Are Wuflu lockdowns racist?...

 Michael Matt thinks they may be and I think he's right.

But first - BUT FIRST...

How about a little Costco update rant?  I hit up Costco yesterday (Wed.) to cash in my rewards check and cancel my membership. I actually donned a mask - the only time I've done so in this entire ridiculous mask mandating time only because Costco has become one of those country major mask nazis.  I really wanted my $541.00 with as little fuss as possible. 

 I hopped in the customer service line, and was about 4 feet behind the woman in front of me. She turned around and said, "Aren't you supposed to be 6 feet away from me?" 

After just staring at her for a moment or two, I pulled down my mask and said, in my best Catholic school girl manner, "Idiot!" 

She displayed virtual signaling shock to which I said, "Yes - you heard me right." 

She then suggested that maybe I shouldn't be shopping there. Bingo, you bit*h. That's the plan.

And there in, my sweet petunias, is the main reason I won't be shopping there, staying 6 feet away from the elitist sheeple who are crammed into that warehouse.  It looks like a TB ward with hundreds of masked up germ spreaders.

After I left with my $541.00 rewards cash, I had a lovely time at the Carpet Warehouse picking out new flooring for my bathroom, Grocery Outlet, where I snagged a bunch of cute sunglasses and other cool stuff, Super 1 Foods for 98 cent per pound asparagus, and Ace Hardware for paint.  In none of the following venues was a mask required and more than half the peeps were free and unmasked. 

Michael Matt is on fire!!

From Remnant TV:

RTV launches a new program, "The Follow-up," in which Michael J. Matt expands on just one point from his most recent Editor's Desk.

In this episode, Michael takes a closer look at the underlying racism that is inherent in many of the COVID lockdown policies across America.

Using his own city of Minneapolis as an example, Michael explains how America's inner-city minority communities suffer far more under the lockdowns than do those living in the suburbs.

While Joe Biden has pledged to use the full power of the Federal Government to go after the "domestic terrorists" who breached the Capitol on January 6, he seems uninterested in even addressing the domestic terrorism going on every single night here in Minneapolis, the victims of which are mostly from minority communities.

With gun violence, car jackings, rape and drug abuse skyrocketing under the lockdowns, Michael asks the question: When will politicians be held responsible for the death and destruction their draconian lockdowns have caused in what were once America's greatest cities?

RACIST LOCKDOWNS: The Destabilization of America

Here's some great Remnant links:

This "Follow-up" refers back to the Editor's Desk episode PRO-CHOICE: Aborting the Great Reset (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6drq4...​) Sign up for our FREE E-LETTER, and let us contact you whenever a new video is posted. https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/inde...​ Subscribe to The Remnant Newspaper: https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/inde...​ Subscribe to Remnant TV's independent platform: https://remnant-tv.com/user​ Like, Comment, and Subscribe to our YouTube channel! Shop REMNANT MERCH: https://shop.remnantnewspaper.com/​ Follow Michael Matt and The Remnant on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Michael_J_Matt​ Follow Michael Matt on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.matt...

A Sad Decision: Costco has been kicked to the curb...

 buh bye.

This is a decision which has been coming for many, many months, and one I was very reluctant to instigate.

Having worked for Costco way back, when it was one of the very best places to work, seeing what it has become is painful and sad.

I ran into an old work mate of mine who has been with the company for about 25 years.  His comment to me? "It's not the same place anymore. It's all corporate run." He's just biding his time until he can retire in a few years.

What did Costco do to tick me off so badly?

From the Costco site: (the bolding is theirs)

Updated Face Mask Policy:

Members and guests must wear a face mask that covers their mouth and nose at all times. Individuals who are unable to wear a face mask due to a medical condition must wear a face shield. Children under the age of 2 are exempt. Entry to Costco will be granted only to those wearing a face mask or face shield.

The use of a face covering should not be seen as a substitute for social distancing. Please continue to observe rules regarding appropriate distancing while on Costco premises. For members who are unable to wear a mask or face covering, Costco has delivery options available on Costco.com. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Rather than march in and relinquish my membership, which also means losing my Costco rewards Visa card, a American Express Blue Cash Preferred rewards card is winging its way to me; as soon as it arrives, the Costco card will be put in my desk drawer.

Yes, I'm fully aware by using a credit card, I'm being tracked. At my age I really don't give a rat's ass (and I always pay cash for my porn - only kiiiiiding)

When Costco automatically renews my membership, I will cancel and my membership fee will be returned, and the Visa card will be history.

The American Express card is actually a better deal, and other than maybe tuna, there is nothing at Costco I can't get somewhere else. 

For decades, a trip to Costco was a fun and happy event for me. Over the past 6 months, it's spiraled down into a nervous-making foray into zombie land. Rather than every week or two, I've only been there 3, or maybe 4 times, in 8 months. 

So - it's the end of an era, folks.

All sorts of things are changing for all of us. It's up to us to find replacements that are better and more fulfilling. It's not just shopping, but also trips to the library, our favorite coffee shop or restaurants, and our favorite small shops which have gone bankrupt due to lock downs. 

Let's put our heads together and figure out what things should replace what we have lost. Please give me your ideas. 

I'll start:

• Dinner parties
• Tea parties for the ladies
• Bible study
• Artistic endeavors i.e. sewing, painting, woodworking, jewelry making
• Board games
• BBQ's with the neighbors
• Card games (I love gin rummy. Bridge - not so much)
• Going for walks and hikes
• Camping
• Picnics
• Write a real letter 
• Learn to play an instrument
• Learn a new language (Chinese might come in handy - heh)
• Learn to cook a new dish
• Work in the garden
• Journal and pray every morning!

Notice how many of them are social. Humans are social animals and what the government is doing is dehumanizing and an effort to break your spirit.  Don't let them win. 

 

Shocked and Saddened by Costco's Mask Mandate...

I won't comply so I won't be going there for the foreseeable future.

If you've hung around here for awhile you know that I worked for Costco years ago and am a firm supporter of them and the way they run their business.

I also love to shop there.

But - starting today you must wear a mask to enter the warehouse.

No!

As the always pugnacious Ann Barnhardt so aptly said:

You DO realize that the ridiculous, useless masks are just the New World Order's version of the musloid veil, designed to humiliate and dehumanize you, Yes?

Folks, take off those stupid masks. There IS NO PANDEMIC in the vulgar sense of the word. CoronaCold is a a SEASONAL CHEST COLD. The masks DO NOTHING. They are a pure act of psychological violence and terrorism, a punitive measure designed to humiliate into submission, and to extinguish fraternal Charity. Wearing a mask is assenting to the lie.

She also included this quote from Dalrymple:

In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity. To assent to obvious lies is…in some small way to become evil oneself. One’s standing to resist anything is thus eroded, and even destroyed. A society of emasculated liars is easy to control. I think if you examine political correctness, it has the same effect and is intended to.― Theodore Dalrymple

I'm not sure I would classify Wuflu as a "seasonal chest cold", but I don't believe it's the boogeyman it's being made out to be. I think the truth is being suppressed as a means to control the masses.

I've chosen not to be a sheep.

Head over to Red Pill Jew and read part three of The Power of Political Myth, which delves deeper into the ongoing assault on our liberties. He has a link to part 1 and 2 at the top.

In case you're not sure of the "rules" this cute gal spells them out for you.  We wouldn't want any confusion, now would we?



More:

Lloyd Marcus at Renew America: Coronavirus and the horrors of Democrat control  Mr. Marcus is asking the question Red Pill Jew is trying to answer. Think about that for a moment. Here we have a black guy, a Jew, and a Roman Catholic all on the same page.  

William Sullivan at American Thinker: Was Killing the American Economy Absolutely Necessary?  No

And, of course, a Friday kitteh:

Sadly we remember when the weekend meant trips to the park, BBQing, hiking, hitting up a favorite bar or restaurant, and going to church. Sigh...

Costco on "old people" morning...

didn't go well.

Which is a massive understatement.

I had planned to do a regular shopping yesterday, but decided to go this morning thinking it would be less busy.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I arrived right before 8 am and there must have been at least 300 to 400 (maybe more) people lined up. It was hard to judge since this wasn't an orderly line.  In some places the lines were 6 or more people wide.

I keep harping on Prudence being a virtue.  Prudence spoke to me and said, "Are you out of your ever living mind? Nothing about this situation looks safe. Just get in your car and go the hell home. Is American cheese worth dying for?"

The people of this country better pull their idiotic heads out their nether regions and start acting civilized. This is insane.

And for all you elitist commie/libtard a-holes who have been laughing at "preppers" I hope you're reduced to using corn cobs to wipe your useless as*es. We have plenty of what we need and always have.  This is how I was raised.  This was to be a "normal" shopping trip.

And the disgusting commie/libtards on the left holding up a relief bill because they want to stuff it full of their own pet projects while normal every day people are suffering should, by all rights, rot in hell. As always - may God's will be done!







More:

Lone Star Parson: Behold the Face of Evil  spot on - as usual

Red Pill Jew: The True Enemy is Not the Virus  no kidding!!

Nox and Friends: Post Pandemic World – what will we be focused on  I doubt it will be TP

Borepatch: Local Sit Rep  reports from around the country on what's going on.

Is Grocery Delivery Just Another Way to Isolate Us?...

just thinking out loud.

You may find an odd discussion for someone who purchases numerous items from Amazon, but an article at The Blaze today, Walmart announces expanded grocery delivery in attempt to compete with Amazon, set me to pondering this again.

Yesterday, after history club and a haircut, I made a quick stop at Costco for a few items, and then headed off to Lowe's to purchase a threshold and wood for a baseboard.

While at Costco I had a long discussion with a nice demo person and several  shoppers.  At Lowe's, after finding what I needed, I popped into the garden department to peruse the plants and visit with the nice gentleman who had discounted a fig plant for me by half because it had a few damaged leaves. He told me how much he liked working for Lowe's and was pleased to hear my fig was sprouting a new leaf. 

At Walmart, I'm on first name basis with the manager of the jewelry department, several of the greeters, and the manager of the plant department. I've traded recipes with other shoppers and been given advice on purchases.

Behind all of this delivery and online shopping is the idea that we're all too busy to do anything so mundane as shop for our own groceries.  I'm not at all sure what people are so busy doing that they can't pick out their own lettuce.

The majority of the purchases I make from Amazon are for items I can't find locally.  Last week I shopped for 9 x 12 manila envelopes at Walmart. There wasn't any (really!)  I admit to not having time to make repeat trips to Wallyworld or drive to Coeur d'Alene to an office supply for envelopes.  So I came home, ordered them from Amazon, and had them in two days.

I see two things going on here.

First - if you want to retain your customers, going head to head with Amazon is not going to work.

The only thing you have to offer people is good old fashioned service.  Our local Ace Hardware keeps getting bigger and bigger. The owner has stores in neighboring towns which are also expanding. After Walmart came to town many years ago they expanded the store.  In recent months they remodeled all of the stores and opened a new one. 

Walmart is spending it's time fighting Amazon, while our local Ace has an employee stationed at the front door who greets you with a friendly, "What can I help you find today?"  He or she knows exactly where that obscure widget is located and directs you there where another employee gives you advice about the widget's use, correct installation, and recommends all the other things you need to complete your project.  Amazon can't do that.

Meantime, Walmart is cutting hours and planning a remodel wherein the jewelry department, a huge money maker for the store, will be cut half-in-two (that's Texan for half), and other departments will also be decimated so they can focus on delivering people's SpaghettiOs.  Meantime, Amazon had to bring me my 9 x 12 envelopes. That doesn't make sense to me.

And second - is this just a way to further isolate people?  

We live in a time where the driving forces of politics has created division and separation like never before. The "other side" is demonized - in many cases rightly so.

Add to that "smart" phones and computers and our human contact is becoming a thing of the past. 

People who are isolated from their neighbors are easier to control and control of the masses is high on the list of many who hold power in today's world. 

What are you thoughts on this push for grocery delivery?




 Amazon deals on Dremel Tools and Accessories.  I love my cordless Dremel and use it for many projects.

Secrets of Costco...

many of which you may already know.

Disclaimer:

I worked for Costco for about 9 years.  It is one of the best places I ever worked and I have great loyalty to the company.  I trust Costco to always have the best products at the best prices.  I know that anything carrying the label of Kirkland Signature will be the best they can provide.

Case in point is the Kirkland Signature Albacore White Tuna in Water.  No one else even comes close to the quality.

That being said, most people know that they don't have "sales" in the strict sense of the word.  They do, however, sometimes mark down an item to move it off the floor.  How do you know if an item is marked down? Simple. All marked down items will have a price ending in $.97.  They also have coupon books through out the year which I'll get to in a bit.

The asterisk in the upper corner means the item is going away.  In the case of many items, primarily food, the asterisk does not necessarily mean it's going away forever.  If the SKU (stock keeping unit) has changed it will also have an asterisk and return with a new SKU. 

One of my other favorite things about Costco is the fact that they only carry about 35 hundred SKU's compared to about 35 thousand in the average grocery store.  Who needs that many choices?  Seriously, have you checked the pickle section lately?

Much of my shopping planning is geared to their coupon books.  Why buy 10 boxes of Kleenex in June when in July I can buy the same thing with $3.80 off?  Same with vitamins and many of the other staples I always buy at Costco.  My usual savings on coupon items is $25.00 to $35.00.  

For several years I have relied on Costco Insider to publish the coupon book before the official release.  It saves me the trouble of badgering my friends at the warehouse to slip me a copy early.  Sometimes they only get it up days before the release, but most times it's at least a week or more in advance - and I thank them.

Costco also has a three week "Black Friday" coupon book with weekly dated deals.  Costco Insider has all three weeks posted already.

There you have it - the "secrets."



At Amazon:

Pioneer PL-30-K Audiophile Stereo Turntable with Dual-Layered Chassis and Built-in Phono Equalizer

Deal of the Day:	$159.00 Free Shipping for Prime Members
	Ends at midnight PST
You Save:	$140.99 (47%)

 

Considering the weather today in many parts of the country, I almost hate to show you this...

but I will anyway.  

Why, yes - that crocus is blooming by my back deck.

And our temps will hit 60° by this weekend.

Sunday I'm going to plant lettuce, kale, and arugula in some pots since it's too early to work the soil in my veggie garden.  

I've really been enjoying all the posts about "Hillary is finished blah blah."  Silly peeps.  No she's not.  The average American couldn't care less about those silly little ol' emails.

I'll tell you who's finished.  We are.

And.........................OMgosh - I just saw a video of her getting off a plane over at TMZ.  Whoo hoo - have the doctors done a number on her face.  Scroll down to see the miracle of modern plastic surgery. And, trust me, she's just getting started.  By next year you won't be able to recognize her. 

Rather than sit around and stew about the collapse of our freedom, I'm going to do what any rational person would do -  I'm going to Costco and eat samples.

When I get home, I'll finish my spring sale ebay auctions.  Shipping of daylilies will probably commence a month early.

Special discounts to my readers who wish to order direct from moi.

What do Monsanto, Roundup herbicide, Used Books, and Trader Joe's have in common?...

absolutely nothing (except for Monsanto and Roundup, which we'll be saving for a later post.)

Just a quickie about the Roundup and where I'm going with this.

Yesterday I read an article: The Real Reason Wheat is Toxic (it's not the gluten) that made me sit back and go, Whoa! 

Daisy Luther, over at The Organic Prepper, followed up with Maybe You Aren't Actually Gluten Intolerant.  Maybe You're Poison Intolerant.

I'm a Master Gardener, courtesy of the state of Idaho (no big whoop), and have been gardening for over 60 years.  I was gobsmacked when I read that farmers are spraying their wheat, barley, and other crops with glyphosate (Roundup) just days prior to harvesting. 

At the beginning of my research, I discovered that the real problem may lie in the inert ingredients, and not the glyphosate itself.

More to follow after more research.

Trader Joe's

The good and the not so good. 

Yesterday was our first time at Trader Joe's.

Upon entering I was dazzled by the beautiful flowers set up like a French market.  Very lovely and rock bottom prices, but it was too cold to avail myself of a few bunches.

Next up was a long row of fancy pre-packaged salads and such, beautifully lighted, and very appealing.  That is, until you actually looked at the price and the amount in the package.  Um, no.  Don't think I'll be buying any of that today.

The cheeses followed.  Also a great selection, but nothing I can't get at Costco, of the same or higher quality, for a fraction of the cost.  No cheese for us.

I had read on reviews that the produce tended not to be the best.  The produce I saw was quite lovely, but readily available at our local grocery store.  Skip the veggies.

I'm starting to panic now because I really wanted to buy stuff.  I was in the mood for a bunch of cool foodie stuff. You know -  yuppie libtard trendy sort of stuff. 

Oh, wait.  Cool gourmet pizzas.  First one I see is Kale, Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Pizza. Now, that's just wrong!  They were offering samples and I was right. It reminded me of the prepackaged butternut squash ravioli I had just seen.  Why would you do such a thing?

Around the corner was the "snacks that are good for you" aisle - except they're not.

By now I'm breaking out in a cold sweat as we head into the frozen aisle pushing an empty cart.

My careful research had sussed out an item that everyone seemed to agree was wonderful - the TJ's ice cream.  Their website said they had one called Coffee Bean Blast.  Since Starbucks pulled it's Java Chip ice cream from the shelves years ago, we have not found one single decent coffee ice cream since.

Not anymore!

We bought the only two Coffee Bean Blasts they had, and when we tasted them, oh my gosh, we were transported to coffee ice cream heaven. The flavor is so strong, there is no doubt that you are tasting and eating coffee ice cream!  Did I mention it is creamy, creamy, creamy?  Well, it is.

I also read superlative reviews on their frozen croissants.  You put them out at night to proof, and bake them in the morning.  We grabbed the chocolate and the almond.  Can't wait to try them.

Great!  I now have four things in my cute little cart, and the cold sweats have subsided somewhat.

Slipping around the corner, I spied some TJ's lemon curd.  Into the cart it went.

A yuppie type lady standing there said, "You must be from England."  Um, no. Not only do I not look English, but I sound like some weird hybrid Chicago type.  It's what happens when you mix a Minnesota with a Texas accent.  But, she was trying to be pleasant, and so I took it in the spirit intended - bless her heart.

Grabbed a bottle of grape seed oil.  It was the same price as Wal-Mart, but looked like it may be a better quality.  

Since I'm now a sardine aficionado, I grabbed up one of every sardine type they had.  Whoo-hoo!  My cart is now serious enough looking to actually check out.

The not so good.

I think the one thing that stood out for us was the attitude of the customers.  Most appeared to be of what we lump together as "yuppies", and for lack of a better word, snooty.  A whole damn store full of them, trying to navigate our way around them, saying; "Cuse me, 'cuse me" as we went.  We're used to customers in a store interacting and being very outgoing and friendly. For me, a trip to any grocery store, or to Costco, is a social event.  I didn't find that at TJ's which is certainly not the fault of TJ's.

Trust me on this; these people would sneer at Premium Saltines, French's mustard, and Heinz ketchup - all three of which are classics, and classically good.  And you can bet they're not eating fried Spam sandwiches, either. 

Would I go back again?

Yes, if for no other reason than to get that Coffee Bean Blast ice cream. 

Second Look Books

Just a few doors down is my favorite used book store.  I haven't been there in years and was excited to peruse the books. We're talking about two floors crammed floor to ceiling with well organized books at great prices.

I managed to find four books of interest, and upon returning home ran them through Amazon, and they all had good reviews.

• Inside the Third Reich Memoirs by Albert Speer
• Pretty Boy: The Life and Times of Charles Arthur Floyd by Michael Wallis
• The Days of the French Revolution  by Christopher Hibbert
• The Paleo Diet Revised: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat   by Loren Cordain, Ph,D.

The Paleo book was actually the first edition, not the revised.  We try to follow ("try" being the key word) a Paleo/Primal way of eating and Dr. Cordain makes what I consider to be a lot of mistakes in his approach.  I purchased it mainly for the extensive recipe section.

Who's this Francis Porretto guy?

Speaking of reviews, I just added some reviews on Amazon for the Realm of Essences series by Francis Porretto.  Mr. Porretto blogs at Liberty's Torch and has quite a few listings of fiction on Amazon.   

Chosen One  is the first in the series, followed by On Broken Wings and Shadow Of A Sword.

They're all excellent!  Check them out.

Off to eat salted-in-the-shell peanuts washed down with a diet coke.  Neither is any way, shape, or form part of a Paleo/Primal diet.  Not at all...

More about Costco and Dinesh D'Souza's book otherwise known as the distracting shiny object...

and I am ashamed at the comments I'm reading on conservative websites and on Costco's Facebook page.

Do you really believe that the CEO of Costco has nothing better to do than pull a Fahrenheit 451 on a book.  One book?

That's not even rational.

Allow me to repeat:  They are running a publicly traded company.  

As I said to one of my commenters (who has a fine blog of his own) on my original post:

Sub - I know for a fact that Costco runs one of the tightest ships in retail.

Everything is done by the numbers. It's why they count people coming in the door. That number is given to the front end supervisors every hour. They use a formula to decide if they need to cut labor on the front end. No one was ever forced to go home, but anyone could volunteer. Sometimes the volunteer list was long.  

Their net profit margin in 2013 was 1.6% vs Walmart's at 3.52%. At 1.6% there is no room for mistakes.

If I'm not mistaken, Jerome Corsi of World Net Daily started this whole meme, and every conservative site is just going ballistic and repeating the same ol' same ol'.

Aren't conservatives supposed to think for themselves?

And how many of you complainers went to Costco and purchased the book?  Thought so...

We just came from seeing America - Imagine the World Without Her.

It's a must see!

About this Costco brouhaha over Dinesh D'Souza's book...

in which the echo chamber of the right sounds just as silly as the libtards.

I worked for Costco so allow me to enlighten you.

Costco carries about 3500 SKU's total and has limited space.  Their profit margin is incredibly small.

They run by the numbers.  They have to or they will go broke.

Costco is not a bookstore.  It simply sells some books along with all it's other offerings. 

It has a responsibility to its shareholders and their very highly paid employees.

If Dinesh D'Souza's book is not meeting the numbers, it has to go.

They carry (IMO) a higher number of conservative books over liberal books because conservative books sell better.

It's as simple as that.

From Costco's Facebook page:

Costco 

 Dear Costco Members - Costco does not make purchasing decisions based on personal or political leanings. Each item we carry must meet sales thresholds in order for us to continue to stock them.

We purchased this item with the best intentions when it came out on June 2nd, unfortunately it was not meeting the necessary thresholds and was a part of our normal weekly returns effective July 1, 2014. - Karen

Bill Whittle, Costco, and Jim Sinegal... (video)

is Mr. Sinegal a hypocrite?

I don't often disagree with Bill Whittle, but the attacks on Costco's founder and former CEO Jim Sinegal by everyone are not exactly based completely in reality.

Disclaimer:

I worked for Costco for about 8 or 9 years.  It was, without a doubt, the best job I've ever had.  To say I was disappointed with Mr. Sinegal's support of Obama would be a gross understatement.  However, there are a few parts missing from this story about his hypocrisy for taking a loan out to pay an extra dividend before the higher tax rates kick in.  Everyone is focused on the fact that this will save Mr. Sinegal about 4 million dollars in taxes, but are ignoring the part, as Scott Ott said, that the CEO of a company has a duty to his shareholders. In fact, Mr. Sinegal is the former CEO, and while I'm sure he had some input, is was not completely his decision.

During the time Mr. Sinegal was CEO, his top salary was about 350K for a company that has close to 100 billion dollars in gross revenue per year.  Compared to most CEOs that's a pretty paltry sum of money.  As is the custom with CEOs, he also received stock options.  When asked about his salary being so low during a TV interview many years ago, his answer was something to the effect of, "You know, that's still many times more than what my highest paid store manager makes.  I think that's more than enough."

I know Mr. Sinegal and I know how he runs his company.  His employees are among the highest paid retail workers in the entire country.  The cashiers top out at about $22.00 per hour, and other departments are even higher.  The benefits are among the best, and employees also receive regular bonuses.  Employee turnover is amongst the lowest in the business.  Close to 100% of advancement is from within the company.  Many a former cashier is now a store manager.

 Respect for employees is a requirement of all management.  I used to joke that Costco was the Post Office of the retail world because it was almost impossible to be fired.  If you burned down a warehouse, they'd probably respond by paying for your therapy to cure your pyromania. After passing my third year of employment, my store manager couldn't fire me without having a regional president fly in to make sure I wasn't being treated unfairly. 

Questions have been raised about Costco's use of eminent domain to obtain land for warehouses.  In most of the cases it has been the cities themselves, in their zeal to obtain the tax revenue, that have abused eminent domain and not Costco.   Location is not a big factor for this store.  They don't need to be in a prime location to serve it's customers.  The first warehouse I worked in was located in the most gosh awful downtown location with about the worst parking lot I've ever seen.  It didn't stop anyone from going there.  The replacement store they built, since the original was in an old truck warehouse, is essentially in a warehouse district and, in my opinion, a nightmare to access.

Do they seek to put others "out of business", as I often hear?  Since the amount of merchandise in a Costco store is well below the amount in other big box stores, their presence is usually a boon for other retailers.  For instance, if someone buys their flooring at Costco, they still need to buy a gazillion other things elsewhere to complete the job.  

A Costco warehouse in a community provides upwards of a hundred extremely high paying jobs.  It pays gobs in taxes to the local government, as well as donating untold millions to charity.  It saves families money by providing high-end quality merchandise at rock bottom prices.

One day when I was working there, a member brought up the fact that Jim was building a new, rather expensive home.  I'll tell you exactly the same thing I told this member.  God bless Jim Sinegal.  Without him, I wouldn't be one of the most overpaid retail employees in the country.  Because of his vision and hard work,  tens of thousands of high-paying jobs have been created.  Because of him, communities all around the world have prospered.  Because of him, people like you and I have access to some of the best merchandise in the world at prices we can afford. I think he should build himself two huge expensive homes, then buy a yacht, and a big airplane. 

So why does Jim Sinegal support Obama?  I really believe it's because he thinks all companies should operate like Costco and he really believes that most CEOs earn too much money.   And about that 4 million tax windfall he's getting?  I think it's no more than a consequence of his doing right by his shareholders.  Trust me on this one; Jim doesn't need another 4 million and could probably care less.

So when people make statements like, "I'm cutting up my Costco card", try and keep in mind that the only people you harm are employees and the community that reaps the benefits of huge tax revenues.  I feel the same way about Walmart.  The majority of the people working at our local Walmart are happy to have the job.  Do I think it would be nice if they operated like Costco?  Sure.  Thing is, if they did, it would no longer be Walmart.

I'm headed off to my little food demo job now.  It doesn't pay like Costco, but heck, I'm surprised someone is willing to pay me anything for standing around chitchatting with people and handing out my homemade pulled pork.  Just don't tell my boss I said that. 

Elizabeth Warren...

jobs grow from the bottom up.

Never had a poor person give me a job.

About Jim Sinegal, founder and former CEO of Costco...

Jim Sinegal made a good argument for Romney.  As some of you know, I worked for Costco for many years.  It was a great place to work and Jim was a great CEO.  I know Jim, maybe not well enough to be invited over for dinner, but I've made many a warehouse inspection with him and traveled to Wenatchee, WA to help open their new warehouse many years ago.  Jim made sure we were paid our hourly wage for our travel, paid for upscale accommodations, and threw a wonderful private party for the employees.  Because that's the way Jim believed in treating his employees.

His reasons for wanting everyone to vote for Obama are ridiculous on the surface.  Obama's policies do nothing to support a business built from the ground up, indeed, a business that Jim Sinegal built, not government.

I have no idea of why he supports Obama.  None!

Good for Costco!!!

reason number 4,842 for why I shop at Costco.

Costco severs ties with Iowa farm accused of pig abuse 

and

in this part of the country their eggs come from Wilcox Farms, a true model of wonderful farming. 


And please don't utter Sam's Club and Costco in the same sentence.  Costco represents high-end quality and Sam's Club is a big ugly WalMart.

Insights from the Com-box and Outrage of the Day

My previous post of the very well done video elicited these two stand out comments.

Emphasis is mine...

From Mark at Ordered Liberty:

I'm reading a book about Ohio Senator Robert Taft's political philosophy right now. Written by Russell Kirk, the book details Taft's efforts to focus the Republican Party during the late 1930's through the 1940's. When it came to Taft's approach and the issues he was responding to, it's very relevant to the current crisis we are in. Same with a good deal of what Reagan talked about back in the day.

The struggles we are in right now aren't new -- they face us every generation. The Left is relentless and determined, and they are fighting the long-game. A defeat here and there doesn't bother them, so long as they steadily move the culture and the polity in the direction they want. So, we have to be prepared for the long-game as well, and keeping in mind the work of men like Taft, Goldwater & Reagan is invaluable in doing just that.

And from Bob at Oldbob44

Chilling is a very good word. Reminds me of my university days 40+ years ago, standing on bus stops on winter nights in subzero cold. I don't have to do it anymore, but my hands and feet will never recover.

Once these people get their chill into the marrow of the bones of our liberties, the damage cannot be undone.

Outrage of the Day

Guess what?  I don't have one.  Now doesn't that just about knock your socks off?  I have a busy day ahead.  It's my haircut and Costco day and I refuse to respond to the myriad of upsetting stories floating about today.  Not even the one about the Weasel in the White House (no disrespect to weasels intended) causing one of the biggest traffic jams in L.A., evah.  I had already read several grass-roots articles about this travesty before finding the above article at Memeorandum.

I will, however, suggest you read The Plantation Nation's latest post, Well, The Headlines Tell It All  
and one from about a week ago, We Are Here: The Pale Blue Dot
While I don't always agree with Uncle Baruch (I mean really - should we ever agree with anyone except Jesus all the time?), I will have to give big kudos for making one think a bit harder about today's world.  

From Joe Newby writing for the Spokane Examiner:   Wanted: Informed voters to help save 234 year old country


Play nice while I'm gone...

Costco, Links, and 5000 Year Leap

I'm headed to Columbia Paints for deck stain and Costco to drown my angst in a slice of pizza.

While I'm gone read this:

RightKlik: If Obama Fails, It's Not His Fault

and this:

Creative Minority Report: Rejected Bumper Stickers

and then:

head over to Amazon and buy the 5000 Year Leap. I just started reading it and it is wonderful!

If you still have time left over visit me at:

Adrienne dePitera: Journey of a Bookcase, Part One