Goodbye to The Unionized Twinkie

Sadly, the Hostess Brands Company filed for liquidation on November 16, as union picketers walked the picket line around numerous locations, demanding yet more concessions from a company that was already sliding into the abyss of oblivion. The company asked for concessions from the union, but the union would rather see 18,500 employees out of work nation wide than give in to save jobs. Eight percent reduction in pay and paying twenty percent of their medical costs would be too much to handle to keep working. Unemployment must have looked a lot better. Or at least that's what the union bosses decided.

From the press:

"A small union's stubbornness in contract talks with Hostess is being blamed for the shutdown of one of America's snack food icons, the loss of 18,500 jobs just before the holiday season and much-needed tax revenue from hundreds of plants and shops across the country.

The privately-held company had reached a deal with the Teamsters, but a smaller union representing bakery workers refused to agree to concessions, prompting the mass layoffs and closing down of hundreds of plants, bakeries and delivery routes. That prompted harsh words from both the company and from Teamsters officials.

The national strike by members of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) that began last week decimated the 82-year-old company’s ability to produce and deliver products at roughly 12 of its 33 plants. The company announced earlier in the week that the ax would fall on Friday if the strikers didn’t get back to work, but the union didn’t blink.'

So, folks, when you no longer have your favorite snack cakes on the shelves, be it Twinkies, Ho-Ho's, Ring Dings, Sno-Balls, Devil Dogs, Hostess Cup Cakes or even Wonder Bread, don't blame Hostess for failure. They declared bankruptcy once already and were trying to crawl out of that hole. But unfortunately, the weight of union demands placed them in an untenable position.

It's kind of a strange epitaph when a company is placed in a position to tell the union that if you don't go back to work, we can't sustain ourselves, and will have to close and liquidate, and the union essentially says screw you, and the inevitable happens. Then listen to the wailing of the workers who have no jobs but relied on the union to be their spokesperson and do right by them. Sadly, the workers, in my opinion, got screwed by the union they trusted!

There are no winners here, just losers. Including all those lovers of the fine products you have enjoyed for generations. And the families of all those workers who really had no say in the demise of this great business.

RIP, Twinkies...

L.L. Bean Made in China?

It hurts to admit it, but I used to purchase right from the L.L. Bean store in Freeport Maine way back when L.L. himself was still alive and kicking, and contributing to that hard cover red book that was then the Bean's catalog. All the products were not only good, but excellent, most, if not all, tested and used by ol' L.L. himself or one of the family.

Times have changed and now many of their items are no longer American made, but made in ,,,ugghh....China. Take the famous Wicked Good slippers for example. Always a bit on the expensive side, they cost about $40 on sale a few years ago, went up to $60 a bit ago and are now $80 on line. They sure used to be worth the price but now, I can't say they are. Maybe if they lasted ten years to keep you feet warm in the mornings, but if they lased three or four years, are they worth $80? For indoor slippers, now, remember. Not outdoor boots or outdoor anything.


I'm bummed that an American legend touts their product as the same as was made in the old days and when you get it, it has a :Made in China" label affixed. Then you find the insides fall apart in due time. Worse yet, you find when the slippers fail to give satisfaction, the guarantee is not to replace them with the same slippers that are now double the price, but to refund or credit the original price. So, if you want a new pair you pay the increased price for a new "Chinese" L.L. Bean product.

Utterly disgusted. But much smarter as I now see why the latest Bean shirts do not hold up like the older ones. After a few washings they start to look like rags, no longer crisp and solid. More like something I would expect from Wal-Mart. Oh wait, the Bean shirts are made in El Salvador and Bulgaria. What did I expect? American pricing on foreign goods.

Another sad story for American goods and labor and a company with a good story left far behind.  Old L. L. Himself would be really sad at this turn of events. Even horrified to see his fishing creel with a "Made in China" stamp on the bottom probably.

Online Ratings... Maybe Not So Much Trust

About a week ago, I went to Yelp to check out a local doctor to find out what others thought of him and his practice. I was amazed to find a 4 out of 5 star rating and all these wonderful things people had to say about the doctor and his office. How could this be, I wondered, since I had just been a patient there and had a very unpleasant experience.

Aha, there is something Yelp calls a "filter" which takes a bit of finagling to get through and viola...up comes the very negative comments that virtually mirror the visit I had with this same doctor. Had I checked this site before choosing a doctor, and not been able to find this fairly well hidden "filter" I would have thought this was a great doc.

Caveat: Don't trust Yelp to give you the straight story on reviews when they hide the really pertinent information at their discretion. If they are going to allow reviews, then print them all!

Secondly, some sites actually do list the good, the bad and the ugly about the docs and others reviewed. The point is to be sure you get the big picture and never rely on just one or two review sites to give you the information you need. Check every one you can, especially professional sites. Check the local medical board if possible. Check hospital ratings too. With your health, you can never be too careful.

Finally, when it comes to the Better Business Bureau, as they say in New York "fuggettaboutit." They rate every business who pays them a fee and the businesses start off with an "A." That doesn't give you the warm fuzzies when a brand new business with no history has the same "A" as the business who has been around a few years. You do have to look at more than the letter rating but again, every A is not an A.

Time for Reflection

Americans need to take time to reflect on the past three and one half years under the current administration, and ask themselves are you really better off than you were four or five or six years ago?

Sadly, for most of us, the answer is no. That is, for the working class person who supports the rest of the leeches of society who refuse to work to maintain their lifestyle, preferring that the rest of us pay their way ad nauseum. Those and the Democrats who somehow inanely continue to believe that Obama and his crew are doing great things for America as he leads us down the path of Socialism. Hmm, it's easy to see why those sucking at the hind tit of the freebie pig are willing to give this mostly crew another go at the reins of the country, but thinking people? WTF?

The Obama administration twists and wiggles the figures to make you believe, in this election year, that all of a sudden they are doing a great job. Spending what will amount to a billion dollars in campaign funds to spread their own gospel, telling you that all of a sudden everything is coming together. That the bankers and stock brokers on Wall Street have all become angels, and that they didn't screw America after all. That the government actually extracted from them the FAIR amount owed to the people following the huge bailouts. That those responsible ALL went to prison for extended terms. That bailouts were somehow good for Americans pocketbooks, while the little guy got poorer or lost everything as a result of the debacle and the fat cats on Wall Street grabbed huge bonuses, golden parachute retirement plans and personal fortunes. Even mid-level executives made out like bandits while poor old Joe America watched their retirement fade away. And Washington sat on their collective asses and did nothing but point fingers.

Will Eric Holder ever be honest about Fast and Furious and all the lost firearms that went into Mexico and the drug cartels? How does he and the rest of the idiots who turned their collective heads, and shut their brains down, tell the family of the dead Border Patrol agent that this was a "mistake"? That they were inept and even though they were informed there were major problems, those brass upstream just kept the program running. The same government who would dare bring our military to court for such injustice, sidesteps it themselves and hides under the cloak of secrecy and executive privilege.

Maybe between vacations and campaign junkets, Mr. Obama should find some time to actually do something good for the country? It's not likely. In my opinion, he lies to present whatever suits him at that moment. And you can't trust a liar especially as your leader. Is he a pathological liar? You make the call. Ever since he disavowed knowledge of ACORN, yet was affiliated with them from as early as 1992, was a lawyer for them in 1995 and even spent over $800,000 in campaign funds with an ACORN affiliate in 2008. And he says ...ACORN who? 

It's time for change, and if you don't make it in November, you deserve what you get. Four more years of lies, deceit and socialist programs jammed down your throats.

Pat & Oscar's Restaurants - Followup

I wrote about this restaurant chain in December 2010 and indicated the food and service was falling by the wayside. I also indicated I feared that the company would follow their service down the tubes.

The inevitable has happened and the corporate Pat and Oscar's has gone bankrupt, closing their company owned restaurants without notice as I have gathered. Some franchise operations remain operating and I understand will attempt to make a go of it without the corporate albatross hanging on.

Again, I finished that previous story in wishing them luck. But it takes more than that to bring the customers back, To those franchisees out there, you have a wonderful product, so best of luck and maybe with your abilities to preserve your own customer base and without the pressure of a corporate presence, you can be successful. I sure hope you can.

Warning - Warning - Holiday Delivery and "Free Shipping"

Did you know that many of the companies out there, including the big ones that you do business with are turning to alternative shipping solutions to save money on shipping? Yes, and that might turn out to be a very bad thing for you, the consumer, especially at this time of year as holiday shopping hits its frenzied peak.

You probably are aware that United Parcel Service or UPS takes about 7 days to get a package from coast to coast. Of course, with what they call "delivery exceptions" it can take longer. But for small packages, retailers are now using a service called UPS Mail Innovations or UPS MI in which the original package is shipped through UPS and moved about the country, then at some point is handed over to the US Postal Service for the final legs of delivery. The catch? Ten days or more between NY and CA on one delivery. 13 days on a shipment from Chicago weighing about 6 ounces where the seller, Dyson Vacuums charged $6.95 and could have Priority Mailed it for less than $5.00 and still made two dollars on packaging in the envelope. Imagine 13 days without a vacuum if you didn't have a spare. And they never said it would be going by UPS Mail Inovations, just UPS!

Problem here is that the shipper electronically manifests the shipping company who may not pick up for a day and it doesn't get shipped for a day. Then even as it moves from terminal to terminal, it changes hands several times more. Then the shipping company manifests the post office before giving them the package and finally hands it over. Then the package is on its way again with several stops in the interim before being delivered.

Think FedEx is any better? Think again! We loved FedEx Ground for heavier shipments as they were always faster than UPS with 5 day coast to coast times and for home delivery, they delivered on Saturday. But wait, FedEx came up with FedEx Smart Post where it now takes 10 days in some cases to get an article from outside of Phoenix, Arizona to San Diego, less than 400 miles away. Same type of deal as with the UPS mail , it moves through the FedEx Ground system and then gets handed off to the Postal Service down the line. But one wrong move and then nobody has any idea what happened to your package. Mine disappeared in Phoenix for days and neither the shipper nor FedEx could tell me anything about where it was except it was still there somewhere. Big freaking help!

There are others too, but those are the big two. My daughter became frustrated with one called Streamlite Delivery where they promise 5 business day delivery, but not to her door!

Amazon.com has taken to similar shipping on its free shipping deals with economy shipping. Yet, for some reason, Amazon does it right. Whether the shipper is afraid to lose Amazon as a client, thus moves their mail post-haste or whatever, the items actually have been delivered quickly. But, then again, maybe that's just an anomaly as this is the beginning of the holiday season, and the items are starting to move at the start. We'll see as the season progresses.

The caveat here is to ask before you choose the free or reduced shipping, or any other shipping this holiday season. Even at QVC.com and on the air purchases, you have a choice. If you click "best way" they will ship UPS or US mail at their prerogative, but you usually have the choice on smaller items to click down to have them use US Mail at the same price and it will arrive faster with less chance of damage.

The problem is so many shippers won't tell you who they actually use. They say your order will ship UPS but it will ship UPS Mail Innovations for one hellishly long ride.  Or, their ads will say they use FedEx so you think you're getting FedEx. Well, you are, sort of. But it's a bastardization of the mail and FedEx Ground that may leave you scrambling for a last minute replacement present when the one you bought doesn't show up. Try telling your wife/fiancee/significant other it was UPS or FedEx fault on Christmas! 

Finally kudos are in order to the Busted Knuckle Garage because after a package went awry from them, I called Warren, the owner, and he now posts on his web site that they do ship FedEx Smart Post for Free Ground Shipping on orders over $99, and it may delay your receipt of shipments. If you would like another way to ship, please inquire when ordering. A real stand up company who does right by their clients through informing them of choices. That's all the consumer asks...let us know what to expect and when to expect it. Busted Knuckle Garage...a 5 Star Company. I don't usually do plugs for anyone but these are really stand up folks:  http://www.bustedknucklegarage.com/

Warning...Children at Play

In Washington, I mean. Grown adults, or maybe people sized as adults with minds that are so filled with lack of logic except political partisanship, that they just can't seem to get anything right. Or anything done!

What's the huge problem is settling the debt fiasco? And why do these imbeciles seem to believe the way to do it is to screw the old, the infirm, the senior citizens, the veterans, the middle class and forget about all the special interests and the rich? The Republicans are becoming as bad as the Democrats in their self-serving lack of logic. The filthy rich have told them "Tax Us!" That's right, a group of the wealthiest people said they don't pay their fair share and should pay more. What? Many of those Republicans signed a No Tax Increase Pledge? But that's only for their rich assed friends and special interests? It sure seems that way when we hear that to "fulfill the pledge" they can cut Social Security or veterans benefits to offset not reducing a tax loophole or giveaway for oil companies or ethanol production, or some other pork barrel item, thus not increasing taxes. For example, to avoid eliminating 7 billion dollars in ethanol subsidies, you simply cut slightly more than 7 billion dollars in benefits to the working class Americans, and you avoided a tax increase, although you just screwed tens of millions of people. Take away the homeowners income tax mortgage interest deduction,  property tax deduction and their tax bill will rise markedly. Those on the cusp of losing their homes due to affordability will fall over the edge. But do these buffoons care? Nope. Because they didn't have to raise taxes on big oil or corporate jets, or simply do away with the deduction of interest on planes or yachts for multi-millionaires and billionaires, nor the mega-mansions in Malibu, Laguna, Miami or the Hampton's! They'll simply put the screws to middle class America once again, and sit back and watch as more people lose their homes, because nobody thought about the long term consequences of what this would do.

That has become the hallmark of our politicians. They don't think long term. Here and now and not about later on. Like a child buying candy with their last money and eating it all at once. When it's gone and nothing is left, then they get concerned because they made a bad choice and they want more candy. So they cry and whine, kick and shout, and ask for more money or candy. See the parallels here?  Sounds like politicians, doesn't it? Maybe oversimplified because I don't know any kids needing several trillion dollars for candy...yet! Maybe after this administration gets done with us....

We'll all have to bite the bullet in this mess. But those who can least afford it shouldn't be asked to bite a howitzer shell while the mega rich are asked to chomp on a .22. Once again, politics shows, that the most vulnerable are the ones most likely to be chopped up in this mess as it runs the course in Washington.

The backlash won't be pretty. No matter how this is sliced and diced, nobody will like the outcome. Those pushing cuts with no tax increases will incur the ire of those they hurt; those pushing tax increases will incur the wrath of those who have to foot the bill, who might not be those who should be footing the bill at all.

One final thought...you just have to look at them like a group of  school children running amok before the bell. Even after they take their seats, nothing gets done. Because the head of the class is no smarter than any of the students, and no one is leading the group to a successful conclusion. The only thing they excel at is...recess!