Just My Opinion

Has it been 10 years already?  Seems like only yesterday we did a US Census of useless information.  It is hard to believe this system and what it must be costing.  First we get a letter informing us that our census form is coming, then we get the census form itself (which is basically nonsense), now a postcard asking that if we received a census form that we complete it and send it back.  Next, I understand, the actual census-takers will be coming around (along with a bunch of fake scammers), and collecting the same info over again.  Then no doubt a letter asking if we got the followup letter, then a person asking if the census person found us, then…it may be 2020 before this is all over.

As for the report itself, after the name, address, and number of people in the household, the rest appears to be redundant.  Strange how they ask if I am hispanic or some other race.  Is this the USA or Cuba we are talking here?  I could not find a racial category that describes me: I am not white, black, yellow, Asian, or Hawaiian.  I finally noticed a listing for Afro-American, so I wrote in Euro-American. As close as I can get.   As if they really care about us minority groups.

And all this information they could download from the files of any credit card company or financial conglomerate.

But that’s Just My Opinion.

Just wait till that real live person shows up.

Tags: Americans count, census, reporting, ripoff, US census

Now I, like many folks, have never understood how the powers in control price gasoline, heating oil, and such.  Seems like it is based mostly on whatever the market will bear, and woe to the consumer.  And we the consumers have learned to accept floating prices, pumping our own gas, paying with cash only, and even washing our own windshields.  And we can have 2 fuel stations (remember when they were known as Service Stations?) on opposite street corners with a price difference of .30 per gallon, and both will do a booming business.  Who cares about price?

I saw another good example of this on a recent trip from Central NY to the Tug Hill.  I did some running around up there, so needed to get a refill to make it back to Baldwinsville.  Not surprisingly, the mart in Barnes Corners was at $2.74.  They feed on snowmobilers, ATVers, and campers, and have a bit of a monopoly there.  I passed them up.  At Adams Center, next to Rt 81, they also were at $2.75-they cater to the unwary traveler who forgot to fill up at Watertown or the 1000 Islands.  I decided to move on down the road.

At Adams, just 4 miles further South, I found the highest price yet, $2.79.  No way I pay-still have a gallon or so left.  Finally, at Sandy Creek, I relented and pulled off and found a station-only $2.69 here.  I bought the least amount I thought would get me home.  Note that it is .10 per gallon less 20 miles down the road.  Delivery costs?

So much for that, but to my surprise, when I exited the expressway at Cicero, another 25 miles or so down the interstate, all the stations had gas for $2.49!  That is a .30 difference from Adams, or aabout 12%.  Make any sense at all?  Delivery costs?  Greed?  Supply and demand?  Who cares?  Of course there a number of retailers in Cicero, and competition of course, but I would like to know.  Wouldn’t you?

Tags: fuel, gas, gas prices, lowville, ripoff, sales, selling, Tug Hill, unhappy buyers

Tags: income tax, IRS, ripoff, sales, selling, tax preparation, tax software, taxes, turbotax, unhappy buyers