Saturday, August 07, 2004

What is Right vs What is Correct

I recently heard someone (the name escapes me) explain the difference between being right and being correct. Ralph Nader is right to run for president but not correct. The person that may win because of Nader's participation is the "greater of two evils" according to the pundit I was listening to.

This is similar to the conundrum I often find myself in when it comes to deciding who to vote for. As an independent living in Oklahoma I rarely if ever find a candidate I can even agree with on 70% of the issues. Even the "moderates" in Oklahoma are pretty far right as the nation goes. Take Brad Carson for instance. The latest mailer I received from his campaign touts his support of "gun rights" and his support of an amendment to the Constitution to limit marriage to a man and a woman (thus, for the first time putting a limitation on rights in our Constitution). If Brad Carson is the "liberal" in the race where does that put his opponent, Tom Coburn? Pretty much at the extreme fringe of the extreme right. So do I vote for one of these guys?

I learned my lesson in the last presidential election when I declined to vote in that race because I didn't feel comfortable with either major candidate. Declining to vote for someone you don't agree with on some issues may be the RIGHT thing to do but I now see it is not the CORRECT thing to do. Given the current political system, choosing the lesser of two "evils" is the correct choice.

Thursday, August 05, 2004

Fred Harris Spotting

Fred Harris, former US Senator from Oklahoma and two-time candidate for president, was spotted by Brian Curtis of Slate at the Democratic National Convention in the New Mexico delegation.
Don't Sign up for Netzero! (or AOL)

I had this Internet provider for about a year and canceled my account several months ago when I went broadband. The monthly charge for Netzero disappeared from my credit card bill for three months and then suddenly reappeared on it last month. It had been a hassle cancelling it the first time because Netzero requires you to call and wait a long time to talk to a human in order to cancel your account. You can easily sign up online but they make canceling as difficult as possible. AOL did the same thing to me last year.

When I called back tonight to re-cancel I got a lady with a heavy Indian accent that I could barely understand. She denied that I had canceled my account and had, in fact, only asked for a two-month suspension of my account. When I insisted I had canceled my account she transferred me to cancelations. I waited 20 minutes on the phone until a polite fellow canceled my account again and said my credit card would be credited - in a couple of months. I'll believe that when I see it.

Is Netzero using this disappear and reappear tactic knowing many credit card owners don't check their bills every month? Are they counting on the difficulty of calling and waiting on the phone for long periods of time to discourage customers from getting around to the hassle of canceling - again?

When will these corporations like Netzero and AOL start treating customers with the courtesy to make cancellation of services as easy as signing up? For this reason I avoid automatic deductions from my credit card accounts if at all possible.