You don’t stiff your customers

Candid. Truthful. Ethical. Transparent. Plain-speaking. The true goals of reasonable behavior – the recognized building blocks of self-responsibility and accountability – are the guiding standards for an honorable and just society: You don’t stiff your customers.

What should be obvious is that factual information is essential for voters to make informed decisions about issues, and the result of those decisions.

Recently, the Paris Texas Chamber recognized that TV program re-runs from two to three decades ago were popular for a simple reason:  Mostly, what you see today is progressive ‘woke’ crap, packaged to confused genders in the alphabet world, and unending ads by some of the nation’s largest corporations, which are great at separating money from those who labor for it.

Most ads seem to be selling a “woke” counter-culture, using gender-confused fake-happy “spokespersons” regurgitating words provided by some creative-challenged copywriter employed with an endeavor “too big to fail!”

These monopolies and conglomerates are:

* A few that invent a disease for some drug that was discovered as a side-effect of another drug, and the side-effect of this new drug sold to hypochondriacs – for this newly discovered disease – will kill them.

* A few want to sell you questionable processed food mixed (for taste) with flavored sugar that will make you not just a little dietetic, but will fatten you up before Christmas.

* A few have miraculously put “bushels of fruit and vegetables” in one little-bitty pill.

* A few have pills that will help you sleep; a few have pills that will keep you awake, and all of them guaranteed to make you healthy just enough to live long enough to regret it.

* Eight national Internet Providers and telephone companies openly lie about download speeds; “apps” that you don’t need; and never ever mention the robocalls that pay them billions of dollars for our data and personal information that they sell.

* Then, there are hours of ads for “free” money and “free”assistance by a myriad of programs from government agencies (using taxpayer dollars), which take our money by force and use what remains after political salaries and retirement to try and convince the taxpayers that more government is the answer to all our problems.

Its all a partnership between Big Business and Big Government, leading to pay-TV for sports and Google’s YouTube like-promises of no ads and better quality programming. All for a higher cost. Naturally.

 

The objective seems to be to stiff their customers – playing them as dopes –  by lying about products or services.

Its an idea they got from Government.  

The problem is that there is no accountability for how government does what it does. And evidently, it has recently assured its Big Business cronies that they are not accountable for what they do. Either.

Logic has been buried in the years of lies by big government and its big business cronies.

We all want increased salaries or incomes to improve our lives economically.  Sometimes our greed makes us foolish.

So, totalitarians sell the sizzle, not the steak.

The sizzle of greed is an easy sell. The steak, however, is a conflict with their interest, so they keep the steak.

Because you don’t stiff your customers, taxpayers are – rightly – losing our faith in government. It takes away our power to keep it our servant every time it or one of its “too big to fail” cronies acts against just one of us.  They are, by forcing us into compliance, using that power to become our master.  Examples being Internet providers (IPs):  Each of the three largest IPs in Paris, are redlining their digital service areas, while lying to us about the download and upload speeds.

Each firm has 15-or more carefully small worded pages of their “customer service” and “privacy” agreements telling each customer that they must agree to surrender every right they have as individuals, plus pay for “access” to a free Internet. In short, as the agreements and privacy policies are basically the same at every firm, customers (who must use their services to remain current in the digital world) are forced into compliance – while paying the firms to act as their masters. And government allows it.

While being inundated with issues that appeal emotionally – as logic and Constitutional principles are ignored – voters, are told – lied to, mostly – about glorified political personalities who allow forced compliance – and benefit by it.

Unfortunately, most of us are unaware that we’re being stiffed by a corrupt privilege few.

 

                            return to   Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

                                                                                                                                links:  Trash Pick-up

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Our government

Figures don’t lie …  so, according to our government, everything is just hunky-dory; the borders are safe, and there’s no inflation at all – it’s just that prices are rising, which show positive and great economic percentages in growth – and it has all the data to back up the claims. The fly in all this pile of government manure is that while figures don’t lie, liars can figure.

Insanity is believing that inflation is a good thing and that liars can’t figure…

It’s things like those that make people distrust government.

It seems that those employed in or working for more government, including in Paris, seem to believe in the stupidity of voters.

The City of Paris budget has increased over 7-percent during the last two fiscal years, and it has added two new assistant city managers to help give away cash (and other incentive tax dollars), while adding litter, letting the weeds grow, allowing telephone poles to injure and kill citizens, and watching too many neighborhoods continue to succumb to blight and decay . . .

The federal boys and girls report National Retail sales (NAICS 44-45) increased 3.1% from $5,402.3 billion in 2019 to $5,570.4 billion in 2020, according to estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau’s 2020 Annual Retail Trade Survey <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/arts.html> (ARTS).

Electronic Shopping and Mail-Order Houses (NAICS 4541) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=4541&year=2012&details=454111>)// had $888.5 billion in sales in 2020, up 35.2% from 2019. This was the largest year-to-year increase of any industry in 2020.

Other highlights:
* Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers’ (NAICS 441) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=441&year=2012&details=441>) sales decreased 2.4% from $1,237.7 billion in 2019 to  $1,208.3 billion in 2020.

* Grocery Store sales (NAICS 4451) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=4451&year=2012&details=4451>) increased 9.4% from $694.3 billion in 2019 to $759.7 billion in 2020.

* Gasoline Station (NAICS 447) <https://www.census.gov/naics/?input=447 &year=2012&details=447>) sales decreased sales decreased 16.6% from $513.5 billion in 2019 to $428.1 billion in 2020.

The Census Bureau has been conducting the ARTS since 1952. This survey included 16,500 employer businesses that sell directly to consumers classified in the retail trade sector in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. It does not include data for businesses in U. S. Territories. Firms without paid employees (non-employers) are included based on administrative data provided by other federal agencies and through “imputation.”

The data are published on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) <https://www.census.gov/naics/> basis. They are used to benchmark monthly retail sale and inventory estimates each spring used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other federal agencies to develop related products.

 

According to this data, national retail sales increased by 3.1%, grocery prices by 9.4%, and a decrease in auto sales (2.4%) and gas prices (16.6%).

While the report doesn’t touch it, isn’t it likely that inflation created most of the increases, not value. And consumers made market choices on just what they could afford, and that much of the online and catalog sales came from the politically-inspired Covid19 shutdown? 

As sayth the national Democrat Party and the RINO’s in it, “there is no inflation.” The Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce is just wondering, (a) what caused the prices to increase? And (b) how much neighborhood improvement could be accomplished annually by half of what the City of Paris is now paying its administrative staff?

                                          return to the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce 

                                                                                                  

TRASH PICK-UP . . .

 

Back in July, 2022, the Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce warned, “Privatization of trash collection is coming. It will be interesting to read the fine print.”

Evidently, we said, privatized trash pickup is more efficient and less costly. (And added, “than by government? Gasp!”

Sure enough, in February 2024, trash pickup by a private firm begins, and the base rate increases to $18.08 a month for residential pickup. This is good until September 2024 – which is a scary thought or a reason to rejoice, depending on whether you’re paying or receiving the money from the new rate.  The way the City of Paris keeps book, this is a $1.49 monthly increase.

CARDS, the private firm will receive $10.29 of the $18.08 fee to pickup and deliver the trash to the landfill.  The rest of the fee goes to the city for “bill administration, liaison between the two, and monitoring the city-owned landfill.”  Included in this rate-game-playing, $1.79 is ear-marked for “city street usage and maintenance.”

As CARDS picks up and delivers the trash for 10.29 per month, isn’t that the trash pickup rate? So, when such city categories as “administration, liaison, monitoring, and city street usage” estimated costs are increased, WHY aren’t such costs included as a rate increase? 

After the addition of two new assistant city managers, since 2022,  surely “administration” charges have increased?

 

The city budget HAS not increased by diffusion.

Back in 2022, when explaining why there was no corresponding reduction in rates when trash pickup frequency was reduced, the city manager offered that the reduction of trash collection is related to the volume of waste collected, not its frequency of collection.  He also claimed that the last rate increase was 12-years ago, and that he would not recommend adjusting rates “at this time”.

The Paris Texas Chamber observed that IF the reduced trash collection was related to the volume produced, Paris was either producing less trash or littering the streets with it – and it was hard to tell which . . .

Our Chamber also said If we were not losing population, it would be as clear as Buttermilk.

The Paris Chamber stated that “It’s difficult to believe there hasn’t been a rate increase on everything over the past 10-years. And there has been – check a few past water and sewer bills.”  And we still stand by that . . .

 Every time an “adjustment” is made on “administrative, liaison or management cost” relating to city services, a rate increase is soon to follow. Money is swept from services – based on an estimated cost the city assigns for those items – and added to the general budget. That process allows the city to keep crying about how sad it is that rates for a service must be increased to cover the increased expenses of the selected service.

Its all a financial game or a way to fleece the rate-payers.   

Worse, what should be a criminal act of deliberate lies, citizens are told that trash pickup rates have “not been adjusted in more then 10-years.” It’s the chattering of weasels.

In 2017-18, the city added an estimated $7.60 monthly to the local sewer rates (around $100 a year MORE than we were paying) to “help pay for a new sewer treatment plant.” Then, in 2020, water and sewer rates were again increased another $$7.65 a month for 5,000 gallons. This we were told, again, was needed to help the sale of bonds to “finance construction of a new wastewater plant.”

And if the income from rate increases isn’t in an established, ear-marked fund for a new plant, as was promised, where did the money go? If the money isn’t there, where is the accountability? For that matter, where is the accountability for the jiggery-pokery with estimated “related? costs and deducting it from a services’ rate income?

 

Priorities lack structure.

Even published legal notices in Paris lack transparency; you seldom know what’s where – addresses are hidden behind legal descriptions of who did the surveys and unknown large block numbers.

Transparency, despite any claims to the contrary, does not exist in Paris, nor in government, local or otherwise. Government is very good at snow jobs, and coming up with schemes whereby it can fleece money from the taxpayers.  Supposedly, its the reason why we elect people to oversee those in government positions: To protect the rest of us, the citizen taxpayers, who provide the money.

But what do you do when they do wrong? Or even when they never ask, “Is it needed; is it worthwhile; and can we afford it?” or even more importantly, “Why would we waste the taxpayer’s money on that…?”

Paris has a history of using tax dollars to pay a few too much and too many too little.

There are not twelve people in Paris who knows to a dollar the total amount of incentives, in cash and kind,  given to a few large firms or insiders over the last two years – or the net value (if any) Paris has received in turn?

It’s doubtful, if even twelve people know the actual costs of trash pick-up in Paris. But looking at voting results in city elections, there are not 599 who care . . .

Occasionally, however, taxpayers are rewarded with a small Dr. Pepper, as those who close the door on full transparency know, man cannot live by the bread of chicanery alone.

                        return to    Paris Texas Chamber of Commerce

 

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