Plastic

A few years after we got satellite TV, we got satellite internet service from the same company. This time they required that I get a card for sure. I suppose it was for the best because we got hooked up a lot quicker this time. We were already members of our local credit union, and I was able to get a debit card from them for free. I didn't think I would use it much, but I do. It draws off of our checking account, and my hypothetical wife keeps our checkbook in her purse, so now I don't have to get the checkbook from her every time I go to town. I just have to remember to give her the receipt from every card purchase so she can subtract it from the checkbook.

My hypothetical wife refuses to use the card, and now she doesn't even use the checkbook except to pay bills by mail. Some time ago, some of our local stores started scanning your check and then giving it right back to you. You don't even have to fill the check out, all they need is the account number, so they are processing checks the same way they process plastic. This bothers my hypothetical wife, no particular reason, she just doesn't like it. She goes to the credit union a couple times a month and draws out enough cash to cover the grocery shopping, and then pays cash for everything she buys. Our Social Security checks are direct deposited into our checking account, and she likes to make sure they went in on time. She could do that by phone but, since she's there anyway, she does it in person. Most of the clerks at the credit union know her and, unless there's a new one on duty, she doesn't even have to give them her account number. One of the stores she goes to tracks her purchases anyway, even though she pays cash. She has a store discount card that she has to use to get most of the sale prices, and they must track her that way. It's not a bad deal because they send her coupons in the mail periodically for things that she has bought in the past. Since they don't have my email address, they can't spam me to death, which I'm sure they would if they could.

When we buy something by mail order, we always pay with a check because giving our card number to strangers makes us nervous. I use the card when I buy something on the internet because that's the only way they will do it. For that reason, we only buy stuff on the internet when we can't find it anyplace else. A couple weeks ago, I had to check the DNR site to see if my doe permit application was drawn. It was, so I went ahead and bought it online since I was already there. A few days later, I started getting spam emails from some crooks who claimed they wanted to give me a free fishing shirt. Coincidence? I think not! At the bottom of the messages, it said, "To unsubscribe, click here.", which I did.  My own computer warned me that this was a dangerous move, and asked me if I wanted to reconsider, which I did. I just deleted the messages and, after a few days, they stopped coming.

Kicking the illegal immigrants out of the country won't provide most of us with any jobs. That's because most of the jobs nowadays don't pay enough to maintain a reliable car to drive to work and back. I don't know what it costs to ride public transportation in the cities, but I don't imagine that's cheap anymore either. The way some of our local businesses solve this is to bring a bunch of seasonal workers in from Jamaica. It's some kind of government program and, when they tried to discontinue it some years ago, our local merchants screamed bloody murder. I don't know if they're subsidized, but the employers pay the airfare to and from Jamaica and provide housing within walking distance of the job site. So why don't they do the same for our local workers? Either pay them enough so they can commute, or give them some kind of housing in town. It wouldn't have to be anything fancy, just some kind of barracks or bunkhouse like they used to have in the old time logging camps. Since the jobs are seasonal, nobody would have to live there full time anyway.