davehag5

So being a loyal card carrying Panera member, after so many visits I get discounts. They are generally listed on the the receipt with an expiration date. Nominal amounts on specific items which are not too difficult to redeem. However, their somewhat new feature of ordering online was promoted with a fairly substantial discount. I guess you log into their site, order and then come in and go directly to the pick up area bypassing the front counter completely. I was not able to go the restraunt during the incredibly short offer period so I can't tell if it is good or not. I don't mind going to the counter since I generally go in "off times" and lines are short and I get the feedback as to what is new, in stock and discounted by talking to a cashier. I have been there in busy times and while it is somewhat set up as a fast food place the counter and menu has too much going on to be too quick. You can get behind a couple of older biddies "discussing their options" and really lose your enthusiasm for a timely lunch. So what I'm saying is that Panera seems quite receptive to their customers by offering an "on line" order system to cater to people wanting to get in quicker and the old way for people with more time. An example to my liking of a quick response to customer feedback was when they attempted to make the b'gat roll an option with a soup order. I noticed shortly thereafter that it was the "default" again when I asked recently. My point being that the $15 (or whatever) minimum wage is only a factor in setting up options for replacing workers. I believe that Panera is responsive to it's customers and in my experience quite good at it. The government imposing anything on a business is "something to deal with" for the adaptable company. Of course the "death by a 1000 cuts" is coming and I am by no means defending the imposing of a minimum wage by a well meaning (or whatever) government. I predict that the replacing of certain people in a restaurant setting is similar to the replacement of live phone assistance. It is somewhat inevitable and is only partially driven by government wage mandates.

So being a fairly long follower and sometime contributor I still don't often visit the FDR forum, so I'm probably posting this in the wrong place. The forum has changed since I last tried this and even then I wasn't all that sure what to do. I'm sure somebody can point me in the right direction. The little podcast about the biggest problem faced by us like mined people was very interesting. The infighting and general lack of harmony in the community does project a somewhat negative image to the people outside the movement. Whether that can be fixed is another issue. I believe that the individuals in the forefront of the liberty movement are competitive and are here because because of independent thinking. Does that lead to a lack of sympathy or even to downright hostility to other opinions, even if 95% similar to theirs, is possible. When 90% of all current people have been spanked as children and have the personality disorders associated with that, it is easy to see why there is so much of a tendency for treating people badly. I was spanked and verbally degraded as a child and I do find it hard to overcome some hostile tendencies. Also, I was given an example of anger as a response to frustration which still haunts me now. I have real hostile feelings for left leaning, progressive elitist people who want to rule us and guide us because of their "Devine Right of Wisdom" or something. It is a hostility that diminishes as an individual's opinion approaches mine but to say there is no averse feeling at 95% agreement is not true. I have seen some people attack others that agree with most of their beliefs and leave opposite thinkers alone. I don't know what the solution is but I just wanted to comment on this podcast that really struck home to me.

Today's Non Sequitur seemed particularly profound: http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/?utm_source=GoComics&utm_medium=free_email&utm_campaign=user_comic

Doesn't that look better? Now getting rid of the first one..... DH

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So having just listened to the above youtube where Stef and Jeff Tucker talk about a bunch of stuff but mostly Aaron Swartz, I was taken by a statement that they both concurred that Mr. Swartz was a major (if not key) player in the defeat of SOPA and that this was the main reason that he was targeted by the State. It is a very interesting discusssion even with the two trains that seemed to roll through the LFB office and a couple of Izzy cameos. I had never really heard of Mr Swartz prior to his death so I'm just learning. It seemed that his proposed punishment was way out of proportion to his "crime". Regardless I have a strong feeling that the main instrument that enables the little guy to oppose the power of the State and expose it for what it really is is the free communciation that we now have with the internet. I am able to post this little speech on a site where lots of folks throughout the world can read it in a matter of minutes. Twenty years ago that was impossible in so many ways and if governement moves in a certain direction in twenty years it may be again. And don't even think they wouldn't if they could in a country where the "fairness doctrine" was policy for decades. Oh well. I would recommend viewing the entire youtube above and one I found where Mr Swartz discusses the defeat of SOPA and his role in it. (Aaron Swartz - How we stopped SOPA) It is important to have an internet as free from big brother's control as we can get it. In the end of the Swartz youtube he predicts that they will try again. Lets hope that they can be stopped. I would also hope for a better response from the combined interested parties to help protect the individuals so that they would not be discouraged from using their talents in the struggle. A mobilized effort to help Aaron in his hour of need could possibly have led to a different outcome.