Political Crap

03/08/2026

What I have learned in the past 40 years is that right now you are 100 % passionately convinced that you are right and NO WAY could you be wrong. In 2 to 5 years, you will not be so sure, and in 20 years, not only will it not matter so much, but you will also wonder how you got so easily brainwashed in the first place. Once it is no longer popular to yell, "Yay Trump" or "F-Yeah Trump", or to be on the "Hillary for Prison" or “Bernie or bust” train for that matter, is that a vast majority of the so called protestors and supporters (and for that matter the anti-Trumpers as well), will lose interest and disappear faster than rats off a sinking ship.

I think most of these so-called “Protesters” and "Supporters" have just now begun to engage in the political process, and they are still confused about how most of it works. Most people really don't want to know; they just want to give you their opinion, whether or not they know anything about the subject. They should never have gotten cell phones with an Internet connection, and we wouldn’t be dealing with this in the first place. Thankx Obama.

Who needs all that political crap anyhow? (What is Political Crap?)

If that were not true, it would not be like listening to them cheer on their favorite sports team whenever they talk (or, in this case, write). Right now, it is popular to be anti-political and to appear to be anti-politician and be called a "populist". My bet is that everything will be viewed much differently if you give it 3 or 4 years to coalesce. My question (My opinion, I know), if this is true, is "Where have you been since the end of the Vietnam war?” I'll bet the answer is probably in school, because that would be a hell of a long nap otherwise.

In addition, many of you are part of the trend that wants to choose which media to believe, if any. Because of that, there is no way to satisfy you when there is a comment asking for a reputable or believable media source to back up your facts and opinion (Like Trump and CNN), as others will just deride what you don't like or agree with. Then, because of the high numbers of neophyte supporters and our political climate, you can't even offer a reliable source yourself, because whoever you use will be quickly derided as part of the "Lame stream media", or immediately debunked as being biased by the other side of the conversation. Conversely, there is no reliable way to judge the media anymore.

Each person believes whatever source they choose, as none of them is deemed trustworthy or an arbiter of truth, and the escalation of the argument(s) just continues. The only folks I see who have it figured out are those who have studied the issues and have a well-developed sense of history (Like you, Slagle Reeves). The kicker is that none of this makes any real sense. It amazes me how little most of you know about political discourse and how easily you are manipulated by the media and by both political parties.

As if all of the hooting and hollering each side is engaging in right now will put one more gallon of milk in your fridge, or lower the price of gas by 2 cents.

As to all of the other lunacy that is going on? A replacement for the ACA that looks and sounds just like the current law? Trumps promise of Universal Healthcare with lower premiums than the ACA for everyone (that probably is going to end up being nothing like that), The doom and gloomers saying 32 million people are going to be thrown off of healthcare, How everything Trump says has to be funneled through his surrogates in order to make any sense out of it, Tweeting attacks on other members of Congress or attacking TV shows and actors ?, Defunding various organizations because of the Federal Funds spent on them and a host of other issues too numerous to list? The politicians are waiting for you to tune out so they can get back to staying elected for another 25 years.

If you can prove me wrong without calling me names, have at it. My bet is you will not be able to, and the best you can do is say, "I'm wrong, and you're right”, and you won't be able to specify why, without relying on anger and emotion, attacks, or using a derisive slur of some kind.

It's sad, really.
Prove me wrong.

Thankx for reading my Rant.

BigMike

Bad Customer Service

 03/08/2026

I do not think that companies actually teach customer service anymore (except maybe Chick-fil-A, which has it figured out). Most of the time, it feels like they just hire them and throw them out to the wolves, hoping they show up tomorrow. I cannot tell you how many drive-thrus I've been in where I wonder, "Where the hell did they get this person?"

Here are some scary facts about how poor service can affect your business.

Knowledge is power!

• Most business people think they have few dissatisfied customers because most do not complain.

1. Think of your own record as a consumer and as a complainer. How often have you been dissatisfied with a product, a service, a meal in a restaurant, or a wait in line?
2. How often have you complained to the management, the manufacturer, or the retailer?

• A recent study indicated that the average business never hears from 96 percent of its unhappy customers.

1. While 96 percent of the unhappy customers do not complain to you, they do let off steam and spread their dissatisfaction with the product or service.
2. They complain to other customers and potential customers -family, friends, and associates at work, and anyone else who will listen.
3. They feel wronged and frustrated and want to talk about it.

• For every complaint received, the average business has another 26 customers with problems, at least six of which are serious.

1. Customers who have problems and complain are giving you a chance to keep their business.
2. An unhappy customer cannot be kept quiet. However, you can regain their support by solving complaints quickly.
3. These customers may not only come back but also give them something positive to talk about.
4. Surveys show that you can win back between 54 and 70 percent of these complainers by resolving their complaints.
5. According to consumer surveys, a person who has had an unpleasant experience with a business will tell 9 or 10 other people.

• Approximately 13 percent will tell more than 20 other people.

1. This negative word-of-mouth can be very harmful to a business.
2. In today's complex marketplace, more and more consumers are basing their purchasing decisions on the advice of people they know.
3. Results indicate that up to 95 percent of this group will become loyal customers again if their complaints are handled well and promptly.

• It is 13 times more expensive to attract new customers than to keep your current ones! A copy of these facts and more like them is at the University of Michigan Extension and can be found at: http://web1.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modtd/33209845.html
  
  Thankx for Reading my Rant!
  
  BigMike
  
  

 

Solve the Budget

 03/05/2026

Subject: How to solve a Budget crisis  

Hello, 

I have patiently listened to politicians and pundits go on and on about how the government will solve the current budget crisis because the economy is down and revenues are down, etc. I don't think any of the people we elected have a clue, and if they were on Wheel of Fortune, they would buy a Z and call it a vowel. 

Listen, it is not that hard. 

The main problem is that they (politicians and the like) do not think of the Budget or Revenue as real money. To you and to me, when we talk about our household budget, we are talking about the money we earn from a paycheck, and it is real, tangible, and has a beginning and an end. We start with no money. We earn money from work. We spend money on bills. What is left over (if any) is a surplus; if none is left over, we are overdrawn, and we owe the bank money. 

The reason we can afford to think this simply is because it is not difficult to understand, it is real, and it is effective to do it this way. 

It actually is that simple. 

Spend money you do not have, and it is either credit (as in credit cards) or theft. Spend money from your bank account that you don't have in the bank, and see what charges are brought against you from the bank. It is very easy to explain, very easy to understand. Real worry and real pain happen when you do not have the money to pay the light bill or do not have money for groceries, and you will be sued if you do not pay for the credit card. Trust me. 

If you borrow more money to cover a shortfall this year, your payments for this loan increase in future years. This debt increase may solve it this year, but will make it worse in future years as the payments towards the debt increase.

This is much the same as running up a big credit card balance. Using a credit card may help you now, but later, when you have to start paying for it, you'll need to use real money to cover the expense. If you raise taxes to cover a revenue shortfall, the folks who pay the taxes make reductions in other areas because it is real money, and there is only so much of it to go around. The way we treat it is: if you raise my taxes, I take less vacation (for example), and your revenues from vacationers are lower because I have less to spend, and I have to make a reduction somewhere. There is a defined amount of money to spend. This is what is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. You make me pay more; therefore, I have less to spend, so I spend less; and you (the Government) still have less money to work with, and the problem is not any smaller; it is just paid a different way. You robbed Peter and paid Paul with the same money. 

Simple huh? I think if I can figure this out and you can understand it, then anybody can. I also think this is what ordinary people do every day when managing real money. They (our Politicians) need to treat the budget just as you and I do. They (our Politicians) need to treat it as real money, and they usually don't. They (our Politicians) forgot that every dime they spend comes from you and me to begin with. 

The Politicians would have you believe that it is a whole lot more complex than I've explained. The problem (at least at the Federal level) is that if you run out of money, you either borrow more or print more. At the State and local level, you either borrow more, or you try to raise taxes to cover the costs, or you may try to adjust the money you spend to meet the expected level of revenue. In all cases, they (our Politicians) forgot to treat incoming money as real dollars and cents. 

Typically, none of the three things mentioned above actually work, and none of them solves the problem. It seems like it is due to bookkeeping, but it really isn't because the issue never goes away, and we keep hearing about it year after year. Using any or all of these methods just extends the problem into the future. 

If the Federal government decides it needs more money and prints more money to increase the money supply, it immediately worsens the problem on two levels. First, because the money supply is larger, each dollar in that supply is worth less. Read this simple explanation of fractions, and you'll see what I mean.

If you have one (1) of something and there are five (5) in total, then you have one-fifth of the overall supply. If you have one (1) of something and there are six (6) of them in the overall supply, then you have one-sixth of the total supply. The amount you control is worth less in the overall supply.

When you hear about the cost of the dollar or how the dollar rates against a foreign currency, this is what it means. Importing goods from abroad costs more because you have to use more of your money to pay for it.

Second, because the value of the money you control is worth a smaller amount, you have to spend more of it to purchase goods and services. This is because businesses raise prices to maintain the same level they are used to, to make a profit at the level they need to continue doing business. This is called inflation.

When you hear someone talk about the "Buying Power" of money, this is what they mean. 

The next thing they always try seems logical, yet it is not a viable solution because it never properly accounts for fixed costs and overvalues items we cannot afford, given the revenues we have to work with. Certain things in any government budget just won't go down all that much when trying to reduce expenses by making cuts across the board. Things like the costs of housing prisoners cannot really be reduced. What are you going to do, have fewer guards or have fewer prisons to house the same number of prisoners?

It is a silly proposition, and it never works. Ever. 

First, if the President or a Governor says to his staff, "Reduce expenses by Ten Percent (10 %) in every department," they may make some changes, but they will never really make a substantial change because they do not really control the purse strings. It sounds good on the News or in the newspaper, but makes very little difference because nothing is ever eliminated from the budget. You just end up with the same things at a smaller level. 

Second, the legislature (or Congress) controls what is spent by appropriating funds to programs. If the head of State (the Governor or President, for example) makes too many changes, they can just rewrite the legislation to make it law-enforceable by the courts, or take it out of the Head of Government's control. This is due to the influence afforded to selected groups of people routinely called "special interests".

You then run into the NIMBY effect. Everybody thinks we need a new prison or a new waste dump, as long as it's NOT In My BackYard. 

We would never have to cut the number of teachers, fire police officers, close fire stations, or provide fewer children's services if they had the guts to do one thing right. 

Every item in every budget should be assigned a priority, just like you and I do. If we have less money, what do we do? We go to the movies less, we spend less money at Christmas, we take less expensive vacations, and we buy cheaper goods instead of expensive ones.

We don't reduce our spending across the board by ten percent; we eliminate expenses we cannot afford until we spend less than the required amount. Here is what they ought to do, yet never will do, because of the influence of "Special Interests". 

Let's say there are 2000 (two thousand) items in a State (or any Government) budget. There are undoubtedly more, but let's say it is 2000.

Put the highest-priority items at the top; start with Number One (1), then prioritize, and number every item until everything in the budget is on the list, numbered One (1) through Two Thousand (2000). Along with each item, list the cost of each item next to it.

Now put the accountants to work and figure out, as closely as we can, how much real money we have coming in. Classify every budget expense as one of three things. One is a need (absolutely must have), the next is a desire (just would like to have), and the next is a want (Would like but could do without).

1. Cut all wants first. 
2. If that is not enough, cut out the desires. 
3. If it gets bad enough, you have to cut back on needs. If you absolutely must meet all needs, you can raise taxes.
4. Adjust each line item to the level of what remains; if that is not enough, start with the last item on the list and eliminate it. 
5. Keep eliminating until your expenses match your revenue. Understand: if we do this, we will eliminate things that would be nice to have but cannot afford at this time. We may not be able to give block grants to build a new park or to fund some arcane study of some state insect, but we would have teachers, etc., at the level we have to.
6. I suspect that if politicians would do this one simple exercise, we would never lay off a teacher, a firefighter, or a police officer again. I also think that if they looked at it this way, we wouldn't mind paying a little more in taxes, because we would know why they are necessary to raise. 

Politicians will never do this because they have forgotten that their job is to represent us, not to do things that will ensure their re-election. 

What do you think?  

Thankx for reading my rant.



BigMike

 

 

Writing Skills

03/05/2026

Tips for Clearer Writing

Writing is a one-way communication. If the message can be understood, it will be.

A writer must be impeccably clear and accurate, or the pact between writer and reader is broken.

Be aware of easy writing. Oftentimes, it isn’t!

 

1.   Keep sentences short. Tests show reading is difficult when sentences average much more than 20 words. Count the words! If your sentences are 25 words or more, rewrite. Sentences composed of 12 to 15 words are usually most effective.

 

2.   Prefer the simple to the complex. This applies to both sentence structure and word choice. Use the subject-verb-object sentence structure for clarity.

 

3.   Prefer the familiar word. If readers don’t understand the words you use, they will miss your meaning. This does not excuse a small vocabulary, however. Writers need all the words they can master.

 

4.   Avoid unnecessary words. Nothing fogs writing more than words that are not needed. Read your copy carefully. Make all words carry their own weight.

 

5.   Put action into your verbs. Action verbs put life into writing. Don’t smother action with too many “passive voice” verbs, like is, are, and —ing ending verbs. Passive writing makes passive readers.

 

6.   Write like you talk. Well, a little that way. A conversational tone is one of the best tricks for producing readable copy. Don’t lapse into stuffy jargon or rely on corporate-speak, legalese, etc. Stay away from words like strategize, finalize, and utilize.

 

7.   Be clear and concise. Search for the single, right word rather than a handful of almost right words. This translates into clear, crisp writing that your readers understand.

 

8.   Watch your tone. Be careful to project a positive tone; positive writing makes for positive readers. Also, prune your prose for racism and sexism—it can creep in writing without the writer being aware.

 

9.   Translate jargon. Every trade and profession has its special language. If you use jargon, make sure your reader will understand it—do not assume!

 

10. Write to express, not impress. Don’t show off, particularly by using complex words and sentence structure. Make your message clear with simple, direct writing. The writer who makes the best impression is the one who can say complex things simply. Your readers will thank you for it.






Thankx for Reading (Not a Rant, but nobody is perfect).


BigMike

The cost of Electronics

03/03/2026
From the Desk of BigMike

As my friends can attest, I am a nerd, a geek, a computer electronics maven. You couldn't exactly call me an early adopter, though, because I never buy tech in version 1.0, but if they make it, I've probably had one or considered it anyway. I have closets full of junk I have not thrown away yet to prove it. Ask my wife. We don't have linen closets; we have electronics closets.

The myth is that you can buy a computer and it just works (insert I'm a PC commercial with Intel sound here), and the facts are that I have never found that to be true. Never. As a matter of fact, I've never had anything that was truly maintenance-free, and never had a computer or any electronics at all that did not require some level of care to keep it operating. Remember when car batteries had those tops you could remove to refill the water? Then along came "maintenance-free" batteries. Still had to replace them every 4 years or so, huh?

So, no repairs and no keeping them full, just plan them to be obsolete on a twice-as-frequent scale?

The thing that intrigues me, though, is that NO ONE considers reliability, repair costs, or expected lifespan when buying electronics, televisions, or computers. Some of the most studious people I know research TV prices and components until they can sell them, but when they buy a printer, laptop, or desktop computer, the only thing they look at is price. The only thing in the AD is the price. The only thing looked at with any diligence is price. I get these phone calls, and all I hear is "...And I only paid $XXX for it." Good for you.

Here's what I mean.

Look at your brand of Laptop or desktop. Chances are, in the next year or two, you may need to replace a power supply on your desktop or the screen on your laptop. Why? Because on desktops, heat is never exhausted as fast as it should be, because it always increases the noise level unless you use a more expensive solution (like water cooling), they usually do not have enough fans, and almost no one ever takes the back or side off their computer and vacuums the dog hairs out of it.

And the laptop screen, why? Because we lug the thing around like a woman's purse, forget what it is, and stop putting them away in their padded cases, and sooner or later, fat Uncle Bill will sit on it. That's why.

With every new generation of products, there is also a planned obsolescence factor and a planned discard/replace factor to consider. Yeah, the printer was only $18. The ink is $75 a cartridge, and you cannot find it 3 years from now, but hey, IT WAS CHEAP !!

Now, go to your computer manufacturer's website and price a power supply for your computer. Chances are you are like everybody else and have one of 2 or 3 major desktop brands (Compaq/HP, Dell, Asus) or one of the top 5 laptop brands (IBM-Lenovo, Toshiba, Compaq/HP, Dell, Asus). Here is what you will find. Take a stress pill and price a new screen, if you can even figure out which one your system uses.

Parts are expensive. Putting them in is confusing. Having them serviced costs about twice as much as the parts do. Oh, and parts for one model do not fit parts for another model or brand. HP and IBM were once famous for using single-brand power supplies that would not fit any other machine. Now you start thinking. Since you only paid $XXX for your computer in the first place, should you spend $XXX to fix it? After all, it's a toaster, isn't it? A better non-brand-specific power supply is probably 50 % of what IBM or HP charges for the mediocre system you have, but hey, IT WAS CHEAP!! Don't worry about your files or your software; you will have to re-buy and reinstall. Just throw it away and keep going. Think e-machines at Wal-Mart. Cheap and plentiful too!!

The sad fact is this.

Every Tech company can add sensors, standardize parts, and simplify replacement. Everything could be a plug-in module if they wanted it to be. That would not keep you coming back to the supply chain to buy a new product, though, would it? Every product made could be engineered to be simple to maintain. Have you ever looked at the back of any TV, radio, or virtually any electronics where it says "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE? Yeah, well, right about there is where the door ought to be that allows you to open it and vacuum it out.

 

 

Ah well. I like getting paid. Keep buying netbooks, tablets, and touch screens.

Keep sitting on them. Keep ignoring the dog hairs. It's a lucrative business.

Thankx for reading My Rant,
BigMike

 

Not That anybody asked

02/28/2026

Not that anybody asked, but…

In the first 13 months of Reagan’s second term, the stock market (DJIA) rose 33%, setting a record high 9 times. 

Open-Close (DJIA 1292 - 1718)  +426

In the first 13 months of Clinton’s second term, the stock market rose 25%, setting a record high closing price 5 times.

Open-Close (DJIA 6448 - 8300)  +1852

The first 13 months of Bush’s Second term the stock market rose 5%, setting a record high closing of 0 times.

Open-Close (DJIA 10472 - 10522)  + 50

In the first 13 months of Obama’s second term, the stock market rose 20%, setting a record high closing 12 times. 

Open-Close (DJIA 13104 - 15704) +2600

In the first 13 months of Biden’s term, the stock market rose 12%, reaching record highs 11 times.

Open-Close (DJIA 30814 - 34512) +3698

In the first 13 months of Trump’s second term, the market rose 10%, setting a record high close 10 times. 

Open-Close (DJIA 43487 - 49626) +6139

Neil deGrasse Tyson

02/24/2026

Note- Michael E. Jordan - 

It’s not impossible to calculate the DJIA and express it in dollars; however, I can’t figure out how to do it. 

Instead, I’ve shown the opening and closing DJIA values 13 months later. Typically measured starting with the first day of each Presidents term and then looking up the closing value myself. I draw no conclusions from this data. It's very hard to analyze this kind of data because there are way too many variables. Suffice it to say, it's just Data. Data isn't inherently political, it's just data. It can be manipulated, however these are just pure facts with no analysis offered.I have always believed that Presidents typically have almost no control over the stock market, with a few exceptions, such as war, strikes on America, etc. You'll have to draw your own conclusions.

DJIA = Dow Jones Industrial Average. 

Somebody oughtta do somethin

 Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Somebody oughtta do somethin!!

 

How is it that a corporate CEO can make millions of dollars per year and millions more in bonuses and then feel justified in laying off people in his company to bump up the share price for the shareholders? Don’t the shareholders realize that, at some point, they could boost their own share price, invest directly in their own companies, and make more profit by having a nimble, well-trained, and well-staffed company? At least they would if it weren’t the same 250 people on every board in every company in America. There is no glass ceiling anymore; it’s an ASS ceiling. 

In the same train of thought, why is it that the news will report that a company laid off thousands of people, or closed a plant, or sold a whole division, and that bumps up the share price? Seems to me that bad news (less capacity and fewer employees to do the work) should key the directors and the shareholders in on the fact that they have the wrong upper management in the first place. 

Seems to me they ought to hold the CEO responsible for the problem, not the hourly staff. The CEO can hang on for 10 years, and he has a contract they have to buy him out of to get rid of him. Us? It’s a greased banana, and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. 

It makes very little practical sense to fire older workers because of high wages and hire younger workers because of low wages, because doing so makes the purchasing power of the money they are paid (the younger workers) worth less. You earn less, everything costs more, and your dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. Global warming? Yeah, after we burn all the couches, chairs, and dinner tables to keep warm, maybe. 

In companies like the ones I just alluded to, the CEOs share a common personality type. They think, for some strange reason, that laying off people, constantly firing, and constant criticism will shake up the place and make people more productive. I just don’t get it. What happens when you constantly shake up the place is that everybody starts looking for a way to protect their job and keeps their head down, with very little effort going towards getting productive work done in the first place. Dilbert makes more and more sense every day. 

For some years now, corporate America has been chasing a share price at the expense of everything else. We have almost wiped out our ability to manufacture everything from tube socks to washing machines in our quest for lower costs and higher share prices. Large retailers like Wal-Mart have contributed to this idiocy for a long time, and I’ve yet to hear anyone ask the question that seems pretty obvious.

How are we going to buy anything in this new “World Economy” if we don’t have anywhere to work that pays a decent wage and if there are no companies left to be loyal to? What are we supposed to be loyal to now anyway? A Brand? “Yes ma’am, I’d like one TIDE t-shirt and two pairs of Viagra socks, please.” Get a grip! 

See, the thing is, we are in the middle of a fallacy that is a downward spiral. Fewer jobs mean fewer opportunities for money. Less money means less purchasing. Less purchasing is a negative economic trend. We will not be able to buy anything made in China for a while because we won’t have any money to buy it with. Who are all these poor third-world nations going to sell to if they can’t sell to us? I couldn’t tell as I am late for my shift at McDonald’s. Today is dumpster clean-out night, and the kids are starving!!


Thankx for reading my rant,

Bigmike

Repairing the Mercury Grand Marquis

Well, actually, it's any car built on this frame, like Crown Vics, etc.

Repairing some Grand Marquis's and Crown Victorias

I owned a Grand Marquis for about 20 years. There are a couple of things I found out in that time that require some maintenance, but not the kind that should requireyou to send it off, and it could cost up to $300.

The first thing I'll talk about is the lighting control module.

The Ford Lighting Control Module (LCM), often found in Panther platform vehicles (Crown Vic, Town Car) under the driver-side dashboard, manages exterior/interior lighting and commonly fails due to worn-out internal relays, resulting inheadlight failure. 

Symptoms include intermittent or non-functional headlights, high beams, and turn signals. Repairs can be made by replacing the internal relays or by using a bypass kit, which is often more reliable than sourcing a used unit. Common Affected Vehicles: Ford Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car, Mercury Marauder (Panther Platform). Also used on modern Ford models, such as the F-150 (2021-2023) and Escape (2017-2019).

Symptoms: Headlights (low/high beam) not working, intermittent function, or staying on when the car is off.

Location: Under the driver's side dash, between the steering column and the climate controls.

Repair Solution: Replacing the module's internal relays is a common fix, as is installing a bypass kit.

Diagnosis: Use a multimeter to check for voltage output to the lights. Recent Recalls/Issues

Some newer models (2025 Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang Mach-E) have had issues with LED driver modules, resulting in total loss of headlights.

In older models, failures aregenerally due to age-related wear on the relays.

For these issues, I can repair your module for less than about $125

Remove the old relays, solder in the new ones, and you're off.

The second thing is the AC/ Heater Control

After about 2 years of putting up with it, I finally decided to try to figure out what was wrong with my air conditioning inmy 2003 Mercury Grand Marquis. All it would do (Heat or Air) was blow through the defroster.

It had heat through the defroster.

It had AC through the defroster.

It was an equal opportunity piss-off. Wouldn't work well in summer or winter.

We live in Georgia, so both times of the year are bothersome, not too extreme in the Spring or Fall, and we can put up with it in the winter, because it doesn't get too cold. In the summer, though, it's a different story. 90-100 degrees outside, and the pathetic AC blowing through the vents was, well, pretty much worthless.

You got better cooling with the windows down.

Took it to the dealer. What a joke. "Well, buddy, your EATC (Electronic Air Temperature Controller) is probably out, or you need a new vacuum line." $100 to diagnose it (that's a hundred bucks to see if a vacuum line is holding vacuum), which is a ridiculous price. "The part is around $600 new, or you can get one on eBay for $200, costs about $100 to put it in." He said this with a serious face, without cracking a smile, coughing, or looking away, like most con men do.

I said "HAH". Cya. Bye. I'll put up with it for $600-800 dollars to fix it—no friggin way.

Then my good friend Google and I looked upon the internets for salvation, and behold, a wise man told me, "Follow these directionsand get the parts from McMaster-Carr (dot com) and do it yourself. Takes about 45 minutes, costs about $1.00 to fix, and it's no big deal.

Apparently, pretty much any 2002 - 2010 big-body Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury uses this part and has the same problems about 4 years after you buy the car.

So I took off a piece of trim, undid (4) - 7mm screws from the front, unsnapped (2) electrical connectors, and screwed off (2) speed nuts and had the unit out of the car in 3 minutes. No kidding (3) THREE friggin minutes!

Took the unit into my shop, followed the directions exactly, replaced (4) 7 mm o-rings. lubricated them, put it all back together, and guess what. Factory air, just like a new car at the showroom. Total time, 35 minutes. Most of that time was spent reading the directions.

So thank you to the internets for giving me this gift.

The directions came from ( http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=36922 ) and were posted by some guy with a handle of JACook Senior Member, and he fixed my car.

$700, my aching ass.

Oh, same internets fixed my wife's dual-zoneAC problem on her Grand Prix. $39.95 for a new electronic vent controller, and it will freeze you out—the dealerwanted $650 to fix that.

What a bargain, I used Google(and using my wife's logic), I saved $1310.95 and fixed two auto AC's

Pretty cool, huh? Thankx Internets !!!!

**** Direction to Fix a Ford EATC Controller ****

Replacing the o-rings requires disassembly of the solenoids, but that's really not that hard to do if one hasreasonably good mechanical aptitude. But first, make sure they hold a vacuum when not energized. Connect a hose to the center vacuum port (where the black tube was connected) and suck it. It should hold a vacuum. If it doesn't, the following fix probably isn't for you. The solenoid assembly comes off the EATC module by unscrewing the two T-20 Torx screws on the back side of the module. Pivot the rear of the assembly up, and disengage the tabs at the front of the module. Disconnect the solenoid connector. Lay the solenoid assembly on itsback, and remove the 10 screws holding the solenoids and plenum strap to the plastic frame. At the wiring end of each solenoid, you'll see two metal tabs folded over that hold the solenoid coil and armature to the solenoid frame. Straighten these tabs, then carefully pull out the armature while watching to make sure you don't lose the spring or plunger inside. Note the o-ring on the armature. That's what we're after. Next, slide the coil off the end of the plenum tube, and then pinch the ends of the solenoid frame together to release it from the plenum. Once the solenoid is fully apart, fit the armature back into the end of the plenum tube to check that the O-ring has a good, snug fit. If it does, clean the inside of the tube and reassemble the solenoid. You can replace the o-ring if you like, but if it fits well, there'sno need. Make sure you pay attention to the screw flanges on the solenoid frame. Pinch the end of the frame together to fit it back onto the plenum. The spacer that goes at the plenum end of the solenoid has an undercut inside diameter and four grooves. The undercut end goes toward the plenum, and you'll see four ribs at the base of the plenum tube that mate with the four grooves in the spacer. The armature slides back on next, followed by the plunger, and then the spring. (The flat end of the plunger goes into the hole first, if you missed how it came out.) Use a bit of dielectric grease on the o-ring (I used Nylog), but do not use any oil or anything on the plunger. Make sure the tip of the armature, where the plunger seals against it, is clean and shiny. Don't get any dielectric grease on the armature tip. Clean and dry is what you want here. Slide the armature back into the end of the solenoid, and while pressing everything back together, fold the metal tabs back over. Repeat this for each of the four solenoids. On mine, the leaking one was the floor vent door (red hose). It was obvious when I got to that one. The armature came out much more easily than the others, and when I test-fitted it back into the plenum tube, it was a much looser fit. You might be tempted to replace only the O-ring on the leaking solenoidand leave it at that. Don't. (Guilty as charged, yer honor...) Do them all the first time, or you'll be back in there again.

Thankx for reading my rant!

bigmike

Visit my blog online at http://bigmikerant.blogspot.com/

I encourage you to leave your own comments or reactions to my rants (even if you don't agree with me) in the comments section on each post.

Everything costs more

 And everything costs more.

I'm pretty detail-oriented. I use two different user-friendly accounting programs to track expenses across all three of my banking accounts and to record sales invoices, purchases, and other business-related transactions. One thing I can tell you is that, compared to last year, nothing has decreased. Every single thing costs more. Everything. No exceptions.

Just looking at basic things like Utilities. We are using roughly the same amount of kilowatt-hours as we did last year and the year before, and our cost is up by over 10%. Same thing with gas; it is up 7-8%. Same with water; you're using the same gallon we used last year and the year before, and you're paying more per month. There's no benefit to paying more; it just costs more.

It isn't like we added showers, air conditioners, or heaters. We're just paying more because everybody pays more; that's the problem. Our politicians don't seem to think that's an issue, or at least they don't act like it is. Yet to me, it's the biggest issue we have: the economy. Someone once said I think maybe Bill Clinton, 'it's the economy, stupid, or something like that.

The value of a dollar is lower than it was this time last year and the year before, which means its buying power is lower. Things are more expensive, so you get less bang for the buck. Gasoline and milk prices are up, and insurance on my house and car has gone up over the last two years in a row, and we have had no claims whatsoever. We are not more expensive to insurance companies, yet our costs are rising in line with inflation. It's unbelievable.

Where I live, there is a building boom that is probably 3/4 over. For the last couple of years, ok maybe four years, I think they have been building like crazy everywhere you look, there's a new apartment or new townhouse. And I'm not talking about a few; I'm talking about 2000 to 3000 units built over time in what were previously undeveloped areas. We've got a building boom underway at gas stations and convenience stores. There have been so many of them that my town had to put a moratorium on new convenience stores. They're not allowing permits to build anymore unless the project is already under construction for about the next year or so. Personally, I don't care what you do as long as we can support it.

There has been no progress in infrastructure growth. There has been really no improvements in electricity, that I am aware of there are no improvements in natural gas delivery, I don't think we have bought or paid for any new waste water regeneration or treatment facilities, and I am pretty sure that from driving around this area, they haven't done much to support the increase in traffic, or the schools or the roads, that goes along with building new places to live and new places to buy things.

The other issue that concerns me greatly is a glut in the market for this new housing, and it's all overpriced. I really don't see how buyers or renters can afford these new units, given how much they cost. I would hate to be starting a life right now. Warehouses, logistics services, Mill and factory operations, and, in large part, the service sector drive the economy in my town. I don't know whether building all these houses is for. A recent college graduate just starting life would probably have to work two jobs to afford one of the fancy apartments they are building. I watched a lot of them being put up, and I would not live in them myself. I've never seen these places go up so fast, with so much corner-cutting.

I talked to a County building inspector a couple of months ago, and he said he's working longer hours, sometimes six days a week, to try to keep up, and the quality of buildings is just pathetic. It is wild that the proposition that you can build expensive housing (that is, overpriced) in such quantities that you think your product is immune to a market downturn is kind of nuts. I wonder what they think will happen to all their nice, new, pretty apartments if we enter a downturn or recession.

It could be that they're building the next ghetto apartments with 40% vacancy rates and Section 8 housing.

I use social media personally and as part of small businesses I am involved in. I have never seen so many people asking for help as I have in the last six months or so. People are asking for rides to work because they can't afford to get their car fixed. They are also asking for donations of clothes because they cannot afford new ones or because they lost everything in a fire and have nothing left. People are outright asking for financial help of various kinds to buy baby diapers or formula donations, and so forth. It is amazing. I know a couple of people who work in food banks around here, and they say the crowds who show up at their doors for help are twice as big as they used to be. I wonder if that indicates that we have something coming that we are ready for? What do you think will happen if our economy actually does fall into a recession?

Things already cost more than they did last year. People in the technology sector (such as those working in IT) have lost about 30% of their jobs overthe last 24 months. That is one in three tech workers who have been laid off. Well, laid off and or eliminated. What are people going to do if they are around here, for example, if money becomes even tighter, who is going to buy all the goods produced in the factories here? Who will pay for new flooring when they don't have a job?

Economists predict that for every job loss in a specific sector, such as technology, there is a corresponding job loss in manufacturing, retail, logistics, or marketing. I don't understand and really don't have any way to predict how much farther this can go before we reach a breaking point. I mean, we may already be at a breaking point for all I know. We used to buy steaks to eat every once in a while, and we don't buy them now because they're too expensive. The cost of meat is crazy. Things like bread, butter, eggs, milk, pasta, canned goods, and cereal are all increasing in price, as if money were no object. It's got to reach a tipping point. Politicians always talk about lowering prices on things like prescriptions or food. Once the price goes up, has it ever come back down? Never in my life have I ever seen prices fall to prior levels.

I mean, at the grocery store prices right now, do you really think any of them will come back down? What has to happen is an upward pressure on wages, and owners don't want that because that increases their cost. There are still jobs out there that pay $10 or $11 an hour, and I'm here to tell you that you cannot survive on that kind of money anymore. You might be able to live in someone's spare room or with your parents, but making $15,000-$16,000 a year is not enough to pay for the gas that goes in your car to get you to work.

When you consider that the price of insurance is up, that the price of a new car or for that matter a used car has went up, that the interest rates on loans for you new and used cars have went up, that the parts to repair your car are up or have tarrifs attached to them, and, the rates that shops have to charge to stay in business have went up, I don't know where they think it's going to end.

On top of that, there are more homeless people in the United States of America today than there ever have been in every city, state, county, municipal area, you name it; homelessness is on the rise. We can't take care of our people who work, and we have more homeless people than ever before.

I'll bet every one of you already knew every bit of this.

I do not have any answers; however, if you didn't know this, you should consider it if you were thinking about leaving your job. If you have a job right now, you should think about it 38 times before quitting to go somewhere else. Right now, you want to be worried about the certainty of where your next paycheck is coming from. I would be more worried about keeping my job right now than I ever would be about whether they would pay a bonus, whether I would be allowed to take a vacation, whether I could cash out my PTO, or even about my workload. 

Thankx for reading my rant, 
- BigMike

Old habits die hard

So, you looked up one day, you're older now, maybe you're making more money than you used to, maybe you have a better car than you used to. You wonder whether what you are doing in your life is really what matters, or what you should be doing.

See, here is the thing: humans, by their very nature, develop habits. Sometimes those habits are great. They eat healthy, go to the doctor when they need to, and clip coupons before going to the grocery store. Those are just examples of habits you may have started when you were younger that you carried over as you grew up. The question is, are the habits that you have developed over time serving you well?

I once knew a man who owned a franchise of a popular ice cream store. Every year, that man trades in his old Cadillac or last year's Cadillac and gets a brand-new Cadillac. He was about 55 when I met him. I asked him one day in my youth, "You must have a lot of money," and he looked at me and said, "No, not really." Why do you ask? I said you always have a new Cadillac every year, every spring you buy a new car. I assume you have a lot of money because of the depreciation. He looked stunned. Then he said, " What do you mean? In the conversation, I was probably only 19 years old, and I told the man that one of the hallmarks of owning brand-new vehicles is that in the first year or two, they lose a high percentage of their value due to depreciation. I said to them, or at least I have always been told, that if it's 20% then, then a $5000 car would lose $1000 in the first year or two in its perceived retail sale or trade-in value. So my logic was that if you traded in your car every year, as he did, you were willing to give up that depreciation each year.

You see, he paid cash. Every year, he would say to the dealer, "I want a new Cadillac. What will you give me for my old Cadillac?" He never thought about what he paid for the original Cadillac to begin with. Old habits die hard. This scenario would be even worse if you financed your car. Here's what I mean: take the example I used above. If the car was $ 5,000 and it lost 20% of its trade-in value in the first one or two years, the dealer would only give you $ 4,000 for the trade-in. So you go to buy a new car, and you have to pay the dealer back the depreciation every time you buy a new car. If you financed your vehicle, the lender will be responsible for the loan, so you are paying for depreciation and your new car. Really, the only difference I told the man was that in your case, the depreciation comes right out of your checkbook. To him, the deal was personal; he liked how he was treated, and he dealt with familiar people, so it made sense.

Old habits die hard.

Now I tell the story about this man because he was a well-respected businessman who ran a top-notch operation, and I really liked him a lot, and I was just making conversation, but I've always been good with math. He told me he had been doing this for more than 20 years because it had been easy in the first couple of years. He said he negotiated with the dealer by showing up with the Cadillac, taking whatever they offered, and getting the new car.

We came up with a whole new plan. Can you do that with your life?

Are you buying name-brand goods because you always have?

Do you go to buy a car without thinking about all of the things that go into that transaction beforehand?

Do you think about the total cost of ownership, for example? Questions like: What does it cost to insure this car? What does a new set of tires for the car cost? How expensive will it be to maintain? Typically, how well does this car hold its value?

When you negotiate, how do you begin? Do you just ask the seller what their lowest price is? And then do you think that's actually the lowest price and you pay it? When buying consumer goods, do you do the same thing with them that you do with restaurants? If there are low-, medium-, and high-priced options, do you usually buy the medium-priced option? Do you ever wonder why that is? 

There are literally thousands of habits that may be ingrained in you, and the only reason they are used is that it's always been done that way.

I had a man tell me one time, "If you always do what you always did, then you'll always get what you always got." I don't necessarily get along with that man anymore, but I still remember it and think it was good advice.

Thankx for reading my Rant,

bigmike

Boomer explains Tool and Equipment Maintenance

 01/05/2025

Good Afternoon, ladies and gents,

Today's video explains why you should regularly repair and clean tools and perform all the simple maintenance required. The simple answer is that you like saving money.

Well, you don't, do you? 

Many people will not admit that they never considered the maintenance cost or the upkeep when they purchased it. I've seen people, only two years after they bought a brand-new lawnmower, throw it away, sell it for nothing, send it to the dump, or give it to someone because it didn't work anymore. I cannot tell you how many times I have bought a nonworking piece of equipment from someone in the last 20 years, and with a tiny bit of work, I have made it a functioning tool that has done its job again for many years.

A case in point is to look at weedeaters; I see a lot of weedeaters go to the junk yard. Two reasons for that. Usually, the first big reason is you don't know how to mix the oil with the gasoline, and you end up burning the rings out of the engine or motor, and it starts to consume oil and smoke, and pretty soon, it won't start or run. The next big thing is that nobody knows how to maintain them, so they just call them throwaway items. They paid $200 for the last two years, so they throw it away when it doesn't work, and I get a new one to get a replacement unit. To me, this seems dorky. And by dorky, I mean pointless, verging on stupid, because there's not much you have to do to a weedeater to winterize it for next year. 

I'm looking up on Google. Google is your best friend. You may use a different browser, or you may use Microsoft BING. I don't care. Search for "How do I winterize a weedeater?". The Almighty search engine will take you to someplace that basically just says to follow these steps,  For example: 1) Change the spark plug, 2) find some gasoline additive that stabilizes fuel (the big one is called Sta-Bil), and what it does is a teacher fuel from gumming up inside the little tiny carburetor that's on every weedeater and keeps it running. All you have to do is put the right amount of Sta-Bil inside your gas tank and then run the fuel for a few minutes to make sure that it went through the fuel line that got to the carburetor that went to the spark plug, etc., and then you can go put your weedeater up till next year. When you go to start the weedeater next year, it will begin because the carburetor is not gummed up with all your old oil and gasoline, and you also 3) put new filters in it, and maybe air filters or fuel filters if it has one. So, the only thing that passed was time.

The oil and the gas did not degrade; it did not turn into sludge in your gas tank, in your fuel lines, in your carburetor, or near your spark plug. The purpose of the additive is to keep your fuel in top condition and to keep it dry, to keep the water out of it. Maintaining a weedeater takes about 15 or 20 min. Total. From the last time you used it until the next time you used it, it takes about 20 minutes. To put it away right in my put away right, I mean to do the maintenance for next year. What do you do?

What is your plan for not buying a new weedeater every spring?

Thank you for reading this and, in advance, for watching my video.

BIGMIKE

Get started with learning C++

 

Here's a roadmap to get you going:

1. Grasp the Basics:

Understand the Fundamentals: C++ is a compiled, general-purpose language. Familiarize yourself with concepts like variables, data types, operators, control flow (if-else, loops), and functions.

Learn about Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): C++ is object-oriented, meaning you can structure your code around objects that encapsulate data and functionality. Understand classes, objects, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation.

Explore C++ Syntax: Get comfortable with the way C++ code is written, including keywords, punctuation, and commenting.

2. Resources:

Online Tutorials: - W3Schools offers a well-structured introduction to C++: https://www.w3schools.com/cpp/ - CPlusPlus.com provides comprehensive coverage of all aspects of C++: http://cppreference.com/

Books: - "C++ Primer" by Lippman, Lajoie, and Moo is a classic and in-depth guide. - "Starting Out With C++" by Gaddis is a beginner-friendly option.

Online Courses: Many platforms offer interactive C++ courses, like Coursera, edX, and Udemy.

3. Practice and Experimentation:

Coding Platforms: Once you grasp the basics, try online coding platforms like HackerRank or LeetCode to solve C++ programming problems and practice writing code.

Small Projects: As you progress, set up a development environment (like Visual Studio) and work on small projects to solidify your learning. This could be a simple calculator program or a text-based game.

Additional Tips:

Join Online Communities: Engage with online forums or communities for C++ programmers. This is a great way to ask questions, get help, and learn from others.

Be Patient and Persistent: Learning C++ takes time and effort. Don't get discouraged by initial challenges; keep practicing and focus on making steady progress.

Remember, consistent practice is key to mastering C++. Happy learning!

Getting Started with 3D Printing: It's Easier Than You Think!

3D printers turn digital designs into real objects, like making toys or decorations at home! Here's a quick guide to get you started:

1. Pick a Printer:

There are different 3D printers, but most beginners use ones that work like hot glue guns, melting plastic to build things layer by layer. Starter printers are affordable, around $200.

2. Find or Make Your Design:

You can design your own creation on a computer using free software, or download free models from websites like Thingiverse.

3. Get Ready to Print:

A program called a slicer turns your design into instructions for the printer. It's like a recipe for the printer!

4. Let's Print!

Send the sliced file to your printer and watch your creation come to life!

Bonus Tips:

Safety first! Printers get hot, so keep an eye on them.

Be patient! It might take a few tries to get your print just right, but that's part of the fun.

3D printing is a cool way to turn your ideas into real things. With a little bit of learning, you'll be printing your own creations in no time!

Obviously, this is a simplified list, However, it is really this simple. All the rest is learn by doing