American Cliche #105
After last week’s technical ass-kicking I am back from land of tech-woes. Life continues to move along at a crazy pace – work is ramping up in a big way, Kim is becoming more mommy-like, but still sick, everyday. Life is good. I hope you are all enjoying your summer.
- Condom Testers Wanted in Australia
- Mighty Minute
- Juror Plays Race and Homephobia Cards to Try and Avoid Serving
- Listener Feedback: Brent, Evan, and Happy Birthday Bobby!
- One Man’s Opinion
- Teen Breaks Into Neighbors House to Watch Porn
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July 17th, 2007 at 1:28 am
hey Scott,
Just wanted to say great show and I’m glad your back this week! As for the health care it is a problem. I know someone who is retired and on a fixed income and her health insurance is expensive, the only way she does it is her husband who has passed on made sure she was taken care of. I’m a student and living at home. I’m 23 years old and married. Even if I wasn’t married I would have to get my own insurance due to my age, my dad’s insurance wouldn’t cover me. The kicker is I had my health insurance for little over a year and it was raised $15. Now that might not sound like a lot, but for someone who is married trying to get a degree and trying to keep steady job well it is a lot. I’m one of the lucky ones I have my dad and husband helping me I couldn’t imagine if I had to do it all myself. There are millions Americans that don’t have health insurance and I don’t how this problem got so out of control. I have a solution to fix the health care problem, lets all abandon this country and move to Canada, FREE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL! Seriously, a dramatic change needs to be made and if any one has a great idea, besides mine :-), on how to fix it I’m all ears because anything is better than this. Who knows maybe a revolution is in order!
Thanks for the great and keep up the good work!
Concerned citizen,
Christina
July 17th, 2007 at 7:57 am
Hi There,
I just finished listening to Brian’s Mighty Minute about the Mega Pharmacies. My dad has been operating an Independent Pharmacy for over 40 years now & has had to cut back on many convenience items because he can not compete with the Box Store prices. Fortunately he is still able to purchase drugs at a competitive price & doesn’t ever mark up the popular items like many of the bigger pharmacies do. About 10 years ago Rite Aid moved in right behind us & thought they were going to squeeze us out. We ended up getting more business than we ever imagined because so many people were upset with the politics of Rite Aid. I’m amazed at every year that goes by & we are still surviving – I don’t know how much longer it can go on because our local Chinese Restaurant that had been around for at least 40 years has been demolished & going it it’s place is a bright & shiny Mega Pharmacy. And one of our favorite family-owned Pizza Places has just been bought out by Walgreen’s – I just don’t get it – Why so many Mega Pharmacies in one town? We also have pharmacies in every Grocery Store, Target, Walmart, etc. It scares me to see everything getting so out of hand & everything being Mega-Sized. I’d love to see some restrictions made on this kind of thing but don’t know what to do – it’s all so out of control!
Again, I ‘m happy to see our local community band together & keep our little pharmacy alive – Rock On
Get out there & support your local businesses – you are what keeps us going.
-Sarah
Concord, New Hampshire
July 17th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Scott,
Big business needs to get a clue that we don’t want them. Here is where the problem lies. We say we don’t want them but you have Walgreen and Walmart open 24 hours out of the day. So people go there because it’s easy. We need to stop easy and support our local business. Where I live the big box stores but a lot of small businesses out of business. So now our only choice is Walgreen and Walmart. Another problem is if health insurance had better medication plans we could go any where to get them filled instead of the lowest prices. Drug companies don’t need to make such a heavy profit on the yearly basis. Also, you have people like Bush who will never have to worry about health care for the rest of his life. The whole system is screwed up. Who the hell voted for Bush? I sure didn’t!! So stop the cycle now! Say no to big business and say yes to small business!!
We need a revolution,
Christina
July 17th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
HI Sarah,
It will be interesting to see the “big box” dynamic evolve over the next 50 years.
My prediction that you will see a come back of the mom and pop stores simply based on the personal customer service they tend to provide over the boxes.
July 17th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Oh, and on another note, it’s weird to actually have the “shortest comment” so far!
July 18th, 2007 at 6:45 am
Hi Brian,
That’s what I’m thinking too but unfortunately it looks like it’ll get a little bit out of control first with the “Big Box Boom”…People love deals & that’s just what they get from the bigger stores. I’m guilty of searching out the best deals but I also balance the deals out with going to the “Mom & Pop” stores as well. And I do know, as long as my dad’s store is open, people will come to it. It is great to see how much people really do appreciate the personal touch…My dad showed me a letter that the postman sent to our store saying how much he appreciated us being there & loved seeing the little dog when he visits!
-Sarah
Concord, NH
July 18th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Hi Christina,
I’m with you on the healthcare thing. My boyfriend pays @ $500 a month for Health Insurance for both of us & on top of that we still need to pay a good chunk of money for hospital/doctor visits. I’ve written to local congress-people about this issue & complain a lot about it. If we just keep complaining & writing about it maybe there will be a change!
But seriously, somethings gotta give.
Good idea about heading over to Canada…it’s just a few hours away from where I live!
Yah, who did vote for Bush anyway?
-Sarah
July 18th, 2007 at 7:27 am
Scott,
A little behind on the shows….. Just wanted to wish you and Kim a big Congrats on the pregnancy… It sure is an exciting time for you all, with the job, and now a bun in the oven. Our son is turning two next week, and it is scary how fast times flies! Enjoy every minute of it!! Best of luck!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Sarah,
Mom and pop stores are the best. I dealt with sam’s club and honestly I hate it. I go their mainly for tires because the price is the best in town but the service sucks. There are not that many small stores around anymore. Personal service went out the window and big bucks took it’s place. Nothing is local any more, I mean you buy a product right but your calling someone who can’t hardly speak English. I not knocking the people on the phones I blame big corporations that do anything to save a buck. I honestly hate walmart and a lot of people say that but that is all there is, so what do you do. It seems were in a Catch 22. I hope your dad stays in business for a long time to show companies that small stores can survive!
July 18th, 2007 at 10:05 am
Brian,
I hope you right on the come back on small personalized stores. We need to show big stores that we’re not going to take it any more.
July 18th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Christina,
Thanks for the words of encourgement & I know what you mean about service…There’s nothing like the “Mom & Pop” stores. I was at Target the other day & asked where a particular product was & I was told “It may be down there somewhere” What!?
At my dad’s store you ask for something & if we don’t have it we order it next day. I can go on & on but again thanks again for your kind words.
And, good luck to everyone out there struggling to save a buck & helping to keep the “little guys” in business at the same time. It’s tough out there but together I hope we can make some sort of a difference!
-Sarah K
July 18th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
I love that we’re talking about this. The subject of big business and big healthcare – and I love that you guys are all so engaged in this! Keep doing what you’re doing – frequent the mom and pop stores, go to mom and pop restaurants, and go to mom and pop pharmacies. Anything we can do will help keep away the Walgreens and the Walmarts of the world!
-S
July 18th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
I love the mom and pop restaurants! They are so cool they give you better service compared to lets say burger king. I love the personal service. Here what needs to happen to get people to go to mom and pop stores, is to stop going to the big box stores. I might be repeating myself but it’s worth repeating until some of these jug heads get it. People won’t band together to do it though. It seems like people are so out for themselves and its a dog eat dog world. We need a leader that is out for the people and we could really rally around it seems like there is nobody out there though. I feel this needs to be bigger than congress and bigger than the president. I said it before and i will say it again revolution, lets do what the French! I think we need a clean start so lets scape what we have now or kick everyone out of office and lets have a redo! This is broke fix it! Kick out big business and lobbists out of Washington
July 18th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
con’t
and start over.
christina
July 19th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Hi there
I’m from the UK, but in relation to this point, my uncle lives on a tiny island thats part of an archipeligo called Scilly, and they don’t have chain stores. They just aren’t welcomed by the local people, and I love that. It would really upset me to see a Starbucks or whatever down there and I hope it never happens because undoubtedly the tourists would go to the chains, and the local stores and people would suffer.
July 20th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Scott,
I wanted to thank you for playing my recording on your show that was intended for July 10th.
I do not listen to your show, therefore I am not familiar with how you or your listeners usually greet you on the show. Out of my rushed excitement to wish my husband a happy birthday, it did not occur to me to greet your listeners or you.
It was my husband’s birthday and he does enjoy listening to your show. I had only intended to wish him a happy birthday and surprise him by way of your show. I was unaware that you play those recordings on air. I apologize for not being more informed on how you like to operate your show.
Carissa
July 20th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
Carissa,
I figured you didn’t listen to the show for the reasons you mentioned above. That being said, I don’t usually play any comments, music, or read emails from someone that hasn’t at least listened to one show. We’ve worked very hard to establish a community and we want to include people that are part of our little group.
That being said, if I had known your husband was a regular listener I would have made sure to give him a more enthusiastic happy birthday. At any rate, it was a nice gesture that you went to so much trouble to try and wish you husband a happy b-day on our show.
Thanks for taking the time to comment as well. Maybe we will make a listener out of you.
-S
July 22nd, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Healthcare comes down to a basic question. Is it a privilege or right? I am still on the fence. After reading the other comments here I see the cliche’ big corporate straw man, conspiracy, and other ridiculous ad hominems.
First, I don’t believe we should leave someone bleeding to death in the street. Also I think we should take care of people through no fault of their own who have genetic disorders like type I diabetes and other idiopathic diseases. I rarely use the healthcare system. I get PO’ed when I go to work to watch my health insurance premium go up each year while seeing the same large percentage of coworkers who smoke, obese, eat crap food, and the only exercise they do is digging the remote out of the sofa so they can watch American Idol use the healthcare system on a regular basis. Also, there’re the suburbia moms ripping the tires off their car to run their children to the doctor over a common cold. Politicians are too chicken to mention this 800 lb guerilla. Why isn’t there a super pool for healthy people who live healthy life styles? Why isn’t our health insurance premium based upon risk just like we do for auto insurance?
OK, the system isn’t perfect. Healthcare for all? How do you want to pay for it then? Jack our taxes up? Might work. That means people won’t have the take home money for all those channels of cable and fast food—we will get healthier.
As for the naivety of those who blast “profit” as an evil let me say this: Take big pharma. No profit? Who is going to pay for the research and development of new drugs? Most drugs don’t make it to market. They fail. It is a risk. Why would Joe Blow shareholder invest in these companies then? You need to take a risk and the potential of profit is the only reason it happens. Otherwise our advancement in knowledge stops!
October 9th, 2007 at 9:09 pm
Insurance Agents and Insurance Services…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…