Make 2012 About 365 Central Coast Style

Happy New Year 2012. We say that all day long, but how long does this sentiment last, and what do you do to make it happy? Do you want to show the world what the Central Coast is all about? Let’s do it every day of 2012 for 365 days of Central Coast Quality. Yes, it is a new year, and not too late to start regardless of when you read this. Even if you don’t find this post until August, you can make every day from that point about 365 Central Coast Style.

What is 365 Central Coast Style? EVERY DAY do something nice, productive, or helpful and log it. In your phone calendar. You should have an entry every day for something you did that was nice. Did someone stop for directions? Log that you helped them. Did you help the person in front of you at Carl’s Jr. pay for their food because they were just a bit short? Log it in your calendar. Did you help someone cope with a small crisis by reassuring them that people care? Log it. Did you overhear tourists wondering about local attractions so you answered questions for them? Log it.

Don’t log things like tithing to your church or court ordered community service because you plead no contest to aggravated assault. It should be something spontaneous and heartfelt. For instance, my entry for today will include this blog because I am doing something productive for our community by encouraging others to be kind and helpful. Did you toss some money in a hat downtown? Did you buy some Girl Scount cookies? I think those qualify because they are optional. and help the community. Don’t include the deductions you have signed up for from work to the United Way or other programs people sign up for direct payment, or because you sponsor a child in Africa.

Be spontaneously nice and helpful. Take a minute to help your neighbors. Pick up the paper in the driveway and hand it to the elderly woman that lives two doors down from you and can’t bend over to get it herself. Mow the lawn of a friend that has a broken leg. Cook a meal for a new mother. Provide a sandwich to a homeless person or give him a bundle of fresh new socks. All of these things make up the kindness that has traditionally been the Central Coast.

Why am I so concerned for kindness on the Central Coast? Because over the years we have changed. Not you and I that have been here for decades. I mean people who have transplanted here. You know the kind, from the big city that want to get away and not be a part of the community, those that bring their bad habits, or people who have lost sight of kindness because they did not get it when they were growing up. We have changed. We are no longer as hospitable and empathetic as we used to be. Sure, we throw money into pots, donate at Christmas, give to our church, and maybe even go to the local senior citizen bazaar and buy that knit item we will never use just because they made it and need the money. These are things that used to be our style.

We need to bring kindness back to the Central Coast. Sure, San Luis Obispo has been dubbed the happiest place on Earth, but is it the kindest? Most helpful? Friendliest? Not necessarily. You and I can bring this about. Email this article to all your friends and family that live here. Challenge them to do this and see who has the most consistent entries in their calendars. See what you can do to get others to care and help.

You might wonder how I have helped. I have personally helped people, paid for their lunches, and more. In fact, I was in a restaurant where some girls were debating what they could afford to buy and decided they could only afford one basket of french fries and drinks, even though they were very hungry. When they sat down, I went to the counter and paid for another order of fries for them discreetly. I am sure the girls don’t know who did it (unless they read this lol).

I have been in line in a store where someone was about a dollar short of buying what they want, so I threw a dollar up on the counter to pay the balance and they could have what they were buying. I have purchased items at rummage sales and overpaid for the items because it was worth the amount to me, and I knew the group could really use the money. I have joined in conversations with tourists that were trying to set their itinerary and had no idea where things were to put them in proper order. I have told people about our hidden gems. I have helped people I overheard in conversations on topics where I have some expertise. Even in a store where someone could not get any help, I answered questions about items they were looking at. They were so thankful for my help because they could not wait for the employee to get to them.

Be kind, be helpful, be loving, have Central Coast Style. What are you going to do? Are you going to step it up and make the Central Coast what it used to be, or just let the interlopers come in and make the Central Coast what suits them, or do we make them what suits us? Let’s not let them take us over. Let’s protect our way of life and get things back to normal. If you are one of these transplants and take offense to what I say, then that is good. I hope you do, because you have diluted the goodness of the Central Coast. If you want to redeem yourself, get with the program and become a real Central Coast resident and do what it takes to spread the goodness. You CAN redeem yourself and be part of the goodness here. Make it happen, Post your pledge below in a comment and follow through.

365 DAYS A YEAR

The Opinionator OTCC

Is BUM POOP a problem in SLO?

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You might think this is a homeless issue, but this is more than that. Before you start on me about being politically correct with the word BUM, be sure to read my pages explaining who I am and what this blog is. Besides, it wasn’t my choice of words. It was the choice of the person that posted the stickers on the walk/bike path. Let me explain.

A friend told me there were signs on the walk/bike path that runs along the railroad tracks from Orcutt Rd to the train station. When you get there, the bag dispenser (shown in the slide show) has a note on it warning that you are now in a bum poop zone. There are various other stickers on signs that you will see here warning of HEP-C and other notes about bum poop. One asks why we cannot put out bum bathrooms (some people might insist they are porta potties for the homeless).

I could not tell if the person that did this was being sarcastic or really wants restrooms for the homeless. The fact that they are using the word BUM and that they have other notes all along the trail, I doubt their outrage is concern for the homeless and more for the safety of kids and pets along the walkway. What about homeless and the problems they experience as well as the residents of SLO? Let’s visit this topic.

EOC wants to construct a homeless shelter and day center on South Higuera next to the building that houses Social Services. (You will see more here about the Portland homeless plan SLO wants to adopt) This homeless center would hold more beds than the one on Orcutt Rd. on two levels. That would be very convenient. Why bother walking far, when you can go get your county assistance applications next door and cigarettes and beer across the street? Hey, let’s open a post office on the other side, so the homeless can have their post office box to get their notices and checks right there. How about a Bank of America branch over there, too.

Of course, we don’t want the homeless inconvenienced or embarrassed so let’s put their benefits on a debit card that they just have to swipe at the store’s register or any ATM. This has also created concerns that this costs taxpayers with charges from banks and stores for using the cards. I submit to those people, this may actually be less costly than printing up food stamps that can be counterfeited in some cases. It also saves on postage, which is one reason the post office is going out of business. Of course, if the holder has no incentive to save money like letting it cost them every time they use it instead of costing us taxpayers, then they could end up costing us a couple bucks every time they buy cigarettes with these cards.

Yes, they have cash benefits on the card that can be used to buy cigarettes or something to trade to get cigarettes, booze, and drugs. Let’s give them everything they want. Let them buy pot, booze, and drugs with the money we/you give them. They are going to do it anyway, so why not make it easy so they can enjoy their time on this planet before the homeless die of HEP-C, liver failure, exposure, stabbing, or pneumonia.

I am not opposed to helping people who need it. I am opposed to helping people who use you and choose to be homeless with your money. I think the scales have tipped toward abuse. Now that we accommodate all homeless and repressed no matter what the cause (some are even child molesters and sex offenders – not a high percentage, but there are some listed in SLO as transient on the Megan’s Law listing), so much money goes to such little success. One is on the Megan’s Law site, gets SSI, county aid, and even rides a bike around town begging for cash at the bank ATMs. He must have a decent life, considering this homeless predator gets more money every day than many people working for minimum wage.

How about along the creeks in SLO? The homeless have their own condos and apartments set up along ALL the creeks. Check out along San Luis Creek from the cemetery to south of LOVR (homeless won’t go too far south or they would have to walk far for food and cigarettes). You can find homeless camps all along the creek between the Madonna Rd on ramp and the Marsh St. exit seen from 101. How about the creek that runs from Orcutt Rd across from the homeless shelter or near the new condos there?

You can walk along that area and see paths from the sidewalk leading down to individual areas where homeless have set up under their own bushes, like apartments. Heck, even the little creek near Laurel Lane has tenants, even though they found a dead body down there just a few years ago. Cuesta Park has had a homeless problem in the past, and along that part of the creek. Are they urinating and defecating in our creeks? These all wash down to Avila Beach where mothers let their children play in the warm calm water under the bridge there.

Do you know of other places where homeless sleep? Post it here so we know where to stay away from. Yes, we must stay away due to possible sharp broken glass, needles, disease, ticks, fleas, feces, and heaven forbid that you should come up on one of them when they are freaking out or protecting their “home” with a knife. You can’t do anything about it because the ACLU will sue anyone that cleans out the homeless to make the creeks safe again. Bye bye creeks.

This doesn’t account for those homeless that live in cars, vans, campers, and motor homes they park around town in the industrial areas and dark unoccupied spaces. You can see their cars in the evenings or mornings behind buildings, on dead-end streets, or near shopping centers. They throw stuff out the windows, in dumpsters, and fill garbage cans wherever they are with the trash from snacks, drinks, and cigarettes, not to mention the butts they drop all over and the cups of urine they dump out their door or the bushes where they go to relieve themselves.

Oh, and how about the homeless that hang out at the parks in SLO? They have taken over some of the parks. Forget about finding a bench or park downtown that isn’t occupied or a regular home to someone panhandling or just napping. The city even had to pass an ordinance to keep the homeless from staying on a bench for too long. That’s pretty pathetic, but the city of SLO has invited the homeless with open arms. I guess all other communities should thank the city of SLO because it could have been 5 Cities or Morro Bay instead. No, I guess not, they don’t have the county services that SLO does.

Have you had a ride on the city bus routes lately? Many homeless head to the transit center where you will be greeted by the smell of dirty clothes, perspiration, cigarette smoke, and something I have failed to identify but I am sure is similar to the smell of a dead cat. These smells carry onto the buses, so it is a gamble that you will get where you are going without excessive olfactory stimulation. One time while riding a bus in a tropical city I saw an apparently homeless woman take out a cockroach from a bag on her head and eat it. That was nothing compared to what you get to see, hear, and smell on the buses in SLO, and it is all day long. Homeless people need something to keep from getting bored or sunburned. Be sure to wipe off the seat with a sanitary wipe or put down a disposable rag before you sit down. How about spraying down the buses each time they reach the transit center?

The city was so anxious to accommodate homeless people that they built the restrooms behind the Couch Potato store (that is what is there right now, it keeps changing) on Marsh at Broad. They specifically stated, besides tourists, that the homeless needed a place to use since businesses won’t let them use their restrooms. Have you been to the ones behind the art museum in the mission area at night? If you need drugs, you can usually get hooked up there or through people who hang out there. I guess they need restrooms too. At least they don’t have to use that part of the creek or the bushes to relieve themselves.

That brings us to the walkways and bike paths. Of course it wasn’t long for the homeless to discover this area for their relief. If you decide to walk here, be careful. I looked for feces, and the only suspicious stuff I found was a blue bag under a tree that seemed to hold feces, and what looked like toilet paper loose along the path. You can see pictures of both of these in the slide show above. Maybe this person is right. Maybe we really do have a BUM POOP problem in SLO. Maybe it is in more places than just along the walk.

I have been to downtown LA in the evening and early morning. I have walked along the sidewalks not far from the mission there and saw human feces on sidewalks, urine running down walls from the homeless there. I have smelled it, and watched shop owners rinsing off their sidewalks. I have talked to them and found out that it is a daily thing. The homeless grab cardboard from the stores to make their homes each night along buildings and fences. I have seen a small homeless tent city. I don’t know where the tent mayor was, or tent city hall, but it seemed organized. Maybe that pile of POOP in your bushes that you picked up with a plastic bag while it was still warm wasn’t from a stray dog. Maybe you should be more careful what you handle in your front yard.

Do we have a BUM POOP problem in SLO? I would say yes we do. Maybe not in YOUR yard, but certainly in other people’s yards and where your kids and pets go. This is dangerous, so should we continue to encourage homeless here? We want to help them, but if they don’t want to help themselves, are we really obligated to do so? I think if they want to help themselves we need to stand up and do what we can. If they CAN’T help themselves, they need special care. But, if they WON’T help themselves, I say send those homeless down the road until they have a change of heart.

Perhaps if we got rid of the abuse and plain overuse of our resources, we would have enough to help homeless and others that cannot take care of their own needs, rather than asking to have more money thrown at homeless shelters and programs that are being phased out, and are often ineffective. We have more than a BUM POOP or homeless problem, we have a systematic ACLU and bleeding heart problem, which is worse. If you keep throwing money at things instead of fixing them you will never take care of everyone. There isn’t enough money to go around, even if you tax all the rich and try to make them homeless (that might be another topic).

Yes, we do have a BUM POOP problem and porta potties won’t take care of it. We need to adjust how we deal with homeless people. We need to get rid of the waste, and take care of those that we can. If we tighten the belts of homeless and indigent programs and insist they learn how to manage their money and who they help, then maybe we will have more resources to go around. There is too much waste. Let’s focus and take care of those that really need it, not those that just want it. Let them clean up all the POOP and earn what we give them.

Oh, POOP, that just isn’t going to get past the ACLU and bleeding hearts that want to “do good” and throw good money after bad.

The Opinionator OTCC

Dave Congalton – Liberal in Wolf’s Clothing

Yes, the saying is in sheep’s clothing, but Dave Congalton does nothing to hide his liberal slant any more. He used to be a liberal in sheep’s clothing, prior to the end of liberal radio on the Central Coast. He had to keep it toned down to be set aside from that format. He had to establish himself as being different to keep from losing listeners. Since they have stepped away from “Air America,” he has picked up the liberal baton on a station that has primarily conservative listeners.

Dave claims to be an award winning author (he wrote a book in 2000, and another in 2002, both about pets), but here is the truth about that statement. His first book, “Three Cats, Two Dogs, One Journey Through Multiple Pet Loss,” won the 2001 Merial Human-Animal Bond Award for Best Writing from the Dog Writers Association of America. I am sure I could write a book and find some organization that wants to back my efforts to issue an award for my writing. It is not a Pulitzer, Dave. It is an activist group that has only given out awards to authors writing about animals and pets. That is not a general acceptance of your work. In fact, this person really takes exception to Dave’s attitudes.

He also claims to be a screenwriter now. His previous attempt failed miserably when partners failed to find interest and financing in the project. In the meantime, Scribble has managed to find a list of little known and secondary principles to jump on the bandwagon, including Dave’s Wife, Charlotte Alexander (hiding her name as C.L. Alexander). It seems many people involved with Dave Congalton hide their names, as you will see later in this Blog. I can “hear” Dave’s comment, “Can you do better? At least I have accomplished this,” but there are so many others that have accomplished more but do not feel the need to pound their chest over it. How do you know I have not written a script? If I post my info here, people might find out who I am. In any case, Dave, you think of yourself as a big fish, but it is a very small pond with several leaches trying to follow you around.

I do not dislike Dave. In fact, we have had positive encounters in the past and perhaps in the future, and he seems like a nice guy. I have simply decided to cast some light on his actions, just as I would with anyone that was doing something I felt was deceitful or wrong. Yes, I believe Dave Congalton is being deceitful with all of us.

Dave Congalton hails from Chicago, which we all know is not a conservative place to live and practice politics. He had been a college instructor, trying to get into Cal Poly to teach Speech Communication (a bastion for liberal media). Even his wife was a liberal instructor, teaching public relations and broadcast writing, and now specializing in marketing. Marketing? So I guess it really is the woman who has made the man? She has probably helped Dave with connections and marketing techniques to keep his head above water.

Dave Congalton has been on the radio since January, 1992. In the beginning, he came on as a weak voice in a sea of many other interview shows. His show sounded pretty passive, and almost put listeners to sleep. Even Congalton himself has commented that his old show was a sleep-inducer. He then tried to liven things up, taking on topics that listeners wanted to cover. He would take a typical news story and ask people to express opinion on the subject. Sometimes it made for an interesting format, but I remember often finding Dave to be a bit naive and uninformed about some topics covered.

In fact, if you listen to his show today, you will find that many times Dave only has the information his guests have provided him. Dave is just putting a show together and is happy to have guests. He does not do his homework to find out more information to hold people responsible for their comments. He rides along with them, and when someone calls in to tell Dave he is on the wrong side of the argument, Dave shuts them up and gives plenty of follow up time to the guest to discredit the caller. This is especially true with his liberal guests that cannot carry on an argument based on facts.

There were other shows that were stronger in their voice and format, and better informed, but they have since retired or made way to automation and other programming. Dave has held on by the “skin of his teeth” by producing income from sponsors. He has had to do segments with his sponsors to produce 30 to 60 minute commercials for them. He would often have a sponsor on under the guise of discussing a topic for the audience, only to continue talking about the business itself and hawking it. He also has his sponsors come on to pretend to be a specialist on a topic. Marketing tips from his wife, Charlotte Alexander? We need listener pressure and people realizing they are listening to informercials.

It has been stated that his radio talk show is top rated in our area for the weekday time slot for his broadcast, but what are the choices? You have sports or Congalton. What is your choice? What about the former liberal Air America station? They have played with their time slots, and since most of the population of Dave’s broadcast area are conservative, they will only listen to one station. It does not matter what they broadcast in that time slot, as long as it is not openly liberal. However, that is the direction Dave Congalton is heading. This means his listenership will subside, and it will be hard pressed for management to keep him in such a prime time slot.

Right now they are looking for the local revenues. As long as Dave pushes to get sponsors, KVEC will not change things. If it is making money, it will stay. However, with Dave slanting liberal more and more, I am sure many listeners will turn away from Congalton’s show and his ad rates will have to drop. I am sure sponsors will drop his show, as well. Once revenue is low enough, management at KVEC will put an end to this liberal’s show and replace him with something that will make money, like perhaps Dr. Laura.

What evidence is there that Dave Congalton is not conservative when he is on a station running conservative shows such as Rush Limbaugh? In an interview by Ken Kenyon in the winter of 2008, Dave Congalton was asked whether he would consider doing a nationally syndicated show. Dave Congalton answered, “The short answer is no. Nationally syndicated radio favors those who lean right politically: conservative talk radio. I don’t have that political leaning.” Therefore, we hear straight from Dave Congalton himself that he is NOT conservative. That leaves two other positions: Liberal and Centrist. Is Dave Congalton a centrist?

Every time he gets a liberal chiming in on the phones to approve of his comments, he feels empowered and bold. He has regular callers that rotate. If you listen carefully and write down the names of callers, you will see that fewer than a dozen liberals can dominate his show. He constantly berates Matt Kokkonen when he calls in or is a guest on Dave’s show (not nearly as often as any of Dave’s liberal friends). He sometimes has Annie Lorenzen or Conservative Bob, but when they are talking about politics, he puts them down and does what he can to discredit their statements.

Dave’s favorite guests include such liberal voices as Santa Maria Bill (who refuses to identify himself, yet has hosted Dave’s show several times), Michele D (he no longer uses her last name and allows here to make outrageous claims and statements without accountability and verification), and staff from uncoveredslo and Cal Coast News to bash government and conservatives. This seems counter to the liberal viewpoint, but when he is bashing government, it usually has to do with being on the wrong side of a liberal issue.

I am writing in broad sweeping terms, but if you compare the number of liberal and conservative topics and which side Dave Congalton is on, you will see that I am correct with a majority of instances. I welcome any factual response and counter to this point. Of course, there is no factual counter to my point so I expect a lot of baseless emotional comments to answer.

What about Dave picking up the torch for Dan DeVaul? Concern over DeVaul was only for the people on the ranch, not Dan’s rights or property owner’s rights. In fact, in a two hour segment, he did not address Mr. DeVaul’s right to do what he wants with the property. Not once did he tell the county to let Dan exercise property rights. He only urged the county to provide for the residents of the ranch. Dave Congalton does not care about Dan DeVaul or his rights. Dave only cares about the liberal agenda presented.

There is certainly a different style in interviewing liberal candidates over conservative. He disguises it well, but during election time, write down the questions he asks candidates each day, then go back and look at them in comparison when it is all done. Surprise! Kid gloves and a chance to explain things for the liberals, and all defensive for conservatives. You can find this by visiting his podcasts and comparing from the last election week. Let me know what you come up with.

Dave Congalton supports Mothers for Peace, and has even spoken at dinner for “Save the Mesa,” another liberal environmental group. He supports teachers views over parents and Christians as noted in this blog post regardless of their improper acts, and every chance he gets to poke someone and keep the pot stirred to distract people from the real issues of the day. He even put down “birthers” that question whether President Obama was born in Hawaii, tricking a conservative to come on to his show to lend fake credibility to his topic. He will stoop to any level just to fool you and try to manipulate you.

KVEC is pushing Dave Congalton’s Blog to keep advertising and exposure up. Perhaps a device pushed by Dave’s marketing specialist wife. If you visit his Blog and read enough, you will witness his liberal slant for yourself. I do not think management from the station or El Dorado Broadcasters has read his entries. Dave Congalton acts as if he is God and arbiter, put on this planet to tell you what to think and what is right. He may argue that he wants to stimulate thought, but so do other liberals. They want to stimulate thought and bring you to their point of view.

Of course, these links to his blog and podcasts will help his traffic a bit, but it will also show management that people are reading this and moving on to learn for themselves how liberal Dave Congalton is. They will see that you have pierced the veil of centrist dribble to get to the meat and facts of this liberal in wolf’s clothing. Perhaps I should keep it a liberal in sheep’s clothing, as he tries to pull the wool over our eyes.

I am not a conservative, nor am I a Christian in political issues. I respect all people and all opinions, but declare mine to be the most sane and unbiased you will find out here. I do not tell you what to think and how to think it. I present facts and opinion openly and clearly. I tell you what I believe, and you can usually tell when I am stating what I think. Dave Congalton has a social responsibility to present an open forum for all opinions, not just those he wants to promote. By calling his show “Hometown Radio,” he raises it up to a higher standard. This produces a responsibility to incorporate the opinions and needs of the hometown, and to allow all people to express their opinion without bias. Dave, if you want your show to express only your opinions, then present that disclaimer or stop calling it “Hometown Radio”. You drag Mardi Hall down with you when you do that.

Dave’s comments will probably include statements like, “I don’t lend credibility to any statements made by someone who does not identify him/herself.” However, Dave, you do so with your liberal friends, and even allow your wife to hide her name. How about anticipating Dave’s challenge to face off with him or allow him to present his side? Dave, you can post comments here like anyone else. I will gladly respond in the comments section, and invite all others to jump in. I will be factual and straight with Dave, and irreverent with everyone else. I tell you this because I know the liberals will come out in force over this. They don’t want to lose their rampart.

How about a BUNCH of Liberals in Wolf’s Clothing? I guess that’s better than them being naked. I don’t think anyone could handle their naked truths. They would come out a bit on the short end.

The Opinionator

Shootout At The DeVaul Corral – County Wins/Loses

Finally, law enforcement is cracking down on the criminals out at the DeVaul Corral. Yes, that’s right. Nearly 20 officials from various government agencies descended upon the law breakers of the DeVaul Ranch, making them pay for their defiance. Finally, justice is served and the law breakers are made to pay for their infractions.

Law enforcement officials showed up en force to crack down on the cock fighting ring on the ranch. They confiscated hundreds of roosters and paraphernalia used in cock fighting and betting. On a typical weekend thousands of dollars were wagered as hundreds of gamblers and law breakers witnessed the bouts between live birds. Oh wait, that was a different ranch. The DeVaul ranch was never involved in cock fights. Let me think, what was it for?

Oh yes, law enforcement officials from various agencies showed up to harvest and destroy thousands of pot plants, with a street value of thousands of dollars. Several agencies were involved, including County Planning and Building’s code enforcement, Cal Fire, and State Department of Toxic Substances, Sheriff, and DEA. Oh wait, DEA was not there, so it couldn’t have been pot. Let me think, there had to be something else. Toxic substances?

Law enforcement officials from the County of San Luis Obispo and State of California invaded the DeVaul Ranch to investigate and clean up gallons upon gallons of toxic material. County Planning and Building’s code enforcement, Sheriff, Cal Fire, and California State Department of Toxic Substances were involved in the cleanup and recovery of these materials, to a great cost to taxpayers. Arrangements were made to dispose of these drums and containers of waste in a safe manner. Wait, no there wasn’t a major cache of toxic waste, but the State Department of Toxic Substances was there. What could it be for?

Oh yes, the California Department of Toxic Substances recovered a battery. “A battery?” you ask. “With all the budget problems, the State Department of Toxic Substances was called out for a battery?” I hear you add in disgust. That is the assumption based on the information given. On the afternoon of Thursday, July 23, 18 to 20 government officials and law enforcement swarmed on the DeVaul ranch.

Does it really take 18-20 officials on the public payroll to deal with Dan DeVaul and serve him? Here is what I have for information.

Because of DeVaul’s work with homeless and recovering adults, some were living in tents and portable shelter on the ranch. On July 14, there was a small fire on the ranch at a tent that had solar panels connected to a battery. Nobody was hurt, but Cal Fire responded, and apparently reported that there were other people there, or some such information. I am not sure how much information was needed to tip the scales again, but it happened and the government showed up in great quantity. Maybe some just wanted to be there to watch. Maybe they were interested in the solar panels to see how to hook up a green system for their own tent.

They served papers to force compliance by Dan DeVaul and as of July 31, there will be no more operations at the DeVaul Ranch to benefit homeless and recovering adults. Hip hip hooray! Let’s hear it for the County! Christine Mulholland finally got her way. You didn’t think I could get through this without reminding you of her, did you? After all, she is the hinge pin that started all of this. Politics wins again.

If it wasn’t for Christine’s position as a city official using her connections with the county, we would still have a location to serve the needs of recovering adults and homeless. Does the County win or lose? If you ask the County and Christine’s neighbors, they say win. If you ask everyone else, chances are they will say lose. After all, where are they going to go now? It’s not like you can load them on a bus and send them somewhere else.

Hey, Christine, are you willing to pay for some bus tickets?

Who Chooses Mid State Fair Carnival Games?

Who is in charge of choosing what games are at the Fair? I am sure it is not the Fair Board. It can’t be the front office, and from the looks of it, it isn’t the people who attend the fair, either. There is no more selection at these events. They have it down to popping balloons, getting a ball in the bin, and basketball with a “non-regulation” hoop. There were several of each of these games this year, no variety, no dime or quarter toss, no ring around the bottle neck, no ping pong ball in the fish bowl, none of the classics.

I miss the old days of dime tosses, later raised to quarter tosses. I was really good at those, even when they topped everything off with platters instead of drinking glasses. “Winner winner winner! We have a winner here!” They would yell as they brought me the shot glass that says Las Vegas on the side. I guess that doesn’t look as good as making a ruckus and handing me a big Tony The Tiger with a crooked eye. What about the other games? Too many people were playing basketball (or thought that was what they were doing).

What does “non-regulation” hoop mean? It means that unless you have been practicing the “trick” for a couple years every day like the carny, your chances of making it are slim to none. They also change the rules on you, or make rules that are not posted. For instance, I watched a ball bounce off one hoop and into the adjacent hoop. He didn’t get a prize because the carny told him it had to be in the same hoop. We all yelled and booed over the injustice, but the carny just didn’t want to pay out another prize. Did you know that some people are scared of carnies?

How about those rims? What does “non-regulation” really mean? It means the hoop is deceptively shaped. It is as wide as a normal hoop so you think you have a chance to win, and not so far out so you won’t be able to bounce it in off the backboard. It is oval shaped, so if you don’t get it in just right it will hit the rim and bounce back. The rim is as “deep” as the ball with a little clearance to make it possible if you do it just right, like the carny shows you. There is very little room. That is why they have siding on these games so you won’t go on the side and see the shape. I recommend you watch it from the side some time so you can see how close it is to the size of the ball.

I was shocked at how many people were doing it, even though they now have “non-regulation rim” posted on the game. They legally have to tell you about the rim. Sometimes when they have a line of people waiting I will yell out, “What shape is the rim?” to which (after they ignore the first 5 times I do it) they have to answer, “Oval.” They brush it off, but I make sure people in line realize that means the rim is designed for them not to make it unless the ball comes straight down into it. I am surprised how many guys tell me they know that already, and still try it. Ask the carny to do it, and you will see. The ball goes straight up, and straight down. No angle.

The trick is that they put only big animals at these games because of the odds. That attracts the macho guys that will pay $5 to show off to their honey, and keep putting out $5 until they win. Then they take their $45 prize home with them and smooch. Nobody cares that they could have got the same thing at Toys R Us for only $20. Also, pay attention to the prizes. They are usually factory seconds or low quality. I’ll deal with that later in this post.

How about this game of getting the ball in the basket or bin? There are two versions of this. One is that you toss it directly in a tub and it bounces out because of the angle of the tub and shape of the bottom. It basically tosses the weighted ball back out of the tub with a springy bottom so you don’t have a chance to win. You have to put some back spin on the ball so it won’t hit the bottom so hard and bounce back out. You usually have to get 2 or 3 balls to stay, and they know you get sloppy after the first one. How many people play this? I didn’t see anyone doing it yet (light carnival crowd for the opening of the fair), and even in Santa Maria not many were doing it.

The other version is with the slanted board you have to bounce off with a light ball that will bounce back at you instead of going in the basket at the bottom. The trick again is back spin and angle. You have to get it to bounce as it is already heading down and losing speed. If it hits it too hard, it will bounce out too far. Again, I didn’t see many people doing this game. Maybe they are getting smarter? No, they were still playing basketball so it’s not that they’re getting smarter.

The other game is the balloons. What is the gimmick here? Dull darts? Watch the balloons. Oh, all the pretty colors and variety. They blow up balloons and replace them when they get enough popped. They don’t fill them all the way. Try this at home. Blow up some balloons with a different amount of air in each and see which ones are easy to pop. The thinner ones are easier to pop. These have more air in them. They may not be bigger. Look at the color of the balloon. If it is a brighter thinner color, it has more air in it and will pop easier.

Of course, how many people can throw a dart that accurately with the power needed? We just throw the dart in the general direction and hope we hit one straight on. Instead we graze them, or hit the ones with thick skins. Nope, not so easy to win. Besides, even if you did win this, you don’t get the big prizes until you win a few times. Some will give you a bigger prize if you pop 3 in a row. Just watch people doing it for a bit, and see if they are popping. If so, maybe you have a chance.

Back to the animals and prizes. Be careful when you go do a game. They put out all the big prizes and you think you will win something nice. Then when you win, they reach into a box and pull out a 7 inch snake as your prize. “Wait, what about those up there?” “See the bottom row behind the boxes where you can barely see what you will really win? That is for your first win. Then once you win 3 of those, you can trade up to the next level. Then when you win 2 of those, you can trade up to the big ones. That will be another $5 if you want 3 more darts.”

Look at the prizes, too. One time I won a prize then saw where they had removed an extra tail and sewed it up. I am not making this up. It was obvious that the stitching was different. Maybe the prisoner that sewed it up was trying to tell us something. Maybe China is performing strange operations on prisoners to see if they can grow a tail or two, or an extra leg. Maybe he or she was on hallucinogens when they sewed it up with two tails. Maybe they were numb with boredom in the sweat shop, or falling asleep in the heat and smells of all the sweaty bodies in a small factory crowded in inhumane conditions to make $1 stuffed carnival prizes that the carnivals make insane profits off of.

That is why you will find Stewie with a missing finger, Snoopy with one ear shorter than the other, and Spiderman with the design upside down. Quality control at the Marvel Comics people turned him away so the distributor sold them to the carnival for pennies on the dollar. No loss, and no need to waste the efforts of that poor Taiwanese sweat shop worker just because she was falling asleep from heat and hunger.

What ever happened to good old American Made carnival prizes? They haven’t existed ever since the unions got fair wages for their textile industry members. Almost all the jobs have gone overseas, but at least the few that still have jobs are getting paid decent. Just to supplement their income, their spouses are working as carnies so be nice to them.

American Star Trailways and Mid State Fair Blow Transportation

Tonight is Eddie Money at the Mid State Fair. The Fair website has a listing for the city to city shuttle service from Santa Maria to Paso and back. Oh boy! I don’t have to drive! I am looking forward to seeing Eddie, and get my Two Tickets To Paradise on the shuttle. I’ll get my shuttle wristband and see If We Ever Get Out Of This Place. So Baby, Hold On, we are going to the fair. Just baby hold on to me. Whatever will be will be.

I actually visited the American Star Trailways office locaated in San Luis Obispo in the old Wisberg Lumber location on Broad Street to get my wristband and thought things would be Shakin. This is a company that has a bunch of run down looking school buses in the corner of the lot, with some very plush current buses alongside them. I could never figure out why they would have run down old buses for a company like this, but that is not the focus of this article. Maybe it shows a bit of their professionalism or lack of it in the long run though.

I was looking forward to curbside drop-off and pickup, saving the hassle of driving to the fair, paying for gas and parking, and having to deal with traffic and snoozing on the way back. I hate falling asleep behind the wheel of my car coming home when I am tired. It never benefits anyone, and it is a real pain to wake up with your pedal to the metal and not knowing how you got there. But, I digress, and that was after I stopped to take a nap. I don’t remember even starting the car that time, but I did avoid The Big Crash. Back to the point.

It is a good thing to not have to drive back, I could just snore and let people in the bus think the transmission is making the noise. I was looking forward to this process, and ease of transport. It probably has better air conditioning than my car, and bigger windows. I could sight-see for a change, too. I have never counted all the cows and horses between San Luis Obispo and Paso Robles. I was also prepared for the possibility that they may all be at the fair already and I may see no bovine or equine anywhere along the way. That would be sad.

I stopped in the Trailways office, got out my money and said, “Wristband, please,” to which the response was, “For which day?” “Today.” “Sorry, we stopped selling them at noon today.” My watch told me it was well past noon, so I was out of luck. “So I have to buy them from the driver?” “If he has any left.” Wait, did she tell me there may be no seats? YEP. Maybe I’m A Fool, but I would think they could tell me what the chances are of having seats in Santa Maria. They couldn’t even tell me that and I’m not a Gamblin’ Man.

It turns out that they only have so many seats, and if they run out, that’s tough luck. If you are at the bus stop waiting for your shuttle and there are no seats, you just wasted the half hour you sat there in anticipation. Do you think they will even stop at the bus stops once they are full? If you don’t have any seats, why bother? Just keep going and let the people wonder. They can figure it out and hope the next one has a seat. It’s better than people yelling Let Me In, and having eggs thrown at your bus outside of Ralphs.

It doesn’t take long to run inside the store and buy a flat of eggs. By the time the driver is done arguing and telling everyone he has no more seats, someone could be out there with a flat of eggs for everyone to throw at the bus. Okay, I am not condoning this action, and it is purely a piece of fiction. Fiction that would be dangerous if they hit the windshield and the albumen smudged all over the windshield. The wiper blades going back and forth, spreading that stuff all over as the driver is trying to make a quick get-away from the angry mob, the driver not able to see the poodle he is about to run over, people screaming, cars screeching to a halt, oh, it’s not a pretty sight, and I don’t want to go there any more.

So, the bottom line is that the Trailways people blew it. They apparently don’t know how to run a shuttle service effectively and efficiently. If you have a big event, I recommend finding another shuttle service. Get someone that can have a backup for you, someone that can be sure your people get where they are going and back.

Here’s the other issue. Coming back, you don’t know what bus the people are going to take. What if everyone waits until the LAST BUS? They will be STUCK IN PASO because there are not enough seats. The schedule provides for 3 return trips. What if nobody comes home on the first one, or even on the second one? I don’t want to be one of the people stuck up there. There is no place comfortable at the fair, and the motels will all be full. Wow, that is really great planning, isn’t it? Congratulations, Trailways. You did it.

I called the Mid State Fair and told them about this problem. Did they care? “I will tell them for next year,” was their response to the news. “You have to change your website so people will know this year that they could be stuck.” “I will tell our graphic designer.” Good luck, Mid State Fair, you just won an award for the fair that cares the most (about nothing). At least the Santa Barbara County Fair went the extra mile this year. They had people in the bathrooms keeping them clean. That was a big plus. I guess Mid State doesn’t care as much.

Mid State Fair had a 1% growth last year, compared with much higher growth in previous years. Why was that? Entertainment? Service? Problems with alcohol? Too many/too few security and police? What would the problem be? Poor management and mediocre shows? Let’s add poor shuttle service to this year’s list. Oh, and I’m sorry about all the Eddie Money song titles in this post. I couldn’t resist. Maybe I’m a Fool…..

The Opinionator

PS: In my constant endeavor to get to the root of things, and bring you only the facts (don’t argue with me whether I am successful at it), I did some more digging and found out some interesting twists to this story. It turns out that the Mid State Fair did not want the shuttle service from Santa Maria to Paso. Why would that be? Let’s look at possibilities and speculation.

I know I said facts, but tough it out for a while and go with me on this. We might find some good conspiracy material for KSBY to investigate. Okay, they will probably be too lazy to do it, but maybe someone at the Paso paper will be interested. The canaries that get their cages lined with it may like it.

My first thoughts:

The first speculation is that the Mid State Fair board didn’t like it because it was not their idea. That is a stupid thought, but I could see egos clashing. “Hey, Vern, we got a call from some bus people. Let’s have this American Star Trailways shuttle bring people all the way from Santa Maria!” “Jimbo, what the H@!! are you talking about? We don’t need them people here.” “What people, Vern? Mexicans?” “No, Jimbo, people that might spend money here at the fair. We don’t need more of them people here. We had a 1% growth last year and heck, that’s fine for me.” “But Vern, we would make more money if they came.” “Jimbo, you have so much to learn. Running this fair ain’t about making money or having enough for capital improvements between fairs. That is what sponsors are for. Didn’t you notice we renamed the main stage the Chumash Arena and bought new plastic chairs for people to sit in?” “Heck, Vern, you are so smart. Okay, no shuttle.” “Yeppers, Jimbo. Maybe next year one of us will come up with the bright idea and we can hire someone to do it.”

Next thought:

Then there is the idea that they would rather have the air pollution, clutter, and congestion caused by all the traffic. That is like raising a big banner and saying, “Hey, look at us! We have a lot of noise going on, and lots of people coming to Paso Robles to spend money! We have them park around town and ride buses in so they will spend money when they get out of the fair.

Oh, they can’t because it will be too late by the time they get out, but maybe before the fair so they can load up on water at 50 cents a bottle in a case instead of $3.50 a bottle at the fair. We are supporting the local economy.” Is it really supporting the economy? Vendors and people with their animals rent rooms (and load up extra people in their rooms), go to restaurants and grocery stores, but people that attend the fair do not usually add to the economy, other than paying for parking.

Another thought to consider:

The next idea is that they don’t want someone else to make money off of the fair. Oh, wait, they already do. They let charities and non profits do things and make money off of it. They also have all the homes and churches that make money selling parking space in their yards. “Honey, let’s rent a home on Riverside. We can make $100 a day when the fair is going, for two weeks. That’s, uh, (carry the one, cross the t, round up the tens), uh, that should be about $2,000 a year.” No, honey, that’s only $1,400.” “Wow, that’s even better! We can score some good sh*^ with that kind of money. Clean that old stuff out of the bong.” “Honey, school starts soon, and Jeremy needs new shoes. We should get him a pair.” “Okay, take him to Walmart with $20 and I get the rest. Wooo hooo! Paaaaartaaaaay!”

The fact is, the Mid State “Fair” said no shuttle until American Star Trailways said they would give the net proceeds to charity. Boing!!! The boys at the fair loved that idea. “Okay, nobody else is making money now except non-profits. We have done our job here, let’s go home before the noise starts. I’m tired from all this thinking.” Way to go, Fair Board. Don’t forget to take your blinders with you. Someone may put them on horses and jackasses like they should.

Finally:

The last idea is that maybe they just don’t know what the heck they are doing. Maybe they just don’t want to be bothered by new ideas. Maybe they are short sighted. Maybe they don’t care about the people south of San Luis Obispo. Maybe they don’t like the people at American Star Trailways because they don’t know how to run a shuttle service. Maybe they were looking for a way to make money on it themselves. Maybe they are just mismanaging the fair. Oh, and when are they going to fill the holes in the carnival area so people wont twist their ankles any more, kids won’t trip and fall, and strollers won’t get stuck and jar the baby? I guess that is another post for this blog.

I think the Mid State Fair has enough material for lots of blogs. What do you think? Tell us what stupid stuff you saw at the fair this year. Did you notice the new alcoholic bar near the kid’s stage? Good stuff. Mom and Dad can get plowed while little Clarence watches Jack Hannah pet the snakes. Is this fair moving away from a family event to a beer and wine festival? Let’s rename it. Mid State Fair and Vintner’s Festival. “The Biggest Little Lushfest Anywhere! Let us babysit while you sip a little more.” I won’t tell you about the time I saw a loose bolt (with no nut!) on one of the rides and the reaction I got when I mentioned it to the carny. I don’t want to scare you from riding them.

Happy Chrismahanaqwanzakayule to All!

It really IS a Wonderful Life

Am I Back? I Have a Lot to DO!

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. I started on a very informational blog entry, and got bogged down on it. I got bogged on my blog. Anyway, I got into it, and about 75% completed when other stuff came up. That blog is still here, waiting for me to finish it and post it. You will love it, too. I have been very busy and not had time to think of much personal stuff. Yes, this is personal. I don’t get paid to do this, so this is on the bottom of my TODO list.

I write it like that because at the top of the magnetic pad attached to my refrigerator it says TODO with lines and boxes down the list. I love to put little checkmarks in the boxes (you may use X, but I like checkmarks – they feel official to me) but I never get past the 5th one, when I have to rewrite it.

You would think that #6 would make it to the top of the new list, but for some reason it stays at #6. I don’t know if it is because I am avoiding cleaning the patio, or if I just find more interesting stuff to add above it on the new list. You would think that I would want a clean patio since that is the first impression of my home, but I guess I don’t care much about that. Besides, with a little bit of rain, and a lot of cold weather, I won’t be using my patio much anyway. 

Maybe the rain will ruin some of the stuff on the patio, and I will have to throw it all away. Maybe subliminally, I am looking for the weather to make #6 move to the top of the list before it gets all moldy and soggy from rain getting to it. Maybe I want to be pushed into a corner so I have no choice but to get rid of rotting, molding, festering, decaying stuff from my patio by spring. Maybe it’s my way of passing responsibility to someone ~ something ~ else. I guess if you believe that God brings us the rain, then it is someone else. I guess that would hold true for a Pagan, telling you that Mother Earth is weeping rain. 

Maybe by letting the stuff stay on the list until it has to all be thrown away I am saving time. After all, if I do it now, I have to sort through it, decide what is good to keep and what is not. If I have to make all those decisions, then it takes up my precious time. It’s not like I can do it at night, either. I have to take up precious daylight, nice and warm, sunny, refreshing daylight to do something I should be able to do at night. However, I don’t have good lighting on the patio, it is cold at night now, and I don’t think my neighbor wants to hear “clank, thud, OUCH” til 10:00 at night.

I don’t think it’s laziness. I have been very busy. In fact, I have not had much time to myself. Okay, I stretch that a bit, as I do find time to watch King of the Hill, and an occasional Simpsons. Oh, and sometimes I’ll watch House, 2 1/2 Men, or the news. I used to watch Half & Half, but it is on so late, that I don’t even have time to watch that. Then there is Star Trek, but KSBY puts it on way later than I care to stay up. I won’t say I don’t, I just don’t want to. You might get the idea that I don’t have cable. No, I don’t pay for cable or satellite because there is a bunch of junk on TV and why should I pay $30+ a month for junk? It would be like that YMCA membership you pay for every month but barely use.

Where does this all lead? We are all selective about what we do, how we prioritize. I think there is a little passive-aggressive in all of us when it comes to our own stuff. We agree to do it, we write it down, we plan on it, but when push comes to shove, we have only paid lip service to it. We don’t really intend to do it, do we? That is the passive-aggressive in us. We agree to do it, but then do everything we can to be sure we don’t do it.

That is, of course, if we are single. If you have a wife, you have a lot of motivation. If you have a husband, you can get HIM to do it. Okay, that’s  not right. It depends on what it is. If it is something you don’t mind doing, of course you’ll do it. But, things like cleaning out the bait box, removing the dead skunk from the back yard, and killing spiders, you’ll probably get him to do.

Why? Why do we ask someone else to do something we don’t like to do? Do we hope they will do it? Do we hope that if they say no it will validate our disgust with the job? Do we hope they will just let you brush it off? We do our best not to do things we don’t want to do. I don’t mean things that are dangerous or we are feared of like killing that spider. I mean things that really don’t matter, or things that would enhance our lives. We thwart ourselves like that. This is above and beyond normal procrastination.

Many people pass it off as procrastination, but that’s not the whole picture. Procrastination is more like this example. Have you ever done something like that? I used to, but I catch myself now and either do it, or decide it just doesn’t need to be done.

We will go out of our way to avoid something, even if we know it will be a good thing for us. Even if we know it needs to be done sooner or later, we will often put it off unless it interests us. I’m not talking about you “type A” personalities, I mean the normal world. I mean the average Joe or Josephine that works for a living, and thinks of their time off as precious. Oh, and speaking of Obama, do you think that since he had problems with Joe the Plumber, he would have trouble with Josephine the Plumber, too? “Sorry, Mr. President Obama, but I can’t scrub your toilet today, I can’t afford a can of comet any more because of higher taxes. Maybe you can hire Sarah Palin.”

Anywho, take a look at your TODO list today, and start checking things off. If it is something you don’t want to do, face the truth. Put a smiley face next to it instead of a check mark. That will be our little secret that it means you don’t really want to do it, and probably never will. When people see all those smiley faces, they will think you are happy to work on your TODO list. You and I will just know that you have faced the truth and just don’t want to do it.

Let me know when your TODO list is nothing but smiley faces. I will get back to writing more blogs after a short break. If you will pardon me now, I have to go put a couple smiley faces on mine…

The Opinionator

Big News in Morro Bay, Bob is Coming!

Yes, folks, Bob’s Big Boy is coming to town. The home of the ORIGINAL double decker hamburger. Why do I bring this up? This is exciting! Have you ever had a Big Boy Burger? You have got to try one. They are so good, as well as their onion rings and breakfasts. This is really good news. 

As I was driving from the Cookie Crock to the AM/PM to get gas, I spied a sign on the end of the old Denny’s building where I was sure I saw a Big Boy. I cut through the gas station to come around to the front to confirm it, and yes it is true. It is not a great location, but with the new intersection there, and more business on that street, it should do better than the Denny’s there.

When that location behind the Mobile station’s car wash on Quintana was first built, I believe it was built as a Sambo’s. This is going way back, so I have to think about it. I know it was also a Hobo Joe’s. You could find Hobo Joe’s, Denny’s, Sambo’s, Country Kitchen, and Bob’s Big Boy in many locations around the country. Each Bob’s even had it’s own Big Boy statue. There was one on Calle Joaquin in San Luis Obispo years ago.

The Morro Bay location became a Denny’s in later years, and got run down after that. Apparently someone interested in putting in a Bob’s franchise bought the property. 

One nice thing about Bob’s locations is that they are usually active in the community. They have done toy drives, fund raisers, bingo, and even cruise nights. It would be nice to get monthly cruise nights and classic car nights going in Morro Bay. It would be something to keep them busy and get them a lot of attention.

I know that I will drive to Morro Bay from wherever I am to get a Big Boy burger every now and then. I will take friends out there, as well. There is just something about a Big Boy burger that brings back memories. It was started in Glendale.

Bob opened his little place and was challenged to create a new burger. That is when he came up with the burger. He named it after this little chubby boy that used to visit his place, and thus got the inspiration for the Big Boy logo, as well. Perhaps today he would be sued for being cruel to the boy lol.

There is something about biting into an authentic Big Boy. Well, if you want to go even further, I believe the first Big Boy location was actually opened in Burbank. There is still a Big Boy located there. They have regular cruise nights with carhop service. That is a sight to see. I have eaten there a few times, and really enjoy the food.

Yes, it is a franchise, and yes all the food is supposed to be the same, but it is Big Boy. How many times can I tell you that? Can you tell I like the Big Boy? I will even go there for breakfast, I am so excited about it. Want to split some onion rings? Maybe I’ll let everyone know when I am going to be there. NOT!

I wish the franchisees lots of luck and best wishes. I hope this is a prosperous location, and hope they get it open fast. Oh, and I hope they tent that building. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was loaded with roaches. Sorry, but I’m sure it has to be. You don’t just get rid of those things, either. Did you know that you can cut off the head of a roach and it will live up to 3 days or until it starves to death? Amazing, eh?

Oh, and as far as those other places, let me give you the rundown. You all know that Denny’s is still going strong. One thing that is funny is that Denny’s has been sued for discrimination and providing poor service to blacks. Their major competitor a while back was Sambo’s, originally known as “Little Black Sambo’s” restaurant. They were sued and shut down locations because of the name. Sambo’s was found to be offensive to African Americans.

The original Sambo’s was and still is in Santa Barbara. I guess they are only open for breakfast now. I guess nobody wanted to go to the beachfront to have a diner dinner. What do those people in Santa barbara know about good food anyway? They have all those fancy restaurants, but can’t keep their drive thru burger joint open?

 Oh, don’t get me started on burgers. I love the Fatburgers on State St. They are so good, and big. They are pricey, but well worth it to me. They also make real shakes. It is hard to beat Johnny Rocket’s for atmosphere though. If you ever go to the one in Hollywood near the Kodak Theater, be sure to play an Aretha Franklin song on the juke box and watch what happens. It’s a riot.

Anyway, back to the other chain restaurants. Country Kitchen is apparently still around but having to revive business. Hobo Joe’s may still be around and kicking. I think it is still the same chain in Arizona. I could be wrong, though. 

I guess that finishes off this topic. If you have any memories of that location prior to Hobo Joe’s, or have any stories about any of those chains, let me know. The Denny’s on Madonna Rd. used to be Hobo Joe’s. The old Denny’s over by Calle Joaquin is now a waffle place. I am going to try it out. It is the second location for this company, and I will let you know how good it is.

Oh, and don’t forget the local chain that also competed with these late night restaurants. We had Farmboy, Farmgirl, Boy’s, and Girl’s restaurants, all owned by the Williams Bros. that brought us the grocery store chain. They were pretty decent, and found around the Central Coast from SLO to Santa Maria.

There are still a couple of these locations. One was located where Gilli’s Grill is now (that is a pretty good place, you should try it out. Good food and good prices), and the Pappy’s on Betteravia. There used to be a Pappy’s on the hill at 4th and 101 in Pismo, but it is a sushi place now.

Wow, all these trips down memory lane. They are going to have to turn it into a toll road soon.

Is All-In-One Cable/Phone/Internet/Wireless a good idea?

Your parents. or grandparents, used to say. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” What does that mean? Back in the days of the depression, banks lost a lot of money. There was no guaranty of bank accounts as there is now. That means if you have up to $100,000 in an account, the federal government will replace it if the bank goes out of business. If you did not have this, and the bank went out of business, you would lose all your money. I know it seems this has nothing to do with the title here, but hang on with me, and you’ll see how it all comes together.

So, because of the chance of loss, you were encouraged to keep your money in different banks, split it up. Good investment advisors will also tell you to have diversity. That way, if these stocks go down, those go up and make up for it. You must diversify your investments, or there will be a chance of loss. You must also look at it from a management standpoint, as well. You may want to do something with one of your accounts, but maybe the manager of that account doesn’t like your idea. The manager of another account may work with you. There will always be differences in management and communication.

That brings us back to the topic here. There has been a push to get you to consolidate all of your services into one company. They want you to put your cable, phone, internet, and wireless service on one bill, and get all your business. This all started with a battle between phone and cable. Cable TV got so popular, but people decided they didn’t like the selection and service so satellite came along. The first satellite dishes were huge, and best if you had a ranch or just wanted to show off. Then they came out with the little 18″ dishes and all of a sudden everyone wanted them.

Television

Why the big battle between cable and satellite? Each one had a different selection and quality. In fact, there were 3 main companies for satellite service, two of which used the small dishes. They kept telling you how it was good to have the variety and availability, if you were someplace where cable was not too good. Now, the two small dish providers have combined, so your selection and competition is gone. That means prices are not controlled by competition, and they can offer whatever service they want. You still have cable though, right?

People don’t realize that cable providers work under a different set of requirements than other providers. That means they have to pay extra franchise fees, provide certain services to cities and public access television, and be careful of monopolizing the marketplace if other services are available. That means they pay more into the pot. The state of California is now controlling that and changing it to make cable providers more competitive. This also means that you will eventually lose your public access stations because satellite providers are not required to provide those services. Your voice will be gone soon.

Telephone

Phone service has competition as well. You can use VoIP such as Vonage, or you can use cell phone home service through T-Mobile, or regular phone service, or over your cable service. In Europe, they have more open access to satellite phone at reasonable prices if you live in remote places. You can have any local or long distance service you wish, as long as they are in your area. The competition has heated up, and has brought rates down, services up, and awareness is more important.

Remember when Pacific Bell was broken up into Baby Bells? That is because the phone company had you locked in, and you had no right to change service for better price or quality. Once the phone companies were broken up, companies like MCI came in and took the cream accounts from the phone company and some messed things up. The damage was done, and people were taken. Eventually things got better, so now we have a variety of services available, which is a good thing.

Internet Access

How about internet services? It used to be dial up with AOL or Compuserve. Then along came budget providers like Earthlink, Surfari, TCSN, Net Zero, Digital Putty, and others. Everyone wanted you to use their service to get on the internet. AOL and Compuserve merged, Earthlink bought up several smaller companies, and some have gone out of business. Others like Digital Putty are still in business because they have a niche such as wireless access for ranches, etc. Both cable and phone claim to have faster services, which is true when compared to dial up. 

What is the difference between phone and cable internet access? Throughput. You can find out more about this here and see what I am talking about. The closer you are to the terminal, the better your service. You cannot get as good service if you are in a remote area, so the numbers they provide you are ideal in the best location. You cannot guaranty which one is going to do better for you. 

Wireless Service

That brings us to your wireless access. I am going to get a plug in for Sprint. Hey, ATT And Verizon are all over, why Sprint? THAT is the main reason for Sprint or T-Mobile. They may play catch up every now and then, but they are more progressive and creative. Did you know that the cell phone you have right now is capable of so much more than what ATT and Verizon provide? That same phone in Japan has many more functions. Verizon and ATT dumb them down so you only have certain functions available. That means all these good things like GPS, music, and many other functions are way behind.

Companies like Sprint and T-Mobile are more likely to have these available for you. You should be upset with your wireless phone service provider now. Am I sure that all these providers can provide these services for you? Yep. When you leave your service area and are roaming, you can still access most of these services, right? That means the system does support these services and there is no reason they should not be able to provide them to you. It is because of their choice. Some might even believe these companies have decided this together, but that might be monopoly, price fixing, or collusion. The government wouldn’t like that if they found out it was true.

You can get a USB modem to use wireless internet. That’s right, you can get wireless (not wifi, true wireless) access anywhere you can get cellphone service. What is the difference? If you are on ATT, they give you wifi access at certain physical locations, right? That is only wifi. When you leave the location, you have no more service. This is how they control you. The USB modem I have allows me to have internet access anywhere there is phone service. Why doesn’t your phone provider tell you about this? So they can get you to lock in to their combo service at home. Let’s get back to that later.

Combo Services

So, now that you see the individual elements, what is the problem with having everything in one contract? 

Wait, do you really have to ask that question after reading above? If so, you need to read it all again. I’ll wait here until you are done.

Still clueless? Let me put it down here for you. Each of these services have a history of change and improvement. Up to now, you have been smart and taken your services from the companies that provided what you wanted, how you wanted it, and for the price you were willing to pay. That means if a company changed services, quality, or cost, you could move your service as soon as your contract was up. Oh, and about those contracts, the state of California has determined that early termination fees are not legal in a case against Sprint (the first one to be attacked). Not surprisingly, Verizon has just settled a similar case and agreed to pay millions of dollars back. I expect ATT and T-Mobile to do the same soon.

Why do they lock you in? To keep you from going to competition. They don’t want you to be able to jump ship when better service or more service is available for you. They keep you locked in. That is why they also made it impossible for you to take your landline (regular phone) number with you, but now they are made to allow you to migrate your phone number. 

If they can lock you in to service, their competitors have less chance to survive. However, if each one has an equal market share, nobody wins. They just dilute the market. That means you get all your services from one place.

Marketing the Combo Plans

Now they are marketing certain “benefits” to you. For instance, one advertises that you get the same selection as DirectTV. Another one tells you that it is best to have all your services under one bill. Is this true? Are the prices really better? They market introductory pricing and make you think that if you combine everything you get a good deal. Is this true?

What about selection from DirectTV? Why not get it directly, instead of through a third party? Are they offering you a better price? They will get discounted pricing from DirectTV but do they pass that along to you? Compare price before you commit. I suggest you contact ALL service providers and ask them how much each service costs and do the math yourself. You may find that your pricing will be similar or slightly more. Why not save a few bucks and get the combo? Let’s look at pricing.

Pricing Services

You will find introductory pricing. You will find them wanting to put you on automatic payments. You will find them promising you adjustments and incentives to get you to sign up. They may even offer you better deals than advertised. You should check the websites to see what kind of deals they offer there. Sometimes they have better deals online. They also introduce new plans or incentives there. They try to get you to take care of business online so they do not have to spend so much on personal service. That’s right, they save money by pushing you off to an automated service.

Not only should you check pricing, you should also check what they are charging you for. For instance, if you sign up for cell phone service online and they want to charge you for shipping, tell them you would rather go to the store and pick it up there rather than pay for shipping. Tell them you will sign up at the store instead, and they will likely take off the shipping charge or give you a credit for it. Do this to compare internet plans and products, also. Often times they will match the price on the website if they have the same products available.

The important thing is that you be informed. Write down all the pricing and programs you find. Tell each one what you have found with the other service, and let them WORK to get your service. Don’t sign up for them just because your friends are on their system. Get the best deal you can get and shop smart.

What About When You Are Not Happy?

Let’s say you sign up for all your services together, but decide you don’t like the internet service because it is not what they promised. Tough luck. You are now locked in to their service. That means if you love everything else, but don’t like the variety on your TV, you either have to pay more for another plan, or you are stuck with what you have. Too bad. That is one reason you don’t want to have all your services together. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. If one of the eggs is bad, you may not want the rest of them. 

If you have any financial problems, such as losing a job or other hardship, it’s not like you can just cancel one part of it and reduce costs. If you decide to do without TV for a while, or perhaps you have children now and don’t want to have them influenced with bad shows on TV, you cannot just get rid of your TV service. You are stuck. Did you ever think of reasons you may want to change service? What if you want to change internet providers because another one has better service? Tough luck. What if your friends changed over to Sprint and you want to have free calling to them? Too bad, you’re stuck.

So as you can see, it can be a problem to have everything under one bill. They tell you it is easier to pay that way with one bill. That is a bunch of BS. With automatic payments available through your bank account or credit card, you don’t have to think about it again (as long as you have the money available). The advantage is that you can now change plans or drop plans without having to renew everything. What about when you want a new cell phone? You may want to replace it in 2 years when your contract is up so you can get a free phone. You may want to increase the number of hours you have available before your plan is up. If so, you may have to renew everything just to change your hours. Not good.

What If Something Better Comes Along?

You are stuck. Don’t even bother shopping around for 2 years. That is how long you will likely be stuck in your plan. By signing up for these services under one plan, you kill competition, lock yourself in, and kill flexability in your life. Technology changes every few months. New services are constantly coming available. I do not suggest you lock in to one of these package or combo deals, as you never know what the future holds. Don’t get locked into something old when something new comes along.

Summary

I implore you to not give in to these plans. You need to shop around and protect yourself. Make sure you are getting the best plan for your lifestyle, not the best plan for their profits. You can save money by shopping, and save headaches down the line. Don’t get stuck in one plan when you may have financial issues, especially the way today’s economy is going. If you fail to pay something, you lose it all. Can you afford to lose it all? That is what I say happens when you give up your freedom to choose, your freedom to variety, your freedom of individuality. Think about it, and shop smart.

The Opinionator