This won't be the first time in media history THE TEASE has nothing to do with the actual story. I just like the picture up there? And I'm tired of waiting to have it fit the topic of the day. Although? If I'm still any good at this at all? I'm going to find some way to tie the picture to the story before I'm done.
So it should come as no surprise to us that the board game MONOPOLY has weathered the test of time in this country. That's because the Teeter Totter from "Oh, monopolies are okay, " to "monopolies are evil and everybody should go to jail" has weathered the test of time. You don't need to be very "long in the tooth" to go through at least one of these cycles.
The nice thing about living in the U.S. of A. is that the "Teeter Totter" never bounces off the fulcrum. You know why? Because we are allowed to gripe up or down anytime we want.
So here's the deal. Wal Mart is going to offer generic drugs at 4 dollars a month, per prescription? At first glance I'm saying that must mean the pharmaceutical companies and the pharmacies have been robbing us blind. Or is Sam Walton's seeds just the Super Altruists they want us to believe they are?
Well Sam's Kids say it's just because they can buy in volume. Uh, huh! Right! They'll be able to buy in even MORE volume when they drive all the other pharmacies out of business. And when all the other guys are gone? Will Sam's kids still give us our chemicals for 4 bucks a month? Just askin'.
Now there is Starbucks. A bunch of media outlets in Chicago get wind of that company's plans to increase the number of stores from 8,600 in the U.S. to TWENTY THOUSAND. To paraphrase one Windy City Resident, " now I won't have to walk a whole block to get my fix."
You've got to give it to Starbucks. In every market in the country you hear about them either buying out the competition? Or driving that competition into bankruptcy. The odd situation in this case is Starbucks is not under-cutting the competition. In fact you'd be hard pressed to find a coffee shop on the planet that charges more for caffeine than Starbucks. Whose fault will it be if Starbucks gets a spot on the Monopoly Board. Our fault, your's and mine. Starbucks has made it too easy for us to not "shop around."
But back to the expansion. How can they afford it...even if most of the operations will be franchised? Where will they possibly get the capital. So....I'm sure you also heard today that Starbucks is announcing they are raising the price of a cup of java, etal, a nickel? [ I'm guessing Starbucks has a few board members who work in the oil industry.]
I'm getting into all this 'cause Peggy calls me from San Francisco about the WalMart news? We haven't been terribly happy with the way one of our insurers antes up for drugs. This news made Peggy both happy and mad. She's happy our costs will going down...but suspicious that every employee of that insurance company drives at LEAST a BMW.
But what really set me off on this adventure? My good friend, and fellow OLD GUY, Gary Barkley...calls while I'm out riding my bike. He leaves a voice mail. [ Us 'old guys' don't text message.]He reports the Starbucks' price hike news? And then adds some commentary. "Paul, you and I know that used to be the full price of a cup of coffee. A NICKEL!"
He's right, and it really wasn't THAT long ago. And that did get me to thinkin' a little bit. Do we think the cost of labor in Colombia or Kenya or Costa Rica has gone up as much as a cup of Starbucks Vente Latte? Just askin'.
Maybe Grandma Bully-dozer will sink her teeth into this issue and see if she can't dig us up a little DIRT.
Whadda ya say Granny? Just askin'.
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