Wal-Mart is not Evil, and Not Innovative Either

Wal-Mart is using a "new" software to do their employee schedules, and people are pissed off about it. Those people need a history lesson because Wal-Mart didn't invent this... they were just dumb enough to ignore the potential of it, for nearly 20 years. This is nothing new and I don't know why people are suddenly all upset about it. I suspect it's because some people out there hate anything Wal-Mart ever does and would really like them to go out of business, but I like getting toilet paper for 97 cents, and it's customers like me that drive the business, not the people who *don't shop there* - who cares about them? Screw them. I want my low prices everyday.

McDonald's was using this system as far back as 1988... nearly 20 years ago. It doesn't give employees 'random' schedules. Not unless the customers as a whole, start behaving very randomly. At Wal-Mart, they have a ton of customers, so the law of averages means that this software will probably make the schedules LESS RANDOM than they would be if the schedules were made by human beings. It also does not 'disregard' family and other life. Employees have always been responsible for making management aware of the days off they need, special events, and whatever else goes on in their lives. This software streamlines that process as well, with availability becoming a data point used by the machine, and the machine is much more likely to get it right, than someone who has to keep all those variables in their head. I've seen numerous occasions of people being scheduled accidentally on their kid's birthday or something, when the manager knew about it (usually in writing). This software should eliminate that very common mistake, and if the employees have access to it, it could streamline the process they use to ask for days off.

This software, when used correctly, greatly reduces the possibility of last-minute schedule changes. Last-minute schedule changes are *almost* always due to the actions of unreliable employees. "Jimmy didn't show up today, I need someone to cover, let's hit the phones and see who wants extra hours"

And to the people out there who claim to care so much about Wal-Mart's employees. There's one thing you can do to improve the situation. SHOP THERE! As much as possible. Your boycotts and bitching only makes the problem worse. More customers, more hours for the employees... and this new software helps that situation! You motherfuckers who are giving Wal-Mart hell for everything they do - YOU are the problem. Get over yourselves and save money like the rest of us.

How to get no more junk mail!

This is simpler than you might think. I was very surprised that this actually worked. All you need to do to never get junk mail again, is call the places that are sending it, and demand to be removed from their lists. I called Comcast and finally got off of their "environmental onslaught", and I removed myself from ADVO mailings by going to their web site (click "About Advo" on the side, then click "Consumer Support"). This will solve most of the problem. As I learn how to get removed from other mailing lists, I'll post them here, but ADVO and Comcast are the worst offenders in my neighborhood.

Comcast was sending me 2 or 3 mail pieces per week, sometimes in Spanish and always annoying. This is totally uncalled for, and I question the effeciveness of this strategy as a marketing campaign. Comcast is one company I will never ever deal with again, and it's their underhanded and annoying marketing that is the reason why. When you multiply this mailing by the size their list must be, it has environmental impact. So does ADVO. They must be producing millions of tons of paper waste per year. This is harmful to the environment, and if legislators aren't going to do a junk mail law, then I'm happy to tell folks how to combat this problem on their own. Note: there are many web sites and services that offer to do this for you, for a fee of course, but I say spend a little time and do it yourself for free. If you're too lazy to do that, just do a Google search. If you're too lazy to do that, click here.

Junk mail that I'm just going to throw away is one thing, but my actual goal here is to get NO MORE MAIL AT ALL! There is no purpose for it, and I'm done with it. It's been months since I got something in the mail that I actually needed. I pay all my bills online, I don't need paper bank statements or phone bills or anything like that. As far as I know... I don't need mail, and since most of it is paper, I think we can do the environment a lot of good if more people try this. Most companies offer electronic billing these days, and only a few types of things must legally still be sent through the mail. Not sure what I'll do about that, but I guess if somebody wants to sue me, they'll have to serve me in person, like a human being.

Don't tell me what to think - Pit Bulls

I've got someone trying to convince me that Pit Bulls are ok. I say, maybe for you, but not for everyone, and laws have to apply to everyone, not just you.

Look, you are an expert in Pit Bulls. Not everyone is, and a Pit Bull needs a strong alpha to keep itself under control. Telling people that Pit Bulls are OK, when you don't know the person, is risky, because they may not be the kind of person who can train it to be nice. They were bred for fighting, and recently people have been trying to breed them to a more appropriate temperament, so I think it's good to be an advocate for them, but I don't think that most of the idiots on the web are capable of being good Pit Bull owners at this time.

The laws in various cities are there to protect the citizens from those people, not people like you. It's like I say about gun control "My gun isn't the one you need to control"... Your Pit Bull may be fine, but it's the moron we don't know about, who trained it bite "cuz it was funny"... that's the problem, and we don't know who those idiots are, so we have to make it a blanket policy, no Pit Bulls for anyone.

I want laws that would hold people responsible for their pet's actions, but most people are pretty irresponsible with their pets. So, right now the best thing is to outlaw Pit Bulls completely. Maybe we can turn it around some day, but right now the risk of someone being bitten is too great. We know this because people got attacked before (one little girl was killed, ok?), and now with the law, we have a decrease to ZERO Pit Bull attacks. It is a shame because when trained properly, they are really great dogs. People are responsible for this, and the dogs are paying for it

Don't tell me what to think - Parolee Voting

As an openly transgender person, I am constantly being told what I should think. I make my own decisions, and recently the ACLU told me I should write to my senators about Parolee Voting. Here's what I had to say. (Sent to Democratic senators in Colorado)

The ACLU has recently informed me that I should support parolee voting, and that you had recently changed your stand to be against voting rights for people on parole. In spite of what I'm told to think, I support you. Thank you for insuring that Colorado will not be a state that goes soft on criminals. Parole is part of the punishment, and as such, it should involve unpleasant circumstances like not being allowed to vote. You are doing the right thing. Stand your ground - you have support from your fellow Colorado Democrats!

Thanks,
Jasmine D. Adamson
Lakewood