Random Politics & Religion #22

I honestly only go to Walmart for a handful of things I can only get there. I mostly avoid the place, not because of any residual bitterness from having worked there, nor because of any sort of higher moral purpose against some evil corporation...I simply dislike everything about the experience. The parking lot at my particular Walmart is borked as *** and it's the closest Walmart to a lot of low/fixed income housing/neighborhoods so it's always busy as *** no matter the time of day, frequently with people who have no better place to be and nothing better to do. I have nothing against them, but they do tend to slow things down immensely.

I avoid the hell out of shopping on the first/first weekend of the month, however. At all costs.

It varies store-to-store. The store I worked at the longest it wasn't the "contingency." It was the plan. As far as I can tell, it continues to be the case. The other store I worked at was a little better about it.

Honestly, Walmarts -- for as much as they're one big corporation everyone views as homogenous -- vary greatly from store-to-store based on the disposition of the general manager.

I only go to Walmart because my HEB doesn't carry Barq's Root Beer in the 6 packs. Or this one flavor of Gatorade that my father likes.

Seriously. I only shop at WallyWorld because of those 2 items. Everything else, I get at HEB. Cause, HEB is awesome like that.

Case in point:

Heck, they can't even get a floor plan in place for all stores.

The only WallyWorld in my city I live at is completely different than the ones in San Antonio or New Braunfels. Even though they are all roughly the same sizes.

Interesting article about how ESPN has become more political and less about sports:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/02/did-too-much-caitlyn-jenner-doom-espn-215093

ESPN gets more political around the same time that their ratings start to fall. Gee, I wonder if those two things are related.

Yeah, I've wondered at this myself. Some of it is based on their remodel schedule, as stores that are close frequently opened at different times and can be at drastically different spots in the revamp rotation. But even when it comes to basic layout of supercenters: grocery on left, general merchandise on right, or the other way around, they won't maintain consistency. It's kinda weird.

I stop there for frozen pizza dough because it's really good and cheap (<$1) and it's the only place that carries it in town. There are a few dry goods that are significantly cheaper there than regional chains so I go there for those too.

The caveat here, of course, is that WMT still gets my money because I shop at Sam's, as it's the only warehouse club in my region and some things just are so much cheaper bought in bulk. I'm not going to throw money away I don't have to. My spending more at Target or something isn't going to topple the Walton Empire.

ESPN is a sinking ship for a lot of reasons. They've paid too much for licenses from leagues and their business model is based on an increasingly-antiquated cable package subscription model. They cut loose around 100 broadcasters and journalists recently.

You do realize that you are wasting money on places like that, right?

If you want to buy bulk without paying for membership fees, might as well buy online directly from the manufacturer. That's what I do (and if you buy enough, they generally waive the shipping fees).

BUT THE FREE SAMPLES

Free samples are magical. Even with things I know I won't like, I still feel a strange compulsion to give them a shot.

"Sir, would you like to try some all-natural kale slop?"

"Why, don't mind if I do!"

I live in small town eastern Washington. Shopping is pretty nonexistent here. Two small supermarkets, a hardware store, a lumberyard, a small general store, Ford dealer and an Les Schwab Tire shop.

So when I am out of town its Costco, Fred Meyer, and wallyworld. All the Targets near* me closed.

*Less than 100 miles one way.

I found 99% of your life's problems right there.

A bit. But Sam's membership fees are pretty low. I like going and wandering around seeing what they have new there, changing things up, buying frozen food.

Actually buying meat there saves a lot of money too. Getting things like decent beef cuts for $5/lb. less than the grocery store, even on sale. Large amounts of frozen meat and vegetables, things like that.

It's not the most economical, but it's a nice sweet spot of variety and economy. And they're always relatively empty on weekdays.

Avoid on weekends though. Avoid hard.

Also this.

None of them have to do with excessive rent though.

I save enough on dog food alone to pay my Costco membership. Nothing on line comes close to the cost / quality curve of Kirkland dog food, I have indeed looked.

Translation:

I tell hwat Trump is going dang old man old impeachment I tell you hwat !

It seems like the local Costco here is never empty. In Utah it seems like nobody can just stay home and chill, though. They have to be out doing something, and Costco is a casualty in that battle.

Utah I tell you hwat dang old man talking bout multiple wives and boom dang old three years later I'm divorced I'll tell you hwat !

You live in Utah where you've got a bunch of Mormons with eight billion children. You'd be shopping too. 1) you need out of that house and 2) you need toilet paper. It's not a question of if or when.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages! I proudly present to you, in the center ring, a THIRD COURT ROOM CONUNDRUM FOR THE ORANGE FUHRER! Rump vs. the Ninth Circuit, take three! This time over the EO he intends to issue tomorrow over the fact it's unconstitutional yet again!"

Honestly I read this like 3 times and I still have no clue what he is talking about...

Eh, there aren't really that many kids out here. I only have to step on maybe 3 or 4 to get from my front door to the car every morning.

I'm considering being Mormon I mean 2 wives would be pretty sweet...

Toilet paper is life.

Friends don't let friends go with an empty roll on the John.

if it's guessing time....I'll guess it's this

religious liberty executive order

/reads the EO draft.

Well, that's an obvious abuse of executive power. That alone should be enough to strike it down, which, of course, happened during the Obama Administration and with Obama's EOs that exceeded such powers too.

However

A judge cannot strike an EO as unconstitutional, ever, when such EO has not been signed by the President. Trump has not signed this EO draft and will not sign it until tomorrow. If a judge (most likely from the 9th Circuit, which is where the liberals shop for their activist judges all day) were to strike the EO down prior to the signing, that judge just shot his only chance at actually stopping the EO, since it will be overturned immediately (again, not signed renders any judgement invalid thanks to the Fifth Amendment) and cannot be judged again due to Double Jeopardy (again, thanks to the Fifth Amendment) of said judgement.

Candlejack better hopes that such events have not taken place. Otherwise, this EO becomes valid due to the liberal activists ignoring the constitution they only hold dear while Trump is The Prez™.