In his book, Future Shock(1970), Alvin Toffler had a chapter about Overchoice And Overchoice arrived and has flourished for years. Oh!, the choices, in the isles of super stores, supermarkets, autos, entertainment, medicines, gifts, on and on. How, how, HOW TO DECIDE? Well, perhaps habit, custom, brand. Here is a bit of advice on how to deal with it.
Number one is Consumer Reports Magazine. Looking for a new whatever, look it up in Consumer Reports. Ratings, ratings from stoves, to televisions, to automobiles, especially autos, the annual April issue. Lets say, you want to buy an older car, a 2002 Honda Accord. Get a 2007 Consumer Reports April issue or annual issue. There a 6 year repair history of all makes sold in America. Very interesting and in the magazine, red is good, black is bad. Well that car has a lot of red in regards to for example electronics, engine, transmission etc. In addition in, it is the last car of the edition, a new model came out in 2003. the problem with a new model is that they have more problems. those problems are addressed in the following models until a new model comes out. Thus the final model is the best, fewer problems. Now some auto makes are a sea of reds and some a sea of blacks. Note the tendencies and increase your chances of buying a better car. And we are talking a major purchase, thousands of dollars, a big deal.
Another rating system, is the Amazon site. Products are rated by customers. But a big word of caution, look for and trust more, a HIGH number of ratings. A hand full of 5 star ratings means nothing, easily biased, or fudged, but hundreds or evens thousands of high ratings do mean something.
In this Age of Over Choice, a better, or best choice can be made. It just takes a little research. In the end that adds of $s well spent and $s saved.
hey
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Monday, January 2, 2017
Why? Trepidation
Trepidation definition: a nervous or fearful feeling of uncertain agitation : apprehension
Ah, the new year has dawned and feelings of trepidation rooted in 2016 are on the minds of a majority of those who voted in the last general election. Now these figures are not figured by an accountant but are reasonably true. Something like 57% of the eligible voters actually voted in that election. Donald Trump received about 26% and Hillary Clinton 27% of the possible 100% of eligible voters. Of course Trump won the Electoral Vote, but the point is a minority of this country's voters controlled the election. Why trepidation? Well, that minority is controlled by the Republican Far Right.
From a previous post " Enter the Republican Far right( the Tea Party). They have been conducting a political(but really religious) Inquisition and a purge of liberal and moderates. This new power relies on rule by minority and seeks to control the political process by preying on the masses who are not informed but merely trying to survive in a fearful economic environment and looking for scapegoats. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer at an alarmingly increasing rate. The result of this divide of people was best described by Abraham Lincoln. 'A house divided cannot stand'". In truth this Tea movement is rooted in the religious dogma of the Far Right and in truth these views are locked values that need to be either unlocked or removed from the political arena. Unlocking is unlikely and thus the Republican Party may be doomed. As a nearly extinct liberal Republican, I know or feel the Republican course of survival and actual impact in our nation's future is to return to the concept of Separation of Church and State. If Church and State become one, the result in the extreme could be a Taliban type state. The combining of Church and State restricts freedom. The Separation of Church and State allows freedom. And freedom is the absolute core value of the United States of America."
At this moment the Doomed have been saved by the Rise of Donald Trump. There is trepidation now for health care, social security, medicare, medicaid, public schools, gays, trans genders, nuclear weapons, allies, religious freedom, Choice and on and on. Of course if the Far Left were totally in charge there would also be trepidation.
So now comes the reality and what is feared may not happen, may only partially happen or in the end, result in some or even total loss of freedom
Ah, the new year has dawned and feelings of trepidation rooted in 2016 are on the minds of a majority of those who voted in the last general election. Now these figures are not figured by an accountant but are reasonably true. Something like 57% of the eligible voters actually voted in that election. Donald Trump received about 26% and Hillary Clinton 27% of the possible 100% of eligible voters. Of course Trump won the Electoral Vote, but the point is a minority of this country's voters controlled the election. Why trepidation? Well, that minority is controlled by the Republican Far Right.
From a previous post " Enter the Republican Far right( the Tea Party). They have been conducting a political(but really religious) Inquisition and a purge of liberal and moderates. This new power relies on rule by minority and seeks to control the political process by preying on the masses who are not informed but merely trying to survive in a fearful economic environment and looking for scapegoats. The rich are getting richer and the poor poorer at an alarmingly increasing rate. The result of this divide of people was best described by Abraham Lincoln. 'A house divided cannot stand'". In truth this Tea movement is rooted in the religious dogma of the Far Right and in truth these views are locked values that need to be either unlocked or removed from the political arena. Unlocking is unlikely and thus the Republican Party may be doomed. As a nearly extinct liberal Republican, I know or feel the Republican course of survival and actual impact in our nation's future is to return to the concept of Separation of Church and State. If Church and State become one, the result in the extreme could be a Taliban type state. The combining of Church and State restricts freedom. The Separation of Church and State allows freedom. And freedom is the absolute core value of the United States of America."
At this moment the Doomed have been saved by the Rise of Donald Trump. There is trepidation now for health care, social security, medicare, medicaid, public schools, gays, trans genders, nuclear weapons, allies, religious freedom, Choice and on and on. Of course if the Far Left were totally in charge there would also be trepidation.
So now comes the reality and what is feared may not happen, may only partially happen or in the end, result in some or even total loss of freedom
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