Next!

On to Financial Reform!

With Health Care now out of the way, we can get to what I consider to be the more important issue: Reforming Wall Street and the banking sector . . . Essentially, I am advocating a “Do Over.” Reverse the past 3 decades of radical deregulation. The alternative is an even bigger financial crisis, and sooner than you imagine. The next time around, I plan on watching it all unfold from St. Barts.

--Barry Ritholtz, The Big Picture

My sentiments, exactly.

The only thing I would substitute in Ritholtz's quote is "Palm Springs" for "St. Barts" (I prefer the desert -- and U.S. soil!).

P.S.: stray tidbit -- St. Bart's was named after Christopher Columbus' younger brother, Bartolomeo.

Great Service - Exhibit A

"No Problem, I'll Take Care of It"

If you're going to call out examples of especially poor or indifferent service (Sprint vs. Horizon), it seems only fair to recognize instances of superior service.

Which I've previously done on this blog (Catching Mistakes -- Or Not). (Note: it's especially nice when the person or people you cite work for your company!).

The most recent example of exemplary service I encountered was my experience with Kathy Niemczyk at Spartan Promotional Group.

I ordered a couple t-shirts online last week, only to discover after they were delivered that they were a size too small.

I called the phone number on the invoice, and Kathy picked up quickly, the first time.

No annoying phone tree ("press #1 if you are calling about 'x,' press #2 if you are calling about 'y'," etc.), no voicemail, no phone tag.

And no argument or red tape.

Just a very pleasant, "no problem, I'll take care of it." ("I'll take care of it" -- A-h-h-h, those 5 magic words. How often you do hear -- and really believe -- them these days?)

"I'll Take Care of It"

Kathy told me how to return the order, and said she'd check to see if they had the right size.

She called back 30 minutes later to say that they did, and that she would set them aside.

This Saturday, I mailed the original order back.

Tuesday, the replacement arrived (OK, it was local, but that still qualifies as lightning fast!).

Total charge (shipping and handling, re-stocking, etc.) for correcting what was arguably my mistake?

$0.

Hey, Kathy, can we put you in charge of health care reform??

Real Estate . . . on the Road

Is Everyone in Wisconsin Fat?

If we can reduce the number of people deferring medical care -- or postponing it indefinitely -- while at the same time managing to not go broke, this time next year we can look back at 2010 with pride.

This post is from on the road, in the heart of "The Heartland."

In fact, it doesn't get more "heartland" than Janesville, WI, about 30 minutes Southeast of Madison and two hours short of Chicago. Hence, its appeal (or more specifically, the roadside Hampton Inn about 9 p.m. last night).

Southeast -- or Southeat?

This observation is not going to win me any local fans -- but hey, I'm licensed to sell real estate in Minnesota, not Wisconsin.

As best I can tell, everyone in Wisconsin is fat.

Or at least everyone eating at the McDonalds' where we stopped for dinner (parents, kids, grandparents -- you name it), everyone working at the McDonald's where we stopped for dinner, everyone getting gas and windshield wiper fluid at the gas station where we stopped, etc.

And no, no one's looking in any mirrors.

In all seriousness, I'd say it's progressed from something that's become a minor national embarrassment to something that's truly alarming.

When millions are obese, the solution isn't for everyone to enroll at Weight Watchers; it's for a change in the national culture, led from on-high (and dare I say by at least some of the corporations whose ox would be gored by a healthier America. I won't name names, but they rhyme with Schmepsi and Schmairy Queen, to cite a few).

If you're looking for a fundamental way to divide Americans these days, it's not White or Black, Blue or Red, Main Street or Wall Street, or even fat and thin (although that's my runner-up).

I submit, it's between people who are deferring some needed medical treatment, and those who aren't.

Put me in the latter category: on Monday, I'm upgrading glass prescriptions that I've now had 3 years.

Why the wait?

We maxed out our medical spending account in November, and it re-sets, full, on Jan. 1

Sacrifices, Minor (and Not)

As sacrifices and inconveniences go, that's trivial.

My wife, a physical therapist, routinely has patients go long intervals without seeing her.

And it's not because their cancer went away, or they miraculously recovered from that broken hip.

It's because they can't afford the co-pay. Or the babysitter. Or sometimes, even the parking in front of the hospital..

If we can prospectively manage to make the group deferring medical care -- or postponing it indefinitely -- a little smaller while at the same time managing to not go broke, this time next year we can look back at 2010 with pride.

Throw in punishing Wall Street (actually, I propose short-circuiting, or "routing around" it, in Internet parlance) and overhauling the U.S. financial system, and 2010 has the makings of a great year!