Is that for a kitchen or a bathroom?

True story. About a month ago I needed to call Ikea for a replacement O-ring for my new faucet.

I explained to the phone rep that I had purchased the Gruntal vanity faucet and the O-ring broke before installation.

She asked, "Was that the kitchen faucet or the bathroom faucet?"

"I purchased the vanity faucet." (faucets for the bath are usually referred to as lavatory faucets or vanity faucets, not bathroom faucets)

She politely says, "Right, but is that the kitchen faucet or the bathroom faucet."

I wanted to ask her if she realized what a stupid question that was, but I bit my tongue and merely replied, "A vanity faucet is for the bathroom."

And we wonder why our country continues to spiral down into moronic stupidity.....

To qualify for a first-time homebuyer grant, you can't have any assets

I think I've known this stupid government philosophy for quite some time...as in decades, but it came up recently and my response was, "Now that's just stupid!"

There are city and county grant programs that are given to low income families to help them buy a home.

The funds are a grant and the only stipulation is that you must remain in the home you purchase for 10 or 15 years otherwise you have to pay the grant back.

I know a little about finance and I can tell you that if you can get a grant and then later decide to sell the home which means you have to pay the grant back, that is like getting a no interest loan! Not a bad deal.

BUT, to qualify for these grant programs, you can't have any assets. No savings, no retirement accounts, nothing.

Does that make sense? You are about to be qualified for a low income mortgage and get this free grant, but you have NOTHING to fall back on.

"Now that's just stupid!"

Airborne to refund $23.5 million

What????
I heard this on the news last night. It turns out I'm a bit slow and didn't know about this story last year when it first hit.
According to the court filing, "Airborne Products made untrue and misleading statements about the Airborne Products by claiming, among other things, that the Airborne Products cure or prevent colds."
What???
As an avid believer and user of vitamins, minerals and herbs and personal experience of validity, I think that the Class Action Lawsuit and resulting refund payments are one of the Stupid Things I Heard Today.
Airborne Products are supplemental products. No one is forced to purchase them. Millions of their customers appreciate their products and fully support taking Vitamin C and other herbs as a means to prevent or minimize colds. How many people buy Echinacea and Goldenseal? Millions! Why? Because they believe it is a healthier alternative to taking antibiotics. There is a time and place for antibiotics and health care professionals are notorious for over subscribing these drugs.
There is a portion of our society that poo poos alternative remedies and pathetically bows down to the pharmaceutical companies. This concession is slowly ruining the health of what were once healthy human beings. What a shame. And how stupid!
I have a vial of Airborne in my closet for when I need it and I certainly would never have requested a refund even though anyone could have requested it with no proof of previous purchase.
Oh yeah, that is another of the Stupid Things I Heard Today. Anyone requesting a refund did not need to supply any sort of proof of purchase. You just had to say you bought some of their products and voilà, you get a check come April 2009.
Shame on all the dishonest people who signed up for their free refund checks. I would bet most were not harmed by Airborne Products.

The Home Depot

This is a true story regarding my interaction with an employee at the ProDesk with whom I have placed several orders.

I ordered 10 bags of grout in Oyster Grey.
An hour before I had planned to pick them up, I get a call from the Home Depot employee.
He says, "Your concern about the actual quantity in stock was valid, we only have 7 bags of Oyster Grey even though the computer shows 14."
I say, "O.K. when is the next shipment expected to arrive?"
He looks at his computer and can't really tell but thinks it will be two weeks.
I tell him, "We are supposed to be completed with the project before then. Can we verify with the expediter (people in charge of orders) or see if we can locate the missing inventory?"
He says a bunch of stuff, then he offers, "Would you like to substitute a similar color for the remaining 3 bags and then just mix them together?"

My jaw dropped.
"No." I say firmly.
He says, "Oh."
I tell him, "That is like having your client pick out yellow for their paint color and then mixing a little orange into it because you didn't have enough paint. That is completely unacceptable and I would never do that with a client."

When we arrived at the store, we found another bag of Oyster Grey so now we are only 2 bags short, which are on order. Hopefully we will not need the extra bags and can complete the project on time.

I never could figure out if he realized how stupid his suggestion was or if he truly didn't understand why you can't just mix in another color. Go figure.

Cheney on CNN

Mister barely 13% approval rating when he left office 6 weeks ago is spewing unfounded fear-mongering slander about the Obama administration and how at-risk our country is regarding possible terrorism.
What an A-hole.
There is NO proof of his claims and he was partly responsible for the lack of focus on real terroristic threats prior to September 11, 2001 and if he had done his job, along with the rest of the Bush Administration, possibly could have help avert the three hijacked planes.
That guy has been nothing but Mr. Doom and Gloom, Mr. Secret Energy Policies Behind Closed Doors, Mr. I Am Not Part Of The Executive Branch, Mr. I Threw Valerie Plame Under The Bus AND Lied About Doing It And Protected Scooter Libby And Karl Rove As Much As I Could, Mr. I Had A Man-Sized Safe In My Office For All My Secrets, the list goes on....and NOW he has the gall to spew crap like this publicly?!
Fortunately only 13% of the population will buy into this crap, but what is unfortunate is when you realize one of those less-than-fully-informed individuals is your friend or colleague.

Radiation!

The landlord was showing the cottage last summer with the then current tenant standing in the room.

The perspective new tenant was inquiring about the Cupola styled roof and how they like that roofing/air management system. The landlord commented that he liked the system, but because it gets so warm in the summer months, he wished he had better insulated the roof because it radiates down into the room.

The soon to be moved out tenant exclaimed, "Oh my god! There's radiation in here, while I've been living here!"

True story.

$5.09 minus $2.00 equals $2.92

At the grocery store earlier today. I had a rain check for $2.00/item. The clerk needed to enter a manual 'coupon' discount to net $2.00 each.
She scans the original price. It's $5.09.
She mumbles to herself about, "$5.09 minus $2.00 equals $2.92, $2.93, no $2.92. "
She isn't certain so she pulls out her calculator and enters: 5.09 - 2.00 = TA DA!
$3.09 discount.
Wow!
A nice clerk, but dumb as a rock. She wasn't nervous. There was no pressure. She just couldn't figure out in her head what $5.09 minus $2.00 equals. How she came to 92 or 93 cents is beyond me. I don't really want to know.

Republican response to President Obama's address to Congress

"Republicans are ready to work with the new president to provide those solutions." If that were true, we would hear specific solutions from Republican representatives. So far, no matter how far I search, I have not found any specifics....only quips and 'talking points.'

"Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us." No, President Obama has made it crystal clear that while the government is going to help, the real work is going to need to come from us, the Citizens.

"Harry just told the boaters to ignore the bureaucrats and start rescuing people." No, he didn't. In fact, people waited weeks to be rescued while local law enforcement BBQ'd in the French Quarter and stood sentry with rifles instead of helping rescue people.

"This spirit got Louisiana through the hurricanes" No, Louisiana has not gotten though this even now, 3 1/2 years later. Too many neighborhoods are still vacant and residents can not return. It is one of our national disgraces and we should be paying more attention to it (as in fixing it), not complimenting our great accomplishment (before the job is complete).

Link to full context: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/02/full-text-of-go.html

While watching Governor Jindal's response, I found myself shaking my head saying, "What?" "Where did he get that idea?" "Did he record this speech before President Obama spoke?" I was baffled. then I remembered, President Obama said that almost half of all Americans never graduated high school. No wonder Bush was elected twice. No wonder the poorest districts in our country are die-hard Republicans. Old enough to vote? Come look at these bright, shiny objects!

Link to full context: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/24/obama-speech-tonight-vide_n_169671.html

Stupid tattoo

Tattoo seen on the lower back of a long-haired shirtless man standing in line at the in-store bank branch:

REAP WHAT YOU SEW



Perhaps he is a seamstress?

Mammogram's for free!

"Yes, we offer free mammogram screening if you have insurance. If you don't have insurance, it's not free."

What???
How stupid is that?!
If I could afford $400/month for health insurance premiums, then I qualify for the free mammogram. But, I can't afford the insurance so I can afford to pay for the full cost of a mammogram???
A mammogram is quoted for $360. After some research and numerous inquiries I found a 50% discount for cash payment without insurance.

But if I had insurance...I would get it for FREE.

That's just stupid.