Living with MCL

Never was a truer statement ever made!

Yesterday I upgraded my WordPress software (the software that runs this blog) to the latest version 2.7.1. The developers of WordPress have made it very simple, in the last upgrade to v2.7, to do that, so with just one click of my mouse, I was easily able to accomplish that task.

Everything looked good at first glance, but a few hours later I discovered that my previous post had been truncated, so if you read my blog between the hours of 11:03 AM and 9:59 PM yesterday, you did not get the full scope of my wisdom.

I did manage to restore the original version, but this morning I discovered some of my theme files have been modified giving a different look to my blog. The changes are mostly superficial, and the reader may not even realize it, but from an administrative stand point and aesthetics, they are significant, and I haven’t been able to figure out how to fix it just yet.

Oh well, I’ll work on it when I get to work this morning. 

For the longest time, I’d been thinking our economy was headed downward. Lately I was even thinking we were headed toward a great depression of sorts, but a comment by one of the retired, old timers in the bike club, while we were having coffee/tea after our ride, got me to thinking. He said,

I’m sure glad I’m living on a fixed income.

That’s when it dawned on me, while so many people have condemned social security as a ponzi scheme, it may be the true savior of our economy. Sure things will likely worsen some for many in the next couple of months, but there is an abundance of retired individuals, having the protection of that social net, who will ultimately help cushion the blow, until the various proposed stimulus programs are implemented.

Social security didn’t exist in the 30’s, and neither did unemployment compensation, and that contributed greatly to making the great depression ‘great’. Plus the numerous stimulus package(s) that were introduced, at the time, were of such a feeble nature, they were ineffective. It wasn’t until the onset of WWII, when a large enough stimulus was introduced, that the economy really got kick started.

That’s not going to happen this time, and I don’t believe we’re destined to repeat the mistakes of the past. And with people like Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and Christina Romer, head of Obama’s Council of Economic Advisors, both scholars of the great depression, I am for the first time, in a long time, becoming optimistic [about the economy].

And after last months jobs report, it appears many more politicians are also seeing the necessity to save GM, Ford and Chrysler, and for a massive economic stimulus, on a scale comparable to what got us out of the great depression.

Sow it’s out with the contrarian/pessimist of the past, and in with the optimist. Ok at least a contrarian/optimist. One should never get too complacent.

Several months ago I wrote about how American Express was unwilling to credit me the $45 annual membership fee on my Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card, knowing they would lose over $500 in merchant generated fees a year from me using that card.

Eventually I did get the credit (plus an extra $50 for my troubles), but it took canceling the card, to finally catch the attention of someone at American Express who realized losing $500 per year wasn’t worth gaining a measly $45 annual membership fee.

Now just recently I experience a very similar problem with my cable internet provider (Charter Communications).

When Charter wanted to raise my monthly fee to $69.98 per month, I balked, and got them to agree to a charge equivalent to Verizon FIOS service + $2 more ($44.98/month). I agreed to the extra $2 per month, because service was good, and it was worth $2 per month not having to switch providers.

But the next month I received a bill for $47.64. Apparently because I didn’t call them the instant my bill was increased, I was charged the $69.98 rate for the 3 or so days I was late calling.

Now that wasn’t what I had agreed to. I wasn’t willing to pay $69.98 per month for any length of time, but no matter how hard I tried, and I talked to 3 different people, no one would budge. I had to pay that extra $2.66, and there was no one in the company who could change that. That was policy, period. The customer service people wouldn’t even let me talk to anyone else, i.e supervisor etc.

In other words, they were willing to piss off a customer, and risk losing over $500 per year, in order to squeeze a mere $2.66 out of me.

Yes I realize $2.66 is not a lot of money, and I could easily afford it, but it was the principle involved. It wasn’t what I agreed to, and I wasn’t going to pay it. My principles are very important.

Eventually I did get the credit, plus a little extra for my hassles. I knew all along I would get the credit, because I have a friend who works for Charter. I just didn’t want to hassle him for such a measly item, and something that should have been taken care of at a much lower level.

But what about those who don’t have friends in such positions? Is business so great for Charter Communications they can risk alienating customers, and losing business?

It just continues to boggle my mind, when you consider how much competition there is in the credit card, and broadband communication businesses, that any business would try and alienate their customers, by implementing such inflexible policies.

Don’t they know without happy customers they don’t have a business?

Edie and I have watched every Survivor from the start. It was the first reality show, and in my mind still remains the best. The producers just seem to have that knack for picking the most interesting participants, and are always able to create enough new twists and turns to peak your interest, and continue to watch year after year.

Even after 17 seasons (twice a year for 8 years), when you think things can’t get any better or more interesting, this latest season, Survivor Gabon, has done just that.

This latest episode, when Sugar conspired with Bob, to make Randy think Bob had the hidden immunity idol, and then give it to Randy at Tribal Council to protect Randy from the near certainty of being voted out, has to go down in television history as the best absolute episode ever.

There have always been people I disliked, and people that I like, but I can’t think of any other single participant, not even Sue in the very first Survivor, who deserved being voted out more than Randy did this season.

That’s just more proof for me, “what goes around, comes around”, and no matter how bad things may look at the moment, remember, there really is justice in the world.