Why is Wal-Mart in the news ... again?

I just learned that an anonymous source at some anonymous Wal-Mart some-anonymous-where has confirmed rumors that it will be the newest outlet for the iPhone.

Wal-Mart? Really!? Again, I say it -- oh shit, oh dear.

Apple could make no announcement more calculated to bring me feelings of ... well, ambivalence, at best, but more like feelings of mild disgust. An announcement that the iPhone can work on any network, that I'd greet with glad tidings of great joy.

The fact that Wal-Mart may soon carry iPhones doesn't change my opinion about Wal-Mart; nor will it make it more likely I'll willingly set foot inside one. Rather, it cheapens the allure of owning an iPhone of my very own.

I'll have to cop to being a fan of Apple computers. While it would stretch the truth to call me an original fan, I did once own an Apple IIe and, in the late 1980s, I learned the basics of Pagemaker (a version of it with none of those annoying suffixes) on a cool, boxy Apple Macintosh SE.

Indeed, for a while there in the late 1990s, our home computer was a genuine, first-generation Mac, albeit one hopped up with a screaming-fast 4 meg of RAM, a versatile 800k internal drive and two powerful external 40 meg hard drives. We still have most of the pieces it on a shelf in the garage, right next to the old black Underwood typewriter.

Today, I couldn't survive professionally without my MacBook, our home computer is a 17" lamp-shade iMac and I really like the music on my 80-gig iPod (and for some reason, this fact fills me with surprised delight). It is only by main force of will that I've managed to refrain from putting one of those discreet white Apple logos on the rear window of my conservative black Buick.

I'd already have an iPhone but, alas, the folks that provide exclusive cellular service for it isn't kind to the part of the world where I live. Their signal's spotty out here in the hinterlands of Milam County.

So, I deal with it. No iPhone for now. Maybe later. But I wonder if anyone else sees the irony in this ... that the average Wal-Mart shopper will soon have easy access to one of the coolest personal computers ever made (if you wonder what I might think of that, see the immediately previous post).

Wal-Mart shoppers

I am not a Wal-Mart shopper. In fact, except for our nine-month exile in Marble Falls, I've pretty much stayed away from Wally World and that's hard to do in our part of the country.

So, I wasn't close to a Wal-Mart last week when a contract employee at a Long Island store was trampled to death after he opened the doors to a tidal surge of Black Friday shoppers. And here I thought the South had a monopoly on that sort of Wal-Mart crowd.

It's not that I don't like shopping in big, soul-sucking steel boxes. After all, I braved the Black Friday crowds in search of a bargain on an elusive 37" flat screen LCD HiDef television. While I love to shop for electronics, I really don't like those kinds of intense, high stakes shopping excursions.

I tracked down that tv to Best Buy, a big, soul-sucking steel box. Saved 200 bucks on that sucker and I'll probably go back for the BlueRay thingy and the home theater system every large, flat-screen tv machine screams for (yes, I can hear it screaming -- in perfect counterpoint to the voices in my head -- and it wants digital sound ... ).

So, no, it's not Wal-Mart's big, soul-sucking steel box. It's that I'm politically, economically and morally opposed to Wal-Mart and have been for for a dozen years or so, long before Black Friday became a blood sport for intrepid Wal-Mart shoppers.

Given my background as a publisher of small, weekly newspapers, I could sing chorus after chorus on the evils of Wally World. It destroys local, mom-and-pop businesses, it drives down the cost of labor, most of its employees are on welfare, it imports most of its cheap, shoddy merchandise from China*, will not seriously advertise in local newspapers (a deadly sin, in my book).

Well, as I said, I could go on. And on. And on. But I won't.

But I do wonder this ... not about Wal-Mart but about what happened this Black Friday past and what it says about us. The poor fella in Long Island wasn't the only shopping-related fatality that day. There was at least one other and a dozen or so reported injuries.

Will the reporting on future Black Fridays include a death toll? Is this destined to become our uniquely American version of soccer game riots? This is only the second or third Black Friday I've been involved with (well, as a consumer, that is) and I found the experience less than satisfying. Except for the part about saving 200 bucks. That was satisfying.

Much like I avoid Wal-Mart, I think I will avoid Black Friday in the future. It seems to speak to a dank, dark part of the American psyche that is best left to the professionals like Stephen King to write about. Stephen King scares me so I'll not be seeing you in the soul-sucking steel box next Black Friday.

Unless I can save 200 bucks ... in which case, I'm there!


(*Wait a minute ... considering how much we've borrowed from the Chinese ... and how much Wal-Mart buys from them, does that mean Wal-Mart is the new General Motors [as in "What's Good for Wal-Mart is Good For America]? oh, shit, oh dear ... I"ll have to explore THAT pernicious concept in another post ... shudder.)

lolfed

I stole this from Paul Krugman's blog. Too funny, in a sad sort of way. guess you either laugh or you cry ...

but, as Krugman said, cats are cuter.

Smokers' Guilt

It's that time, again. Smokers' Guilt Week. Oh, joy.

Know how I know? Two ways, is how I know.

Let's see ... there's Thanksgiving when we go spend the day at the in-law's. Where they love you very much (and you love them) but you get gently reproving looks every time you duck out for a cigarette. Where this great raft of squealing, impressionable kids dart around and through the house and you know you know you’re the only adult to reek of stale cigarettes. Where every one of the lovely people there would be horrified to think you might feel even the tiniest hint of reprobation for indulging in this nasty habit.

Then, there's the Great American Smokeout. For more than 30 years, there's been this society-spanning effort to encourage, cajole and enable smokers to quit for Just One Day And You'll See. As if quitting for one day is a big deal for a smoker with a 40-year habit, though we do appreciate -- well, kinda-sorta but we're touched, thank you -- everyone's kind thoughts.

Ultimately, from a committed smoker's standpoint, the Great American Smokeout is little more than a non-(and worse, former-)smokers' expression of self-indulgent pity for a committed smokers' great addiction. Weak, Stone, you're weak!

Like I said. Smokers' Guilt Week.

But, here's what really pisses me off.

Eight weeks ago, I quit smoking. Eight weeks ago. To my own disquieted amazement, it's been relatively painless. Granted, I haven't quit on my own. I get by with a little help from my friends (better living through chemistry, don'cha know). Plus, Tia Rae and I are doing this together and there is strength in numbers after all (quantity has a quality all its own).

But, it’s been easy. Maybe too easy. I’ve tried to quit before and it was hard. Several times, and it was hard. I’ve gone without – a plane flight to Alaska means 8-10 hours without; to London means 10-12 hours without – and it was hard. Very hard. Why is this so easy?

I didn’t really want to quit. I mean, there’s been no transformative event to shape this decision, no health quandary prompting a sudden move to wellness. In fact, even with all my bad habits -- my love of red wine, Mexican lagar and agave tequila, Blue Bell ice cream over pie (any fresh fruit inside a flaky pastry crust will do) and and barely-seared red meat – I passed my 50-year medical checkup with my colors displayed proudly, if not flying high.

And, I’m not broke so the expense wasn’t the issue — though I’m no longer on a first name basis with the gals at the Hilltop CEFCO and we don’t burn through cash quite as quickly each month.

I know I should be proud, and justifiably so, of both of us. I can't speak for her but I’m not. I’m pissed. I want a cigarette. I know I don’t really “need” one but I want one. Further, as long as my little friends* are swirling through my brain and bloodstream, I don’t even feel the pleasurable effects of smoking a cigarette. I know. I’ve tried! Didn't do a goddam thing! Dammit!

So, I’m still addicted and I still want a cigarette, dammit, but I’ve quit. And it really pisses me off.

Smokers' Guilt Week. Bah!

We’ll go to the in-laws’ for Thanksgiving on Thursday. I won’t say anything about our new non-smoking status (Tia Rae might but, then again, she might not) so no one will likely make a big deal about it unless they notice that I don’t duck out and don’t reek. And, even if they do notice, they will be gracious and generous and encouraging and proud and it'll PISS. ME. OFF.

Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the Smokeout. Dammit.

*Before you start reaching for conclusions, I should probably note that I am taking Chantix under a doctor’s care. Perhaps I should discuss a Xanax prescription as well.

Finalists, schmienalists.

The Rockdale Reporter published a fine editorial in Thursday's edition slamming the Texas Association of School Boards for doing an end-run around Texas' open government laws.

TASB is helping the Rockdale School Board find a new school superintendent. RISD has 49 applicants. Of that number, they've decided to talk to six and expect to offer the job to one of those six on Dec. 10. Despite the fact that state law requires that a list of finalists be released to the public, Rockdale voters will know the name of only the person RISD trustees select.

Aren't the six people trustees will interview "finalists?" No, they are "candidates." Only one "finalist" will be announced. This follows the letter -- if not the spirit -- of state law. Go look it up -- Section 552.126 of the Texas Government Code.

Down in Karnes County, the Runge school board is doing the same thing. In fact, it's getting harder and harder to find information about the people who are applying for many top government management jobs.

Again, in Karnes County, county commissioners retired to executive session to interview interim candidates for the brand spanking new position of county road administrator, despite the fact that the county never advertised for the position as required by state law. I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out the relationship between those four applicants and the commissioners.

According to the Karnes Countywide, even the Karnes County Attorney, Robert Busselman, said the closed door meeting was unlawful. That's significant because, according to state law, it is the county attorney who prosecutes local violations of open government statutes.

No word on whether Busselman will indict the commissioners for the illegal meeting but he should. That's how this kind of thing is stopped. Most local elected officials have nothing but contempt for laws that require documents and meetings be open to the public.

Ah, well ... according the The Countywide, at least, reading between the lines, this isn't the only misstep Karnes County commissioners have committed implementing the new county road system. One hopes The Countywide will keep a bright light shining on these guys. They'll deserve what they get.

What Karnes commissioners did was unlawful. What Runge and Rockdale trustees did (or, more accurately, will do) isn't.

For the last several sessions, open government advocates and local newspaper editors and publishers have been trying to convince the Texas Legislature to address the issue of finalists for top school and college administration position, but to no avail.

Groups like TASB, the Texas Association of Counties, the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of District and County Attorneys -- to name only four of many -- carry a lot of weight in Austin. They carry a lot of weight because they represent local elected officials and most of the people in Austin were local elected officials before they became Legislators.

The fact is, these groups are beneficial, for the most part. This is good because they represent your tax dollars at work (local governments pay dues to these organizations; they get the money to pay those dues from you). However, they also spend an inordinate amount of time picking apart open government laws looking for loopholes and exceptions so our local governments can avoid having the great unwashed juggle their collective elbows.

One thing is certain, especially in the more rural parts of Texas: the folks you elect to office would just as soon you stay away from meetings and leave 'em in peace so they can get on with the important business of spending your money.

It's not all labor's fault

The NYT gave Mitt Romney room on its oped page today. Interestingly, I agree with a lot of what he's said there.

However, he misses one huge point and it's a point many people miss when they try to compare the relationship between labor and the U.S. auto industry with that of foreign automakers.

Here's the point he hasn't really thought through ...

"... their huge disadvantage in costs relative to foreign brands must be eliminated. That means new labor agreements to align pay and benefits to match those of workers at competitors like BMW, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. Furthermore, retiree benefits must be reduced so that the total burden per auto for domestic makers is not higher than that of foreign producers."

Benefits paid to U.S. autoworkers can never be aligned with those of overseas manufacturers. Japan and most of the countries in Europe are, for the most part, social democracies. Merely being a citizen in these countries bestows certain guarantees ... among them are access to health care, good (some might say excessive) vacation time and access to affordable mass transit. There's more but these three are enough to tilt the economic playing field overseas before anyone sits down to a negotiating table.

This is a huge disadvantage for the U.S. auto industry and not one the industry can really do much about. And, since we in this country have this "thing" against socialism, it's not very likely that disadvantage will ever go away.

So, when Romney (and others) note that there is a $2,000 labor cost differential between an American-made car and a similar car built overseas, when anti-labor wingnuts harp on the union's complicity in today's debacle, we all must understand that the society those overseas workers live in (not the employers) affords them some benefits very few of us will ever enjoy.