Category: Common Sense Thinking

  • Understanding the Consequences of Voting Decisions in America

    Understanding the Consequences of Voting Decisions in America


    I wrote this in November. It was posted on Facebook. The feedback I received was positive. It was at the suggestions from those that appreciated the post that I started this blog.

    Read. Enjoy. Bare with it. I have not edited it from it’s first posting. state.


    It is truly amazing. Every day, more people realize they screwed themselves. They did not do even basic research before voting.

    So, lets help out the remaining few so that in the future (2026) some of these insane wrongs can be corrected).

    1) Tariffs are fees levied against imports, with the actual fee being paid by the consumer.

    Example: A TV from China costs $200.00. A tariff of 25% is added to the cost of the TV. The cost of the tv to the distributor is now $250.00. The distributor still needs to make money, so they charge the store $300.00, keeping their $50 of profit. The store needs their $50.00 profit, so they now sell the TV for $350.00. The consumer who was only going to have to pay $300.00 is now paying $350.

    End result – the US Consumer pays the 25% tariff that was placed on China.

    (FYI.. Based on the Tariff treaty of 1974, the president can only increase a tariff by a maximum of 15%. It can only be imposed for 150 days unless extended by Congress. Should not take 150 to see the crippling effect higher tariffs will have on the average American or the US economy)

    2) Immigrants account for 68% of the farm workers in the US.

    Immigrants account for 29% of the construction work force in the US.

    Immigrants account for 21% of the food supply work force in the US.

    Immigrants account for 19% of the total workforce in the US.

    Undocumented Immigrants account for $96.7 BILLION dollars are year in federal taxes collected.

    Immigrants average a year salary of $37,585.

    There are not enough “other” people to fill the gap. Current salary offerings do not offset the deportation of 11,000,000 immigrants.

    The cost of a onetime mass deportation of immigrants would cost the US over $350B.

    (Other people being American Citizens, especially white people. You cannot find a teenager working in fast food place now at $17 an hour, you will not find one in a filed shucking corn for $10)

    Add the deportation cost of $350B to the loss of $96.7 billion in collected taxes and the US would be out over $446.7 BILLION.

    That’s simple math. You would have to back out the savings of not providing services to undocumented immigrants to get the final number. The rough estimate would be a loss of well over $200 Billion.

    3) With 19% of the total work force eliminated, 68% of the farm workers, and not having people in line to replace them at what works out to be $10.74 cents an hour, production would go way down for consumer items such as eggs, dairy products, fruit, vegetables. Demand for those products would remain high, supply would be reduced, and the cost would then go WAY Up.

    Example: 10 people need a dozen eggs. There are only 3 dozen eggs available. The value of the eggs would increase up to 1,000%. Why? No reason to sell something for $2.00 when desperate people would pay $20 for the same thing.

    4) Projected tax breaks for corporations, the top 1% of earners, the elimination of over-time taxes, the elimination of taxes on tips, the tax cost by the removal of 19% of the work force and an additional reduction of 1,000,000 well-paying government jobs, the increase costs of food and other items due to supply and demand and the added consumer burden of paying a 25% tariff, the bottom 99% would see an out of pocket increase in yearly expenses of over 15K a year, minimum (The current international tariffs treaties, etc. save the average American $7,000 a year. That savings goes away, clearly)

    5) With a lack of workforce, more business close, adding to the unemployment line. With the number of workers out pacing the number of jobs, salaries and wages go down, while the cost of living goes up (everything from housing, food, clothes, entertainment, etc. will see substantial increases).

    Your total costs go up 30%, your salary goes down 30% you are now pretty well screwed. Say goodbye to your home, your car, our insurances. Say hello to Good Will, shelters, park benches and dumpster diving.

    6) When welfare programs are cut (Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, food stamps, house subsidies, etc.) additional cost burdens fall on the heads of the consumer. These cost burden will lead to greater poverty, homelessness, and push current non-profits to the brink of closure. No one will be safe from being hungry or sleeping outside.

    Health care related costs are already the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the US. The number of people that end up bankruptcy will only increase.

    7) With more poor people, big ticket items will not be selling at current rates, if they sell at all. Fewer American made items being sold, means fewer American made items being made, means another reduction in America jobs. No company will keep on a workforce that cannot pay for itself through productivity and sales.

    Higher taxes, higher costs, lower wages, reduction of services …

    The only thing that will trickle down is poverty.

    These are just a few of the painfully obvious concerns every American should have. Even the most obtuse can understand these simple facts.

    Does not mean any or all of these things will happen. It just means that there is a good probability that they may. Just means that far too many Americans voted with their hate, not their head and certainly not their heart.

    So what happened on election day due to the lack of individual education and people following their hate?

    * Legal immigrants voted to have their families and friends exported.

    * People in poor health voted to have their care reduced or eliminated.

    * Average Americans voted to increase their financial burden so that the top 1% could become the top .05%.

    * People with middle eastern roots voted to have Gaza leveled and a people eradicated.

    * People voted to have individuals in-charge of their wellbeing who they would not want as neighbors (known felons, sexual predators, con-men, racists)

    * Americans voted to have their mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces suffer neglect and prejudices not seen for over 150 years.

    All because the price of eggs was too high (They are not).

    All because the cost of gas was too high (it is not, especially on the world scale and the US does not set fuel prices so people voted for things other countries control)

    All because the LQBTQ communities were being treated with the barest minimum of respect, their contributions acknowledged and narrow-minded people could not accept pro-nouns.

    If you want to dispute this, do not. Showing your stupidity will not do you any favors. I will not waste my time trying to educate you about things you can easily learn yourself; even if it took you three times to pass the GED.

    I had a discussion with someone tonight. They let their hate and intolerance flag fly under the guise of “I know what prejudice I’ve faced, and I am sick of being called white”.

    Everyone has faced a degree of prejudice at one time or another, white, black, brown, straight, gay, trans, tall, short, fat, smart, stupid, fast, slow, wear glasses, don’t wear glasses, is in the band, not in the band, plays a sport, doesn’t play a sport, so on and on.

    The only way that ends if we all decide that we do not want others to feel as we were once made to feel because of something that made us appear to be different on the OUTSIDE.

    Life is not complicated. Just because you are unhappy or were once a “victim” of a bad break a time or two does not mean you heal by treating others worse than you think you were treated.

    Voting to destroy your own life and the lives of others was not the solution or the “gottcha” you think it was. In the end, you won’t be better off and you will be even more bitter. You will also be out of people to blame – well, except for putting blame where it belongs – yourself.

    Congratulations, America. You became the world’s lowest common denominator.

    You do not like it? Read a book (before they get banned)

  • Tariffs on Canada: Misplaced Blame for Fentanyl Crisis

    Tariffs on Canada: Misplaced Blame for Fentanyl Crisis

    The word out of the White House is that we must put tariffs on Canada. This is to stop the flow of Fentanyl across the Northern Border of the United States.

    Fair enough.

    Or not.

    According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Canadian Government, less than 1% of the street Fentanyl comes from Canada.

    Less than 1%.

    Here is something you should know. Canada does not allow Fentanyl into the United States. The United States does.

    Talk to any trucker that crosses the northern border. When a truck enters Canada, the U.S. does not stop to inspect the truck. The truck advances to a Canadian check point within a few miles of the border. Once at the check point, the truckers show their paperwork, their truck is weighed and inspected. Canada is responsible for checking what gets into their country.

    Continue the conversation with the trucker. The trucker will tell you that when they leave Canada, Canada does not inspect their trucks. The trucks enter the United States and advance to a United States check point. At that inspection site, it is the Americans that process the trucker’s paperwork, weigh the truck, and inspect the cargo.

    Although the illegal goods come from Canada the United States allows them into the country.

    Canada has vowed to spend $1.3 billion on border improvements and the hiring of a Fentanyl Czar. Canada is addressing the issue.

    The question remains. What is the United States doing at our borders to slow the flow of Fentanyl?

    Less than 1% of the United States’ street Fentanyl comes from Canada. The United States provides a far greater amount of the Canadian street Fentanyl.

    The United Sates accounts for 4.4% of the worlds population but consumes 80% of the world’s opioids. The United States has a drug problem.

    The United States can point fingers. They need to start looking in the mirror.

    It’s pretty simple what is happening. The United States had a drug problem. To fix it they want other countries to attend rehab.

    The White House can blame China, Canada, and Mexico for the drug issues. Fentanyl is an American problem. It needs to be solved by Americans.

    Telling someone you will not be their friend because you have no self-control is a YOU problem.

    The White House can no longer tank relationships with allies. This causes worldwide economic downfalls. It starts a global recession. This is no way for the U.S to fix a U. S. problem.

    It is time for the United States to own the problem, stop blaming others, and much needed help.




  • Is Government Overhaul Possible? Lessons and Suggestions

    Is Government Overhaul Possible? Lessons and Suggestions

    For as long as I can remember I have voiced concerns about the bloat in our Federal Government. The unnecessary red tape. Duplication of efforts between departments. The inability for the right hand to make a decision without the left hand’s permission.

    The bloat does not exist at just the Federal Government levels. I am going to use the Florida Department of Motor Vehicles as an example.

    I moved to Florida directly after the height of Covid. Florida, a well-known non-believer state, still made changes to the way they did business.

    I needed obtain a Florida driver’s license and car registration. First, I went on line find the documents I needed and the process to follow .I found all the information I needed. Guessing it took someone all of three minutes to write the instructions.:
    1) Schedule an appointment.
    2)Arrive 5 minutes early.

    3) Sign in.
    4) Wait to be called upon.
    5) Bring proof of address and current driver’s license.
    6) Bring a method of payment.

    I made my appointment. Morning of, I gathered my paperwork and went to the DMA. I got there early. I signed in. I waited exactly five minutes before I was called. A young woman brought me into her office, following a specific path. We sat at her desk. She collected my information. Had me pick out a license plate style. Within 10 minutes I had my car registered. plates in hand.

    As memory serves, she then gave me an eye screening at her desk. We processed more paperwork. I wrote her a check and she escorted me out. I was out of the DMV in less than 20 minutes.

    Come to learn that they slimmed down the process to avoid unnecessary contact with other people. A Covid concession.

    I filled out the same paperwork. I paid the same amount of money. I saw 3 fewer people. Spent less time. I walked out with my car registration and a new drivers license.

    If the DMV can figure out how to streamline their processes, any government entity can. The DMV had no choice but to make a system. It had to accomplish their goals. It also needed to meet the requirements of their customers without negatively impacting the outcomes.

    Now let us look at what has happened thus far with the Elon Musk led effort to trim the government.

    He did not know the role each department plays. He did not know who works in each division of each department. He did not know the roles and responsibilities of the workers. He just cut. He knew department names, knew which departments he or Trump did not like. He cut.

    In his willy-nilly manner, he has terminated people that were needed, and they had to rehire. He terminated people in critical positions that, when vacated, problems started to occur. Live has been lost.

    Am I okay with a thinning of the Government payroll? Yes. Is there redundancies that are not needed. 100%.

    You do not let a blindman with a machete perform open heart
    surgery.

    The approach Musk is using to dismantle the government bloat is blindman with a machete. He isn’t removing bloat. He is removing what he wants to. The goal of his actions should be a leaner, more effective, more efficient government.

    What needs to happen for DOGE to be effective is clear. First off DOGE needs to become an official department. As it is now, everything being done is illegal.

    Once an official department, Musk must be properly vetted, as required by law.

    If DOGE is just a government contacting job, Musk or one of his businesses can bid to get the job. Just like any other company wanting a government contact.


    Trump has given Musk carte blanche to do what he wants, awarding him with new contracts. Trump is basing many of these cutback decisions and information provided by Musk. Information that is consistently being proven as overreaches and blatant lies. A clearer case of conflict of interest has never been seen in any government process.

    What should happen?
    1) DOGE becomes a department
    2) Musk is vetted and approved
    3) Each Department given 3 months two create a reduction plan. These plans include the following:
    a) A detailed description of every single function they carry out.
    b) A detailed list of all job descriptions, down to the specific roles and responsibilities of the workers.
    c) A list of all employees, with their job GS level, job descriptions and latest performance review. (Instead of using names, each employee file is coded with only a department name, job title and code).

    Each department is given 3 months to create detailed instructions on how each of their tasks are performed. If someone does something, that something gets documented in a detailed process document.

    We now have detailed departmental information. We have detailed job descriptions. We have a list of everyone doing each job. We have a list of all the processes being followed. The next 3 months are used to identify redundant work efforts, tagging those jobs (NOT PEOPLE JOBS) that overlap.

    Each job is rated on a critical scale of 1 to 10. 10 being he pushes the button on the nukes to 1 being the person that cleans the Congressional snuff room.

    Job are then ranked. Aassessments done to determine how many people are needed to maintain a proper service and safety standard.

    Within the next month, knowing how many positions for each job are needed, a review of the employees is done. Based on job performance only, the top performers are maintained.

    The last month, everyone not on the maintained employee status list, is terminated. The termination date will be based on:
    1) How long it will take to reposition the role.
    2) The value of the position .
    3) The quality of the detailed process documents.

    ONE YEAR to properly prepare, organize and execute a fully functioning plan. A plan that identifies government work force reduction by anywhere from 10 to 40%.

    Also, during this year, put in a hiring freeze. No replacement employees at ANY LEVEL. Someone is are fired, quits, retires, or otherwise no longer remains on government payroll, no replacement.

    There should be no savings goal. There should be no workforce reduction goal. The only goal should be:

    “Create a government work force structure that effectively, efficiently serves the needs of the United States of America.”

    When making cuts and changes, prioritize jobs that serve people, not paperwork.


    Accuracy can not surfer. Accountability must increase. Standards must be improved.

    Cutting government spending should not start at the citizen’s needed program level. Cuts should begin at the highest levels and trickle top down. How many undersecretaries are really needed for any one Department? How many Congressional aides are really needed?

    Once government redundancies are eliminated, costs are contained. As things are right sized, there will be sufficient funds. This will avert the extensive program reductions being discussed.

    Think about a government serving its people. It should aim to give each person the MOST. This needs to be done while spending the least.

    There exists a need to make cuts. But there is a way to go about it.

    Where there is vision there is success.

    Where there is a blind man with a machete, there is only blood.

    We are awash in the blood being drawn by a blind man.

  • The Impact of Remote Work on Company Productivity

    The Impact of Remote Work on Company Productivity

    When working for yourself, remote working is great.
    When working with others, remote work has its place.
    When an employer does not offer remote work opportunities that is their choice.
    When an employee demands remote work opportunities, they can find another job.

    Full disclosure. When I worked for corporate America I was opposed to remote work. I was even tasked with the responsibility of creating a remote work policy. I wrote a great policy. The policy was fair to the employees, it was fair to the company. No one liked it and it was not used.

    Why?

    I had the vision to put in checks and balances. Remote workers were going to have the same accountabilities as those workers that remained in the office. The technical ability to monitor both remote and on-site staff in the exact same way existed.

    The remote workers felt like they would be micro-managed. The managers thought they would have to do more work.

    What was discovered was not surprising. No one was being held accountable for a majority of their workday. Managers were not managing. Worker productivity was not what people claimed it to be.

    With remote work becoming a thing, my proposal for accountability made everyone aware. All the dirty office secrets were going to come out.

    The company pushed forward with remote workers. There was no productivity accountability policy. Productivity suffered. Customer satisfaction suffered. Employee satisfaction suffered. The companies’ bottom line suffered.

    I was not surprised.

    Many companies and the federal government are recalling their remote workers to the office. This is easy to understand.

    Because companies did not and are not going to manage remote workers well.

    Recently, the CEO of JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon demanded that all 317,233 employees return to work. He said that JP Morgan has had to hire 50,000 people the last 4 or 5 years.

    “We just do not need all of these people. We were putting people in jobs because people were not doing the jobs they were hired to do.” Said Dimon.

    He blamed remote workers for a decline in productivity. He said he had to bring on 50,000 new people to meet productivity levels.

    Let me be clear. Mr. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan is an unfit CEO. He had to increase his staffing by almost 20%. This occurred because he did not ensure his management teams added accountabilities for remote staff. This vital management failure cost JP Morgan well over $10,000,000.
     
    Mr. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan added over $5,258,150,000 in just the last year alone. This was done to offset productivity losses due to their remote work policy.

    Over the full 5 years, that total number well exceeds $10,000,000,000. These funds are added to payroll as wages and benefits. They are removed from company profits and shareholder value.

    * I am using the average salary for JP Morgan analysts.
    * I am also taking into account that the 50,000 new hires were not all hired in one. He allowed the problem to grow. Instead of fixing the problem, he just kept throwing gas on the fire instead of putting the fire out.

    Bringing in new hires only continued the problem. Those same failed policies were applied to the new hires. This means the new hires were unlikely to be as productive as needed.

    In short, JP Morgan was hiring people to replace the lost productivity of the people he hired to replace the lost productivity of those already hired. It was a Russian Nesting Doll of lost productivity replacement.

    The simple fact is that before Mr. Dimon approved of remote work he needed to have his management team develop a remote workers policy. By his own admission, he failed. His failure cost his company over $10,000,000.

    Why does he still have a job? As soon as he wasted 50,000 employees he should have been given a vote of no confidence and been terminated.

    Anyone that mismanages an organization to the tune of $10,000,000 should not be working for that organization anymore. Especially when the cause of such loss was something as easily manageable as a remote work policy.

    In recent years, my former company, JP Morgan, and the Federal Government have failed the remote worker test. I would surmise that except for a few that had visionaries (like me) in place, most did.

    I do not blame companies for wanting their workforce back in the office. Especially if it is going to cost a company $10,000,00.

    I will blame the companies that continue to employ those at the top that own such epic failures.


  • What Does America Stand For Today?

    What Does America Stand For Today?

    The concern should not be party. The concern should be America. What does America stand for? Does the countries’ world standing matter? Does the Constitution hold water? Is the rule of law still something, albeit not perfect, that America wants upheld? Do we want to be a country that our allies can count on and our enemies guard against? Do the American people want to hold dear the values, morals, common sense thinking that enabled 13 Colonies to become the greatest country in the world? Does America want to remain a free and democratic society?

    Do the American people want their speech to be free? Do they want their representative to be honest? Do they want discourse engaged with intelligent and respectful disagreement?

    Can the American people accept that the monied rule the roost? Can they accept that businesses are more important than people? Is greed valued more than the health and welfare for all?

    Is the population willing to accept that the best of us are no longer interested in leading? Those willing to run are not always the most fit to lead. They are certainly not the most qualified.

    These questions are not to be answered by parties, but by people.

    At night, lights out, kids in bed, spouses in the shower, the dog in its house. If each one of us answered those questions honestly, most of America would share the same understanding. We need to vow to work toward change.

    It is not the Democrats responsibility to fix the Republican party. It is not the responsibility of the Republicans to bail out the Democrats. It is not the responsibility of the Independents to get off their fence and make real choices.

    It is up to all of us, regardless of race, color, or religion, to look inside. We need to explore what we want for our friends, family, and loved ones. We must also consider how we want the next 100 years to look.

    Then with heads clear and hearts aligned, we work towards the America that the vast majority of us want. We strive to be treated with respect. No opinion should matter more than any other. We aim to build a home, a family, and a community where each person is free. Each person can work to be their best. They aren’t swayed by those who think or feel differently.

    The reality is, being an American is a pretty easy job. Wake up each day. Live your own life. Treat others as you want to be treated. Work well. Love with lasting intent. Do the little things that make America America.

  • Understanding Restaurant Hours: When Is It Too Late?

    Understanding Restaurant Hours: When Is It Too Late?

    Every now and again you may hear people talking about an experience they have at a restaurant.

    Here is a sample scenario.

    The restaurant has posted hours of 10:00 AM to 10 PM. The restaurant hours are posted on their website, their Yelp page and on their front window.

    A person, couple or group walk in at 9:55 PM expecting to be served.

    Here is the typical battle.

    Some people think the person, couple or group are out of line expecting the restaurant to serve them so close to closing time.

    Some people think that since the restaurant is open, a person, couple, or group walking in a few minutes before they close is fine.

    Before taking sides, lets restate the obvious.

    According to the restaurant’s published information, they are open from 10 AM – 10 PM. The restaurant is open, preparing food and ready to accommodate customers.

    A person, couple or group walking into an open business has a legitimate expectation of being served.

    The arguments made by those who believe “customers are out of line for walking in so late ” make several points. First, the kitchen is already in the process of cleaning up. Second, the staff wants to get home when their shift is over. Third, how fresh can the food actually be just a few minutes before closing? Finally, just because a place is open, doesn’t mean that they are cooking.

    The argument being made by the “restaurant is open, a person or couple or group walking in at any time is fine” is simple:
    * If you say you’re open, you’re open.

    Of course a restaurant has the right to refuse any business. If they really do not want to serve people at 9:55 PM, they just need to inform the customers. They can simply say that the kitchen is closed. It is fair. It is understandable. It just does not make them right.

    The person that greets the customers first can simply say “since it’s so late there is just a very limited menu available.”  That limited menu could be true. However, because the hours do not state the limited menu with its later hours, it is not being advertised correctly.

    What’s the most reasonable way to handle these late night feasters?

    A simple change to the restaurant signage, an update to it’s website and it’s Yelp page.

    “Open at 10 AM – 10 PM. LAST SEATING AT 9:30PM”

    This simple change makes it clear. The restaurant opens its doors at 10 AM. It closes its doors at 10 PM. No customers will be seated after 9:30 PM.

    Believe it or not, I have been vilified for making that suggestion on other threads. No one can tell me why that is a bad idea. By simply adding LAST SEATING AT offers clear communication. It gives the staff a proper reason for rejecting the 9:55 PM customer. It also educates potential customers to avoid false expectations.

    Another alternative would be a sign that says:
    Open from 10 AM – 10 PM, Limited Menu after 9:00 PM.

    Like the previous suggestion, this wording sets accurate expectations for staff and customers alike.

    Until things change, a restaurant should expect to serve customers during their posted hours. If seating someone at 9:59PM is something you do, serve them.

    It would be nice for people not to walk into a restaurant 3 minutes before closing. Can you blame a hungry customer for wanting to give a business money during their posted hours of operation? Especially if you let them in, seat them and hand them menus?

    What do you think?

  • Rethinking Tipping: A Service-Based Approach

    Rethinking Tipping: A Service-Based Approach


    My first job out of school was as a tipped employee. I was a bellman at a hotel. I was paid a whopping $2.01 an hour, plus tips.

    Unlike servers or bartenders that are tipped based on menu prices, bellmen weren’t tipped based   on hotel room rates. If we were I would still be working as a bellman.

    Back then, in the early 1980’s a dollar a bag was the standard tip rate for a bellman. If a small cart was used, the expected tip was $3. If a large cart was used, $5 was the expected tip.

    Fewer hotels have bell staff these days, but I would imagine that the expected tip rate is about the same.  Why? It’s easy to calculate, the level of effort to move bags hasn’t changed and tipping isn’t a legal requirement.

    Don’t feel sorry for bellmen or doormen. The bigger hotels, especially in big cities, are easily pulling in $75,000 or more a year.  Oh, it doesn’t get declared for taxes, but they are doing fine. 

    I worked in a suburban hotel. I was making good money (not downtown money, but good money.  I also paid taxes on my tips.

    Back in the early 80’s a restaurant server expected a tip of 10% of the menu price, total bill. Over time that expectation became 15%, then 20%. For whatever reason some servers now expect 25%.

    You go to a hotel, a bellman carries 4 bags, you tip $4.  You go to the hotel restaurant. You tip 20% of some arbitrary menu price. This doesn’t reflect anything about the quantity or quality of work the server actually does.  

    Let’s use another industry and their prices as a comparison.

    You go to the local gas station. Monday gas is $3.33. Tuesday $3.18. Wednesday $3.05, and Thursday gas is $3.45.

    Pretend you live in New Jersey. You get all your gas on the Turnpike. Pretend that you have to tip 10% of the price per gallon.  That’s $0.33 Monday, $0.31 Tuesday, $0.30 Wednesday and $0.34 on Thursday per gallon.  

    Did the person pumping gas on Wednesday for a $0.30 per gallon tip work harder than he or she did on Thursday when tipped $0.34 per gallon? They did the exact same thing. They were tipped based on arbitrary prices. This had nothing to do with service or level of effort.  That makes NO sense.

    That is the world of restaurants today. A tipping system that makes no sense.

    Yet no one seemingly wants to end the tipping game.


    Why would the owners? They get to not pay their staff. Why would the servers? They get to change the standard of what is expected. The government is treated to lots of goodies from the lobbyists and we know politicians won’t walk away from freebies. The Unions should protect their members. Instead, unions are a business wanting to ensure employees can pay their dues. Consumers just want to eat food that hasn’t been spit in.  

    So who is going to propose a change? Me.

    Instead of ending tipping, let us make tipping a service driven earned income vs menu based given.

    For example:
    A party of 4 goes to a restaurant. The server goes to the table to take drink orders. They deliver the drinks. Then, they take appetizer orders and deliver the appetizers. They get dinner orders and deliver dinner. They then take coffee or dessert orders and deliver them. The server refills drinks twice and drops off the check.  That’s 13 trips to the table. Let pretend each interaction lasts an average of 1 minute.  AVERAGE.

    That’s 13 minutes worth of customer face time. Add in the trip time from kitchen or bar and back to the table, another 13 minutes.

    Each person pays $0. 20 cents a trip and $0.05 for the walk time to and from the kitchen.  Each person would pay $3.25 in tip, total table would tip $13.00.  The server would make $13 for roughly 26 minutes of work. Extrapolate that over an hour and a server would make just about $30 an hour.

    Most servers work at least 3 tables at a time. A server could earn $90 an hour based on their actual work. They would earn this money and menu prices would no longer matter.

    The harder working Denny’s server could make just as much money as Ruth’s Chris Server.

    Yes, smaller parties would pay less, larger parties would make more. Yes, the customer would need to track the number of visits to the table. The per table visit pay scale incentivizes the server to provide more attentive service. Since even under this process, paying the server just because they showed up would be optional.

     Servers would now have a real incentive to provide quality and quantity service. Quality and quantity, two things that aren’t required now.

    Restaurants that use food expediters would take part in the tip pool. Drink fillers would also participate. They would still work on the same systems and percentage scale they use now.

    Taxes would also be reported the same as always.

    If every person who does anything for you is asking for a tip, say no. Only tip if you feel they actually earned it. It’s time to shut down these ever-increasing number of hands that want to be tipped.

    Sorry hot dog concession stand at cashless stadiums. You don’t get tipped for not moving to hand me a hot dog.

    Sorry 7-11 clerk, you selling me a Big Gulp I poured myself doesn’t earn you a tip.

    Sorry cashier. You didn’t walk more than 2 feet to grab a pack of cigarettes or a box of condoms. You don’t get a tip either.

    There is an easy way to make the service industry better. The pay can be more stable. Tipping can also be quantified and measured.

    Don’t you think it’s time?

  • The Contradictory Nature of Winning and Losing in Sports

    The Contradictory Nature of Winning and Losing in Sports

    This is the time of year where winners and losers are both celebrated and scorned.

    Losers:
    Notre Dame Fighting Irish – College Football National Championship
    Buffalo Bills – NFL AFC Conference title game
    Washington – NFL NFC Conference title game

    Winners:
    Ohio State – College Football National Championship
    Kansas City Chiefs – NFL AFC title game
    Philadelphia Eagles – NGL NFC title game

    People love to give Notre Dame a lot of static since they have not won a national title since 1988 . The fact that they have won 13 national titles means nothing to those that hate Notre Dame. Since it has also been 36 years since their last title, even their fans are not a happy bunch. For winners, ND is labeled losers.

    (Fun Fact: Yale has the most college football national championships with 18. Alabama has 15, Princeton 15 and Notre Dame has 13).

    Winning matters it seems, but it all depends on when you win and what you consider winning.

    The Buffalo Bills made it to four consecutive Super Bowls; 1990 – 1993. No other team has had such a level of success. They can clearly call themselves the greatest team in the history of the AFC. Yet, they have no Super Bowl victories. A Josh Allen quarterbacked team is now 0-4 against KC in the playoffs. This level of success will never erase Wide Right. It also won’t erase losing 7 additional games to teams that were clearly just better than they were (Dallas twice, Washington, and KC).

    The fact that Buffalo won 93 games during their SB streak and being one of the top 4 teams during their run in with KC just doesn’t matter.

    With all their winning, Buffalo is not considered winners.

    Washington made their first NFC Championship game since 1991. Today they were considered winners.

    All Kansas City has done the past 5 years is win. Today they are labeled losers, cheaters and credit for their success is given to the refs and a rigged NFL. With all their winning, they are losers.

    ND lost one game after a 13-game winning streak and put $20 million dollars in their bank account. They are losers.
    Buffalo continues to be one of the best teams in the history of the AFC.
    They are losers.
    Kansas City wins and wins more.
    They are losers.
    Washington has been garbage for over 25 years. They lose a playoff game.
    They are winners.

    In a world where losing makes losers, when winning makes losers, and losing makes winners I do not think anyone really knows what a loser is.

    I will tell you what a loser is. Someone that does not think. Someone that does not show up. Someone that makes no effort. Someone that does not care.

    Approach life with the idea that you will do your best every day; you are winning.

    Do not listen to the noise. Pay no attention to those that criticize your efforts.

    Chances are that the people doing most of the complaining and finger pointing are the real losers.

    Win or lose, as long as you are trying, you are winning.

  • Trump’s First Day: A Groundbreaking Administration or a Failed Promise?

    Trump’s First Day: A Groundbreaking Administration or a Failed Promise?



    On Monday, January 20th, 2025, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th President of the United States. The event takes place inside the warmth of the Capital Rotunda.

    If Trump does what he says he is going to do, his first day in office will be groundbreaking. The day promises to be the most successful first day of any President’s Administration.

    By 11:59 PM, January 20, 2025, Trump claims a massive deportation program will be instituted. People will start heading back “home.”
    “On Day One, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out,” Trump said at his Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 28

    Mind you, if he were to do this, it would be impossible to do in one day. Even if done over time, prices would spike. Supplies of foods, other goods, and services would diminish. The U.S. Economy, now the strongest in the world, would collapse.

    “On Day One of the Trump administration, I will terminate Kamala’s insane electric vehicle mandate, and we will end the new green scam once and for all. The green new scam will end,” Trump said at a rally in October.

    With Elon Musk telling Trump what do to, this will not happen. Musk will not allow Trump to crash his financial wealth and security. Plus, there are already hundreds of permits held for oil and natural resources. These permits are not being used; it helps keep costs up, supply in check. Trump could open the entire US for drilling. Wouldn’t matter. No one is going to be drilling unless it is to sell found resources on the open, international market. The benefit to the US consumer? None.

    Trump said at a rally in September, “The moment we win, we will rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner unjustly victimized by the Harris regime. And I will sign their pardons on Day One.”

    More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the attack on the Capitol. For the party of law and order”, allowing 1,500 convicts free does not seem to be a very just decision. Just because a Convict is President, does not mean every other convict should be walking the streets.

    Trump said he would end the War in Ukraine, AKA the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Trump has no power or authority to end the invasion. He would just hand everything Russia wanted to his friend Putin. That is not happening because the rest of the world would not allow it.

    He is already starting to reverse the promises he made to his voters. Eggs will not be free. Groceries will not be cheaper. Gas prices are up based on the market knowing he is taking over. His own history shows he won’t close boarders. Mexico will fund nothing.

    Besides, how could he get all those goals accomplished? He is going to be busy waging war against Panama, Greenland, Canada, American Democracy, the Middle and Lower classes and the US Constitution?

    The people voted a clown to office. Now we get to welcome the entire circus.

  • California Wildfires: Politics vs. Aid in Crisis

    California Wildfires: Politics vs. Aid in Crisis


    Speaker of the House Mike Jackson said today that there should be conditions on aid to California. “I think there should be conditions on that aid.” Cal Fire said in an update Monday that a total of 40,300 acres have burned across multiple blazes. 12,000 homes, businesses, schools, and other structures have been lost. Over 150,000 have been evacuated. There are 24 confirmed dead.


    Palisades Fire (14 percent contained): The blaze has burned through more than 23,700 acres. It is in and around Pacific Palisades. The fire has killed at least eight people. Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said the fire has destroyed more than 5,300 structures since Tuesday. The fire is now spreading toward Brentwood, where the Getty Center is located, and is threatening to reach Interstate 405.

    Eaton Fire (33 percent contained): On the city’s east side, near Pasadena, the fire has killed at least 16 people. This makes it one of the deadliest fires in California’s history. The fire has burned through 14,117 acres. More than 7,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed by this fire, officials said.

    Hurst Fire (95 percent contained):In the north, near San Fernando, the fire has covered 799 acres.

    Is now the right time for the GOP to begin playing politics with natural disasters?

    Johnson wants to bribe California to get aid (Vote our way or don’t get paid.)

    Maggie Taylor Green claims that the Democrats control the weather.

    Elon Musk blames “Wokeness” for the wildfires.

    Trump is trashing the politicians and the firefighters.

    That folks is your America First GOP. They say anything. Know nothing. Do less. Trash America GOP.

    MAGA Trump target Canada. The country is now under US threats from the incoming President. Canada has been providing aid via water drops.

    MAGA hated Mexicans have been deployed by Mexico to LA to help fight fires.

    People from all over the US have been sending aid and money. Your MAGA American’s are sending hate, conspiracy theories and stupidity.

    When other natural disasters have hit the US both parties do not treat them equally. One party tends to address the needs of the citizens.

    The other party rather point fingers, spread lies and leverage people’s hardship for party gain.

    I do not care about whom you voted. I do not care where you live. I just know that when natural disasters strike we all want and need the same thing. A government for the people.

    The MAGA GOP has lost sight of what is important to ALL of its citizens.

    Fire, Flood, Wind does not check the voting of records of the people that live where they hit. They just hit.

    Our government should not check either. They should just help.