Be Glad You Don’t Need The Money

 I had to call the Social Security Administration today...

If you need to contact the Social Security Administration, but you don’t need the money, Furgedaboutit because it ain’t worth it!

Calling the SSA is a mind-boggling exercise in You Won’t Believe. Here are 3 examples of what I mean from today’s call...

• The Hello Computer Recording will say things like this to you...If you are calling about a Disability Claim, you should understand that, because of COVID-19, Disability Claims take 200 to 230 Days To Process.
• The Hello Computer Recording will say things like this to you...If you do not want to remain on hold, we will call you back. At present the Hold Time is More Than 360 Minutes, because of COVID-19. (For those of you who do not have 360 fingers or a calculator, that’s 6 Hours Plus.)
• If you decide to remain on hold, you are in for a horrible listening experience because you will be subjected to Horrible Music. (Actually, if you had to listen to Beethoven’s Ode To Joy for 360 minutes Plus, you would learn to hate Beethoven also.)

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: Considering how many numbers there are above 360 (da Plus part), they may never call you back. If you decided to complain, their Complain Department Manager will smugly say to you, “It has only been 17 days since we committed to call you back within 360 minutes Plus, therefore, we are still within the Federal Plus Parameter, ergo, we are in compliance with Established Federal Persecution Guidelines”.

Lagniappe Another: If you call about your Disability Claim after you have waited for 231 days, be prepared to hear this, "What Disability Claim? We lost it, because of COVID-19. You will have to resubmit and you should understand, because of COVID-19, the processing time is now 276 days, because of COVID-19".

There Once Was A TV Show Named “Eight Is Enough” But Now We Find Out That $1.1 Million Is Not Enough

 

I don’t know about you but about me I think that the above house is not much of a $1,100,000 house because it is not that big, it is not on a 3 acre lot, it is not next to a flowing stream, it does not have a horse stable next to the stream with several beautiful horses in it ready to take family members for a ride.

Instead, it is crammed into a small subdivision on a small lot with a lot of other small lots and there are no horses nor horse stables to be seen. Actually, the lot is so small it probably does not have room for a pony or even a moped.

Fella got so curious about these houses that he put on his Potted Plant Outfit, Googled to find out the name and address of one of the future residents and he when over to see what he could find out about these home buyers and what he found out was very interesting.

He arrived just in time to hear the future little house owner vent his spleen about what he saw as a spleen-worthy venting issue when he heard the agitated husband shouting at his cowering wife, “Have you seen that big sign outside our future homesite’s front gate? That’s right it reads $1,100,000 And Up! When we contacted to build this home, I thought that $1,100,000 was quite enough to spend but I no longer think that way! I’ll be darn if I am going to be looked down on by my future snotty neighbors because I have the cheapest house in the neighborhood! First thing in the morning I’m calling the builder and directing him to squeeze in a $300,000 Jacuzzi right behind our $250,000 Lanai. I only wish our lot had room for a $700,000 swimming pool!”

“And, sure as shooting, if he tells me that Jacuzzis do not cost that much, I darn well will tell him I don’t care one hoot about what a Jacuzzi really costs, just as long as he charges me at least $300,000!”

His cowering wife mumbled a question to him and that set him off venting again, “You are right, Bubbles, I am also going to ask him what a Lanai is!”

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Did Anyone Ever Say That What You See On The Internet Is Not Always The Truth? If Not, Someone Should Have!

 

I stumbled across this on the Internet:

The beginning of the article...

“The Federal Communications Commission has fined Lingo Telecom $1 million for transmitting robocalls impersonating President Joe Biden earlier this year, where an AI replica of Biden's voice was used to trick and persuade voters in the New Hampshire primary election not to go to the polls.”

The end of the article...

“Russian bot farms posting replies to political figures have continued to spam across X, The Wall Street Journal reports, finding that the issue has been a problem since at least 2022 when Elon Musk bought the social media platform. Facebook and Instagram have also found bot networks spreading political propaganda on their platforms, and removed over 2,000 accounts earlier this year tied to Israel, Iran, and China, to name a few.”

Did you see the Tip Of The Iceberg? I underlined it for you...removed over 2,000 accounts. If the Tip is “over 2000”, can we even imagine how big the Iceberg is?

Fella has this to say about that...There are a lot of numbers higher than 2,000.

If you wanna read the whole article click here: FCC Slaps Telecom Firm With $1M Fine for Spreading Fake Biden Robocall (msn.com)

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

Do You Have A Right To See Who Is Breaking Your Windshield With A Hammer?

    

The above subject ought to be a No Brainer but No Brainers appeared to have disappeared at the same time as Common Sense disappeared.

What am I talking about? I’m not sure but I’ll come up with something.

************

We used to have the right to face our accuser. That was before Mr. Anonymous raised his ugly head. He was quickly followed by the appearance of the likes of...

Ø According to a source close to the matter...

Ø According to a person familiar with the matter...

Ø People familiar with the matter said...

Ø One of those involved said...

Ø In a private text-message exchange about two weeks after election day...

Ø According to one document...

Ø Etc. Etc. Etc.

************

Now, long after The Lone Ranger (who never lived) died, we have Masks Everywhere...

Ø Persons of Interest walk into banks wearing masks. They are sometimes stopped by Security Guards who say, “You can’t walk into a bank with a mask on”.

Ø The indignant mask wearer says in reply, “Oh, yes, I can. Where have you been? Do you not watch TV? Every night thousands of Mask Wearers roam the country causing all kinds of mayhem and they are not stopped from roaming and mayheming”.

Ø “Who are you to say that I can’t come into your bank and take some money. After all I’m not going to take all your bank’s money. I’m only going to take a whole bunch of it”.

The befuddled Security Guard says...

Ø “You have a point there. Sorry I bothered you. Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait for your money?”.

************

It has gotten so bad that our Rulers are finding it necessary to pass laws to try and get this Nationwide Mass Mask Epidemic under some kind of control. You think I am making this up, don’t you? Ok, Mr. Smarty Pants, here is an actual news article headline I just stumbled across...

A New York County Passes Anti-Mask Bill To Prevent Anti-Israel Protesters From Shielding Identities 

This Blog Posting has now come full circle (yea, I know it took me a while).

Don’t for second think that Law and Order has won this battle. It ain’t over till the inevitable lawsuits are over. The lawsuits will be having their way with us for years to come.

Of course, the court actions will be accompanied by demonstrations outside the courthouses with all of the demonstrators shouting Jingle Chants somewhere along these lines, “We don’t have to ask! We got a right to mask!”

************

Fella’s Own Stupid Opinion Department...Police ought to make it a practice to rip off all masks they can get their hands on. This ought to send the mask wearers scurrying away into the night. Since they are not allowed to use their batons anymore, police need to have something to do with their hands while they are asking the Mostly Peaceful Demonstrators To Stop Setting Those Mostly Peaceful Fires.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

My Father Knew How To Speak Good English But Sometimes He Played With His English

When it came to education, my Father was a man of his times. He went to the 5^th Grade in Grammar School. Then his Father said to him (as he did to all his children), “That’s enough of that. Time for you to get to work at working”. That probably meant, Get To Work In My Grocery Store!

So, what was it my Father said in Not Good English? He often said, “Don’t worry about nontin.” All these years later (he died in February of 1966) his tongue-in-cheek ditty would be coming into fruition for Corner Grocery Store Owners like him (if there were any corner grocery store owners like him still out there).

Here’s how it would work...

Ø He would go to his nearest print shop and have the above Warning Sign printed up.

Ø He would only need 1 sign.

Ø He would dig out 1 thumb tack and thumb it to the wall right inside his corner front door.

Ø He could then sit back and relax and not worry about nontin (yea, I know that’s a Bad English Double Negative).

That’s right, customers could be repeatedly bitten by his own dog or any other dog that happened to be in his little corner grocery store and he would not be liable because he had thumb tacked that little sign inside his little corner grocery store and now, he was worrying about nontin.

In Today’s Litigious Society there would be a fly in his ointment but not back in his day. Today he would need several more signs and several more thumb tacks. That’s because today he would have to tack up several more signs outside his store because he would certainly be sued by bitten customers who were approaching his store but were not actually in his store. It’s the Intent To Enter Provision.

In my Daddy’s day, if the Intent To Enter Provision were raised in a courtroom the Judge would certainly have said, “Get Out Of My Courtroom!”

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

They Try To Get Us To Worry About Everything!

 News Article Headline

Skyscraper-Size Asteroid Will Buzz Earth

The above headline happened several months ago but I did not blog about it then because I’ve been busy.

This sounds like something that could be very dangerous. Skyscrapers are very big. This sounds like the kind of thing that got rid of the Dinosaurs. If I remember right, Dinosaurs were a lot bigger than we are. This probably kept a lot of people awake at night back when I was busy not writing about our impending doom.

OK, I agree we are not interested in hearing about all the cats stranded up high in trees but do we really want only Bad News? We are getting so caught up in Bad News that I am thinking we are to the point where we don’t want to hear about every bad news story out there.

We especially don’t want to hear about all the bad news out there that is really not bad news but the News Media is taking Interesting News or Curious News or So What News and making it sound like Really Bad News.

************

Back to the News Headline that got my attention and got me started on this blog... “Skyscraper-Size Asteroid Will Buzz Earth”

• Do you see the word that caught my attention and started me stumbling through this blog?
• That’s right, it is “Buzz”.
• If they had said a Skyscraper-Sized Piece of Something was going to Pass By the Earth it would not have gotten our attention but Buzz By sounds really close!
• Buzz By sounds like NBA Basketball Players better get ready to duck.

************

On the other hand, we read in the article... Don’t worry: There’s no chance of it hitting us since it will pass seven times the distance from Earth to the moon or said another way, Safely Passing Within 1.7 Million Miles.

That does it! There ought to be a law against Making Mountains Out Of Mole Hills. If this news article would have been presented to Dr. Jonas Salk as he was nearing finding his cure for Tuberculosis, he quite possibly would have jumped up and knocking over his lab table with all his really important test tubes on it as he rushed out of the building to seek cover.

And then where would we be? I’ll tell you where many of us would be. We would be in Iron Lungs Scattered All Across The Fruited Plain.

I shudder to think of it!

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: This Lagniappe comes to you from Fella’s Go Ahead and Google It Department which tells you that you have Fella’s permission to Google Dr. Jonas Salk, Iron Lung and/or Tuberculosis.

Are We That Stupid?

Hello out there. It is The Noticer here. It happened again when I least expected it. I was driving on a Big 4-Lane Highway the other day when it happened. I Noticed something that only I, The Noticer, would ever Notice.

I had made my turn out of my 2 lanes going north and, as I crossed over the 2 lanes going south, I Noticed that there were 3 red signs on the right side of the 2 south bound lanes and 3 signs on the left side of the south bound lanes that were facing toward me and not facing toward the oncoming traffic.

Are you wondering why they were not facing oncoming traffic? That’s because they were intended to prevent stupid drivers from taking a right turn and beginning to travel into oncoming traffic. That’s right, they were signs that read Wrong Way...

  

These were Stupid Signs. No, the signs were not stupid they were there to prevent Stupid Drivers from having head-on collisions with oncoming traffic.

At first, I thought, “If the signs were not there, it would be a great way to get rid of a lot of Stupid People!” But, since I am pretty smart, I immediately saw that was not a good idea because the Stupid People might collide with Smart People and get rid of people who need not be gotten rid of like...

• A brilliant doctor who was days away from finding a cure for all forms of Cancer.
• A baseball player who was 1 swing away from breaking the all-time record for home runs in a single season.
• A young man of 22 years of age who, 38 years into the future, was destined to become President of the United States, and in his 2^nd year in office, he was going to solve the Middle East Situation.

Forrest Gump is visiting with me today. He just expanded on his famous Stupid Line in his movie, “Stupid is as stupid does and driving the wrong way into 2 lanes of oncoming traffic is stupid. It is hard to comprehend how much money is spent every year all across the fruited plain buying signs and erecting signs that try to prevent stupid people from doing stupid!”

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: 

Environmental Fatigue

I don’t want you to think that Fella is uncaring about the things I am destroying every day but I can only worry about so many things at one time.

• My car spews things that should not be spewed. If I really cared, I would walk. Yosemite is not that far. The walk would do me good...Or

 would it?  

• Among the things I am known to put into my grocery basket are: Water in Plastic Bottles, Sausage wrapped in Plastic on a Plastic tray, Plastic Wrap so I can wrap other things in Plastic, etc. Then I go to check out and I am told that Plastic Bags have been discontinued because they are bad for the environment, so I have to take Paper Bags instead. I find myself in a quandary thinking, “Where does that material to make Paper Bags come from? I’m going to Google that question as soon as I get home”

Ø My father was a grocer in an age where Corner Grocery Stores were all over our corners. We used to sell Soft Drinks in Glass Bottles. The Glass Bottles were returned for the 2 Cent Deposit or traded in on New Glass Bottles full of Undrunk Soft Drink. Now we get Soft Drinks in Plastic Bottles (which we throw away) or in Glass Bottles (which we throw away).

************

Today is my Birthday! My daughter gave me a very nice Birthday Card. I never should have turned it over. Waiting there for me was Another Environmental Quandary.

It was an Environment Comfort Message that only confused me much more than it comforted me...

this card is produced entirely in england using low chlorine pulp from sustainable forest and printed with finishes which naturally disperse or biodegrade when this card is composted or recycled

Notice how they saved ink by not capitalizing anything and not using a period.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: Then they put it in a jet plane and spewed it to me across the Atlantic Ocean from England.

These People Are Going To Make Millions Because Some Of Us Are Not As Smart As Some Others Of Us Are Smart

 

We have all received Fake Emails from an African Prince that wants to give us millions of dollars.

We have all thought to ourselves something like this, “One would have to be a complete idiot to believe that someone we do not know and will never know wants to give us millions of dollars. No one could ever believe this is true!”

When we thought this we were completely wrong to think what we thought. There are a lot of people who do believe this Unbelievable Foolishness.

Then one day I saw an article on the Internet (so you know it was true) that explained it all. The email was intentionally unbelievable. The thinking of these shysters was anyone who does respond was a certain candidate to be a person who they can take money from. They were looking for stupid and people who did respond were certain to be stupid.

How many people respond? ... Tens of thousands of foolish people do respond and get fleeced by this Unbelievably Foolish Email every year.

************

The other day I was contacted by a shyster who hoped I was stupid enough to send him $19.51. I did not send him any money but I betcha this Crook is making Millions of Dollars because his email is really slick (see email below).

Several years ago, I had made a trip through Florida’s Toll Road Hell. A few days after I got back, I received a couple of emails from Sunpass Toll Services telling me I had failed to give the State of Florida some of my money which they said now belonged to them and I paid the money.

Did I get fleeced? Possibly I was fleeced but back then it was believable because I had just gotten back from my trip.

Now, years after I got back, I received this...

(Here is the below email...)

Sunpass Toll Services: We’ve noticed an outstanding toll amount of $19.51 on your record. To avoid a late fee of $50.00, visit: xxxx.xx/xxxxxx/xxxxxxxx to settle your balance.

I did not send them $19.51 because, as I said, it has been years since I had dared to go into Florida’s Toll Road Hell and this late a follow up just ain’t as believable.

I faked the payment link because I was afraid you were going to click on the real link and send them some of your money.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: I thought as I was driving through Florida’s Toll Road Hell, “It seems like, every time I turn around, I owe another toll to Florida”. I even stopped turning around, in the hopes that I was going to save money.

This List Is Far From Complete!

 

This is from the United States’ Secret Service web site...

The Secret Service is dedicated to maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for engaging in protected activity. This assurance extends to all employees, former employees, contract employees, applicants for employment, and any persons dealing with the Secret Service on official business, regardless of their…

Ø  Race

Ø  Color

Ø  Religion

Ø  Sex (including pregnancy)

Ø  National Origin

Ø  Age

Ø  Disability

Ø  Protected Genetic Information

Ø  Sexual Orientation (Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination and is prohibited)

Ø  Marital Status

Ø  Parental Status

Ø  Political Affiliation

Ø  Veteran Status

Ø  Retaliation 

Ø  Or any other basis protected by law. 

This list is not complete! I am amazed that the smart people who put together this extensive list were so blind that they missed a Very Obvious Often Discriminated Against Category!

I am certain all of you, once you see what they missed below, will say to your collective selves, “But, of course, they certainly missed a big one!”...

People With Spaces Between Their Front Teeth

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

It’s May Be Out There ... It Is Definitely Not Down Here

This quote is a Fella Find from an article in the Wall Street Journal on July 15, 2024 that is conclusive proof that the cartoon that follows it is no joke...

The Quote:

“Some without evidence suggested Trump staged the shooting for his political benefit”.

The Cartoon:

Can’t you just hear Trump saying to his staff, “I need you to find a completely inexperienced marksman who is less than 21 years old to do the shooting. Tell him to promise to make sure the bullet comes less than an inch away from killing me so this whole thing will be absolutely believable. I’m glad I thought of this because it is certain to get me enough additional votes to put me over the top!”

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

In Order To...We’re Going To

Here is what the Hilton’s Hampton Inns is doing in order to make you More Comfortable when you stay with them...

Notice they said, “For your comfort...”. That’s Slick Wording. Don’t be tricked by Slick Wording. Slick Wording is when they (whomever they are) tell you they are looking out for you as they take something you want, something you need and/or something you normally would expect is due you.

Here are 3 more examples of Slick Wording I made up...Or did I?

Ø In order that you are more likely to enjoy your dining experience, we have stopped cooking your food.

Ø In order to keep you from having too much gasoline sloshing around in your gas tank, we have recalibrated our gas pumps to read a gallon pumped when only one half of a gallon has been pumped into your tank.

Ø In order to keep you from having to hear all that jingling in your pocket, we have discontinued giving you your change when you purchase anything from any of our 3,257 stores.

Where do I get these ideas? They come to me from all directions and I Notice Them because I am The Noticer.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Why Were We The Way We Were?

 

The COVID-19 Pandemic was an awful time. Being awful was one thing but Fella thinks it was responsible for a Massive Outbreak of Awfully Stupid the likes of which we ought to pray will never happen again.

Here are many examples of Dumb Run Amuck...

The Worst Offenders

• Vermont Governor Phil Scott announced that no one may gather with anyone from another household—even outdoors. He justified the ban because “you don’t know what your neighbor has done.” (He later amended the order to allow socially distanced walks with one other person.)
• Villages in New York banned the use of leaf-blowers. According to the mayor of Sleepy Hollow, because of the COVID pandemic, blowing dust into the air “creates a HAZMAT situation.” And in Croton-on-Hudson, the Village manager expressed “concern that the use of leaf blowers may be contributing to the spread of the virus although there is no scientific proof of this.”
• Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker imposed a “no exceptions” mask mandate requiring everyone age 5 and older to wear masks in public, even when outdoors and socially distanced (or, presumably, alone).
• Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti banned all travel other than for essential activities, including “travel on foot, bicycle, scooter, motorcycle, automobile, or public transit.” In other words, no unnecessary walking.
• The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, banned drive-in church services for Easter. Fortunately, a federal judge put a stop to the ban, writing that the mayor’s order was something “this court never expected to see outside the pages of a dystopian novel, or perhaps the pages of The Onion.”

But it wasn’t just the measures themselves that were troublesome. The enforcement of these new laws was also overzealous and absurd.

• Police in Encinitas, California, cited 22 people for “watching the sunset” and “having picnics near the beach.” Violations carry fines of up to $1,000 and up to six months in jail.
• A 19-year-old woman in Pennsylvania was stopped by police and given a $200 ticket when she went for a drive—alone—“just to get out of the house.”
• In California, police chased down and arrested paddleboarders and surfers who went out in the ocean socially distanced from anyone.
• A man in Brighton, Colorado, was arrested for playing catch with his 6-year-old daughter on a near-empty softball field.

************

Fella Made This One Up...Or did he?

The Mayor of Palooka, Illinois personally arrested a man in the Palooka’s City Park who was throwing a football to no one. The Mayor was cruising the park while he was Masked, Gloved and Wearing Plastic Wrap Covered Galoshes when he observed the offending offender throwing the ball and running to pick it up only to throw it again and running to pick it up to throw it again over and over. When the mayor questioned the Thrower to Nobody Football Thrower as to why he was throwing the ball to nobody the Thrower to Nobody Football Thrower said he wanted to get some exercise but everyone else was afraid to come out of their houses for fear that COVID-19 might be outside their houses. The Mayor said he had to act because the Thrower to Nobody Football Thrower might have encouraged another exercise seeker to come out of his house to seek exercise and the Mayor feared that the two of them might have caused a crescendo of other Thrower to Nobody Football Throwers to come out of their COVID Safe houses to seek exercise. The Mayor said he was further concerned because he knew his entire police force was unavailable to make the arrest in his stead because they were afraid to come out of their houses because the Mayor had told them not to come out of their houses.

I’m going to stop now because I am beginning to sound Foolish and you know I never want to sound Foolish...Or do I never want to?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

It's Awful Down There

I do not take any solace in what’s happening to my country at present.

The nation I Love, have always Admired and have always been Proud Of is being Fundamentally Changed. The people who ought to be saving it do not seem to be worried about all the Awful that is reported every day on our never-ending news shows.

Actually, our public officials often appear to be orchestrating and cheering on the Awful.

************

I’ve just stopped writing this blog because I am now into Fella’s Copy and Paste Mode. There are still lots of reasons why we should be glad that we live in the Good Ole USofA instead of Mexico but there appears to be less of those reasons with each passing day.

If we lived in Mexico below is a sample of what the nightly news would be reporting to us each night...

June 1, 2024

Crispín Mendoza bounded up the stairs to the roof of his house earlier this spring and shot back at the gunmen who were peppering his home with automatic-rifle fire. It was election season in the rugged mountains of lawless Guerrero state, Mexico’s deadliest place to run for municipal office.

Since January, when he began campaigning for mayor of the town of Alcozauca, Mendoza said he has endured dozens of telephone death threats. A local criminal kingpin, known as “El Señor,” left a message written on a sheet warning Mendoza to stay out of politics.

A short, stocky man with a neatly trimmed beard, Mendoza said he was asleep in the middle of the night in March when two gunmen started shooting up his home. As his wife and three children screamed and hid under a bed, Mendoza grabbed his Taurus 380 revolver.

“I started firing back,” he said. “I scared them away.”

Since the shooting, his neighbors have rallied to his defense, bringing their rifles and sleeping in his home, three at a time. Mendoza now has a detail of seven National Guardsmen, who protect him around the clock.

A wave of political violence has become a threat across Mexico ahead of the country’s national elections Sunday. More than 200 government officials, candidates and political party activists have been gunned down since Mexico’s electoral process got under way in September, according to Integralia Consultores, a Mexico City consulting firm.

While the presidency and both houses of Congress are up for grabs, organized-crime groups are particularly focused on thousands of local elections. Mexico’s electoral agency, INE, has requested federal protection for more than 550 candidates for public office because of threats or attacks.

“This election is going to be the most violent in history,” said Luis Carlos Ugalde, Integralia’s general director and former chief of Mexico’s electoral agency. “If you want to be a candidate in a region controlled by gangs, you need to ask for permission so they don’t kill you.”

Mendoza didn’t. He said he was drawn into politics to make a better life for his neighbors, many of whom live hardscrabble lives in homes that have dirt floors and no running water. The town is plagued by corruption, with criminal organizations stealing a good chunk of the money that should go to public works.

The tempo of violence has quickened ahead of Sunday’s election. Between May 15 and 17, three candidates running for municipal office in three states were killed. The bodies of a candidate for City Council in another Guerrero town and his wife were found in the back of a pickup truck. During the same period, the body of a candidate for a town in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa was found in a field, and a candidate for mayor in a town in the southern Chiapas state was gunned down.

On Wednesday evening in the town of Coyuca in Guerrero state, near the once-glitzy beach resort of Acapulco, the opposition candidate for mayor, José Alfredo Cabrera, was gunned down as hundreds of his supporters watched in horror. He was shot twice in the head as he arrived to give his final speech at the closing rally of his campaign. The gunman, who had approached the candidate in a wheelchair, was immediately killed by Cabrera’s security guards, authorities said.

The wave of political violence has exposed the cracks in Mexico’s democracy. Polls show that security is a top concern for Mexican voters. Security experts have said that the six cities with the highest homicide rates in the world are in Mexico.

“Now a lot of people get by with a tortilla with sauce and salt,” an official said.

************

I underlined what I thought stood out as Awful. I could have underlined the entire article.

Would I kid u?

The bad guys in Mexico are not kidding either!

Smartfella 

 

It Is Hard To Believe But My Father Died 58 Years Ago

 

My Father was a hard-working owner of a grocery store in an era when neighborhood grocery stores were all over the place. 

The late Howard Cosell (Google him) and my late Father are visiting with me today and Howard surprised me by saying to me, "Fella, don't hold back. Tell your Father like it is". I have always listened to Howard so before I knew what I was saying I said, “Let’s face it, Daddy, you were not a good businessman. You did know how to price your goods. You just didn’t understand how to make a profit”.

I saw immediately that this straight talk was hurtful to hard working him but it was true. Simply stated, my Daddy's pricing of his groceries as low as he had kept his family from becoming wealthy!

Did I just hear several of My Dear Readers shout at me, “What are you talking about, Fella? Where is your proof that your Father priced his groceries too low?”

Ok, I’ll prove it and it will only take 5 bullet points…

• At present my wife and I are enjoying a loaf of cinnamon bread.
• It is delicious!
• We paid $5.79 for it.
• Back in the 1950s my not-a-good-businessman Father sold cinnamon bread loaves in his store also but he sold them for 45 cents a loaf!
• If he had priced them at $5.79 a loaf, We Would Have Been Rich!

Sorry, Daddy.

I have proven my point...Or have I?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella