Tioga Herald

Lead, follow, or get out of the way. I say to the business people at the top of big fat monopolized supply-side economics corporations: “go ahead, make my day and get out of my way.”
Same issue once again. People have heard it and have a lack of R- E- S- P- E- C- T (Aretha Franklin) for me, saying simply, “it’s not that important.” To which I say to lsuch people: “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.” 
Big business in America today run in the government by people lousy people like Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, and none other than Donald Trump of Florida. Add to that, Dan Abbott, the perverted governor of Texas. They don’t take responsibility for their what they do, but just work and pay off the media to help them in trashing Joe Biden and the Democrats, as if they are the only ones who are to blame for anything.

Case in point. News item today about how the head of the U.N. wishes to avert another cold war if the USA and China would work things out. Thanks to Trump, the USA has failed at this. I even had Republicans, not Democrats, who complained about the lousy way Trump handled deals with China. But who is likely to take the blame when the media ignores what Trump does and keeps everything down to “what is happening now?” The media refuses to look at what has happened in the short term, right now because everyone is so damn greedy today, they wash away the memory and long-term thoughts. They have even helped destroy the thinking about an American dream for long-term investments (CAPITALISM) in a primary residence, so more people are homeless, as the big fat pigs line their pockets with nothing but short-term benefits for them, while destroying the idea of long-term benefits. This has happened with the destruction of pensions, Social Security, and Medicare. Perverted Republicans who won’t work with Joe Biden for long-term “HUMAN” infrastructure opportunities.

Added to the disgusting way Trump worked to gain the peace in Afghanistan, for the benefit of oil producers such as those in Saudi Arabia and Texas (they all love the fat pig Trump), rather than consider peace and justice. Trump the fat pig lays out a timetable for departure from Afghanistan but the time table went into what the fat pig thought would be his second term. Had he been in office, he would have made certain nothing bad was said about the departure. Instead, Joe Biden, considering we have been there 20 years and accomplished little or nothing (as I hear most Americans actually SAYING, and not due to Biden, but due to Trump). Does the media mention this aspect? No. And George W. “Shrub” Bush who never finished the job with Saudi royal family member, Bin Laden, but lied to the American people in order to go to Iraq instead. We did get involved in Afghanistan, but only for the satisfaction of the Saudi royal family. Then the Obama-Biden team took over, Bin Laden was caught, and a plan to move us closer to the other sect of Islam in opposition to the Saudi royal family, and the net result from oil man “Shrub” was ISIS and others beholden to the Saudis. Those people are mean and vicious people and I don’t want mean and vicious Republicans like that leading the party or the government.

Screw Reagan and his statement, “the government is the problem.” The oil business people and Saudi royal family are the biggest problems, for sure.

So, why did I take the time to explain all of this? Because there are too many people running big corporate America today, pushing for free markets. At the end of the day, free markets become monopolized supply-side corporations who “re-regulate” according to their own corrupt benefits for lining their own pockets and not being held accountable by regulatory practices in government and by the people. The net result is fat pig Trump’s favorite word: “destroy.”

I have several case studies of what is happening with what I just described. The most recent one had one more piece of the puzzle added today. So, I say, “go ahead, Mr. Business person and/or lawyer, take responsibility or get out of my way.” Go ahead. Make my day. But of course, no one is willing to consider my case study or anything else I say, so I feel sorry about the future of America in such incapable hands. The capable ones are President Biden and the Democrats and they are being sabotaged in their endeavors to provide the solutions which are best for ALL Americans, not just the freaking oil slick perverts of Texas, Florida, and Saudi Arabia.
The example case study is about newspaper delivery in a rural area of upstate New York. Several things. First of all, not wishing to provide delivery to rural areas is a strategy for moving people to Dixie and the urban areas which have been developed there. This strategy is like the Bolsheviks / Communists of Russia and the Communists of China. One big difference. It is being directed, not by a government, but by monopolies of supply-side economics who proclaim they want freedom. Freedom all right, but not for the common folk. Only to line their own pockets, as did people like Breshnev and others in the former Soviet Union who had vacation dachas which the common folks were not able to have. The leaders were doing better than their “comrades.” That is NOT Communism. Yet, our wonderful fat pig leaders in business and lawyers are doing that centrally-planned type of economics which perverted Marco Rubio claims he does not like. I have to wonder what kind of liar he is.  And those from rural areas (like Manchin of West Virginia) pit American against American in the same manner lawyers do with their lousy personal injury lawsuits which they claim is the alternative to “socialism.’ What a bunch of perverted minds. No rural delivery so people will be tempted to move to urban areas. After all, crowd control is easier when people are herded into more densely populated areas. Thoughts right from Chairman Mao, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, and others. But today, this herding of people is being engendered by big business monopolies who work to control the government with the support of the Supreme Court, Citizens United, lobbyists (Grover Norquist in Congress) , and PACs.
Another part of this newspaper mismanagement is the fact that big fat pigs have removed the ability for “little people” (you know, Leona Helmsley said only “little people pay the taxes”) have more than just JOB opportunities, but also have opportunities for supply and demand capitalism, capitalist competition, and a profit. (OMG! Did I say a dirty word? PROFIT?  OMG! Shut my mouth).  When I delivered newspapers, I had a bike. Spent no money on gasoline because I was too young to drive. I also walked the route in the winter. I purchased my newspapers from the Sun-Bulletin at a wholesale price and re-sold at the retail price. I could choose to have as many newspapers as I wished to sell, but had to pay for the entire lot. If I did not sell all of them, it was MY responsibility, not that of the newspaper. They were willing to help, but it was my responsibility. I collected the money from my customers. I had opportunities to expand my customer base as much as I wished to do. If someone did not pay, it was my responsibility. With my dad being a local business person, if I ever experienced someone who refused to pay, then my dad would help out, I am sure. But it NEVER came to that. Everyone was respectful enough and I never had to call in my dad. But he offered, just in case. I had a SAFETY NET – you know, the one thing fat pig Republicans wish to remove and, I must say, too many liberals wish to keep the safety net “to infinity and beyond.”  I could make a profit. This enabled me to purchase vinyl record albums (like the Beatles White album and several others). I could buy my parents and brothers gifts at holiday times and birthdays.  In other words, even with the SAFETY NET from my father (which I was lucky to never use), I spent money in the economy. All due to newspaper delivery in a rural area.

The side benefit was walking or bike riding each day along busy Main Street which was also State Route 38. Never considering it, such activity was also very good exercise to help me prepare for being on the school football team, too. So, when our coaches told us to run up a hill in back of the school, it was tough, for sure. When Coach Evans stood on “line sled” as we on the line practiced moving the opposition out of the way, I could handle it. (Coach Evans put down the Sun-Bulletin newspaper I delivered, never realizing the side benefit I got from delivering it each morning; delivery BEFORE going to school so I had the afternoons to be at football practice, unlike the Evening Press delivery considerations). But also for sure, I have to wonder how much tougher it would have been, should I NOT have had that exercise? Incidentally. As one of my football buddies recently remarked, Coach Evans “was a person who could get the best out of us!” Full agreement from me, for sure!

When I asked the local newspaper delivery person about me dealing directly with this person, I was told that Gannett won’t allow that. The ordeal I experienced trying to re-establish my print subscription was appalling. This person delivering the newspaper is like a slave now to the corporation, being paid what ever the corporation wishes to pay. There is no opportunity to step up profits so as to better purchase the gasoline or any type of energy necessary to deliver the newspapers. Had I been faced with dilemmas during my days of delivery of any type of rising costs which cut into my overhead, I would have found alternative ways to make a better profit. For instance, maybe I could have worked with other businesses in the village to determine if I could have the newspapers sold through their business and then collect the money from them. After all, according to the grocery manager at the store where we obtain the newspapers today, that store makes no money from the newspapers, even under the circumstances of slaves who are hired by the newspaper to deliver such items. What this manager failed to realize was how many people, like me, who come to his store to buy other products? Never considered that because the younger generation has lost all sight of what it takes to sell products. They are not being taught, that’s what it is. I certainly could have used my American ingenuity to figure out other ways to reduce my overhead. Go ahead. Make my day and say, with everything I may have considered, “it’s impossible.” To which I say, you pessimistic fool because “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

This newspaper issue and the mis-management of big corporations goes beyond what I have already outlined. I discovered today that Gannett pushes hard to read e-editions of their newspaper, even with a management attempting to curtail reading the print copy with claims that “no one wants to read them.” False crap from fat pigs at  the top of corporations. No attention to customer needs (in capitalism, it’s called the DEMAND SIDE of the market). Newspapers are not the only industries which have such fat pigs at the top. Yet, as I discovered today, I was told by Gannett customer service to “go to the website and order print delivery there.” Are you kidding? Please show me where one can go to find such a choice? It does not exist on the website. Number one example of how Gannett is foolish in its application of technology. Second example. The “chat” set up by Gannett also does not help put in a subscription, unless for the e-edition. The third example was this. When I asked about paying for the subscription, I was given two choices. (1) to be billed by mail (snail mail). (2) Have an automatic payment by card. I asked for a third alternative to receive a billing by email and then be able to manually pay online. Nope. I was informed this last alternative does not exist. Even small companies have this last alternative, particularly where I obtain my propane gas and fuel oil from a smaller local company. But not big Gannett which pushes e-editions? No. Gannett closed their local Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira offices. No such thing as “local.” Just herd us all into big densely populated areas, right? Speaking of that. In Florida, I had newspapers (Cox and a Gannett local paper) where I could pay manually online. But not in Gannett’s USA Today in Binghamton.   I am going to speak out against such travesties and I expect respect for what I feel is important. Don’t tell me it is not. I don’t wish to move to a local nursing facility in order to get my newspaper delivered – a large unit of many people where lazy people work to seek out fast delivery of many newspapers.

I have often said that my father, a veteran of World War II and the Pacific war theatre, would have been offended by what Gannett is doing. As a kid, i recall how he kept informed, reading two newspapers every day. Gannett first condensed the two into one. Then furthermore, it never considered all of the news, INFORMATION (science, health, food, puzzles, etc., etc., etc.) which help sell the newspapers. They made my dad angry as they condensed the Press & Sun-Bulletin. Today, in comparison, the Scranton Times-Tribune provides a capitalist competitive newspaper which has not condensed its newspaper to the extent that Gannett Pravda has done in Binghamton. The Scranton newspaper can be purchased at $1.00 less per issue than that of Gannett Binghamton Pravda. While the Scranton newspaper is not delivered up here (nor the Sayre, PA, newspaper) in order to provide competition, one can purchase the newspaper in the next county, but not in the county where we live. Lucky for us that we border on more densely populated Broome County more closely than many places in our own county. 

When I asked the circulation department (I can actually speak with a local person at the Scranton newspaper!  OMG!) about the possibility of have their newspaper delivered by snail mail, they practically laughed at me!  For sure, it could arrive two or three days late. That COULD be fixed if our lawyer politicians in Albany and Washington would do something to preserve our postal service, but they don’t because they are too damn concerned about personal injury lawsuits.  however, the laughter at the other end of the circulation customer line at the Scranton newspaper was about the cost of having it delivered by snail mail. I told the person that is not funny because the cost quoted to me was about one-third of the monthly cost for us to destroy our carbon footprint, consume gasoline, and drive to West Corners each day!  Nobody makes comparisons anymore, so I think the person was surprised to learn that I crunched the numbers and found a cost advantage from the snail mail delivery, as opposed to our huge exponentially higher costs to drive to that store some eight miles away.
The local Walgreens is supposed to stock print copies of the Press & Sun-Bulletin. But how much have I heard such a big corporate giant voice support for the people here in town and work to convince Gannett to improve? Not one damn thing.  The local supermarket does not stock the Gannett newspapers, either. Even if we drove a half mile or so into town to obtain the newspapers, it would not be very costly. Besides, I know many people who drive from a further distance than we do to go into the village, just to do a walk and exercise each day where they feel safer than trying to do so along a fast-paced state highway.

Again. I emphasize that if you build it, they will come. A supermarket will get people into their store to purchase other products, should the newspapers be there. That’s a fact because I spoke with staff at the newspaper where we picked up our newspaper some eight miles away and they were wll aware of the delivery problem in “Northern Tioga County” because they had many customers come to their supermarket and purchase groceries, just to purchase the newspaper. That manager there was a sleazeball in not noticing that which his staff recognized more readily. Another matter of mis-management.  The staff had more business intelligence than the manager did. That is a very sad statement in the USA today. Perhaps now, if we are able to get delivery of Gannett Binghamton Pravda each day and on a more timely basis, the delivery person will do the local supermarket good. After all, we will not be the only ones who might return to purchase groceries locally here more often than driving a distance and, at the same time, picking up some necessary items. That manager of the distant supermarket would have been smart to have paid the newspaper delivery people at his store a tip!  But wait a minute!  I forget! The lousy income tax and the punishment for making money likely stands in the way, thanks to the lawyers who are career politicians in our governments. Today, they do more good for the big fat pigs than they do for the common folk or “little people” which Helmsley said are “the only ones who should pay taxes.”

Go ahead, Business person and/or lawyer, make my day! But please do so in an optimistic consideration of what the group on the demand side of a capitalist market wishes to see happen, not solely on the basis of what business supply-side wishes to have happen, so as to line the pockets of the fat pigs only.
—

Professor Douglas Willet Cornwell (Retired)

Newark Valley, NY

bibsinger@gmail.com

———————————“Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “The problems of the world are not that some people love in a different way. The problems are that so many people don’t know how to love at all (CGA, 1970).” A Puritan is someone in fear that someone, somewhere, is having a good time. “Liberty and justice for all [not priorities on individual and selfish rights].” “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”  “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union [and overall wealth of American society]…” 
Benjamin Franklin: “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are affected.” Stacey Abrams: “Compromise about actions, but not about values.”  Oscar Wilde: “I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.”  Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Benjamin Franklin: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”  Whoopi Goldberg: “To handle this COVID-19 pandemic effectively, we all need to get on the same page.”  Note: To be clear, I do not like being patronized. I do not express my disdain over what happens to my fellow humans just for my own sake and to pursue favors and handouts. I do it in order to gain R – E – S – P – E – C – T for me and for millions of other Americans of any race, ethnicity, religious belief, or sex and sexual identity who try to walk in integrity as they attempt to achieve, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  PERIOD.  One nation under God [our Creator] with liberty and justice for all.