For the Love of Money
By James Lynne Moore, Jr.. Wednesday, 28. December 2005, 19:05:37
Like Howard Dean, I easily mix up the books in the Bible that belong to the Old Testament, and the books that belong to the New Testament. To be honest with you, I know very little about religion, in spite of my constant exposure as a child and teenager.
Even so, the story of Jesus driving the 'money changers' from the temple made an impression on me. Hell, quite a bit of the story of Jesus made an impression on me. An itinerant carpenter with survival skills who lived hand-to-mouth and didn't have a pot to piss in.
Sounds like a river guide.
But, I really like the driving the 'money changers' from the temple story. Modern day religious charlatans must gloss over this tale in order to justify their quest for millions. Today's zealots preach the innate goodness of wealth and have no problem marrying the profit motive to the church.
The term 'money changers' goes right to the core of the issue. I have no idea if the translation is accurate. I haven't done any research, and even if I did the research, it would be based on interpretations of scripture that was written down centuries after it occurred. 'Money changers', for the era we are talking about, would have been the one profession who made a living doing NOTHING. All they did was exchange money while charging interest at their whim.
I encountered thousands of 'money changers' in my travels through Mexico and Central America. The exchange rate is government controlled but, when language is a barrier, anything can happen and you need to watch your money, and your passport, like a raptor eyeing their next meal. These people come in all shapes, sizes and types, but none should be trusted.
I don't think Jesus had a particular problem with money transactions. I just think Jesus believed certain aspects of our lives should not be tarnished or degraded by an ungodly pursuit of ungodly sums of money.
Which leads me to my latest rant about the state of modern-day society. and the unconscionable practice of parting people from their hard-earned money by subterfuge.
As a wide-eyed teen, I became conscious of one version of this shop-worn, corporate strategy with the Quality Paperback Book Club. The strategy was to lure you into signing a long term contract and a few titles upfront with a cheap entry fee and "no obligations whatsoever to buy!" Of course, if you didn't return the book they sent every month for the next year, you would be billed for it. They figured once you had it in your possession you wouldn't be likely to ship it back.
At least, with this technique, you did receive something of value for your money, even if it was a book or album you had little interest in. As I grew older, I began to notice more and more strategies for hoodwinking the general public. I fully understand it is going on all around us, all the time. I am not naive. But, wouldn't it be great, if there truly was 'truth in advertising'?
Wouldn't it be great if you couldn't place an ad with asterisks and footnotes?
Wouldn't it be great if products were sold strictly on their merits? If a product or service must be sold by subterfuge, it must not be either worthy, or necessary.
I was hoodwinked the other day at the Austin airport, and, at this point, I have paid a steep price to be reminded that the buyer must always be aware. Not all corporations adhere to the credo that the 'customer is always right'. In fact, some businesses prefer to the old Ma Bell philosophy --- "We're the phone company. We don't care. We don't have to."
I was hoodwinked by a beguiling, young corporate employee of Enterprise Rent-A-Car who rented Ally and I the Chevrolet Aveo we used while in Texas. If you recognize the model name, you will immediately appreciate the fact that we chose the most economical vehicle available. We are frugal for a reason. We are not rolling in dough.
We declined the $15 a day upgrade to a more substantial steed. I declined the more comprehensive insurance for $15 more per day because I know that my car insurance covers me and I know that American Express ALSO insures rentals when you use their card.
"So, you want the basic insurance then?" she brightly inquired.
Notice she DIDN'T say how much in addition it would cost? I falsely assumed BASIC came with the rental. I am one hundred per cent certain if she had mentioned costs over and above what the internet search of Enterprise Rent-A-Car quoted us, I would have queried her further. However, she never spoke of added costs, and she maintained her cheery disposition.
Every time I have ever rented a vehicle, I have declined all the add-ons presented to me. Every time I sign one of their contracts, I initial the boxes indicating my refusal. As I initialed the contract this time, I assumed I was declaring I didn't need the 'bells and whistles" that, in aggregate, become a fortune in expenses.
As Al Franken says, "when you assume, you make an ass out of Uma Thurman".
Long story short --- we got the shaft and Enterprise Rent-A-Car will not return our phone calls to discuss how we felt we were misled by their subtle, money-grubbing manipulations. What really burns me about this whole affair is that, despite our reasoned discussions with Enterprise underlings, no manager will return our call and, at the very least, agree it was an misunderstanding, show their gratitude for our business and, perhaps, seal future business, or spread goodwill, by conceding the 'customer is always right' by casting their lot with the old adage --- "what goes around, comes around."
Nope, for the love of money, Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Austin, Texas, has cast their lot with the temple's money changers.
Even so, the story of Jesus driving the 'money changers' from the temple made an impression on me. Hell, quite a bit of the story of Jesus made an impression on me. An itinerant carpenter with survival skills who lived hand-to-mouth and didn't have a pot to piss in.
Sounds like a river guide.
But, I really like the driving the 'money changers' from the temple story. Modern day religious charlatans must gloss over this tale in order to justify their quest for millions. Today's zealots preach the innate goodness of wealth and have no problem marrying the profit motive to the church.
The term 'money changers' goes right to the core of the issue. I have no idea if the translation is accurate. I haven't done any research, and even if I did the research, it would be based on interpretations of scripture that was written down centuries after it occurred. 'Money changers', for the era we are talking about, would have been the one profession who made a living doing NOTHING. All they did was exchange money while charging interest at their whim.
I encountered thousands of 'money changers' in my travels through Mexico and Central America. The exchange rate is government controlled but, when language is a barrier, anything can happen and you need to watch your money, and your passport, like a raptor eyeing their next meal. These people come in all shapes, sizes and types, but none should be trusted.
I don't think Jesus had a particular problem with money transactions. I just think Jesus believed certain aspects of our lives should not be tarnished or degraded by an ungodly pursuit of ungodly sums of money.
Which leads me to my latest rant about the state of modern-day society. and the unconscionable practice of parting people from their hard-earned money by subterfuge.
As a wide-eyed teen, I became conscious of one version of this shop-worn, corporate strategy with the Quality Paperback Book Club. The strategy was to lure you into signing a long term contract and a few titles upfront with a cheap entry fee and "no obligations whatsoever to buy!" Of course, if you didn't return the book they sent every month for the next year, you would be billed for it. They figured once you had it in your possession you wouldn't be likely to ship it back.
At least, with this technique, you did receive something of value for your money, even if it was a book or album you had little interest in. As I grew older, I began to notice more and more strategies for hoodwinking the general public. I fully understand it is going on all around us, all the time. I am not naive. But, wouldn't it be great, if there truly was 'truth in advertising'?
Wouldn't it be great if you couldn't place an ad with asterisks and footnotes?
Wouldn't it be great if products were sold strictly on their merits? If a product or service must be sold by subterfuge, it must not be either worthy, or necessary.
I was hoodwinked the other day at the Austin airport, and, at this point, I have paid a steep price to be reminded that the buyer must always be aware. Not all corporations adhere to the credo that the 'customer is always right'. In fact, some businesses prefer to the old Ma Bell philosophy --- "We're the phone company. We don't care. We don't have to."
I was hoodwinked by a beguiling, young corporate employee of Enterprise Rent-A-Car who rented Ally and I the Chevrolet Aveo we used while in Texas. If you recognize the model name, you will immediately appreciate the fact that we chose the most economical vehicle available. We are frugal for a reason. We are not rolling in dough.
We declined the $15 a day upgrade to a more substantial steed. I declined the more comprehensive insurance for $15 more per day because I know that my car insurance covers me and I know that American Express ALSO insures rentals when you use their card.
"So, you want the basic insurance then?" she brightly inquired.
Notice she DIDN'T say how much in addition it would cost? I falsely assumed BASIC came with the rental. I am one hundred per cent certain if she had mentioned costs over and above what the internet search of Enterprise Rent-A-Car quoted us, I would have queried her further. However, she never spoke of added costs, and she maintained her cheery disposition.
Every time I have ever rented a vehicle, I have declined all the add-ons presented to me. Every time I sign one of their contracts, I initial the boxes indicating my refusal. As I initialed the contract this time, I assumed I was declaring I didn't need the 'bells and whistles" that, in aggregate, become a fortune in expenses.
As Al Franken says, "when you assume, you make an ass out of Uma Thurman".
Long story short --- we got the shaft and Enterprise Rent-A-Car will not return our phone calls to discuss how we felt we were misled by their subtle, money-grubbing manipulations. What really burns me about this whole affair is that, despite our reasoned discussions with Enterprise underlings, no manager will return our call and, at the very least, agree it was an misunderstanding, show their gratitude for our business and, perhaps, seal future business, or spread goodwill, by conceding the 'customer is always right' by casting their lot with the old adage --- "what goes around, comes around."
Nope, for the love of money, Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Austin, Texas, has cast their lot with the temple's money changers.
WIDGETIZE