A Joke And What It Reveals

[BT]

Very possible, especially with prepaid credit cards and Obama's lax authentication  rules.

[crocat]

This is supposed to be a tongue in cheek joke.  Question is do all of your tight fisted, let the government support everyone but not with my money  liberals think so?

Redistribution of Wealth

"In the restaurant my waiter had on a 'Obama 08' tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference--just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need--the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experiment I realized the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application. "

[sirs]

Especially when its other people's money

[Michael Tee]

It proves only what a skinflint you are.  (in the joke, of course)

I tip the waiter AND if I have a quarter or dollar coin ("loonie,") I give it to anyone outside who asks for it.

Incidentally, the tip to the waiter is given in the knowledge that he or she is working for minimum wage and provides cheerful and efficient service in the expectation that it will be rewarded with a tip.  Not to tip is to participate in the waiter's exploitation by his or her boss.  If the service is substandard, there is no tip.

[crocat]

It proves only what a skinflint you are.  (in the joke, of course)

I tip the waiter AND if I have a quarter or dollar coin ("loonie,") I give it to anyone outside who asks for it.

Incidentally, the tip to the waiter is given in the knowledge that he or she is working for minimum wage and provides cheerful and efficient service in the expectation that it will be rewarded with a tip.  Not to tip is to participate in the waiter's exploitation by his or her boss.  If the service is substandard, there is no tip.

I am no skinflint.   I am probably more generous than most.... both as a tipper and one that gives to people in need.   The joke was about the reality of someone else deciding how they were going to spend "HIS (waiters) money."   After all the person eating the meal was ready willing and able to do both (if he made the decision to do so).   While you are all for taking the patron's money and giving it to both without his consent.  Yet.... you respond with angst when the patron puts the shoe on the other foot.

[BT]

Incidentally, the tip to the waiter is given in the knowledge that he or she is working for minimum wage and provides cheerful and efficient service in the expectation that it will be rewarded with a tip

The terms of his or her employment never enter into my calculations of whether their service deserves a reward and the size of said reward.

[Michael Tee]

The terms of his or her employment never enter into my calculations of whether their service deserves a reward and the size of said reward.

=====================

If the service is mediocre but not really bad, I do have to remind myself that the guy's probably on minimum wage.

[crocat]

The terms of his or her employment never enter into my calculations of whether their service deserves a reward and the size of said reward.

=====================

If the service is mediocre but not really bad, I do have to remind myself that the guy's probably on minimum wage.

So not only do you figure that he should be well paid, he doesn't necessarily have to do a good job?  Why not just have two homeless guys out there?  I can stay home and cook my own dinner and then get in my car and share between the two the money I have saved on not eating out.

Yeah, that will fix it.  Kill all the birds with one stone.   Bankrupt the greedy bastard restaurant owner, make an able bodied person see da light and cease to try and work for a living and deny me the opportunity after work 10 hours to have a nice meal were I don't have to clean up after myself. Oh, and let's not forget homeless Joe, who you have now doubled the competition for a corner and an appliance box.

[Plane]

The terms of his or her employment never enter into my calculations of whether their service deserves a reward and the size of said reward.

=====================

If the service is mediocre but not really bad, I do have to remind myself that the guy's probably on minimum wage.

So not only do you figure that he should be well paid, he doesn't necessarily have to do a good job?  Why not just have two homeless guys out there?  I can stay home and cook my own dinner and then get in my car and share between the two the money I have saved on not eating out.

Yeah, that will fix it.  Kill all the birds with one stone.   Bankrupt the greedy bastard restaurant owner, make an able bodied person see da light and cease to try and work for a living and deny me the opportunity after work 10 hours to have a nice meal were I don't have to clean up after myself. Oh, and let's not forget homeless Joe, who you have now doubled the competition for a corner and an appliance box.

Hohohahahahaha!

[Michael Tee]

<<So not only do you figure that he should be well paid, he doesn't necessarily have to do a good job?  Why not just have two homeless guys out there?  I can stay home and cook my own dinner and then get in my car and share between the two the money I have saved on not eating out.

<<Yeah, that will fix it.  Kill all the birds with one stone.   Bankrupt the greedy bastard restaurant owner, make an able bodied person see da light and cease to try and work for a living and deny me the opportunity after work 10 hours to have a nice meal were I don't have to clean up after myself. Oh, and let's not forget homeless Joe, who you have now doubled the competition for a corner and an appliance box.>>

================================================

The guy did a mediocre job for below-mediocre wages.  I don't want to reward him for his mediocrity, but I don't want to participate in his economic exploitation either.  As I believe I said previously, if the guy's performance had been really sub-par, I wouldn't have tipped at all.

The one course of action you never seemed to consider was eating your mediocre meal in the mediocre  place that YOU chose to dine in, rightly or wrongly, and going out next time to a (hopefully) better place.  But of course that would involve accepting some personal responsibility for the poor choice you made in the first place, for not doing your homework or for listening to people whose judgment was off.

[crocat]

<<So not only do you figure that he should be well paid, he doesn't necessarily have to do a good job?  Why not just have two homeless guys out there?  I can stay home and cook my own dinner and then get in my car and share between the two the money I have saved on not eating out.

<<Yeah, that will fix it.  Kill all the birds with one stone.   Bankrupt the greedy bastard restaurant owner, make an able bodied person see da light and cease to try and work for a living and deny me the opportunity after work 10 hours to have a nice meal were I don't have to clean up after myself. Oh, and let's not forget homeless Joe, who you have now doubled the competition for a corner and an appliance box.>>

================================================

The guy did a mediocre job for below-mediocre wages.  I don't want to reward him for his mediocrity, but I don't want to participate in his economic exploitation either.  As I believe I said previously, if the guy's performance had been really sub-par, I wouldn't have tipped at all.

The one course of action you never seemed to consider was eating your mediocre meal in the mediocre  place that YOU chose to dine in, rightly or wrongly, and going out next time to a (hopefully) better place.  But of course that would involve accepting some personal responsibility for the poor choice you made in the first place, for not doing your homework or for listening to people whose judgment was off.

sheesh, Michael.... how do you know that I am eating in a medicore place?   How do you know that it isn't a nice neighborhood restaurant with an excellent menu a fine chef/cook and just some poor schlep waiter having a bad night.   (This equates to your analogy of government run programs... you know good programs with some bums and some crooks)  By the way a $10.00 tip implies a $50.00 meal on my budget for two people... that is a lot of money...nearly an hours pay for me.   Consider that he probably has at least 8 table tops in that hour and that has had  the opportunity to make $ between 60 to 80.  Not too bad for medicore.

[Michael Tee]

IMHO, it's a mediocre place if you get mediocre service.  It's up to the boss to motivate workers to give 100% service 100% of the time to 100% of the diners, regardless of "good night/bad night" personal life considerations.  A well-run place doesn't have mediocre service, won't tolerate it, and if they're on the ball, they'll catch it and nip it in the bud by coming around and asking if everything's OK. 

However, what if it IS really <<a nice neighborhood restaurant with an excellent menu a fine chef/cook and just some poor schlep waiter having a bad night?>>

In that case, I'd call over the owner (or the manager if the owner is not around) and let him or her know that the service was a bit off that night.  Tell him exactly how, just so there are no misunderstandings and he doesn't over-react on the waiter.   Odds are, they'll make it up to you.  As long as they acknowledge the beef and are prepared to take some steps to make it up to you, that's good enough for me.  The owner gets a chance to correct falling standards, which benefits us all, even the mediocre waiter, I get my concerns addressed in a tangible and satisfying way, the waiter gets his mediocre tip for his mediocre service, and we're all friends.

[crocat]

IMHO, it's a mediocre place if you get mediocre service.  It's up to the boss to motivate workers to give 100% service 100% of the time to 100% of the diners, regardless of "good night/bad night" personal life considerations.  A well-run place doesn't have mediocre service, won't tolerate it, and if they're on the ball, they'll catch it and nip it in the bud by coming around and asking if everything's OK. 

However, what if it IS really <<a nice neighborhood restaurant with an excellent menu a fine chef/cook and just some poor schlep waiter having a bad night?>>

In that case, I'd call over the owner (or the manager if the owner is not around) and let him or her know that the service was a bit off that night.  Tell him exactly how, just so there are no misunderstandings and he doesn't over-react on the waiter.   Odds are, they'll make it up to you.  As long as they acknowledge the beef and are prepared to take some steps to make it up to you, that's good enough for me.  The owner gets a chance to correct falling standards, which benefits us all, even the mediocre waiter, I get my concerns addressed in a tangible and satisfying way, the waiter gets his mediocre tip for his mediocre service, and we're all friends.



You are making black and white judgements here.   First of all, while you are anxious for me to support someone that has slipped through the proverbial cracks... you also want me to have some poor bastard having a bad night fired.   Second of all good places do support bad service, I have eaten out in many gourmet restaurants and have watch many of them driven into the ground by bad management.   So whilst you are patting yourself  on the back for your logic here... you are culling many points of the debate to prop up your bias.

[richpo64]

Cro wrote:
>>I can stay home and cook my own dinner and then get in my car and share between the two the money I have saved on not eating out.<<

I suggest that staying home rather than going out to dinner will be the wiae thing to do if Barry is elected. I'd hang on to that old car too. Weekend vacations if any. The Gang of Three is getting ramped up to go after your 401K so we had better hang on to what we've got until we get the all's clear.

[crocat]

I suggest that staying home rather than going out to dinner will be the wiae thing to do if Barry is elected. I'd hang on to that old car too. Weekend vacations if any. The Gang of Three is getting ramped up to go after your 401K so we had better hang on to what we've got until we get the all's clear.

my worry is that I don't have the extra four years to recover from these tax and spend assholes.