MAY
7, 2006 --
DSL
- Difficult Start Likely?
LPR has become aware, by means of DSL-trouble calls to Verizon, that it is
not that easy or fast to communicate with an automated phone system.
This is not to suggest that Congress should ban automated phone voices -- just
that executives should be aware how maddening automated communication (un-commuinication,
that is) can be for customers.
LPR is led to wonder if the DSL capability of being on phone and computer at
the same time is to make it easier to phone- in about DSL problems.
DSL is touted to be faster than dial-up.
Not when you have to call the artificial voice to have hopes of getting connected.
Also, all the time LPR used dial-up, it was not stymied by "outage" problems
that engineers are reported to be working on.
Quick thought: progress is not necessarily another word for improvement.
29.99% Interest Rates …
LPR wonders if officials and media are too concerned about our gas price problems
to take note of the interest rate squeeze on credit-cardholders.
Well, officials and media ought to know that these feudal throwbacks mean that
a payment of $350 reduces the balance by only a bit more than $150 -- nearly
$200
in vig going in LPR's case, to Chase.
It does seem that Chase, among other credit cards, sees "Henry F. Potter" --
the banker in "It's a Wonderful Life" who
took advantage of people--as role model.
Is This the End of FEMA?
Recently, there have been calls for abolishing the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.
It should be pointed out that our country endured and survived natural catastrophes
before FEMA was established. There was, for example, no FEMA in August 1955
when the northeast was devastated by Hurricane Diane. Yet assistance arrived.
LPR wonders if there is a point at which federal involvement interferes with
the common good -- with a sense of community.
LPR wonders if reference to government as first resort encourages a breakdown
of
the individual sense of responsibility that, arguably, is the essence of the
common good.
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Wall
Street …
The
Dow Jones was reported to have closed, May 4, at a six year high.
GE and Time Warner, among other stocks, are still below their
2002 levels. (This writer holds these stocks.)
Tom Friedman Suggests …
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has advised Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice to make gas prices
her priority. Actually, this might be a job for the president -- if he acted
on the "common good" counsel in Federalist 57.
Economic disinhibition, LPR believes, leads to economic disruption. (Again,
LPR
thanks Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal for inspiring the term "economic
disinhibition.")
And, in a free society, voter retaliation. LPR continues to believe that the
president's poll ratings would not be
low if he followed the counsel of Federalist 57 rather than the advice of people
who are somewhat distant from the rest of us.
This is not to suggest that the Democrats would be more representative of the
common good. (Please see this week's poll questions.)
Morrison
for CIA …
The announcement, May 5, that Porter Goss is leaving as director of the CIA
does not lower LPR's speculation that--omigosh-- there is some truth mixed
into the fiction of the Fox hit series, "24"
Well, then LPR would like to see James Morrison ("Bill Buchanan")
named as successor to Mr. Goss.
LPR does not, however, recommend Gregory Itzin--"President Logan" --
as a 2008 presidential candidate. Now, Dennis
Haysbert--that's another matter. (With Kiefer Sutherland his chief of staff.)
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