Monday, November 21, 2011

Change.org

Dear Change.org~
It seems that your organization, like so many others in this fine country really miss the point of things. You allow people to create petitions on your website and then send those petitions out via email to thousands and thousands of people to sign. You do this under the impression that you are going to "change our world."

Let's set the record straight on a few things here:
Target wants to be open on Thanksgiving evening (In MN) and one of your participants started a petition to gripe about this change of hours and attempt to change Target's schedule to be closed on Thanksgiving evening. I see this morning that this petition has 189,000 signatures. Remember this: Work is work and is not always on anyone's preferred schedule. Work is not always when it's convenient for you. Right now there are about 14 million people in this country looking for a job. Well, I suppose it's fair to say that at least MOST of these people are looking for a job. In my opinion Target employees (and friends/family), if you don't want to work the hours that your store is open, don't show up. There are 14 million people that would like to have a job and would probably jump at the chance to have yours. As an employer, I have wonderful employees because they do NOT bitch about working some crappy hours now and then because they know that it is just part of having a job and being a responsible adult. If my employees started a petition and refused to work on Thanksgiving evening, I would encourage then to find a new job. In this economy, I could wish them luck. I mean, they would only be in competition with 14 million other people. Let's spell that out again for the cheap seats...14 MILLION people are out of work an you (Target employees and their friends/families) are complaining about some shit hours on a holiday?!? Can't buy a lot of presents for Christmas when you are unemployed, can you?!? I hate to say this again because I say it all the time. To everyone that has a job: Shut up. Go to work. Do your job. Be thankful you have a job at all.


Another recent topic at Change.org. "We're willing the battle against high credit card fees!" Just so you understand REALITY, your elected government has changed regulations for credit card companies the last few years in a row. A couple years back, the government changed the amount of interest and charges that could be compiled on your credit account if you don't pay your bill. Let's let this sink in for a second and truly understand what these regulations are doing. Since you are NOT smart enough to manage your own credit account and found yourself in financial peril, the government will now try to "save" you from the banks you borrowed money from. Aside from the FACT that you agreed to pay the banks back and agreed to specific terms in regards to them extending credit to you, you are still not smart enough to handle it and the government had to step in to "save" you. Since the government has regulated the banks out of making money in this area and has changed the rules in how the banks can make money in other areas, the banks have decided to charge you a fee to use their card and credit services. As a owner of a retail shop, I know all about paying bank fees. In my better card terminals, I pay $.15 per card swipe and 1.5% on each dollar. This is just a cost of doing business for me. For the consumer using a Discover card, Discover gets to money to "pay you back" from me in the form of and increased transaction fee (3.5%). This $5 per month fee the banks want to charge you is CHEAP to use their very secure (and with zero liability for fraudulent use on your part), reliable, and convenient system. What service they give you for so little money! What are you people thinking? How could you protest and petition this? Five dollars a month is a cheap fee for you to have the convenience of instant, secure, risk free money all the time. These banks do not want to lose money on your debt or your business. These banks cannot lose money on your debt because their shareholders and investors cannot afford it. Your debt cannot be made into somebody else's responsibility. Since the government stepped in on your behalf, this is the result. The government has created these regulations because YOU cannot manage your own credit and YOU cannot pay your bills in a timely fashion. Because of YOUR lack of responsibility, the government has regulated the banks into not making money. So, now they want to charge you and upfront fee for their services? Good for them. For what they have to offer, 5 dollars a month is an absolute bargain. Again: Shut up and pay your damn bills. Realize that there isn't anything free in this country. For the secure service the banks give you, their fee is not only fair, but cheap.


Today the folks at Change.org emailed me about the corruption in our park systems by complaining that Coke donated $13 million dollars. Then, when the parks department decided to ban plastic bottles and Coke asked them not to ban them, they didn't put on the ban. This is really wrong on many levels. I know a lot of people love to hate big companies despite the fact that they use products from these companies all of the time. But, for the petitioners that suggest that Coke's donation of $13 million to the park system was a bribe maybe you could consider that $13 million dollars goes a long way in maintaining parks. Maybe you should consider that it isn't Coke's fault if people throw plastic bottles all over the park. It is all about personal responsibility. PEOPLE throw trash all over the park, not Coke. I go to parks all summer long and I not only see pop bottles and trash, but I also see dirty diapers. Did the people at Change.org petition to ban babies or children from all of the parks because the babies and small children wear diapers? I think not. But really, if you think about it, it's the same thing. People throw used diapers in the woods, not Huggies. This is just like people throw pop bottles into the Grand Canyon, not Coke or Pepsi. Think about it. When will you people become hip to the idea that there HAS to be personal responsibility in this world? At some point, individuals need to be held accountable for what individuals do. This would be a big departure from the mentality the folks at Change.org have now where they are under the impression that it's government's job to punish everyone for the actions of a few. This mentality that we need to be protected from ourselves eliminates our freedoms and our right to make our own choices. It also creates a generation of people that CAN'T think for themselves.



By the way, companies like Target, Coke, and Pepsi are not the bad guys.  These companies donate millions and millions of dollars to many,many different wonderful causes and organizations in this country.  Remember this FACT before you try to run their name through the mud.  What have YOU done?

Sorry, Change.org. You missed. Then, you missed again. Then, you missed. I have emailed you my views on these topics and I patiently wait for your response. But, I am sure you will not grant me one.