Jim's Top Ten Rip-offs in America
This is not actually a story, but I might do a story on each one.
Jim
#10. Milk
Okay, maybe this is unfair of me to mention because I come from the Dairy State and I think the dairy farmers should get paid fairly. But why did milk suddenly go from $2.09 a gallon (if you know where to shop) to $3.89 a gallon (same store)?! Are the cows on strike? If so, give them what they want and let's get those udders flowing again.
#9. Ring Tones
Now you can buy popular song snippets and download them to your cellular phone so they play when it rings. If you are someone who is doing this, please stop. No one wants to hear your phone ringing to "Err body in da club get tipsy" in video game quality music. You're music already sucks as it is, and this behavior does not help you to personify that image you're going for. You're wasting your money and annoying people.
#8. Dr. Atkins
There's a reason he's dead. You can't eat only protein and fat and be healthy. Bread is good for you. That's why Jesus gave it to people with fish. Everyone is rushing to sell us low carb crap now. The other day I saw a sign at the store advertising diet soda as "low carb friendly!" Diet soda has always been sugar-free. This is not a scientific breakthrough. Please eat balanced meals and exercise.
#7. DSL
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It is the phone company's answer to broadband Internet access. Unfortunately, it is usually only about 10% as fast as cable Internet, but costs almost as much. Since the whole idea of broadband is to give you speed, it hurts my feelings that they even offer this service to people. If you want a fast Internet connection, install a cable modem and share it via a wireless router with everyone within a block of your house. Even with everyone surfing at once, it will still be faster than DSL.
#6. Disney
Walt Disney was a great man and had a great thing going. When he died, greedy corporate executives took over and ruined everything. Now kids in sweatshops in third world countries are getting ten cents an hour to make Mickey Mouse dolls. Every few months they shove a new movie down our throats and completely saturate the market with crap based on the movie: shoes, cereal, fruit snacks, t-shirts, Happy Meal toys, hats, dolls, play sets, trading cards, beverages, candy, etc. Don't forget the DVD! Get it now because soon it will be locked away in the Disney vault for ten years! By the way, my kids cannot live without these things.
#5. Lawyers
Why should it cost so much to work our way through the legal system and protect ourselves? If we are going to have laws and a judicial system, legal information and guidance should be provided free to everyone who needs it. I'm not talking about a public defender who sucks. I'm talking about a quality service to help us through our day-to-day lives so that we know which end is up. Why should the rich be the only ones who use the loopholes? The legal playing field needs to be leveled.
#4. Check 'n' Go
These places prey upon those in a bind. Perhaps someone had some bad luck financially and can't get a loan or even a checking account. So, places like this charge high fees to cash their paychecks. Want a $100 loan? Sure! That will be one thousand % A.P.R. It's called predatory lending, A.K.A. loan sharking. What a rip.
#3. Gasoline
A friend of my dad's once said that if gas ever got up to $1.00 per gallon he would stop driving a car. That was in the 80's. I'm sure he's still driving at $2.39 per gallon. It's time to stop using this type of energy. There is a finite supply and once it's gone, it's gone. Why is alternative energy not a top priority? Remember when people used to drive around in their cars for fun? When was the last time you heard someone say, "Let's just go for a drive?" Now, many of us can barely afford to drive to work.
#2. Parking
Charging people money to park their cars is one of the biggest scams ever and should be banned. City parking tickets are a curse and frequently send people into a downward spiral. People who can't pay lose their vehicle registrations and drivers' licenses because of this, wreaking havoc on their lives. Also, their is no reason why anyone should have to pay $20 to park at a concert, an amusement park, or in a parking structure near where they work. This is usury and needs to be done away with.
#1. The Iraq War
This war has cost us more than anything we have ever bought, not just dollars, but also human lives. Monetarily, we will be paying for it for decades. What's worse is that the majority of Americans were against it from the beginning. When you have a president who is told by his people not to go to war, and instead he takes their money, spends it all on the war, and lies about why he's doing it, it's time for a new president.
Jim
You're welcome to add your own rip-offs.
Jim
#10. Milk
Okay, maybe this is unfair of me to mention because I come from the Dairy State and I think the dairy farmers should get paid fairly. But why did milk suddenly go from $2.09 a gallon (if you know where to shop) to $3.89 a gallon (same store)?! Are the cows on strike? If so, give them what they want and let's get those udders flowing again.
#9. Ring Tones
Now you can buy popular song snippets and download them to your cellular phone so they play when it rings. If you are someone who is doing this, please stop. No one wants to hear your phone ringing to "Err body in da club get tipsy" in video game quality music. You're music already sucks as it is, and this behavior does not help you to personify that image you're going for. You're wasting your money and annoying people.
#8. Dr. Atkins
There's a reason he's dead. You can't eat only protein and fat and be healthy. Bread is good for you. That's why Jesus gave it to people with fish. Everyone is rushing to sell us low carb crap now. The other day I saw a sign at the store advertising diet soda as "low carb friendly!" Diet soda has always been sugar-free. This is not a scientific breakthrough. Please eat balanced meals and exercise.
#7. DSL
DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It is the phone company's answer to broadband Internet access. Unfortunately, it is usually only about 10% as fast as cable Internet, but costs almost as much. Since the whole idea of broadband is to give you speed, it hurts my feelings that they even offer this service to people. If you want a fast Internet connection, install a cable modem and share it via a wireless router with everyone within a block of your house. Even with everyone surfing at once, it will still be faster than DSL.
#6. Disney
Walt Disney was a great man and had a great thing going. When he died, greedy corporate executives took over and ruined everything. Now kids in sweatshops in third world countries are getting ten cents an hour to make Mickey Mouse dolls. Every few months they shove a new movie down our throats and completely saturate the market with crap based on the movie: shoes, cereal, fruit snacks, t-shirts, Happy Meal toys, hats, dolls, play sets, trading cards, beverages, candy, etc. Don't forget the DVD! Get it now because soon it will be locked away in the Disney vault for ten years! By the way, my kids cannot live without these things.
#5. Lawyers
Why should it cost so much to work our way through the legal system and protect ourselves? If we are going to have laws and a judicial system, legal information and guidance should be provided free to everyone who needs it. I'm not talking about a public defender who sucks. I'm talking about a quality service to help us through our day-to-day lives so that we know which end is up. Why should the rich be the only ones who use the loopholes? The legal playing field needs to be leveled.
#4. Check 'n' Go
These places prey upon those in a bind. Perhaps someone had some bad luck financially and can't get a loan or even a checking account. So, places like this charge high fees to cash their paychecks. Want a $100 loan? Sure! That will be one thousand % A.P.R. It's called predatory lending, A.K.A. loan sharking. What a rip.
#3. Gasoline
A friend of my dad's once said that if gas ever got up to $1.00 per gallon he would stop driving a car. That was in the 80's. I'm sure he's still driving at $2.39 per gallon. It's time to stop using this type of energy. There is a finite supply and once it's gone, it's gone. Why is alternative energy not a top priority? Remember when people used to drive around in their cars for fun? When was the last time you heard someone say, "Let's just go for a drive?" Now, many of us can barely afford to drive to work.
#2. Parking
Charging people money to park their cars is one of the biggest scams ever and should be banned. City parking tickets are a curse and frequently send people into a downward spiral. People who can't pay lose their vehicle registrations and drivers' licenses because of this, wreaking havoc on their lives. Also, their is no reason why anyone should have to pay $20 to park at a concert, an amusement park, or in a parking structure near where they work. This is usury and needs to be done away with.
#1. The Iraq War
This war has cost us more than anything we have ever bought, not just dollars, but also human lives. Monetarily, we will be paying for it for decades. What's worse is that the majority of Americans were against it from the beginning. When you have a president who is told by his people not to go to war, and instead he takes their money, spends it all on the war, and lies about why he's doing it, it's time for a new president.
Jim
You're welcome to add your own rip-offs.
2 Comments:
At 5:10 PM, EdwardA(ERA) said…
Just a few adiitions and other thoughts,Jim.
Ring tones are really annoying....almost as annoying as the person that loks like they're talking to themselves in the store........very loudly.
To add to the check'n'go , how about these auto title loan places. They give You a loan on like 15% of your cars value at 400%APR and then take your car if You cant pay. By the way, the person who started aouto title loans as a legit business has strong mafia connections. What a shock.
And for my rip off choices......
Cable TV
You pay $50-100 a month for 150 or 200 channels and You maybe watch 10 at the most. Just try to watch anything at 3 in the morning. I never knew that that show called paid programming would ever get to be so popular. It must be it's on 100 stations at the same time. How about $2 a month for any station You want and get th elocals for free with the purchace of 5 or more channels. I dont know how many times I've sat down in the middle of the day and couldn't find a damn thing to watch.
CD and DVD prices
I know not a new gripe but it has to be said. Who want to pay 12 to 15 bucks for a CD that has maybe 2 good songs on it. Th emusic industry claims that the internet has caused them financial problems. How about all the really..I mean really crappy stuff thats come out in the last 15 years.I remember a day when musicians had to pay thier dues and had to have talent to make it. Nowadays all You have to do is show some skin and have a canned beat and you're a star. Man I hate MTV. It's all thier fault. Well mostly.
And why would i want to pay 20 bucks for a crappy DVD of a movie I wouldn't pay 5 bucks to see in a theatre. GET REAL. The only time that kind of cost is worth it is when it's a movie that has been restored and has a lot of extras. I mean good ones, not another making of the film thing to make us feel like the actors had it rough or that the movie is a higher piece of art. Otherwise I'll wait till it makes it to the discount rack.
At 7:16 PM, Kate Barton said…
#9. Ring Tones
>>>Now you can buy popular song snippets and download them to your cellular phone so they play when it rings. If you are someone who is doing this, please stop. No one wants to hear your phone ringing to "Err body in da club get tipsy" in video game quality music. You're music already sucks as it is, and this behavior does not help you to personify that image you're going for. You're wasting your money and annoying people.<<<<
I had to paste this because it literally made me laugh right out loud. At any given time in the break room at my work you can hear someones cell phone ringing in one of these tones. It makes me want to scream, and it scares me that these are indeed my co-workers.
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