Know what makes me angry? Sales Tax
Do you ever get excited in a store because you have exact change for an item you want to buy and you get to the register and it costs seven cents more then you have. You curse because you forgot about sales tax.
Now, I have no problem with the system of taxing everyday purchases. It is needed to keep our local governments running (although one could argue all local governments are ineficient) but the fact that retailers wait till you purchase something to charge it is absurd.
Back in the day when manual cash registers were used there was an excuse to charge the tax after but now that everything is priced in a huge mainframe at corporate headquarters it would be so easy to adjust the price for sales tax and have it included so the price on the shelf tag is what you will pay.
I'm not a business tycoon or an economist but this seems like it would make so many peoples lives easier on a day to day basis. Your budget for food clothes etc. etc. could be locked down more securely and if you are a circular shopper (one of the people who basis where they will buy things via the junk section of the paper) you could know exactly what you will be paying before leaving the house. Anyway I doubt anything will ever come of this idea, I'm just saying is all.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
LR3 Evil yet good?
Know what makes me angry? The Land Rover LR3.
Well, you might be saying what is the big deal about hating a car that you can't afford and kills the planet with its fuel inefficiency. And I answer, that's the problem.
I took my Freelander in for its 72000 mile service and found out it is so expensive and so time consuming that they would give me a loaner (it's the first time i have ever been offered a loaner car, I felt like such an adult). After my initial shock at the expense of the service I got excited that I would be getting to drive a luxury car for the first time ever (my Freelander is about as far from luxury as any Land Rover can be). As I pulled into the dealership to drop off my car I saw a mini that I would love to drive for a day or two, well that's a sales vehicle, I was told, we have to give you something from the loaner pool (I bet if I were richer they would have given me the Mini).
Anyway, the service adviser walked me out to the loaner cars and proceeded to unlock a big ol' white LR3. I looked at this ginormous beast and decided right then and there I was going to hate the next few days of driving.
Upon entry I disliked the way the seating was laid out where all the buttons were and the over complicatedness of the ignition system (stick the dongle in the slot then push the button. Is it too hard to turn a key these days?) The visibility was crappy and the nav-system didn't have the state of NC as a selectable option (bear in mind this is at a dealership in NC seems like something they should fix).
Anyway I took off in my lumbering dinosaur of a an SUV only to realize it wasn't lumbering, in fact it had quite a bit of pep. The breaks were a little grabby but better then being too spongy. The handling was quite good for a vehicle of its size and the interior finishes were very nice. So, I decided it wouldn't be all bad.
As I drove back to Raleigh from Cary and was delayed by multiple acts of stupidity (a three car accident at an intersection, construction on one of the most important ramps in the area (Tryon merging with 64) in the middle of rushour time I had time to start fiddling. I paired my bluetooth enabled cell phone and called my wife. I loaded a bunch of CDs in the changer, I opened up (then promptly shut because of the cold) the Huge moonroof. The mirror auto dimmed for me the lights came on by themselves. It was all very exciting. Then this morning (before the car had warmed to the point of being able to use the heater I used seat heaters for the first time.
So here is why the LR3 makes me angry, I want to hate it! It is the definition of excess what with it's size and features (it's why the terrorists hate the U.S.) but, at the same time I can't help but love it. My next car, someday, will have, hopefully, every bell whistle doodad and doohickey of the LR3 But, until that day comes, if you ask me if I need any of those features in a car I will promptly tell you "nobody needs that s*, good day sir!"
Well, you might be saying what is the big deal about hating a car that you can't afford and kills the planet with its fuel inefficiency. And I answer, that's the problem.
I took my Freelander in for its 72000 mile service and found out it is so expensive and so time consuming that they would give me a loaner (it's the first time i have ever been offered a loaner car, I felt like such an adult). After my initial shock at the expense of the service I got excited that I would be getting to drive a luxury car for the first time ever (my Freelander is about as far from luxury as any Land Rover can be). As I pulled into the dealership to drop off my car I saw a mini that I would love to drive for a day or two, well that's a sales vehicle, I was told, we have to give you something from the loaner pool (I bet if I were richer they would have given me the Mini).
Anyway, the service adviser walked me out to the loaner cars and proceeded to unlock a big ol' white LR3. I looked at this ginormous beast and decided right then and there I was going to hate the next few days of driving.
Upon entry I disliked the way the seating was laid out where all the buttons were and the over complicatedness of the ignition system (stick the dongle in the slot then push the button. Is it too hard to turn a key these days?) The visibility was crappy and the nav-system didn't have the state of NC as a selectable option (bear in mind this is at a dealership in NC seems like something they should fix).
Anyway I took off in my lumbering dinosaur of a an SUV only to realize it wasn't lumbering, in fact it had quite a bit of pep. The breaks were a little grabby but better then being too spongy. The handling was quite good for a vehicle of its size and the interior finishes were very nice. So, I decided it wouldn't be all bad.
As I drove back to Raleigh from Cary and was delayed by multiple acts of stupidity (a three car accident at an intersection, construction on one of the most important ramps in the area (Tryon merging with 64) in the middle of rushour time I had time to start fiddling. I paired my bluetooth enabled cell phone and called my wife. I loaded a bunch of CDs in the changer, I opened up (then promptly shut because of the cold) the Huge moonroof. The mirror auto dimmed for me the lights came on by themselves. It was all very exciting. Then this morning (before the car had warmed to the point of being able to use the heater I used seat heaters for the first time.
So here is why the LR3 makes me angry, I want to hate it! It is the definition of excess what with it's size and features (it's why the terrorists hate the U.S.) but, at the same time I can't help but love it. My next car, someday, will have, hopefully, every bell whistle doodad and doohickey of the LR3 But, until that day comes, if you ask me if I need any of those features in a car I will promptly tell you "nobody needs that s*, good day sir!"
Monday, October 27, 2008
Pennies from heaven?
Know what makes me angry? Pennies
I don't understand the penny, I really don't. Nobody in this country gives any value to the penny if someone drops it they don't bother to pick it up. If someone sees one on the ground (anyone other then me) they just say “eh” and walk on by. They get lost under seats, shelves and furniture tossed on dressers never to be touched again and yet they still get made.
One could argue that since things cost irregular amounts (7 cents etc.) that the penny is vital to our economy but the fact is if stores just adjusted the price properly it would be completely irrelevant and therefore not needed.
Also, I would argue that elimination of the penny would improve our economy, here's how. Every dollar that is printed is (theoretically) backed by gold somewhere in a U.S. Depository since pennies are currency they are backed by gold but since they have such low value in the grand scheme they are viewed as trash. People loose and even throw them away without a second thought. So lets put the gold that backs them to useful money and less will be wasted.
Also the material used to make a penny is rapidly becoming more valuable then the pennies themselves. They already reduced the amount of copper in a penny to almost nothing but even that copper is probably worth more then a cent. Think about it people, it's just another way your tax dollars are being wasted.
I don't understand the penny, I really don't. Nobody in this country gives any value to the penny if someone drops it they don't bother to pick it up. If someone sees one on the ground (anyone other then me) they just say “eh” and walk on by. They get lost under seats, shelves and furniture tossed on dressers never to be touched again and yet they still get made.
One could argue that since things cost irregular amounts (7 cents etc.) that the penny is vital to our economy but the fact is if stores just adjusted the price properly it would be completely irrelevant and therefore not needed.
Also, I would argue that elimination of the penny would improve our economy, here's how. Every dollar that is printed is (theoretically) backed by gold somewhere in a U.S. Depository since pennies are currency they are backed by gold but since they have such low value in the grand scheme they are viewed as trash. People loose and even throw them away without a second thought. So lets put the gold that backs them to useful money and less will be wasted.
Also the material used to make a penny is rapidly becoming more valuable then the pennies themselves. They already reduced the amount of copper in a penny to almost nothing but even that copper is probably worth more then a cent. Think about it people, it's just another way your tax dollars are being wasted.
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