulating the underside of the roof for various reasons, including access) Plus, the insulation tends to trap the heat longer after the sun goes down. Kind of a Catch-22 situation, I suppose.

Third, the back of the bedroom wall is also the garage wall, the garage wall extending about one-half the way up the bedroom. This same garage wall is also the back wall of a first floor bedroom as well. The garage wall facing the bedrooms is insulated with 4" fiberglass, but the garage outer walls and roof is open studs and rafter construction with no insulation. The garage door is steel with 2 inches polystyrene between two steel panels.

Now to the fans. We had installed two RM1600 22 watt Solar Star fans, one in the attic directly above the hottest part of the master bedroom ceiling and the second near the peak of the garage. We chose the thermal switches for each fan since they allow the fans to activate when the attic temperature reaches 85 degrees and to deactivate when the temperature is 65 degrees or less. Thus the fans don't run in the cold winter months unless needed.

The results: During 80 plus degree days, the master bedroom temperatures have remained in the low 70's and are much more comfortable. The ceiling temperatures during the peak heat of the day show as between 74 and 84 degrees, a significant drop from earlier testing. Garage temperatures, which used to be almost unbearable, after bringing in heat soaked vehicles, are now pleasant.I can actually work in the garage without sweltering!  Granted the uninsulated open roof does allow some heat buildup, but the Solar Star fan takes it out quickly and even with two hot vehicles, the temperature is not uncomfortable.

I consider this a very good investment. The fans run free with no electricity charge, do not need full sunlight to operate efficiently, and are very quiet. They really are efficient, even more than I expected. The cost for several of these units is in the $1500 range, but there is a 30% tax credit for solar energy that can be applicable from what I understand. 5 year warranty on the fan and motor and 10 years on the rest of the components.Very professional installation in about 90 minutes for both fans. Plus, the fan and solar unit could be replaced if ever needed with no roof intrusion, a big plus in the future if it were needed. Just remove a few bolts, remove one fan assembly and install a new working unit! Very cool!

I don't recommend products very often but this is just one of the super stars that I really feel good about.

Here's a link:  http://www.homedaylight.com/content/show/6934
 

More Postal Service Idiocy

Here's a surprise...you spend ten bucks to ship a package and the Postal Service misroutes it within its own unit then doesn't update the tracking information. Why? Because they don't want you to know just how badly they might have screwed up the shipping of a simple priority mail package.

Let's start with the facts. This package was handed to the carrier about noon on July 1st. How in hell it didn't get scanned by the Post Office about three miles away until after 3 AM the next morning is way beyond my comprehension. And then the real screw up starts as follows:

Priority Mail^®
USPS Tracking / Delivery Confirmation^™

Delivery status not updated                                       July2,  2013, 10:37 pm
Out for Delivery	July 2, 2013, 8:37 am			CARLSBAD, CA 92011
Sorting Complete	July 2, 2013, 8:27 am			CARLSBAD, CA 92011
Missent	July 2, 2013, 8:17 am
Arrival at Post Office	July 2, 2013, 3:12 am			CARLSBAD, CA 92011
Electronic Shipping Info Received    	June 30, 2013

What is so weird is that apparently the Post Office KNOWS it has missent the package at 8:17 AM but continues the sort and sends it on out for delivery at 8:37 AM anyway and 14 hours later doesn't update the status of the package because they likely don't know where in hell it is, or don't want anyone to know how badly they mishandled it! And 15 hours later there is still no indication where that package might be. It should be in the hands of the recipient but that isn't going to happen on time!

So, the USPS wants me to trust them with all my shipping. And touts two to three day shipping to boot. Yet why won't they give me a refund if it takes them a week to get my package to the receiver, when it's clearly their fault? Not the weather or another act of God? It's the idiocy of the incompetent postal service at work. Sad that there are some good employees and some idiots who cannot get their crap straight if it were on their head. This isn't the first time this has happened but it's the most recent and it's documented it's Carlsbad that screwed up so no tossing the blame this time. Nice work folks. And you worry about your jobs? I bitch about SmartPost, but at half the cost, maybe it does take ten days, but you're getting in the same category for twice the price.

July 6 Update: With no further scanning except the delivery scan, the package arrived on July 6. The 2-3 day Priority Mail took 0ver 5 days to get there, which in itself is probably no biggie considering there was a holiday, but not to scan it at any time after they bobbled it locally? Shows the quality of the USPS. Sorry, if bankruptcy is on the horizon, they're doing it all by themselves.

SDG&E Rates to Increase for Some Residents..uh..Most Residents..The Facts Outspeak the Lies!

Holy electrons, Batman, here it is just a few days later and the gougers at San Diego Gouge and Extort are at it again! After a 12 percent increase in May, the greedy suckers are now looking at a 15 percent increase for ratepayers starting in September. Or, up to a 30 percent increase, according to their news release. What? That's right. They stated the increase would amount to about $15 more on a $100 bill and about $75 more on a $250 bill. That's 15 and 30 percent respectively, folks. Do you feel the shaft here?

The news article starts out with: SDG&E Rates to Increase for Some Residents (not according to the published rate chart! That shows increases for everyone!)

About 25 percent of San Diego Gas & Electric customers will see an increase in their bill beginning this fall (The article says 350,000 customers but the rate chart covers all customers. Is there a method where some customers will pay more for the same usage than others. Will you pay more than your next door neighbor? How can it be the rate increases only cover 25% of the customers yet the charts show it also covers the entire utility customer base increasing? Sounds like a bunch of crap talk to this writer!)

 

The news release is fraught with lies as they say "those customers live mainly in warmer inland areas of San Diego." Actually, when you read the rate sheet, everyones' rates are going up, and those living on the coast using 500 KWH actually will see a bigger increase than someone living inland using 500 KWH of electric. And people in the mountains and deserts will see the lowest increase of only about 2%. I always thought the deserts were warmer areas? Does SDG&E lie so much they forget we can and do read? We've come to distrust them so much we never take anything they say at face value.

Here's their Sept.1 increases:  http://www.sdge.com/residential/2013-rates

And, don't you know they blame it on the shutdown of San Onofre in the following statement:   The closure of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has “created an untimely reduction in our region’s energy resources," explained SDG&E in the letter.

Better yet, further showing the greed of this utility, is the following statement attributed to SDG&E: She (Stephanie Donovan) also said the bill impact is 30-50 percent greater than what it would have been if the General Rate Case had been approved last year.

The article is here for your perusal. I'd use to line the litter box after reading it but I think it might make my cat vomit:

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/SDGE-Rates-to-Increase-for-Some-Residents-213016021.html

Once again, raising rates on a whim, unexplained blackouts and no protection from the California Public Utilities Commission. You do have to ask if someone isn't in the utilities pockets here? I'm not intimating they are, but you really do have to wonder how a regulatory agency lets this utility run wild with our money and just about every increase seems to be a slam dunk. Maybe the governor needs to dump the cronies on the CPUC and put some people with balls in there to stand up to the utilities and quit being lackeys to the power company.

San Diego Gas & Electric

Well, well, well, once again the local gas and electric company is raising the red flag about brownouts and rolling outages this summer. Isn't that just amazing?

A few years ago, SDG&E and its thirsty shareholders jammed the Sunrise Power Link up our collective arses by pressing everyone in the political world, especially the useless CPUC, that is supposed to protect the ratepayers, that it was so sorely needed. By allowing the construction of this massive project across the desert, it would bring virtually unlimited electricity to San Diego County and minimize our need for such terrible things as brownouts that ruin our appliances and rolling blackouts.

Last summer, if you recall, San Onofre Nuclear Power Station, of which SDG&E owns 20%, was out of commission. In fact, it had been out of commission due to faulty equipment (who bought and paid for that do you think?..the ratepayers) since January 2012. No blackouts or brownouts occurred. Seems we had plenty of electricity to go around.

Yet on June 7, 2013 the plant was formally closed permanently, never to generate electricity again. Shortly thereafter, warnings began to circulate about brownouts and rolling blackouts should the summer heat warrant. Why? We didn't have San Onofre last summer, so why would it suddenly be necessary to cut the power this summer? To scare the consumers to allow another Power Link? To allow a huge rate hike to line the pockets of SDG&E's shareholders?

Frankly, folks, SDG&E never takes responsibility for their screw ups. When two of the three 2007 wildfires in San Diego County were attributed to SDG&E improper maintenance of power lines, SDG&E mounted a defense to delay payment to homeowners for years. Then went on the attack by trying to recoup the costs for future wildfire costs by nailing ratepayers ahead of the fact with large rate charges. That's like an individual asking you to put money into the bank in case he burns down his home because he is careless! He knows he's careless and knows he'll burn it down but wants to create a fund to cover the costs, but wants YOU to pay his bills first! Idiotic. And only to protect the shareholders. I thought this is a PUBLIC UTILITY where we the PUBLIC are supposed to be protected by the PUBLIC utilities commission. Guess not, at least here in Kalifornia!

I guess SDG&E really does stand for San Diego Gouge & Extort. Wish we had a way to just turn them off and move to more sources of power. I've gone solar and LED as much as possible. How about you?

Oh, one more thing:

From the San Diego Reader:

CPUC approves fat rate hike for SDG&E

Typical bill will jump 12.2%. Decision was unanimous

Don Bauder, May 9, 2013

 

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today (May 9) approved a rate hike for San Diego Gas & Electric customers that will come to almost $10 a month for the average electric ratepayer. The vote of the commission was unanimous. SDG&E for many years has consistently had the highest electricity rates in the nation, but that apparently didn't dissuade the commission or the administrative law judge who earlier recommended an increase. The CPUC said the typical electric bill (500 kilowatt hours per month) will leap 12.2% or $9.95 per month; the average gas bill (33 therms per month) will rise 9.6% monthly or $3.55.

KPBS quoted Commissioner Mark Ferron commenting, "Safety and reliability do not come free. While we must do our best to contain costs, we do have to spend some more on safety and reliability." Some would challenge his reference to safety, since a division of the CPUC found SDG&E greatly responsible for significant parts of the 2007 wild fires, and customers going through blackouts have not been singing the praises of reliability.

"No Duty to Defend the Individual Citizen"

Well, someone had to finally admit it and place it in the news. A fact that has been hidden pretty deep over the years and largely buried by the gun control crowd. Maybe not buried, but they do not want you to know that the government, be it the state or county or municipality or whomever, has absolutely no duty to protect YOU, the individual citizen.

Maybe the boldest statement came from the recent Connecticut case involving the disfigurement of Charla Nash by her friend's chimpanzee and the State of Connecticut dismissing her $150 million dollar lawsuit. The suit is based on the fact that the State knew beforehand that the animal was dangerous but did nothing about it, even though it had attacked several other people. I'm not commenting on the value of the lawsuit at all, but rather the language in which the lawsuit was dismissed by the state claims commissioner: "He added, "If there was a failure by the DEP to seize the animal ... the duty owed was to the general public and does not create a statutory obligation to ensure the safety of a private individual such as (Nash)."

Most law enforcement agencies will tell you their "protect and serve" also is to do so as it pertains to the community as a whole, not as it pertains to any private citizen. Thus agencies are generally immune to lawsuits when they do not show up in time to stop an assault, rape, robbery, murder, or whatever criminal activity may be involved. If you call 911 and it takes 7 minutes response time, and you are seriously injured or dead before help arrives, your family cannot sue the city or county because the police or sheriff didn't arrive in time to stop the crime. Nor can the next victim or their family sue because the perpetrator should have been caught at your home had the response been more timely.

So, the statement above in Connecticut does give you great pause on your own personal protection. Why, then, should you leave it to someone else to protect you and your family, when those sworn to protect actually have no duty to protect them, only the community in general? Don't get me wrong, many fine officers will go to the wall for you and yours, but spread as thin as the blue line is today, you simply can't expect any immediate response, no matter how good you think your police or sheriff's department is. You need to protect you and yours and not be a target while waiting for help to arrive. But be reasonable about doing it!

My suggestion is to be prepared for every eventuality. If you are a firearms owner, know how to use it. Know how to safely use it. Take a firearms safety course. Train with it, know how it should be safely stored, handled, and the laws on self-defense inside your home. Be well trained, as too many accidents can happen when a family member is mistaken for a bad guy in the middle of the night. Solid locks that are actually used are a must; alarms and deadbolt locks and a baseball bat are better deterrents for most people than a firearm they don't know how to use.

I believe in our Second Amendment rights. I believe law abiding citizens should be able to own firearms after reasonable background checks and fingerprinting. That's no less than we ask of people who work in many professions who do not purchase firearms. We go through checks for a drivers license with fingerprinting and a written and driving test. So what's the big deal about the same for a firearms purchase. But let's be sensible. Those who desire to take away everyones' guns are trying to change the face of America. It would be as likely to remove the automobile from our streets. But wait...isn't that part of the government scheme by continually mandating higher MPG until there's nothing left but electrics, and the power companies can't keep up with the demand for charging as they shut down nuclear plant after plant?  It seems so ....clear?

Who Do You Believe in Washington?

Let's face it. Washington, DC, our governmental seat is full of first class liars. In fact, in my opinion, the primary prerequisite to be a politician is if you can tell a lie, remember enough of it to embellish it well enough to heap another lie upon it and keep it going long enough, so the people eventually become confused about how many total lies you actually told and forget the first big lie.

Sound complicated? Take the current batch of liars in the seat of our government. They have amnesia when it comes to programs they themselves oversee or control. They assign underlings to programs that they know are illegal or at least wrong, and let the underlings fall like dominoes when it becomes public knowledge, and then claim total oblivion to the entire mess.

Does anyone with half a brain think that the Attorney General or the head of the IRS does not know what goes on under their nose? They would have to be fecking eejits not to know. Yet they go before congress and the senate and profess that they had no idea these things were happening, and send the underling sheep to slaughter. Just like Obama disavowed knowledge of ACORN, these liars are right in the same crib with him.

We have little to no chance of ever having a decent government in this country until every one of the current group of politicians is voted out. EVERY ONE needs to be replaced by a new person. We need to cut their terms to two years and reduce their benefits to the same as we the citizens receive. No huge retirement system for one or two terms in office. You get Blue Cross or Blue Shield and it gets taken out of your pay, then you get Medicare just like us, no fancy special medical insurance system. The President gets one term and he's out. He does NOT get to spend half his second term campaigning to get back in office for a second term. What a helluva waste of our tax money! And his family should not go on lavish vacations that cost hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Remember the old Chevrolet commercial.."See the USA"  Get your ass out and see the sights in your own country while you serve the people who elected you. And that goes for the Congress and Senate too. No vacations and recesses. Get the job done or stay until its complete.

Finally, as Ann Coulter said, When the hell did we vote for the US to become part of Mexico? Get a grip on immigration reform. Quit pandering to every damned group so you can get some votes like a cheap prostitute looking for a date. What is it about illegal that you don't comprehend. What is it about our services and medical systems, welfare, and undue burden on taxpaying Americans that you can't see is paying for the millions who live here illegally. And you want to make them all legal so we can pay even more? Like the dimwit governor here in California who opens up his own dream plan (maybe he toked too much in the 70's with girlfriend Linda Ronstadt..who knows) so the illegals get in-state resident tuition fees at our universities and colleges. Sure, while the American kid from another American state can't get it. Pander to the illegals like a pimp, Jerry! Get those votes! Because that's what it's all about anyway.

If people want to come here legally, welcome. My ancestors did and helped build this country from dirt. I expect no less from anyone else.

US Post Office Going Bust

Once again, I need to post on how poorly the U. S. Postal Service has become in delivery of the mail. There are pluses and minuses in this, so hang in there for a few moments while I explain:

1. I have no problem with the cost of a First Class stamp. To send a letter across the country for 46 cents is a bargain in my book. Even if the price increases just about every year, it's still a bargain. Of course, many now use e-mail since we can be more likely to know it actually reaches the other party than we can by regular mail. And it takes seconds instead of two or three or sometimes 5 days.

2. The postal service does a splendid job in getting all those junk mailers to your mailbox on time. You know, those crappy newspaper-like pieces of junk that you either have to trash or recycle. The bulk mailers dream because they get reduced rates while your postage stamp keeps rising in cost. The postal service says bulk mailers keep them in business. So, if that's true, and most of us dislike the seemingly tons of crap mail we get monthly, maybe this dissolution issue isn't that bad after all.

3. The costs keep rising on Priority Mail packages, yet I get more misdirected packages than ever. Recently, I have had packages make it all the way across the United States to California, only to end up being sent to cities east of where they should have gone, when the address is clear on the package. That's incompetent #1. I know the routes are sorted by Incompetent #2 at the next post office but really, the mail person who puts it on the truck for delivery can't read and see it's the wrong city, so they carry it around all day? That's Incompetent #3. Then, they simply show no delivery update late at night, no transfer to the right post office by the next morning, nothing. So who knows where the package is now! When will the package arrive? Who knows. A day late, two days? Good question.

4. Example: Package shipped from Santa Ana to San Diego. Gets sent from Santa Ana to another post office north of there and then to Santa Clarita. Goes through Santa Clarita apparently twice and finally comes back south after two additional days. This should have been a one day shipment that took four days. More incompetence, but the Postal Service can blame it on either automated handling or incompetence. Guess which one they will choose?

5. I shipped a large envelope to New Hampshire and it went round and round at the same post office, coming up on the tracking system for 5 days as processed and then processed again and again. Finally after several phone calls (The offices neatly hide their numbers so you have to call an 800 number to be placed in touch) they were able to release it from its' carousel prison and the recipient got it over a week late. Great service.

6. When our usual carrier, who is excellent, is not on duty, the route is split among a group of other carriers to handle. Thus outgoing packages sit in the heat for ten hours awaiting pickup, since it seems the team of 6 extra carriers can't do what one carrier usually does, pick up by noon every day. Add some extra work to their schedule and the whole system breaks down, mail is picked up at least 6 hours later than usual. I wonder what the Easter candy looks like after that extra heat soak?

7. There are commercials on television sponsored by the National Letter Carriers about not letting the Postal Service stop Saturday delivery. A bit self-serving, don't you think? Same with businesses. Maybe if there was some efficiency in mail services and delivery, the Postal Service wouldn't be in the shape it is? Maybe if they didn't piss off those who ship regularly with them, and make us want to ship with another source, they could also improve their revenue stream?

8. The Postal Service whines about going bankrupt. Just like the automakers did, they want a bailout. But, don't expect any bailout of the Postal Service to ever be paid back. Because it will always be a losing proposition. The USPS couldn't possibly raise rates enough to keep themselves afloat, as businesses will continue to turn to lower cost shippers such as FedEx and UPS, among others. Businesses whine over possible lack of 6 day delivery but they could do fine in most cases with four days. Let them pay for special services such as 5 or 6 day delivery. Cut residential delivery to 3 days a week. Billions could be saved right there with little inconvenience to consumers.We don't need junk mail and magazines daily and most people now do their banking on line. Federal checks now require direct deposit, so no whining from federal benefits recipients about their checks being late either.

9. Rates charged are exorbitant for larger packages, forcing loyal customers to other services for many shipments. As an example, I shipped three boxes to Pennsylvania and Oklahoma and compared rates for three day delivery between my home ZIP code for USPS, FedEx and USPS for each piece. For three day service to Oklahoma, the USPS wanted $47.29 for one 12 lb box and FedEx charged $22.00. The second package the USPS wanted $28.84 Parcel Post, FedEx Ground shipped for $10.00. The third box, USPS wanted $20.20 Parcel Post and FedEx Ground shipped for $10.23. Less than half the price and arrived on time. Why pay over $50 more for USPS service?

I support the USPS and have for years. But it's growing tiresome having shipments misrouted and the same old lame excuses. The local post office apologizes but they usually are the scapegoat for a much bigger problem. Incompetency all along the line. Failure to force workers to perform. Those that do good work seem to be vilified and those that don't slide their way to a nice retirement.

I worked for the postal service 50 years ago. It was a wasteful service back then and I can only imagine how much that wastefulness has multiplied over all these years. If it is even anything like it was back then, no bailout will help, this year or any other. They are driving a vehicle that is far overdue for the crusher and the unions, I would guess, are driving it into the jaws of the shredder at breakneck speed. Unlike the automakers, the postal service has little new to offer or sell, no new glitzy models, no new speeds to thrill, not even a new found competence to razzle dazzle the old customers. Just the same old promise to deliver in rain, sleet, maybe in snow, and if the carrier can find the right house, or if the mail isn't misdirected. Quasi-governmental never works.  

Just as a point...here;'s a recent timeline of mishandling.....

	Priority Mail®	Delivery status not updated	March 27, 2013, 10:49 pm		Expected Delivery By: March 27, 2013 USPS Tracking / Delivery Confirmation™
			Out for Delivery	March 27, 2013, 8:49 am	EL CAJON, CA 92020
			Sorting Complete	March 27, 2013, 8:39 am	EL CAJON, CA 92020
			Arrival at Post Office	March 27, 2013, 5:26 am	EL CAJON, CA 92020
			Depart USPS Sort Facility	March 27, 2013	SAN DIEGO, CA 92199
			Processed through USPS Sort Facility	March 27, 2013, 12:31 am	SAN DIEGO, CA 92199
			Depart USPS Sort Facility	March 26, 2013	OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
			Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility	March 26, 2013, 3:32 am	OPA LOCKA, FL 33054
			Dispatched to Sort Facility	March 25, 2013, 6:22 pm	MIAMI, FL 33193
			Acceptance	March 25, 2013, 1:27 pm	MIAMI, FL 33193
			Electronic Shipping Info Received

  Shipper busts his butt to get it out on time and then...it gets misrouted.  Nothing like time sensitive service. Not from the USPS.

BMW and the Low Voltage Saga

I've probably bought more cars in my lifetime than most people. Not bragging by any means, just the truth. I love cars, and change vehicles pretty often. Couple that with driving new police vehicles all the time, company cars and having a pretty free say in what I want to drive as a personal vehicle (as long as the payments don't kill me) it's been a ride with way over half a hundred or so vehicles in the garage since age 17.

Some have been pretty hot cars, like the Dodge Challenger Hemi, the 1966 and 2005 GTO's, Mustang Mach 1 the 69 RoadRunner, 92 Corvette, and others I can't remember. Oh yeah, the 59 Studebaker with the supercharged engine from a 63 Avanti. Plus a host of others. The point being, I am a motor head and know a bit about cars, buying, repairing and selling. And racing too.

Today's vehicles are sophisticated and unlike the iron of old, more difficult to work on. No longer controlled by a coil and distributor or a magneto and distributor combo, the plethora of computer based modules makes your head spin. And let one go out of whack and you have a dead vehicle; one that many times begs only to be repaired by a high priced dealer mechanic with tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tools. Even that doesn't help when the dealers themselves only can tell you a tale of woe...

Two recent vehicle purchases were high line BMW's, 535imodels, one a 2011 535xiGT all wheel drive and the other a 2010 535iGT rear wheel drive. Each of them beautiful cars in their own right, but plagued with electrical gremlins that couldn't be solved by the dealers. The batteries drain faster than they can be recharged by the vehicles. If you don't drive enough daily, the batteries go dead. And before they do, the vehicles start reacting in all sorts of strange ways, such as the light control modules failing, meaning your directional signals (one or more) fail and your adaptive headlights fail along with their vertical aiming. You will be advised the vehicle will "not restart if stopped", that "the battery in your key fob is dead", "the key fob is not in the vehicle", that "the differential in your xDrive vehicle has failed and must be taken to the dealer immediately", and "the vehicle is overheating" on a cold day when it's been driven only a few miles and the engine temperature gauge says it's still cold. And that's only the beginning of the electronic repertoire the computer may have in store for you on some lonely road in the middle of nowhere..

BMW will take your car for three days and charge your battery for 8 hours numerous times but not replace the battery, since their service protocol is not to replace the battery unless it's truly dead. They will simply say it's "low voltage" and send you on your way, only to have the same problems shortly after. Then they take your car for three days again and do the same dance as their equipment finds nothing wrong but the same low voltage condition.

In exasperation, I sold my 2011 BMW simply because the dealers could not fix the problems permanently. Almost a $70,000 car that was so over-engineered that their solution is to plug in a battery charger at night to keep the battery charged.

On the 2010, I had to do my own diagnostics to find something was draining the battery faster than it could be charged while it was running. It was at the dealers for three days and after being given (finally after much discussion) a new battery, the vehicle malfunctioned 15 minutes away from the dealership en route home. We received a battery charger and I discovered it would not accept a full charge (new battery, remember?) it was not remaining charged and that when started, the vehicle was draining faster than charging. Upon returning to the dealer they kept it for two and a half days more to find the light control module had failed but had o order one in. Again, the advice: Use a battery charger when the vehicle is not in use. Search the Internet for hundreds f the same stories on the BMW forums and BMW won't fix the basic problem.

IF I WANTED A FREAKIN' ELECTRIC CAR WITH A CHARGING CORD

 I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE!  

 

Two days after we got the BMW back, we turned it in on a Land Rover. Not that we don't expect to have some issues down the road with any car, but electrical issues is not one we've heard plaque the Land Rover. Actually, we bought two, so I'll write a blog entry on how they stack up against the BMW's. Hey, if you have to make payments, you ought to at least be able to drive the vehicle, right? 

More Offshore Call Centers!

OMG! and WTF? Your credit information by the big three credit reporting companies is being handled offshore?

Folks, I just had an experience where I had to call both TransUnion and Experian for information regarding my accounts. In both cases I was connected to an offshore call center in either India or the Philippines where the people spoke poor English and were either barely able to assist me or totally unable to understand and assist me at all.

In one case, the woman was able to assist me after some time elapsed. It was nerve wracking to realize that she had the details of my entire life in front of her and she was not even located in the USA.

In the second case, the man on the phone was totally useless. I clearly explained several times I needed assistance at the time of the call and all he could do was tell me to put my request in writing and sent it to Experian. His ability to explain why he could not assist me was overshadowed by his inability to comprehend why I needed his assistance in the first place. Broken English and a poor attitude. And this idiot has control over my most important information? Yet some cretin credit card company wanting to send you junk mail for a pre-approved card can request it and get it easily because they simply pay a fee. Really nice. And they don't even have to talk to these dimwits!

So, if you think your credit information is safe and locked up somewhere, don't feel so secure. Because somewhere overseas, some idiot has access to every bit of it. And with the push of a computer key can screw your life up, all because the credit reporting company that is so "trusted" by hundreds of millions of people, are such cheap bastards that they have to use offshore labor instead of employing Americans in need of jobs.

And you wonder why we're slowly sinking down the tubes? Oh yeah, that goes along with "Press 1 for English"!

Tired of Sales Calls? AARP Sells Your Phone Number!

That retirees organization that so many retirees are now finding out is so far left winged that it can't fly straight has hit upon yet another way to screw the aging populace. It's selling your information.

Yes, you read that right, the AARP is selling your name, address and phone number to vendors of items that fit in with senior mobility and health care. How do I know this? Because today, I received a call from a walk-in bathtub company trying to sell me their products.

When I told the representative I was on a no-call list and they had no right to be calling me, and explained the fine they were incurring by doing so, and that I also have a phone trap that does collect their number, she panicked and called a supervisor to the phone.

The supervisor apologized profusely and promised to take me off their lists, etc. When I demanded to know how they obtained not only my number but my name, she stammered that they were calling on behalf of ...the AARP! And they were simply offering safety and mobility assistance to people who fall into certain age groups. She couldn't tell me what age group or demographics thet were, but I was really angry to think once again, the AARP is screwing seniors to make a buck off their backs.

Wake up, seniors. The AARP is not a helping organization. They want money and power but are not using it to help you! They line their pockets with money from endorsements of various types of insurance and advertising and now they're selling your information, or giving it away and getting paid a royalty on sales. Either way it should be criminal to do so.

Don't trust the AARP. They want to give you the warm fuzzies, but so would peeing in a dark blue wool suit. Quickly it cools off and you feel very uncomfortable. My relationship with the AARP has long cooled off and I don't even have a blue suit!

Check out the Alliance for Retired Americans http://www.retiredamericans.org/

and the Association for Mature American Citizens http://amac.us/

as alternatives to AARP.

AARP is a BILLION dollar company. Interesting that their expenses almost replicate their revenue. Hmm..pretty big executive paychecks out there...

From Guidestar:
Annual Revenue & Expenses

Fiscal Year Starting: Jan 01, 2011
Fiscal Year Ending: Dec 31, 2011

Revenue

Total Revenue	$1,224,437,632

Expenses

Total Expenses	$1,165,244,846

People Control

Once again, the liberals are out to blame the guns instead of the idiots who do heinous things with them. Not once do they blame the 400 horsepower vehicle for killing a bus load of people, but rightfully blame the driver. So why is it they don't do the same with guns? There is no hue and cry to remove all high horsepower cars from the streets after a teen drives his vehicle recklessly and kills four or five of his friends. Nor is there screaming to remove teens from behind the wheels of such automobiles. Why? Because to do so would be highly unpopular with the voters and , honestly, folks, it's all about votes.

If anyone believes the mushrooming of legislative activity against guns is really a gun violence issue, there's some waterfront property in Arizona you need to grab up quick before the next California earthquake. Sure, there is much concern about a school shooting, and anyone who would not be concerned and condemn such a dastardly deed is, in my opinion, a fool. But, that said, the hysteria that spreads across the nation to ban certain types of weapons, high capacity magazines and other anti-gun moves is simply a smoke-screen that the gun control people are hiding behind to press forward an agenda they have had for years. That is to disarm the American public and take away the Second Amendment rights of the American citizen.

What is truly frightening is that the government officials are well protected by armed guards and Secret Service. Obama and his family will receive lifetime Secret Service protection. Police and Sheriff's Departments are undermanned and underfunded so where does that leave the ordinary citizen when they call 911? A sitting duck while responders answer other calls and they are in the queue waiting for what could be hours for response from police. In fact, in some areas, you actually get a response from 911 that the line is busy and to call back later! (I personally have had that happen in California when I wanted to report an accident I witnessed) Great. Your home is being broken into and nobody is coming to help. The intruder has a gun and you, being a good citizen believing in gun control do not. While you are dying on the floor and your wife and daughter are being raped and then killed, the police are a long ways away. Too late for that gun now isn't it?

And, did all the laws that are not being enforced keep the intruder from getting a gun? He could have stolen it, bought it on the streets, or obtained it in many ways. Maybe it's one of the guns that Attorney General Eric Holder let go across the border into Mexico in the Fast And Furious operation that has made its way back into the US? One of those already killed a Border Patrol Agent. (And no, Holder isn't being held accountable for his actions as is not Hillary Clinton for her screw ups either...)

Problem is, the government does not enforce the laws currently on the books. Hell, I just read that numerous states don't keep the mentally ill from buying a gun in the first place! WTF? Some states have such stringent checks that you actually feel like a criminal to buy a gun; others are so loose it's damn near criminal to allow a gun to be bought. The rules need to be tightened up so here is a standardized methodology across the board for purchasing a firearm. Same in all states and municipalities. Concealed weapons permits standards should also be standardized and citizens with clear backgrounds following a vigorous check should not be denied a permit at the whim of a politically charged law enforcement agency or officer, as happens all too often. I have personally witnessed situations where "friends" of the issuing official get permits where other qualified people do not. Perhaps that has changed but I would bet in some jurisdictions it has not.

Bottom line, is don't vilify the piece of cold steel or the automobile or whatever is involved in the incident. Vilify the person behind the attacks. Place all available resources into stopping criminals from obtaining weapons while allowing law abiding citizens to have the weapons they want. The tactic seems to be "let's penalize everyone so we can catch a few" which equates to the old "the beatings will continue until morale improves" logic. Beating gun owners isn't the way to achieve a safer society.

Beating the criminal element and making it more difficult for them to obtain a weapon is a good start, but realize all the gun laws won't keep illegal guns off the streets. It will make it more difficult for the legal citizen to obtain a firearm, but the criminal will still obtain one. Out of the trunk of a car, in a dark alley, somewhere, there will always be a gun for sale at the right price.

As a nation, we mourn for the children, adults and their families in Newtown, Aurora and elsewhere. Those were horrible acts of deranged people. But it was the people, not the gun that pulled the trigger. Focus on that. The lunatics could have made a bomb and done mass damage and we wouldn't want to ban propane tanks or fertilizer or whatever they made the bomb from.

Finally, I don't own an assault weapon or a high capacity magazine, so I am writing this without a self-serving purpose. Just to ask that people look at the real issue...people are the problem and unless we recognize that, all the knee-jerk reactions and new laws won't help. Like all the cell phone laws didn't help stop people talking on their phones while driving and texting laws didn't help stop texting while driving. People don't obey those simple laws until a tragedy strikes, and the government won't raise the fines high enough so that it really hurts to get caught. So blame it on lack of enforcement.

And, by the way, why were the guns not in a locked approved gun safe in Newtown? Or doesn't Connecticut require that as many other states do? Just a thought....