United Breaks Guitars July 7, 2009
Posted by weare1 in comedy, commentary, economics, frugality, links, music, rant, travel.Tags: airlines, music, united
add a comment
A New Way Of Working November 11, 2007
Posted by weare1 in commentary, economics, politics, rant, society.Tags: poitics economy taxes companies corporations campaignfi
add a comment
What if there was a law requiring management salaries to be no more then double the average worker’s salary? Ladies and gentlemen we would see across the board increases in wages, a more robust economy, and greater tax revenues. Why won’t we ever see this sort of thing? Because the people in power make ungodly amounts more then the workers they hire, and will do everything in their power to keep it that way. Unless and until workers vote in large numbers and demand significant campaign finance reforms we will never see this here in our country, even though it would be in our national interest. Something to think about.
The Power of the Internet Community October 19, 2007
Posted by weare1 in Internet, economics, frugality, rant, travel.Tags: internet trip travel
add a comment
I’m asking for your help, thats right, you. I’m helping out a buddy trying to get some donations going for the Johnny’s trip project. This is a great cause and he could use a break, help prove the power and generosity of the Internet community at:
ALWAYS use American Express June 20, 2007
Posted by weare1 in economics, frugality, travel.Tags: airlines, american express, amex, consumer, credit, SAS, travel
add a comment
American Express won a customer for life in me. I only use American Express now for any purchase where it is accepted. The reason? Outstanding customer service. By excellent customer service I don’t mean nice CSRs. They really saved my bacon when I was traveling and SAS lost my bag which they had charged me $235(US) in overweight fees, and refused to refund. Because SAS was being completely customer hostile and refusing me any help at all I called AMEX travel services and told them my information. They called all the airlines for me, and ultimately found my bag saving my trip. I was blown away by the ease of using this service and the professionalism of the representative who really went above and beyond and took down all my information comprehensively and politely. If I had used another card I wouldn’t have had this help when I needed it most and not have enjoyed my very expensive vacation. Use Amex for everything, they stand behind their customers.
Comics: Ridiculous Credit Card Fees From The Future – Consumerist June 18, 2007
Posted by weare1 in comedy, economics, rant, society.add a comment
Boycott Amazon.com
January 3, 2007
Posted by weare1 in commentary, economics, sharks, society.
3 comments
UPDATE:Amazon has done the right thing and pulled these products, good for you Amazon. I’ll now go out of way to buy stuff from them. I really like Amazon, and I’ll now re-invest in them after I divested due to this incident.
I refuse to shop at Amazon.com until they remove Shark Fin Soup from their catalog. Nobody should sell this violent cruel unsustainable product. I find this product repulsive and offensive. Any retailer who chooses to look the other way is culpable. Please join me in not buying anything from Amazon.com until they remove this disgusting product.
Amazon.com: Dragonfly Shark Fin Soup: Gourmet Food
http://www.amazon.com/14-1-SHARKFIN-SOUP-CRAB-MEAT/dp/B00019FVV8/
Stealth Inflation October 14, 2006
Posted by weare1 in commentary, economics, frugality, rant.1 comment so far
At the simplest level inflation is where your dollar buys less then it did before. If you follow the Federal numbers on inflation you would think inflation is under control, well I’ve got news for you, they have manipulated their statistics not to show real inflation. Stealth inflation is the slow creep of value being drained from your dollar. Does it cost you the same to live the same way now as it did last month? No, just a little bit more. If you’ll read some of my earlier posts you’ll see some complaints about hidden pricing. I’ve had 2 service providers pull bullshit “regulatory compliance fee” price hikes this month alone. This is stealth inflation. It costs me more this month to use my cell phone and Internet then it did last month, however if you called up those companies and said “how much is your service” they would tell you the same numbers they did last month. They lie. My cable TV costs have risen about 25%, for less service. These companies are going to continue adding hidden pricing just as fast as they think they can get away with, this problem isn’t going to get better, it’s going to get worse, a lot worse. Unless and until consumers band together and refuse to accept hidden pricing it will continue. Clog their customer service lines, cancel your service (price hikes allow you to escape your contract or commitment.) Incidentally two-year contacts are a relatively recent development starting around ‘95. Because we consumers have refused to argue this practice is now quite widespread. Contacts like this are purely in the corporate interest, they don’t help you at all, if you think it protects you against price hikes you’re wrong, they still pull stealth increases like additional “regulatory compliance fee.” What kind of bullshit is that? They obviously want you to believe it’s some sort of official tax, thats why they list it with the real taxes and not in your main bill, their intention is to deceive you. Are you stupid? They think so. If you accept these you may very well be. My generation has seen approximately 35% inflation over our lifetime, meaning my dollar can buy 35% less stuff then my dad’s dollar. Think about that.
At the same time are you making 35% more income then your parents? Not likely as wages have been essentially stagnant for the last 15 years. We are going in the wrong direction. With our law making bodies hopeless addicted to special interests and their corporate bosses, what chance do we have to change the way things are going? Not good. I am very seriously considering cashing in all my investments and investing in Euros to protect my investments against inflation.
I would love to hear some arguments telling me why I’m wrong, or what we should do.
Class Warfare August 14, 2006
Posted by weare1 in economics, politics, rant, society.add a comment
Poor people are low hanging fruit for politicians and large corporations. They’re obviously under-represented by politicians, who would rather campaign for their corporate sponsors, thus creating an environment that allows for financial policies which are disadvantageous to those less privileged members of society.
Nickel and Dimed is a highly acclaimed book documenting systematic unfair pricing for poor people. Although I havn’t read it yet, I have certainly seen this phenomenon first hand. I would encourage people to stop doing business with companies that use unfair pricing of any kind.
Vote With Your Dollar August 12, 2006
Posted by weare1 in commentary, economics, politics, rant, society.add a comment
It’s apparent to anyone who’s paying attention that our society is being increasingly controlled by large multi-national corporations. They rent the congresspeople to make the laws they want, which favor them, and are not in the public interest.
“Stealth inflation”, and hidden pricing is another corporate tactic which has slithered into our daily lives in the last few years. Often we can feel powerless to stop this ultimate corporate takeover, but I remind you all, that you carry the most powerful weapon of all, your money. Vote against large corporations with your dollars. Tell them to fuck off by buying from smaller local stores wherever possible. Refuse to do business with any corporation that has used hidden or stealth pricing with you.
You Do Not Have Health Insurance « The Baseline Scenario August 6, 2009
Posted by weare1 in commentary, economics, politics, rant, society.add a comment
You Do Not Have Health Insurance « The Baseline Scenario