Desperation Embodied...

So I'm standing in line at my local 7-11 with a much needed cup of coffee and the Saturday Edition of the Star Telegram. (I like the deliberate nature of reading printed news rather than iPad media)
In any case, I'm standing there in a line of 3-4 people when it occurs to me, "What could the guy up front possibly be doing that is taking this long!" Money Order? Finding the right pack of cigarettes? Lost his debit card? What!? After maneuvering to get a better look I find myself both saddened and mortified to find he is counting out pennies, and dimes to gather enough money for the last of 4 lottery tickets! Literally counting (out loud) his lose change to muster enough.
Beside the point that he was holding up a line of legitimate customers ...(yeah I said it!) LEGITIMATE customers that were waiting to make purchases of goods, he was apparently incapable of completing the basic math necessary to complete his dubious purchase.
Let's discuss the lottery for a minute...
There are several things that upset me on a day to day basis, my boxer eating perfectly good fence panels for sport, my oldest daughter shopping like she's on a mission to break me, my ex-wife (in general) and the lottery. Simply put, the lottery is a tax on people that are missed by capital gains tax, property tax, gas tax, or any other tax that a person's income, lifestyle or possessions (or lack thereof) exempt them from paying. It's a "catch all" that allows the state to collect additional revenue without the risk of state representatives having to vote on a tax measure. Although someone WILL win the drawing each time, and as the advertisement says,"You can't win if you don't play", let's examine the economic fallacy of the lotto.
The average player spends between $5-$10 a week on tickets with the occasional win of $1-$100. Continued for a full year this person would spend nearly $500 per year on... Air. Unless they were luck enough to win a few times in which case the may win their money back. Why not put $500 in a CD or money market account so that the next emergency that comes about can be dealt with without the assistance of paycheck loans or credit cards? I just don't get it. Especially not while my coffee is getting cold!


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Location:Fort Worth

Stick and Stones May Break My Bones but Failed Litigation must hurt......

So I'm poking around Lancaster's healthy rumor-mill when the thought occurs to me, "I wonder whatever happen to that lawsuit that was filed when a certain school board member was asked to pick up her toys and go home?" Well, now I know! After finding an attorney with enough extra time on their hands to take the case... convincing someone besides herself that this was a useful and necessary pursuit, and spending money on court costs to have the issue heard by a local judge...... wait for it..... drum roll please..... nothing? Yep, that's right, nothing. The judge practically threw the case out of his or her court and probably disinfected the chamber to rid it of the stench of unnecessary litigation! THIS and other empty cases like it are why city services costs so much. THIS is why there are 15 "Slippery When Wet" signs placed over a 3 inch spot of water on a grocery store floor. THIS is why "Not Responsible for Injury" signs have to be placed on coffee cups in countless baristas around the country! Useless, time consuming, improper and petty attempts to "make a point" at the expense of the court's time and often the judge's patience. I'm a little surprised the judge didn't light the lawsuit on fire, throw it in the trash, and order the bailiff to escort the plaintiff out of the building on general principle!

It's ashamed that when faced with the honorable choice of bowing out gracefully or showing oneself to be petty and vindictive we often choose the latter. I'm not happy the case was ruled one way or the other, only sad it ever was a case at all.

Is There No End to the Madness?

I know it may be... scratch that... it IS crude but the saying,"Fart in the tub and bite the bubble" comes to mind as I hear about Lancaster's recent decision to prohibit an established business from expanding due to rezoning of the area in which the shop is located. Granted, it's a tattoo shop and nobody likes tattoo shops... right? Except, believe it or not, they pay taxes like any other business. They have customers like any other business, and are as concerned about their store appearance and perception in the community as any other business. After all, who wants to get a 'dancing pig over a plate of skulls' tattooed in a dirty parlor? (Don't answer that Tommy)

In any case, businesses look at decisions related to businesses when they consider potential growth or expansion into an area. Yes, they look at other factors such as supporting infrastructure, tax abatement opportunities, surrounding demographics, and population as well but more than anything a business wants to know if a city will be supportive or restrictive once the shovel is put away and the customers begin to come. They don't understand or trust a governing body that decides cases based on arbitrary personal concerns or feelings. If you'll vote to restrict a tattoo parlor because you think they're beneath you, who's to say you won't vote against a "Super Target" because you had a bad shopping experience once or a UPS Distribution Center because you have an adversity to the color brown?

To add insult to injury, the city attorney has to instruct you on how to reverse a decision you JUST MADE? I really hope I heard that one wrong...

Having met and spoken with Marcus Knight, I know him to be an intelligent and formidable leader so it pains me to know he has to endure association with this nonsense. I'm pretty sure, somewhere in the far corners of the city offices is a private room that he uses just to scream at the top of his lungs in frustration! If that's the case, someone should clear a path, prop the door open and wait for it... he'll be visiting that room soon.

Unbelievable stuff... Believe it!!!

So, I'm working for a whole in the wall Restoration Company based out of Grand Prairie and I begin to see signs that the company may not be as stable as I was lead to believe at hire. People begin withdrawing 401K participation, senior managers begin looking for alternative sources of income, venders begin complaining of delayed payment... you know, the regular stuff one sees just before the boat capsizes.
I ask my incompetent supervisor "what's going on?" and receive this reply... I wrote it down directly after leaving him so that i'd remember...

"We've grown SO much that, like a kid who's run too fast for his shoes to stay on, we've run out of our shoes! It's easy to see how some might think we're struggling with pay-cuts, layoffs, and the occasional vender complaint but I can personally assure you we're doing great!"

Two days later 7 of us are without a job! Lol
So much for believing the unbelievable...


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