So I want to get it straight what I am talking about first, building a church is what many are up in arms about and oppose on moral grounds. “They” are not slapping anyone in the face, “they” are not being disrespectful and it is not a victory Mosque – whatever the hell that term means. I am really surprised by the reactions of our populace about this but even more troubling, I am surprised by the reactions of people I respect, love and admire. I am not even sure why I am bothering writing this because those who have chosen sides have made up their mind already. In one case I was involved in a back and forth on a friends FB page where it also showed a picture of Osama Bin Laden – I remember thinking, really - what logic was used to tie him to this building project.
One fella actually said the following about building the Mosque. “I find it disgusting ... I served '84-'89..... I also believe everything I need to know about Islam I learned on 9-11 and until they can prove otherwise, I firmly believe they are here to do harm to me and my family”. I obviously responded with disbelief that one could form that opinion about the 5-8 million American Muslims who were living in the land of the free and the 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. That is about a quarter of the population of the planet, and a bigger number than the 1.1 billion Catholics. I also asked about how one could learn all about a religion that has been around for 1400 years in one day – one can form an opinion about something like that in a day but NOT learn anything about the Muslim religion.
This topic is yet another instance of our inability to have a civilized dialog about the problems of our country and our world. There seems to be a rampant intolerance of everything not us in our country, I would be willing to bet that man who learned all he needed to know in one day has never even seen a Quran let alone opened one and read any part of it. I am sure he is an otherwise rational man but when we start to paint an entire group of folks with the narrow-minded brush of ignorance and arrogance we lose track of the radicals who actually attacked us. That is not my opinion, have we captured Osama Bin Laden? We lost track of him. Have we pissed off most of the Muslim world with our intolerance and invasions of their sovereign nations? This approach is creating divisiveness and hate and hating creates haters and it is doing that (creating haters) on all sides of this issue. Seems easy enough for me to see that more hate is not going to solve any of the problems we have. Understanding and civilized dialog will be what heals a nation and a world.
I think it is irrational for folks to lump together the "fanatics" who blew up the twin towers in a way that labels all Muslims fanatics. To me it is as crazy as saying all Christians are whack job militia men because Tim Mcvey blew up the Federal building in Oklahoma. Every religion and every group has crazies riding along on the fringes of the group, they are called radials no matter what group we are talking about. To lump those folks that ride on the fringes in with and then condemn the whole group is a BIG part of the reason we can’t seem to have a civilized dialog about the problems we face. To oppose someone building a church (and that is what it is) in Manhattan seems petty and not in any way attempting to move toward resolution of the race and religious problems in our country and in my opinion, it is counterproductive ridiculousness.
Isn't this supposed to be the country that stands for and was built on religious freedom and tolerance? Do we automatically judge a person based on the color of their skin or what religion they practice? I seem to remember reading about that someplace, oh yeah something about our founding fathers deciding the King could not impose his religion upon them. Seems I read someplace that all men were created equal as well, hummmmm…. where was that? Is religious and race intolerance what we Americans stand for and better yet is that what our constitution stands for? I believe this is one of those moments in time that history will not judge us kindly, this is truly a “we need to take a hard look at ourselves in the mirror” moment and start asking ourselves some hard questions about our own xenophobia.
When I hear folks lump all Muslims into the grouping of terrorist the engineer in me starts pondering and taking things out to their logical conclusion. So this is what I came up with, we need to round up some folks because they must be part of a sleeper cell operating here in the United States. Folks like Dave Chappelle, Lewis Arquette (yes Rosanna and David Arquette’s Dad) and even Ahmad Rashād of Minnesota Viking and television commentator fame. Using that logic “those” people are suspect and need to be watched. The rapper’s Mos Def and Busta Rhymes and even Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul Jabbar) – we need to persecute “them” as well, they are one of “them”. Let’s remember their faces and their accomplishments before we put them on a national no fly list. Every time we use words like they, them and those people we need to put faces to it, because it seems if you use this flawed logic we have to include all “those” people into that group of Muslims.
I am not sure how we got to this point of widespread intolerance. I suspect it has something to do with the 24 hour news cycle. We plug our brains into Fox News or CNN and that is where we get our information, depending on your political persuasion. I actually have one friend who said I watch CNN and Fox and somewhere in the middle is the truth – REALLY. That was the saddest commentary I have uncovered in this whole process. I am not even sure what that means, somewhere in the middle is the truth? To me the truth is the truth, the middle of two opinions is not the truth. That is exactly why I do not watch those dunderheads, on either one of those channels. Putting a guest with one opinion next to someone with a different opinion and then playing referee for 3 minutes is not providing us news, it is providing the wow factor for the ratings so the advertisers will pay for the broadcast - plain and simple. There is no unbiased news out there, if what they call news was actually news it would be the same information no matter where you heard it. News is “a report of recent events” according old Merriam Webster so how can a recent event be reported in 2 completely different ways? Because it is their opinion of that event. The great thing about this age is the internet, you can find sites that are not news related and find a WEALTH of information, if you want to.
This is part one of a multipart oratory, there is a lot a material I want to cover, I hope I have not offended you in a way that you won’t finish the series.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My trip today, to my polling place - it was a sad day.
So this afternoon I fulfilled my civic obligation and made the trip to my polling place to vote, it had moved but I knew where to. Due to budget cuts some of the polling places were consolidated, for me it was the other end of the same building. Before there were two, one on the south end of the building and one on the north, now there is just the one. When I got home Bride was ready to go, we ALWAYS go together to vote, so away we went. When we arrived and were walking in and we noticed a Mother with her teenage kids in tow. We started talking about how great it is that a parent involves their kids on the voting process before they are actually old enough to vote. I do not think kids understand the importance of voting and I thought it was a great way to give them an insight before they are there for the first time to vote themselves.
So on this day we go in and there is a line, no worries I thought. It appeared that the line ended at the A-K area of the desk and there was another area that ended in L-Z that was unoccupied. I asked the man who was standing in the line in front of me “is this the line for the A-K folks”. His response stunned me, although I do not know why due to the rude nature of so many folks out there today. He said “this is THE line that we are all waiting in” in a very nasty tone, to which I responded – “oh, I see that your line terminates in the A-K and that is why I asked”. Well before Mr. Polite could respond the poll worker sitting in the empty L-Z line asked, “anyone with a last name that starts with L through Z come on over here. I could barely contain myself when he and his wife shuffled to the L-Z line, right in front of me. What I did not do was contain the gigantic smart ass smile that I kept plastered on my face until Mr. Polite left the polling place.
While waiting in the line an older gentleman came in using a cane and not looking like he was in the best of health. He took up a post right behind Bride and I. I immediately offered him a cut in line, he did not want to and after a couple of go arounds with me I assured him that I was young and it did not bother me one bit and I would be honored to give up my spot. Well Mr. polite, who is not 2 feet in front of me never even turns around, I can tell his ass is still chapped and my stupid assed smile probably contributed to his embarrassment for being such an ass. Well after a moment his Bride offers the older man a cut in line as well, not a word or gesture from Mr. Polite. I know it should not be this way but I was thoroughly enjoying watching this guy after being proved wrong about “the” line. I suppose that means there is something wrong with me for thinking that way. Bride and I voted and we were on our way, we went on down to the river to see if the weather was whipping up the water, and it was.
As we sat there we started talking about Mr. Polite and his poor attitude. It seemed to me an out of context answer, he was sarcastic and just mean about answering my simple question about the line. It made me wonder what was going on his life that would make him such a miserable cuss. Maybe it was not some recent event, maybe it was something that happened a long time ago and he for some reason let it ruin his life. He was very cold to his wife as well, we could barely tell that they were together in line, Bride and I were standing there holding hands, this guy and his bride were just standing there with horrible sour puss mugs on. I feel sorry for him, something happened in his life that he allowed to poison his soul and let himself become the victim. Who knows, I got all that from just listening to him and watching his actions for the few minutes we were together. Oh well, I can only hope that he finds something to be optimistic about and let the poison from his heart.
As we sat there we talked about our new policy of voting out the incumbents, it is very hard but I am convinced the only way to make a change is to get rid of all of the folks who have been driving the bus. But when I find my choices of non-incumbents morally repugnant, ethically reprehensible and bankrupt of any honor what so ever it becomes difficult to mark the spot for them. But the folks who have been running things have taken our country down the wrong road, way down that wrong road and it is time to back the hell up and take the other fork. This has been the most divisive mean spirited election cycle that I can ever remember and I for one hate it! If these damn candidates spent half as much time working on solving some problems as they did on digging up dirt on the other dirt-bag maybe we could get someplace or get something fixed.
I do not want to hear them talking about the other candidates, I want to hear what they are going to do to make changes. What cracks me up is that in an ad attacking the other candidate that they have the cohones to say, it is not about me, it is about you – bullshit, bullshit and more bullshit. It is all about them, anyone who believes it is about us does not live in the same world that I live in. The only thing that redeems my method of voting is this, that dirt bag will be voted out by me in the next election cycle. If we all do it, maybe, just maybe we will make it what it is supposed to be, a public service, not a career where you get to change the rules while playing the game.
The absoluteness of the power that our elected officials hold is SCARY as hell to me. They will never vote for campaign finance reform, they will never stop voting themselves raises and they will never vote for term limits. They have done a lot of work up there, I for one do not think they have done enough for us, the folks who voted for them. I do think however that they have done A LOT for big business, the folks who actually got them into office. WHAT you might be asking?? We vote for them because they get ads on television and they get those ads on television because the political action committees. The money from the special interest groups is what actually get someone into office and when they arrive, they are not allowed to forget who put them there. While technically we voted them in there, we were BOMBARDED with and ad campaign that would put Budweiser and Coke to shame – that is their modus operandi.
So what do I expect, well I expect the give aways to dry up, but which ones? All of them and that is why the incumbents are not going to be able to make the changes necessary. They do not have the political will to get it done, every group sucking in the government teat has a lobbying group. Those groups bought their candidates and they are expected to take care of their interests, be it senior citizen programs or after school programs or programs designed to assist folks who are disabled. That is not even a scratch on the surface of the things we (collectively as tax payers) can afford to continue to pay for. The decisions that need to be made will be hard and have horrible impact on the folks who rely on this program or that program when it goes away. Is it right, hell no it ain’t right but to continue to spend money like drunken sailors needs to come to an end – period. No matter how well intentioned any program is when there is not enough money to pay for it, it has to go. The government has taken up the role of local organizations, that are suffering because we can no longer donate to them as much as we used to because the government is sucking up all our extra money in the form of taxes.
I bet there are hundreds upon hundreds of programs that the government has that were never in the charter, not the government’s responsibility, not in the day of our founding fathers and not today. I am not sure what the answers are but I do know that to do the same thing (keep sending the incumbents back) over and over again and somehow expecting different results (expecting them to do the right thing) is the definition of insanity and I do not want to play anymore with the crazies. We gotta vote them all out, no matter how horrible the options. If they have held any office, their opponents get my vote or I vote for the one with the least amount of political office time under their belts. I am saddened that I have to do this but it is the only way I know of to actually fix things. I have determined the thing that is broken is not the actual things but the people we elected to work on those very problems, they have mucked it up and are unable to fix anything because they are beholden to those who got them into office and not us the victims of their greed and excess.
So on this day we go in and there is a line, no worries I thought. It appeared that the line ended at the A-K area of the desk and there was another area that ended in L-Z that was unoccupied. I asked the man who was standing in the line in front of me “is this the line for the A-K folks”. His response stunned me, although I do not know why due to the rude nature of so many folks out there today. He said “this is THE line that we are all waiting in” in a very nasty tone, to which I responded – “oh, I see that your line terminates in the A-K and that is why I asked”. Well before Mr. Polite could respond the poll worker sitting in the empty L-Z line asked, “anyone with a last name that starts with L through Z come on over here. I could barely contain myself when he and his wife shuffled to the L-Z line, right in front of me. What I did not do was contain the gigantic smart ass smile that I kept plastered on my face until Mr. Polite left the polling place.
While waiting in the line an older gentleman came in using a cane and not looking like he was in the best of health. He took up a post right behind Bride and I. I immediately offered him a cut in line, he did not want to and after a couple of go arounds with me I assured him that I was young and it did not bother me one bit and I would be honored to give up my spot. Well Mr. polite, who is not 2 feet in front of me never even turns around, I can tell his ass is still chapped and my stupid assed smile probably contributed to his embarrassment for being such an ass. Well after a moment his Bride offers the older man a cut in line as well, not a word or gesture from Mr. Polite. I know it should not be this way but I was thoroughly enjoying watching this guy after being proved wrong about “the” line. I suppose that means there is something wrong with me for thinking that way. Bride and I voted and we were on our way, we went on down to the river to see if the weather was whipping up the water, and it was.
As we sat there we started talking about Mr. Polite and his poor attitude. It seemed to me an out of context answer, he was sarcastic and just mean about answering my simple question about the line. It made me wonder what was going on his life that would make him such a miserable cuss. Maybe it was not some recent event, maybe it was something that happened a long time ago and he for some reason let it ruin his life. He was very cold to his wife as well, we could barely tell that they were together in line, Bride and I were standing there holding hands, this guy and his bride were just standing there with horrible sour puss mugs on. I feel sorry for him, something happened in his life that he allowed to poison his soul and let himself become the victim. Who knows, I got all that from just listening to him and watching his actions for the few minutes we were together. Oh well, I can only hope that he finds something to be optimistic about and let the poison from his heart.
As we sat there we talked about our new policy of voting out the incumbents, it is very hard but I am convinced the only way to make a change is to get rid of all of the folks who have been driving the bus. But when I find my choices of non-incumbents morally repugnant, ethically reprehensible and bankrupt of any honor what so ever it becomes difficult to mark the spot for them. But the folks who have been running things have taken our country down the wrong road, way down that wrong road and it is time to back the hell up and take the other fork. This has been the most divisive mean spirited election cycle that I can ever remember and I for one hate it! If these damn candidates spent half as much time working on solving some problems as they did on digging up dirt on the other dirt-bag maybe we could get someplace or get something fixed.
I do not want to hear them talking about the other candidates, I want to hear what they are going to do to make changes. What cracks me up is that in an ad attacking the other candidate that they have the cohones to say, it is not about me, it is about you – bullshit, bullshit and more bullshit. It is all about them, anyone who believes it is about us does not live in the same world that I live in. The only thing that redeems my method of voting is this, that dirt bag will be voted out by me in the next election cycle. If we all do it, maybe, just maybe we will make it what it is supposed to be, a public service, not a career where you get to change the rules while playing the game.
The absoluteness of the power that our elected officials hold is SCARY as hell to me. They will never vote for campaign finance reform, they will never stop voting themselves raises and they will never vote for term limits. They have done a lot of work up there, I for one do not think they have done enough for us, the folks who voted for them. I do think however that they have done A LOT for big business, the folks who actually got them into office. WHAT you might be asking?? We vote for them because they get ads on television and they get those ads on television because the political action committees. The money from the special interest groups is what actually get someone into office and when they arrive, they are not allowed to forget who put them there. While technically we voted them in there, we were BOMBARDED with and ad campaign that would put Budweiser and Coke to shame – that is their modus operandi.
So what do I expect, well I expect the give aways to dry up, but which ones? All of them and that is why the incumbents are not going to be able to make the changes necessary. They do not have the political will to get it done, every group sucking in the government teat has a lobbying group. Those groups bought their candidates and they are expected to take care of their interests, be it senior citizen programs or after school programs or programs designed to assist folks who are disabled. That is not even a scratch on the surface of the things we (collectively as tax payers) can afford to continue to pay for. The decisions that need to be made will be hard and have horrible impact on the folks who rely on this program or that program when it goes away. Is it right, hell no it ain’t right but to continue to spend money like drunken sailors needs to come to an end – period. No matter how well intentioned any program is when there is not enough money to pay for it, it has to go. The government has taken up the role of local organizations, that are suffering because we can no longer donate to them as much as we used to because the government is sucking up all our extra money in the form of taxes.
I bet there are hundreds upon hundreds of programs that the government has that were never in the charter, not the government’s responsibility, not in the day of our founding fathers and not today. I am not sure what the answers are but I do know that to do the same thing (keep sending the incumbents back) over and over again and somehow expecting different results (expecting them to do the right thing) is the definition of insanity and I do not want to play anymore with the crazies. We gotta vote them all out, no matter how horrible the options. If they have held any office, their opponents get my vote or I vote for the one with the least amount of political office time under their belts. I am saddened that I have to do this but it is the only way I know of to actually fix things. I have determined the thing that is broken is not the actual things but the people we elected to work on those very problems, they have mucked it up and are unable to fix anything because they are beholden to those who got them into office and not us the victims of their greed and excess.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I like old jalopy’s, that requires some “salvage yard” time.
I have almost always had old cars, some older than others but I have only had 2 brand new ones in my life, a 1989 F150 lariat and a 1999 F150 lariat, both nice trucks with nice payment plans. If memory serves me, they were about $350 and $750 respectively. I have had a number of Nova’s, including a 66 that I did a frame off restoration (yes I connected the sub-frames with rectangular steel so there was a full frame when I was done. I love the look and style of the older cars, new ones are homogenous amalgams of lightweight steel, plastic and who knows what else. Old cars are not that at all, they are steel, steel and then a bit more steel bolted to that. I would not be surprised if the bumpers on my current Jalopy have more steel than could be found in every bit of a new Honda Hybrid.
There is another big plus with the old jalopy’s, no car payments. I have not had a repair ever that cost as much as the book of car payment tickets, although I don’t know if they have the little books anymore, all computerized I bet. When I was younger I drove old cars mainly because I could not afford the payments, now I am older I still have the same problem. Not sure what happened there but it works out because I don’t want any more car payments anyway.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time in the Junk Yards, yes back in the day they were called Junk Yards. There were old cars sitting in the dirt in whatever order they were brought in. There were no computer printouts or anything more than a proprietor telling you there might be one over that way and another over there when you asked about a 71 Nova steering wheel. My favorite was an OLD place between the Virginia, North Carolina border. I can’t remember the name of the place but I went there a lot when I was stationed in Norfolk Va. I got to be good friends with the old man who ran the place and even gave him a couple of junkers when I was done with them. He had a pretty good handle on what he had and where it was, all the way back to the 1920’s and there were over 100 acres of them. I remember nearly buying a Chevy 409 out of a 62 Impala just because I did not know anyone who had stuffed one in a Nova.
My current Jalopy is 52 years old and I really enjoy it, I find it almost therapeutic. Like most folks my work is never ending, especially in the broadcasting business since we are chasing listeners and viewers to all corners of the technology ridden world. With that always on the go mentality there is no end, so the Jalopy becomes an ongoing project. Each small project portion has a beginning, a middle and then an end. When it is complete I do not have to worry that the ball joint is not in the right format for I-tunes or that the speedometer cable is not compatible with the software version of the transmission. Those sorts of issues just do not come up when working on the jalopy. I find solace in its simplicity. When I rebuilt that distributor, I followed the same steps and used the same parts that a guy in 1961 would have done and used. There was no worry about what version of points or if the rotor button was able to handle the higher voltage of electronic ignition systems – same, simple and relaxing, at least to me.
So the other day I drove the jalopy out to a place called “Ace Pick a Part” looking for a part for our van. The driver’s side window stopped going up and down, occasionally I could get it to work if I whacked it. As I received my two page computer printout that detailed every place that switch could be located, the range from row T14 through T17. Each vehicle also had an ID number written on the windows although I did not need that since I could tell I was looking for a Chrysler product. I have been here a number of times and am amazed at how well organized and easy to use this place is. No trees, bushes or even grass or dirt. The whole place is covered with gravel with an asphalt substance on the main thoroughfares. All the vehicles are relatively new and all are sitting up off the ground about 15-20 inches. sitting on the rims of some other cars.
I like it in some ways and hate it others. I like it because I can go right to the place where the part I am looking for is, I mean right to it. The vehicles are clean and the ground is covered with gravel with nary a weed growing through. I hate it for the same reasons. There is not a lot of adventure, I like wandering around and when you are working on jalopy’s you need to wander. That part you need might be on several different makes of car. For example I could take most parts off a Pontiac Ventura and they would work on a Nova. I could get parts off the 58 Fairlane and they would work on my 58 Ranchero. The adventure was and still is something l like because it is also discovery. You may find something on a car you are not even working on that will spark your imagination in some creative way and give you ideas about how to change something on your car.
The old yards are still around, they are harder to find and in Florida I worry about poisonous snakes lucking inside the door when you are pulling out the window regulator. I wish the newer style yards kept cars around longer, to find something more than 10-15 years old is a challenge. I still like driving my 52 year old jalopy to look for parts for my minivan, the juxtaposition makes me laugh out loud most times I do it and mainly I just like saving the money over buying a new car or a new part. I found the switch for 27 bucks, and that is $103 dollars cheaper than a new one - yep, I am smiling.
If you are in Jacksonville I HIGHLY recommend you use Ace Pick A Part located at 9152 North Main Street - 904-756-5507
There is another big plus with the old jalopy’s, no car payments. I have not had a repair ever that cost as much as the book of car payment tickets, although I don’t know if they have the little books anymore, all computerized I bet. When I was younger I drove old cars mainly because I could not afford the payments, now I am older I still have the same problem. Not sure what happened there but it works out because I don’t want any more car payments anyway.
Over the years I have spent a lot of time in the Junk Yards, yes back in the day they were called Junk Yards. There were old cars sitting in the dirt in whatever order they were brought in. There were no computer printouts or anything more than a proprietor telling you there might be one over that way and another over there when you asked about a 71 Nova steering wheel. My favorite was an OLD place between the Virginia, North Carolina border. I can’t remember the name of the place but I went there a lot when I was stationed in Norfolk Va. I got to be good friends with the old man who ran the place and even gave him a couple of junkers when I was done with them. He had a pretty good handle on what he had and where it was, all the way back to the 1920’s and there were over 100 acres of them. I remember nearly buying a Chevy 409 out of a 62 Impala just because I did not know anyone who had stuffed one in a Nova.
My current Jalopy is 52 years old and I really enjoy it, I find it almost therapeutic. Like most folks my work is never ending, especially in the broadcasting business since we are chasing listeners and viewers to all corners of the technology ridden world. With that always on the go mentality there is no end, so the Jalopy becomes an ongoing project. Each small project portion has a beginning, a middle and then an end. When it is complete I do not have to worry that the ball joint is not in the right format for I-tunes or that the speedometer cable is not compatible with the software version of the transmission. Those sorts of issues just do not come up when working on the jalopy. I find solace in its simplicity. When I rebuilt that distributor, I followed the same steps and used the same parts that a guy in 1961 would have done and used. There was no worry about what version of points or if the rotor button was able to handle the higher voltage of electronic ignition systems – same, simple and relaxing, at least to me.
So the other day I drove the jalopy out to a place called “Ace Pick a Part” looking for a part for our van. The driver’s side window stopped going up and down, occasionally I could get it to work if I whacked it. As I received my two page computer printout that detailed every place that switch could be located, the range from row T14 through T17. Each vehicle also had an ID number written on the windows although I did not need that since I could tell I was looking for a Chrysler product. I have been here a number of times and am amazed at how well organized and easy to use this place is. No trees, bushes or even grass or dirt. The whole place is covered with gravel with an asphalt substance on the main thoroughfares. All the vehicles are relatively new and all are sitting up off the ground about 15-20 inches. sitting on the rims of some other cars.
I like it in some ways and hate it others. I like it because I can go right to the place where the part I am looking for is, I mean right to it. The vehicles are clean and the ground is covered with gravel with nary a weed growing through. I hate it for the same reasons. There is not a lot of adventure, I like wandering around and when you are working on jalopy’s you need to wander. That part you need might be on several different makes of car. For example I could take most parts off a Pontiac Ventura and they would work on a Nova. I could get parts off the 58 Fairlane and they would work on my 58 Ranchero. The adventure was and still is something l like because it is also discovery. You may find something on a car you are not even working on that will spark your imagination in some creative way and give you ideas about how to change something on your car.
The old yards are still around, they are harder to find and in Florida I worry about poisonous snakes lucking inside the door when you are pulling out the window regulator. I wish the newer style yards kept cars around longer, to find something more than 10-15 years old is a challenge. I still like driving my 52 year old jalopy to look for parts for my minivan, the juxtaposition makes me laugh out loud most times I do it and mainly I just like saving the money over buying a new car or a new part. I found the switch for 27 bucks, and that is $103 dollars cheaper than a new one - yep, I am smiling.
If you are in Jacksonville I HIGHLY recommend you use Ace Pick A Part located at 9152 North Main Street - 904-756-5507
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sample ballots in the mail – what is your opinion on that?
I looked in my mailbox this morning and at some point this week, my Mailman dropped two sample ballots from Jerry Holland in there. Jerry Holland is our supervisor of elections here in Duval county, he has to oversee the voting process for the 524,239 registered voters here, number as of 8-14-2010. Every time we receive our sample ballots, I remember back to the 2000 election, I was in Ohio at my Sisters watching the start of what would become the dangling chad debacle of that election. We may have gotten sample ballots before that but I do not remember, we sure have gotten them since then.
Sample ballots, the whole concept seems odd to me. I am a pretty easy going guy but sample ballots is one thing that just plain and simple pisses me off. In a county with over half a million-registered voters what could all of that cost and what is the purpose. In my sample ballot was 2 sheets of paper, one of which is has printing on both sides and one with printing on only one side. The envelope is printed as well, with two colors and it has the little window in it. and then we have the cost to mail them. So what does that cost us, the taxpayers? In a day when we are cutting Fire and Police and School and everything else from the city budget why are we spending money on sample ballots? There is a lot of good information on the sheet, the dates of the election, early voting instructions as well as information about precinct changes. On the reverse side it also has a voter checklist, the voter bill of rights and the voter responsibilities. It even shows me how to fill in the little rectangular field with rounded corners, I am not to check it or X it I am to fill it in completely.
Really, really we need to be treated like 5 year olds, how many of us have not taken a test or voted or any number of other things where we had to fill in those fields with a number 2 pencil. Hell, even the lotto has cards we fill out in that manner and we are not given any instructions what so ever and still we seem to manage with lotto, don’t we. This all goes back, I think, to the dangling chads of that fateful 2000 election. Because some folks in an south Florida county were whipped into a hysteria by the mechanisms of the political parties about the potential that they may have voted incorrectly we Floridians we all dubbed idiots. I can see why to with actual idiots like this guy,
staring at the chads. Was it depressed, or was it ever touched it is no wonder the country and the world wondered what the hell is wrong with Floridians.
Is the information in the sample ballot useful, sure I suppose it is to someone BUT, does the usefulness outweigh the money we taxpayers have to spend to put them out? In my opinion HELL NO!!!! As a taxpaying member of our city I am vehemently opposed to them. I hate to say this but if you are to stupid to understand how to use a ballot you most likely have done ZERO research into the people who are even on the ballot and might be seeing the names for the first time and in my humble opinion they should lose their right to vote. Yeah, I said it, too stupid to work the ballot than you are rejected and should be physically ejected from the polling place. Even more so if you do not ask a question of the folks who are there to assist us with voting. NO, they will wait until they leave and bump into a politico performing exit polling to be told that they may have voted for the wrong guy. That would be the equivalent of me saying no, those are not the number I wanted on the lotto ticket, after the drawing. It is bullshit plain and simple.
Anyway, I am upset about our city cutting this and cutting that and adding this fee or that charge and still wasting money to help people understand how to vote and I want it to stop! Dangling chads be damned! What do you think?
Sample ballots, the whole concept seems odd to me. I am a pretty easy going guy but sample ballots is one thing that just plain and simple pisses me off. In a county with over half a million-registered voters what could all of that cost and what is the purpose. In my sample ballot was 2 sheets of paper, one of which is has printing on both sides and one with printing on only one side. The envelope is printed as well, with two colors and it has the little window in it. and then we have the cost to mail them. So what does that cost us, the taxpayers? In a day when we are cutting Fire and Police and School and everything else from the city budget why are we spending money on sample ballots? There is a lot of good information on the sheet, the dates of the election, early voting instructions as well as information about precinct changes. On the reverse side it also has a voter checklist, the voter bill of rights and the voter responsibilities. It even shows me how to fill in the little rectangular field with rounded corners, I am not to check it or X it I am to fill it in completely.
Really, really we need to be treated like 5 year olds, how many of us have not taken a test or voted or any number of other things where we had to fill in those fields with a number 2 pencil. Hell, even the lotto has cards we fill out in that manner and we are not given any instructions what so ever and still we seem to manage with lotto, don’t we. This all goes back, I think, to the dangling chads of that fateful 2000 election. Because some folks in an south Florida county were whipped into a hysteria by the mechanisms of the political parties about the potential that they may have voted incorrectly we Floridians we all dubbed idiots. I can see why to with actual idiots like this guy,
Is the information in the sample ballot useful, sure I suppose it is to someone BUT, does the usefulness outweigh the money we taxpayers have to spend to put them out? In my opinion HELL NO!!!! As a taxpaying member of our city I am vehemently opposed to them. I hate to say this but if you are to stupid to understand how to use a ballot you most likely have done ZERO research into the people who are even on the ballot and might be seeing the names for the first time and in my humble opinion they should lose their right to vote. Yeah, I said it, too stupid to work the ballot than you are rejected and should be physically ejected from the polling place. Even more so if you do not ask a question of the folks who are there to assist us with voting. NO, they will wait until they leave and bump into a politico performing exit polling to be told that they may have voted for the wrong guy. That would be the equivalent of me saying no, those are not the number I wanted on the lotto ticket, after the drawing. It is bullshit plain and simple.
Anyway, I am upset about our city cutting this and cutting that and adding this fee or that charge and still wasting money to help people understand how to vote and I want it to stop! Dangling chads be damned! What do you think?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Campaign to Vote out the Incumbents, the why……
So there I was, like everyone else I know, getting tired of listening to the people who supposedly represent us. I mean all the way from supervisor of elections to the big Mack Daddy living in the big white house up in DC. I found myself getting very frustrated with the people whom I voted for as well as the ones I did not vote for. Like many, I feel the country is lost. Lost in a way that it seems the satellite is down and the ones with the GPS gadgets forgot how to figure out where they are let alone figure out which way is East or West. They have relied on the gadgetry of our world to perpetrate a hoax on us, a terrible hoax. The hoax is that they care one iota about us, the people. I am happy that the mechanisms of fraud are crumbling and people are starting to see our representatives for what they are, crooked. Now I know that I can not stereo type them all, as much as I would like to. There are some that are worthy, we sure do not hear about them as much though and my plan requires them to sacrifice as well.
My idea is this, vote out every single incumbent for the next 16 years. 16 years you ask, yes sixteen years. This plan will require patience, another thing that our instant gratification world has stripped us of, here is a blog I wrote about our lack of patience http://mroatmealsoratories.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-was-breakfast-over-weekend-and-had.html. So, if we only vote out the incumbents for one election cycle there will be those that are left behind, the ones who “know how it is done”. We have to eradicate all of those folks to because the current blend of “how it’s done” is not working, at least not for me. This thought process of mine came to me and I came around to this plan after Independence day this year. That is when I read the Declaration of Independence again, we all think we know that first sentence but it actually starts like this. When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Dissolve the political bands, those are the words that intrigued me. Then, right after that famous sentence about self-evident truths comes this one. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Consent of the governed, they do not and will not have my consent for their current actions. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. I do not by any means think that we need to abolish the form of Government that has made our great country the greatest one of all, ever. I do however think it is time to alter it a bit, only in a small way by altering the makeup of the folks who are serving in it. We have that right, we have that obligation!
As I kept reading I read, But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Despotism, that was written and signed well over 200 years ago and I can think of no better word than despotism to describe our government, city, state and federal. We then go into what the King of Britain was denying them. There are many appropriate words but some stand out. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. A bureaucracy growing out of control, eating out the substance of the people, hummm, sound familiar? Another one is For imposing taxes on us without our consent. Take a look at your pay stub and you can see immediately that we are getting our asses taxed off and I do not EVER remember consenting to that. Our entrenched representatives have though, for us – yeah right!
You know after reading the Declaration of Independence it was clear, those boys were pretty sharp. It seemed to me all about our ability to change our government to suite our needs. Not the lifetime Politian’s but us, the governed. I say this is the way to correct years of abusiveness, apathy and cronyism, vote them the hell out! It will suck, those guys are bringing home a ton of money for their districts, money that in some ways are benefitting you and I. But believe this my friends, our government is out of control and needs stopped. Since they will NEVER vote for campaign finance reform that is meaningful and they will NEVER vote for term limits we need to provide them with assistance. Even if you like your representative and they are performing well we must vote them out. We need to do this for a minimum of 16 years in order to get all them turned over. No representative should serve more than one term, no one, no how and no way.
I hate the way I feel lately, for the first time in my life I am unsure of my future and I am unsure of the country’s future. I mean seriously, where are we going to be in a year, in 5 years, Hell sometimes I wonder about next freaking month. We are Americans and we should never be made to feel like that by our government! And as Americans we have a duty to assist in correcting the path our Government has gone down, time to back up and take a different fork in the road. So I am asking for your help, help me vote out every single elected official after one term in office. Join my Facebook group “Let’s vote OUT the incumbents” it is going to be a place for dialog about our problems, not a divisive partisan bitch session about what the other party is or is not doing, they all gotta go because they all been there so long they have forgotten why WE, the people, sent them there.
My idea is this, vote out every single incumbent for the next 16 years. 16 years you ask, yes sixteen years. This plan will require patience, another thing that our instant gratification world has stripped us of, here is a blog I wrote about our lack of patience http://mroatmealsoratories.blogspot.com/2009/03/i-was-breakfast-over-weekend-and-had.html. So, if we only vote out the incumbents for one election cycle there will be those that are left behind, the ones who “know how it is done”. We have to eradicate all of those folks to because the current blend of “how it’s done” is not working, at least not for me. This thought process of mine came to me and I came around to this plan after Independence day this year. That is when I read the Declaration of Independence again, we all think we know that first sentence but it actually starts like this. When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Dissolve the political bands, those are the words that intrigued me. Then, right after that famous sentence about self-evident truths comes this one. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Consent of the governed, they do not and will not have my consent for their current actions. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. I do not by any means think that we need to abolish the form of Government that has made our great country the greatest one of all, ever. I do however think it is time to alter it a bit, only in a small way by altering the makeup of the folks who are serving in it. We have that right, we have that obligation!
As I kept reading I read, But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. Despotism, that was written and signed well over 200 years ago and I can think of no better word than despotism to describe our government, city, state and federal. We then go into what the King of Britain was denying them. There are many appropriate words but some stand out. He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. A bureaucracy growing out of control, eating out the substance of the people, hummm, sound familiar? Another one is For imposing taxes on us without our consent. Take a look at your pay stub and you can see immediately that we are getting our asses taxed off and I do not EVER remember consenting to that. Our entrenched representatives have though, for us – yeah right!
You know after reading the Declaration of Independence it was clear, those boys were pretty sharp. It seemed to me all about our ability to change our government to suite our needs. Not the lifetime Politian’s but us, the governed. I say this is the way to correct years of abusiveness, apathy and cronyism, vote them the hell out! It will suck, those guys are bringing home a ton of money for their districts, money that in some ways are benefitting you and I. But believe this my friends, our government is out of control and needs stopped. Since they will NEVER vote for campaign finance reform that is meaningful and they will NEVER vote for term limits we need to provide them with assistance. Even if you like your representative and they are performing well we must vote them out. We need to do this for a minimum of 16 years in order to get all them turned over. No representative should serve more than one term, no one, no how and no way.
I hate the way I feel lately, for the first time in my life I am unsure of my future and I am unsure of the country’s future. I mean seriously, where are we going to be in a year, in 5 years, Hell sometimes I wonder about next freaking month. We are Americans and we should never be made to feel like that by our government! And as Americans we have a duty to assist in correcting the path our Government has gone down, time to back up and take a different fork in the road. So I am asking for your help, help me vote out every single elected official after one term in office. Join my Facebook group “Let’s vote OUT the incumbents” it is going to be a place for dialog about our problems, not a divisive partisan bitch session about what the other party is or is not doing, they all gotta go because they all been there so long they have forgotten why WE, the people, sent them there.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The axis on which my world spins just took a 28.76 degree tilt to the left, and I am NOT happy!
This morning at exactly 6:38am my day and possibly my entire life was drastically altered in a most detrimental way. The day started, like any other day, with a shower and ironing my shirt for work. Normal enough so far, I then got my phone off the charger and picked up the camera, wallet, badge and keys. I had all the items needed to get my day off to a great start, I kissed bride and kicked the dog and out the door I went. I did not jalopy ride today as I knew it was suppose to rain and I do not like driving her in the rain. I also did not really kick the dog, that was more for theatrical effect. So down the road I go, I was looking over to the east to see how the sunrise was looking. I am always looking for an opportunity to get a great picture and with the new Nikon S6000 point and shoot so cheap and I keep one with me almost always. I noticed that I might get a good shot once I got to work.
About half way to work I stopped at a Gate Station to get my coffee, a morning ritual for many years. When I smoked I had just enough time to get a smoke in with my coffee before I got to work. I noticed when I walked in that they had some fine looking bananas today so I grabbed one. It has been a few weeks since I have gotten a really good looking and tasting nanner. Some days they are a bit ratty looking but not today. I know that 59 cents is way too much for one nanner but since I did not have any at home I had no choice. I walk around to the coffee station and to my surprise all 6 pots that hold normal coffee were empty, the store was busy and Ms. Martha was working by herself this morning. I quickly ground the beans and started up 4 pots, the max they can brew at one time. I got two more filters ready with coffee in them for when these 4 pots were done. Once the first pot was completed I filled up my cup and then started two more pots of the nectar of the Gods and got in line behind the 4 other folks waiting there to pay. Upon arrival at the counter I told her I had a new cup, I usually have a refill. New cup costs $1.59 but if I refill the cup from yesterday it is only .96.
I went to the wallet for cash and my coffee card. The coffee/drink card is a deal they do, if you by 5 cups of coffee or buy 5 fountain drinks you get the next one for free. I had three full cards in my wallet, I save them for days I have no cash. Just because I am broke does not negate my need for coffee in the morning so proper planning is important here. She tells me my coffee is on the house for catching the coffee station up. I love getting a free cup of coffee, when that happens there is nothing in the day that can ruin my great mood, or so I thought. Just this side of winning the lotto is a free cup of coffee and a free donut, in my opinion, is the start of a perfect day. Ms. Martha has worked for gate for almost 20 years and been at this store for nearly 10, I have made a lot of coffee for her and we know each other well. I have hung around in the store before when a customer was acting fishy or walked around customers when it appeared they might be attempting to shop lift something.
So while I was waiting in line I had already grabbed an empty coffee drink card and was about to place it in my wallet when things started going very wrong. It was so bad that I almost dropped my nanner. The new cards require me to buy six drinks before I get a free one. WHAT!!!! The old cards only required one to purchase five drinks before we got a free one. I started to ask her about what was happening there but the lines were long and I was obviously in shock so I decided not to inquire further at this time. I was in shock, literally in shock, I drove to work in a daze, not understanding what could have happened. In my professional life, I am an agent of change, in the technology field the only constant is change. In my personal life, however I do not adapt as well to changes. I am still pissed off about Captain Crunch changing the berries from red only to red, green, blue and purple and even more pissed about them changing Apple Jacks from orange only to orange and green – what the hell’s up that anyway. There was nothing wrong with those cereals the way they were. I am not sure how many years ago those changes were made but I am still not happy about it.
I stopped into the gate on my way home to get the skinny on the changes, I know the clerks on every shift for that particular store. Well come to find out it has everything to do with the fountain drink costs. Seems those costs have gone up and to keep the balance in costs they needed to step up to 6 drinks before we get one for free. Well I was all over that and asked why is that affecting the coffee refills then I asked??? Well she told me that because they only have one card that was the way it was. I am pretty sure I will be writing a letter to the corporate headquarters of Gate to get the final answer to that question. In the mean time I am now attempting to figure out a way to cope with these drastic changes in my morning routine, I mean don’t they know what impact this change will have on people like me?
Please join in a revolt and let us see if we can effect change at Gate, I want those cards changed back to buying 5 cups and getting one for free. Here is a picture of both cards, get a good look at the card with 5 little cups as it will probably be the last time you ever see them.
About half way to work I stopped at a Gate Station to get my coffee, a morning ritual for many years. When I smoked I had just enough time to get a smoke in with my coffee before I got to work. I noticed when I walked in that they had some fine looking bananas today so I grabbed one. It has been a few weeks since I have gotten a really good looking and tasting nanner. Some days they are a bit ratty looking but not today. I know that 59 cents is way too much for one nanner but since I did not have any at home I had no choice. I walk around to the coffee station and to my surprise all 6 pots that hold normal coffee were empty, the store was busy and Ms. Martha was working by herself this morning. I quickly ground the beans and started up 4 pots, the max they can brew at one time. I got two more filters ready with coffee in them for when these 4 pots were done. Once the first pot was completed I filled up my cup and then started two more pots of the nectar of the Gods and got in line behind the 4 other folks waiting there to pay. Upon arrival at the counter I told her I had a new cup, I usually have a refill. New cup costs $1.59 but if I refill the cup from yesterday it is only .96.
I went to the wallet for cash and my coffee card. The coffee/drink card is a deal they do, if you by 5 cups of coffee or buy 5 fountain drinks you get the next one for free. I had three full cards in my wallet, I save them for days I have no cash. Just because I am broke does not negate my need for coffee in the morning so proper planning is important here. She tells me my coffee is on the house for catching the coffee station up. I love getting a free cup of coffee, when that happens there is nothing in the day that can ruin my great mood, or so I thought. Just this side of winning the lotto is a free cup of coffee and a free donut, in my opinion, is the start of a perfect day. Ms. Martha has worked for gate for almost 20 years and been at this store for nearly 10, I have made a lot of coffee for her and we know each other well. I have hung around in the store before when a customer was acting fishy or walked around customers when it appeared they might be attempting to shop lift something.
So while I was waiting in line I had already grabbed an empty coffee drink card and was about to place it in my wallet when things started going very wrong. It was so bad that I almost dropped my nanner. The new cards require me to buy six drinks before I get a free one. WHAT!!!! The old cards only required one to purchase five drinks before we got a free one. I started to ask her about what was happening there but the lines were long and I was obviously in shock so I decided not to inquire further at this time. I was in shock, literally in shock, I drove to work in a daze, not understanding what could have happened. In my professional life, I am an agent of change, in the technology field the only constant is change. In my personal life, however I do not adapt as well to changes. I am still pissed off about Captain Crunch changing the berries from red only to red, green, blue and purple and even more pissed about them changing Apple Jacks from orange only to orange and green – what the hell’s up that anyway. There was nothing wrong with those cereals the way they were. I am not sure how many years ago those changes were made but I am still not happy about it.
I stopped into the gate on my way home to get the skinny on the changes, I know the clerks on every shift for that particular store. Well come to find out it has everything to do with the fountain drink costs. Seems those costs have gone up and to keep the balance in costs they needed to step up to 6 drinks before we get one for free. Well I was all over that and asked why is that affecting the coffee refills then I asked??? Well she told me that because they only have one card that was the way it was. I am pretty sure I will be writing a letter to the corporate headquarters of Gate to get the final answer to that question. In the mean time I am now attempting to figure out a way to cope with these drastic changes in my morning routine, I mean don’t they know what impact this change will have on people like me?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
A complaint letter I sent to Waffle House
Good morning,
It is with a saddened heart that I am writing to you today. I love Waffle House and have been eating at your places for years, some time back I even wrote a blog about how great your restaurants are. Here is a link to that Blog, http://mroatmealsoratories.blogspot.com/2009/07/waffle-house-is-best_15.html.
So, on July 25th, 2010 my Wife and I were on our way back to Florida from a family picnic that was held south of Fort Worth and we stopped at store 1765, located at 1120 west highway 67, Alvarado, TX 76009, the time was at 1:38 in the afternoon. Our visit was by far, the worse visit I have ever had to a Waffle House and I have eaten at Waffle Houses from right to left and from the top to the bottom of this Great Country. It started bad and I should have taken it as an omen when we were not greeted with a “hello, welcome to Waffle House” when we walked in the door. I really enjoy that because I can think of no other place that greets the customers when they walk in each and every time, it was one of the initial draws for me.
We took a seat in a booth and although neither of needed to look at the menu’s, they were laid out as placemats. The person, who I would later learn was our server, was trying to make time with another server. We commented to each other about her apparent lack of interest in him and his eagerness to impress her and of course his lack of interest in us, the paying customers. Anyway, after about three minutes he breaks ranks with her and comes over to take our drink orders, still no welcome to Waffle House. I ordered water and a milk with my meal and my Wife ordered orange juice. When he leaves our table, he makes his way back over to talk to the female server. After a few minutes he brings us two waters, my wife tells him, I ordered orange juice to which he replied, “oh yeah, I forgot – but keep the water.” No worries I thought he is young and obviously not thinking about us but the other server. He stops and talks to her again before going and getting the orange juice. When he returns he asks if we are ready to order, we are and we do. My Wife ordered a ham, mushroom and cheese omelet, scattered hash browns and a waffle and I ordered waffle and a bacon egg and cheese sandwich.
So then Romeo goes back over to the female server and is back in deep conversation, and I noted the time because I wanted to see how long it would take him to actually place our order – it was almost 3 and a half minutes. I was irritated but took it in stride and we were able to laugh about the follies of youth. We are watching, another part I enjoy, our meal being prepared. The ring was flipped down for the hash browns, the eggs for the omelet are placed in the blender cup and some plates were put out. At the waffle station I saw an amazing site, it was filthy and looked as if it had not been cleaned in days, it was so bad I took a picture, enclosed. There were three of the plastic tubs there with waffle mix in them, odd I remember thinking but by this time, I already had determined there was something amiss at this Waffle House. The cook was scraping the three containers, looking for enough batter for our waffles I suppose. The eggs were still whirring away in the blender. Finally, he goes and gets a new tub of batter from the fridge, it looks as thick as old porridge as he deposits the blobs on the waffle irons. I almost cancelled the order then but I was really looking forward to a great waffle.
The cook finally takes the eggs off the blender, they were for sure whipped by now I remember thinking. He proceeds to make our order, I knew already that the waffles were not going to make it at the same time as our meal. I noticed when our order was complete our server, still engaged with the female server, was slow to go and get our food and bring it to us. He finally brings my sandwich and my Wife’s omelet and hash browns. I was shocked at the hash browns, they were by no means scattered. They were obviously cooked in the ring and never removed - one side was burnt, the other had never touched the grilling surface – it resembled a hockey puck. I have never received scattered hash browns that looked so poor. The omelet was about three inches thick, a result of the over blending the eggs I assume. As such, it did not cook correctly and was an odd shade of light brown. My sandwich was delivered on burned white toast, not slightly over toasted but burnt to the point the crust was blackened. There were also no pickles and mayonnaise on the plate, not that I eat them every time but I get a reassured feeling just knowing they are there. Wow, I remember thinking this is really bad for a waffle house, I had no idea at that point that it could have gotten any worse. As we start to eat an employee, the only one who appeared to be actually working was sweeping the floor, she came right by our table with her broom going 90 to nothing. The floor was disgusting so I understand why she was sweeping but the debris cloud she was raising, at our table, did not make the already poor meal anymore more enjoyable.
Our waffles finally came, we were nearly done eating by this time, mine was covered with little black things. When I asked the server what are all these little black things he said “it must be some burnt stuff that was left on the grill” I was shocked! I was in the process of cutting that section off when he was explaining that. I handed him the ticket he just dropped on the table and asked that the waffles be removed from the bill, which he did. So, we are making our way through this awful food, we just want to get it behind us and get on our way, which is why we stopped at a Waffle House in the first place – fast and good food. It is then that the employee, sweeping chores now completed stopped by to refill the sugar dispenser. She asked me if I minded handing it to her so she did not have to reach across the table – at least she asked I suppose. She then proceeded to stand at our table and fill the sugar dispenser from a giant whitish clear pitcher, not 18 inches away from where we are eating. We are working our way through this substandard meal talking about stopping at some other Waffle House further up the road by this time.
I noticed an older employee (obviously the only adult supervision in this store I thought) as we were getting ready to leave and I thought I would mention my dissatisfaction to her as I was paying my tab, I had no idea this visit could get still worse. As I approached the counter the woman I was going to talk to starts spraying down something with a hose that is right beside the counter and proceeds to slash who knows what all over me, my wife, the two guests at the counter and the register. She cackles with laughter and says to one of the younger employees to clean the register. I responded with, maybe you should be more worried about spraying the customers than cleaning the register. The blank stare I received told me that there was indeed no adult supervision at this store and it would do no good to mention anything to her, her incompetence level would not allow her to begin to comprehend the damage she was doing to the Waffle House name anyway – of that I was absolutely sure. I then paid my tab and proceeded out the door, I did not hear what was said but as we walked out, I could hear a raucous laughter. I did not even care at that point I just wanted out of that store and hoped that this very bad Waffle House experience would not taint the chain for me forever.
I have been going to Waffle Houses for over 25 years and some are better than others, but there are some standards that are common amongst all stores. Ya’ll say hello and welcome to Waffle House, every time, without fail. Ya’ll put pickles and mayonnaise on the plate when a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is ordered. Ya’ll also keep the stores clean and have cooks who promptly cook the food. This store had none of those qualities or any other quality that was even remotely like any other waffle house I have ever visited.
I just wanted ya’ll to know about this rogue store you have in Alvarado Texas so you can correct the issues before they sour the taste of Waffle House for any other customers.
Duane Smith
It is with a saddened heart that I am writing to you today. I love Waffle House and have been eating at your places for years, some time back I even wrote a blog about how great your restaurants are. Here is a link to that Blog, http://mroatmealsoratories.blogspot.com/2009/07/waffle-house-is-best_15.html.
So, on July 25th, 2010 my Wife and I were on our way back to Florida from a family picnic that was held south of Fort Worth and we stopped at store 1765, located at 1120 west highway 67, Alvarado, TX 76009, the time was at 1:38 in the afternoon. Our visit was by far, the worse visit I have ever had to a Waffle House and I have eaten at Waffle Houses from right to left and from the top to the bottom of this Great Country. It started bad and I should have taken it as an omen when we were not greeted with a “hello, welcome to Waffle House” when we walked in the door. I really enjoy that because I can think of no other place that greets the customers when they walk in each and every time, it was one of the initial draws for me.
We took a seat in a booth and although neither of needed to look at the menu’s, they were laid out as placemats. The person, who I would later learn was our server, was trying to make time with another server. We commented to each other about her apparent lack of interest in him and his eagerness to impress her and of course his lack of interest in us, the paying customers. Anyway, after about three minutes he breaks ranks with her and comes over to take our drink orders, still no welcome to Waffle House. I ordered water and a milk with my meal and my Wife ordered orange juice. When he leaves our table, he makes his way back over to talk to the female server. After a few minutes he brings us two waters, my wife tells him, I ordered orange juice to which he replied, “oh yeah, I forgot – but keep the water.” No worries I thought he is young and obviously not thinking about us but the other server. He stops and talks to her again before going and getting the orange juice. When he returns he asks if we are ready to order, we are and we do. My Wife ordered a ham, mushroom and cheese omelet, scattered hash browns and a waffle and I ordered waffle and a bacon egg and cheese sandwich.
So then Romeo goes back over to the female server and is back in deep conversation, and I noted the time because I wanted to see how long it would take him to actually place our order – it was almost 3 and a half minutes. I was irritated but took it in stride and we were able to laugh about the follies of youth. We are watching, another part I enjoy, our meal being prepared. The ring was flipped down for the hash browns, the eggs for the omelet are placed in the blender cup and some plates were put out. At the waffle station I saw an amazing site, it was filthy and looked as if it had not been cleaned in days, it was so bad I took a picture, enclosed. There were three of the plastic tubs there with waffle mix in them, odd I remember thinking but by this time, I already had determined there was something amiss at this Waffle House. The cook was scraping the three containers, looking for enough batter for our waffles I suppose. The eggs were still whirring away in the blender. Finally, he goes and gets a new tub of batter from the fridge, it looks as thick as old porridge as he deposits the blobs on the waffle irons. I almost cancelled the order then but I was really looking forward to a great waffle.
The cook finally takes the eggs off the blender, they were for sure whipped by now I remember thinking. He proceeds to make our order, I knew already that the waffles were not going to make it at the same time as our meal. I noticed when our order was complete our server, still engaged with the female server, was slow to go and get our food and bring it to us. He finally brings my sandwich and my Wife’s omelet and hash browns. I was shocked at the hash browns, they were by no means scattered. They were obviously cooked in the ring and never removed - one side was burnt, the other had never touched the grilling surface – it resembled a hockey puck. I have never received scattered hash browns that looked so poor. The omelet was about three inches thick, a result of the over blending the eggs I assume. As such, it did not cook correctly and was an odd shade of light brown. My sandwich was delivered on burned white toast, not slightly over toasted but burnt to the point the crust was blackened. There were also no pickles and mayonnaise on the plate, not that I eat them every time but I get a reassured feeling just knowing they are there. Wow, I remember thinking this is really bad for a waffle house, I had no idea at that point that it could have gotten any worse. As we start to eat an employee, the only one who appeared to be actually working was sweeping the floor, she came right by our table with her broom going 90 to nothing. The floor was disgusting so I understand why she was sweeping but the debris cloud she was raising, at our table, did not make the already poor meal anymore more enjoyable.
Our waffles finally came, we were nearly done eating by this time, mine was covered with little black things. When I asked the server what are all these little black things he said “it must be some burnt stuff that was left on the grill” I was shocked! I was in the process of cutting that section off when he was explaining that. I handed him the ticket he just dropped on the table and asked that the waffles be removed from the bill, which he did. So, we are making our way through this awful food, we just want to get it behind us and get on our way, which is why we stopped at a Waffle House in the first place – fast and good food. It is then that the employee, sweeping chores now completed stopped by to refill the sugar dispenser. She asked me if I minded handing it to her so she did not have to reach across the table – at least she asked I suppose. She then proceeded to stand at our table and fill the sugar dispenser from a giant whitish clear pitcher, not 18 inches away from where we are eating. We are working our way through this substandard meal talking about stopping at some other Waffle House further up the road by this time.
I noticed an older employee (obviously the only adult supervision in this store I thought) as we were getting ready to leave and I thought I would mention my dissatisfaction to her as I was paying my tab, I had no idea this visit could get still worse. As I approached the counter the woman I was going to talk to starts spraying down something with a hose that is right beside the counter and proceeds to slash who knows what all over me, my wife, the two guests at the counter and the register. She cackles with laughter and says to one of the younger employees to clean the register. I responded with, maybe you should be more worried about spraying the customers than cleaning the register. The blank stare I received told me that there was indeed no adult supervision at this store and it would do no good to mention anything to her, her incompetence level would not allow her to begin to comprehend the damage she was doing to the Waffle House name anyway – of that I was absolutely sure. I then paid my tab and proceeded out the door, I did not hear what was said but as we walked out, I could hear a raucous laughter. I did not even care at that point I just wanted out of that store and hoped that this very bad Waffle House experience would not taint the chain for me forever.
I have been going to Waffle Houses for over 25 years and some are better than others, but there are some standards that are common amongst all stores. Ya’ll say hello and welcome to Waffle House, every time, without fail. Ya’ll put pickles and mayonnaise on the plate when a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich is ordered. Ya’ll also keep the stores clean and have cooks who promptly cook the food. This store had none of those qualities or any other quality that was even remotely like any other waffle house I have ever visited.
I just wanted ya’ll to know about this rogue store you have in Alvarado Texas so you can correct the issues before they sour the taste of Waffle House for any other customers.
Duane Smith
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