MY TAKE ON INFLATION

 

I don't know how many of you have looked into something like this.....or if any of you are really interested to but here is my take on INFLATION and the causes of .

When I personally look at inflation, I immediately think of food and fuel,  why,  simply because I need those two items almost daily.......but this thought is relayed into many more items..........the human is attached to and not willing to give up.  It all starts with greed.......greed of corporations, to produce revenue for themselves and their stock holders.

Prices have risen, at a pace beyond all expectations and will never rescind, simply because the public will not let it.  We will continue to pay these high prices because  we have convinced ourselves that this is something we can not or better yet WILL NOT live without.   We will continue to complain about the high cost but are unwilling to actually act at doing something to lower the cost. People continue to drive.....because that's what we do. In continuing to drive we will still drive those big gas guzzling vehicles i.e. SUVs, high powered cars and big flashy car,  because that's who we are. You are not going to catch me driving some little 4 cylinder undersized, not noticeable car just to save what we consider a few bucks. Your not going to catch me using public transportation, because I want to go when I'm ready to go not five, ten or fifteen minuets from now..  Your not going to catch me searching out a less expensive gas station to save ten cents a gallon or having to stand on a line for an extra fifteen minutes, compared to the station that I have been going to for years and they know me. I'm not going to give up any conveniences just to save a few pennies...............but I sure am going to complain about it and expect the government to do something about it.  Now, ask yourself that most inconvenient question........just what do you want the government to do in this.........our chosen capitalistic society. The government can't tell me what to do. Well, my friends you want to have your cake and eat it too.............then let those businesses raise there prices beyond what they already have, settle back, and complain, and continue to pay the cost.  

Same goes for food, clothing, all the way down to your Starbucks coffee. Coffee was once $2 a cup, then it was $2.05. then $2.10 we complained but we had to have it so now that it cost $4.00 a cup we continue to pay.  Who do we blame......not ourselves because we are not willing to give it up, we have to have our Starbucks fix each morning and afternoon.  So now the greed of the corporations to make more for themselves and their stockholders are placed on the shoulders of the greed our society has built for itself.   Now,, you're going to ask yourself, how do I get out of this rut, how do I get back to some kind of normality?  Here are my personal suggestions.

1.  search out the less costly .  Big food stores demand a profit of at lease 40% on all items and that could be increased by shelf location, or brand name. Buy the store brands, search the lower shelves or higher shelves...........not the eye level shelf.

2. when possible buy at a smaller market or Mom and Pop store where the profit margin is usually less, and customer service is greater.

3.buy your coffee at a smaller shop, or a smaller drive thru (try McDonalds coffee) or the small independently owned. Starbucks is known to be over-roasted occasionally to the burnt level. If Latte's are your thing, it relies mostly on hot milk , otherwise coffee is coffee, unless you are a coffee expert.

4.Buy your gasoline at a place that offers other things for sale. i.e. Costco, Some food stores. Ir is usually a few cents less expensive, rather than the EXXON, MOBILE, CHEVRON type places.  Most of all drive a little less. If public transportation is available to your work place, take it......you'll save on parking also.  ride share when possible. or use delivery services.

Now, of course these are only my opinions and should only be considered by those that are constantly complaining about the government doing something rather then putting the blame on the true culprit........yourself or greedy corporations. 

AS LONG AS WE SHOW A WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT............WHATEVER THEY DO.........WE WILL NOT SEE ANY REDUCTION OF ANYTHING, SO ACT AND STOP  BITCHING !!!!!!!

 

GETTING RID OF TRASH CAN BE FUN.

Sweden is known for many things most of all sexy, beautiful  women. I grew up hearing " Stockholm , the city of free love".  Take it from me, that's not the way it really was. On the other hand, the women are definitely beautiful.  I just read the below noted about another Swedish City, Malmo and had to share it with you.  I checked it out with a friend that lives there and he has confirmed it.  When you click on the below link, it will send you to a redirected page.  Very interesting article 

https://www.insider.com/sexy

SUMMER FINALLY WITHIN SITE.

I have recently checked the upcoming weather and finally discovered,

summer is in site.   Better get out more shorts and T-shirts.

Vito

THE DAY

 

I am now single digit days away from celebrating yet another birthday. In this case, my 86th.  OH how ever, did I make it this far.  I sort of hope it continues on for some more years...................just to be able to write more blogs, and finish my book. 

I see that our House of Representatives, have now voted........down party lines........for somewhat of a type of gun control. It's very sad to see that few Republicans can understand, that this is NOT a ban on weapons, just a control of certain weapons. The bill will now go to the Senate, where the rumor is that it will be voted down, here again simply by party lines, neither party really has the needed majority.  It seems to me that, the Republicans go down hard on abortions with the excuse that we are killing lives ( unborn lives) in a true sense, but after birth, they couldn't care less what happens to these poor souls, even to the extent that they have voted down putting money into the budget of mental health. Wish I knew exactly what they wanted, but understandable since, they themselves do not know. Very difficult to really understand, the rationale. In these old eyes, the Republican party is no longer the GRAND OLD PARTY.  It simply has become the party of ignorance, NO and You do it my way,   REGARDLESS !!!!  Personally, I don't care if you are a Democrat , Republican or Independent,  makes no difference, I just ask for you to use the brain, you were given and to look realistically at both ends of the straw so that you understand the total problem..............before.......... you make any decision. It seems that most Republicans only have the ability to look at one end of the straw.

We are suppose to be a society of intelligent people, working as one to be able to continue to be an intelligent society, and still be able to have an independent opinion. 

I watched the Jan6 panel show last night........the first of  several more to come. If this isn't enough for some half-brained Republicans to change their mind, I'm afraid they will just go down in history as TOTALLY brainless with the balance of the party. 

LIFE IS ABOUT CHANGE

Each day that passes,  has now become more then just a day.  It has become a chore and is only remembered by ....................what you throw away. 

The Swedes have a word for cleaning in the latter part of life.  It is called    döstädning.  It simply is getting everything in order.  I use it as getting"  RID OF ALL THE STUFF COLLECTED OVER ALL THE YEARS".   My philosophy is that if you didn't use it, look for it, or cared about it for the past 5 years,  you will not miss it for the next 10.  Interesting part is that I have found a way to fill up both my recyclable and my garbage containers for the next 6 months.  That way I'm getting my monies worth for sanitation plus I am now able to see parts of my once 1800 sq ft corporate office, known as.........my basement, or lower level of my 3 level house. 

Since retiring from SAS in December of 1994 I have started six businesses all of which I was hoping to pass on to either my children or my grandchildren I got the businesses started and then apparently lost interest in each one of them one by one but the remnants of each one of these businesses is still resting on my corporate floor. If I was only able to see in the future and see how much wasted money was going to be put into these businesses I would have never done it.  I would have gone back to the golf course so they say. 

Of the six businesses that I started four of them had the potential to succeed and become very successful if only the time and the thought was really put into them I regret some of those moves but life is what it is. Now there is nothing left to them except memories and a lot of advertising material that I have no idea what to use it for. 

THE DAY HAS NOW ARRIVED

Happy Birthday to me, able to make it one more year.  Guess I'll go and have my coffee.

See you soon.

Old Man  Vito

 

       

???

 

Living in covid pandemic for the past two and a half years has certainly taught me a lot about myself.

I have adopted the ability to read and investigate.  Something that I have passed over for years. Prior to this pandemic, I read something and if it sounded reasonable, I accepted it. If it sounded stupid, I left it up to common sense (and I was usually right). If it REALLY sounded over the top, I simply passed it over as something the conservatives would say.  Now, I have found that, by investigation I'm now able to fact check.........and it occupies my time.

I have discovered that after only 153 days this year we have had 233 mass shootings, I ask you and myself, what kind of society do we live in. It certainly isn't the kind, I grew up in.  At first, I took it as a republican thing, but now I find it's more a immaturity thing since the act is deriving from people usually under the age of 18 using an assault type weapon.  I believe most are children with parents, that don't care, don't know or just turn their heads.  Parents of these young people, I would bet are Republican, minimal educated, and screamers for the second amendment , which, of cause most think they know about but apparently read and know little  about the three words  " to bare arms" . This amendment was adopted  by our fore fathers to the constitution in  1791.............that alone should want people to THINK about the meaning. I'm willing to bet that those screamers of constitutional rights have no idea WHY IT was adopted, let along that our fore fathers could even begin to  visualize , the weapons of the future.  Even as I write this blog, mass shootings are taking place.  Two that I have just heard about in Pennsylvania and Tennessee.  Now, the total number for this year has just been reported as 242.  When will this stop! Why can't our politicians get there head out of their ass and get something done.  I keep hearing that it's a mental  thing,  are Americans that more mentally deficient than people of other nations?  Can this be the cause ..............or can it be our hate for one in other?  I suggest, very strongly that people take a real concentrated look at the ballet this year and vote out all the politicians that refuse to act on the real cause.  If we really feel that it's a mental thing, perhaps the conservatives should  rethink why they cut that money from the budget and reinstate it.  Sorry friends, to go on and on with this subject but I'm just very afraid of what the end result will be if it continues.

SPRINGTIME DECK

Spring has sprung

the grass has rise

wonder where the boidies is

IN THE MIDDLE OF MARGOT'S DECK GARDEN;

Once again I present Margot's little piece of heaven,.................our deck. Margot is not very happy with the late planting season, but I'm sure she will get over it as soon as the weather improves and she can see her little buds growing and glowing.  These were planted about 2 weeks ago but it has been a very raining month with little sunshine to really speak about. 

SUMMERTIME

Shorts , t-shirt, sandals. There's just something with sunshine and warmth that brings out the good in people.  Seems to make people more cheerful.  Don't know exactly what it is.  Me, personally, spending 20 minutes in warm sunshine either makes me very mellow and makes me urge for nappy time or it gives me that old..................spring time romantic feeling that I recall from a much earlier time of my life.  At any rate, I need sun to beat into these old bones.  Then, of course, I ask myself, what the hell am I doing in Seattle??????  a city know for people that carry an umbrella, where ever they go,  just in case of a little sprinkle. On my first arrival, it was for the friendliness of the people, and the beautiful , well groomed areas of outdoors. Less and less of that is now in place...............but for me, I am totally hooked onto those areas I still feel safe in.  Outside of those areas, I know longer visit or spend time. I once was very compassionate for the homeless, now it's at the point where my compassion has disappeared and can hardly tolerate where we are as a society.  Our elected officials, have tried many different ways of handling these situations, however, I see no real improvement, so I have basically resolved to live out the rest of my time, in the best way for me and my family.

Anyway, enough complaining for the day, Think I'll have a cup of coffee and relax on my deck..............until dinner time.

See you all soon.

Vito