The Double A Lounge

Every so often, you run into one of those opinion articles that really is spot on. If you’ve ever done any reading on technology trends, then you are no stranger to a man named John Dvorak. He’s been writing articles about technology trends since the 1980’s so he knows a thing or two about the economy and it’s affects on that sector. He writes a regular column called John Dvorak’s Second Opinion for a site called MarketWatch. I’ve always liked his columns since they provide some interesting insights into the inner workings of the tech sector. His latest column talks about the public’s eroding trust in financial institutions. To quote one of the paragraphs:

It turns out that we are looking at nothing more than pigs at the feed
trough gorging on easy money while pretending to be the public’s friend
and protector. This situation is seriously damaging the economy and
threatening the future of the economic system.

That probably sums it up as good as any. It’s all having a ripple effect. High gas prices, runaway food prices, high rates of mortgage foreclosures, failing businesses…need I go on? What makes this article stand out for me is that it doesn’t try to micro analyze individual factors. Instead it takes on the broad picture and identifies the root cause of the problem. Don’t see that much anymore in articles like these.
Unfortunately, he does make another point worth noting:

The whole scene is as bleak as it could be, but because of a declining
public interest and perhaps a general stupefaction of the public,
nothing is done about it. It’s a population of sheep being fleeced over
and over with hardly a complaint.

Many people simply don’t care and won’t do anything about it. Unless people stand up, speak up, and take action it will keep happening. If someone is fleecing you with fees, then stop using the service. If everyone did that simple action, it would go a long way to sending a message.

I urge you to check out his current column. It won’t cost you anything but time.

Up, up, and up some more! Yes, New York State is raising it’s Thruway tolls yet again. To add insult to more insult, those who use EZPass automated toll collection (like me) are getting a very sharp increase. I will give our Thruway system here this: they do keep it in great shape. Only problem is if they were doing a great job with the money they had, why increase it now? Is there some new stretch of interstate highway we are funding and we don’t know it yet? The State Comptroller for NY has audited the Thruway Authority and found all sorts of financial waste and other assorted oddities. He flatly stated that an increase could not be justified until they examine more closely their own spending. As it was, we had to just about riot just so they would remove the tolls from a spur route around the city. What I find interesting is all the miles of interstate highway in NY state that do not have any tolls at all. It certainly has to make you wonder. Rising gas prices and rising tolls…what a combination!

You hear all the time about performers who reprimand audiences for their behavior but this is a sad example of when it goes too far.

The performer in this case is a jazz musician by the name of Keith Jarrett.   He’s a legend in the jazz world so his performances are always worth seeking out, but in this case he really stooped to a level that shocked me.  It’s one thing to politely ask, but it’s quite another to be so brutal about i.  He hadn’t even played a note yet and he already had ticked off his audience.  Needless to say, the people who organized the festival he played at won’t be inviting him back.

It appears that consumer electronics retailer Circuit City feels they have a brilliant idea as shown in this article. Here is basically what they want to do: fire about 8% of it’s work force, give them a few weeks of severance pay, then allow them the option to reapply for the same positions albeit at a much lower rate of pay. Their justification for doing this is that these employees are overpaid.

Have you been in a Circuit City store lately? I picked up a few things from there over Christmas last year. The prices were good and they even had an option where you could pay for it online and walk into the store with the proper credentials and pick up your item without a wait. The reality was quite different from the ideal.

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Here is an article where someone decided to compare actual drug prices between major drug stores and bulk product retailers like Sam’s Club or Costco.  The differences in price are pretty startling.  If you have insurance and the drug in question is covered, then this would be a moot point.  The point is that it illustrates the glaring difference in pricing models employed by different retailers.  You also have to wonder what these places are charging your insurance company.  We hear about the skyrocketing costs of health care all the time, but maybe what we should call it is the sky’s the limit!

This one is a classic.  I’ve had plenty of things happen in a restaurant before, but this is new territory.  The fact that someone would sanction such an action in an eating establishment makes me wonder just where we are headed.  It’s bad enough that almost every restaurant we visit has an hour wait even on off-peak hours.  It’s bad enough that the service is curiously lacking (long waits, no status checks, need I go on?).  It’s even worse when the food turns out to be something that looks like it went through a nuclear blast or is missing essential ingredients.  No, someone has to top all that off with a policy where if you order a drink without ice, they only fill the glass enough to what the glass would actually contain had it contained ice in it.  Brilliant!

You would think that with all the paranoia surrounding identity theft that the issues with Social Security Numbers would not be an issue at all.  This article illustrates that the issue is still at the forefront.  Interesting to note the statement from the Social Security administration about the use of SSN’s and their purpose.  As always, you have to watch your back since even our government can’t do that for you.

Well I knew something like this would come about eventually.  It appears that despite all the frustrations that air travelers have to deal with, they now have to pay to use electricity while waiting so they can use laptops and such.  Apparently someone else didn’t like that either since they created something called the Air Power Wiki.  It’s a special series of web pages designed to point out good spots at airports where you can power up without having to pay.

I don’t doubt that running an airport can be an expensive.  The utilities alone would be burden enough as you essentially have to have them running all the time.  Is it really fair to saddle air travelers with the burden of paying for electricity while there?  If all someone is going to do is use a laptop or other small electronic device, I don’t see how the small amount of power consumed is going to make all that much difference in the overall costs of electricity there.  They probably get a large discount on their power bill to boot (don’t know that for fact but it would be interesting to find out).

So if they want to charge for electric usage, what’s next in line?  Will I need to feed a $5 bill into the bathroom door so I can relieve myself?  Will I have to swipe my credit card if I want a comfy seat to wait in while my delayed flight makes its way in?  I’m surprised they don’t offer discounts for people willing to stand outside vs. inside.  To me, an airport charging for power use would be like making someone who visits my house doing the same thing.  You treat people like guests, not a burden.

I always knew corporate America would find a way to undermine my citizenship status in this country. Apparently they have decided in their wonderful wisdom (or lack thereof) to grant illegal immigrants in this country the right to have a charge card even without having social security numbers. Read about it here.

I wasn’t aware about that Federal law that Spitzer mentions in this article. Guess if we’re gonna Americanize these people, then might as well do it right by having them run up all sorts of huge credit card bills they will never be able to repay. Apparently we need to take out the word illegal from illegal immigrant.