Yesterday, several people in Philadelphia were arrested while 'occupying' the Comcast Lobby in downtown Philly. The Comcast Company was targeted by occupiers because COMCAST pays NO property taxes in Philadelphia. That's right.  The mega-corporation, COMCAST, qualified for a tax abatement.  How many home owners do you think qualify for tax abatements in Philly?  I don't know the number, but I would reckon it very few!
 
  Yesterday, I had my own little experience at the Comcast Office in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. I went down to find out about Comcast's new Infinity changeover and see about getting the converter box now necessary to receive cable channels. I was greeted by a HUGE line that doubled around the lobby. Most people were standing in line with Comcast equipment, assorted boxes and cables. Oh, and you should have seen the expressions on people's faces....would not have taken much to start a riot....and I felt tempted!
 
When I arrived there were two service windows open, when I left there were four. There was still a long line, albeit not as long.  While standing there, I had an EPIPHANY!
 
Here's the deal. Comcast has the customer schlepping and working for Comcast! How? Well, we're making trips to the Comcast office to pick up Comcast equipment, to return defective equipment, connecting Comcast equipment to TVs, attempting to problem solve Comcast equipment or system failure....in other words, things that should be a Comcast SERVICE are now performed free by the customer him/herself
 
I notice the same thing going on at grocery and retail stores. The self check out lines have the customers performing as cashier and bagger. We're all working for the big oil companies too, pumping our own gasoline. And then when eating out, don't we place our own orders and carry our own food to the table at half the restaurants we patronize? 
 
  IS IT ANY WONDER THAT THERE ARE NO NEW JOBS IN THIS ECONOMY????? There is no such thing as service in our so called 'service economy.'
 
Meanwhile, the mega corporations are making record profits.  To add insult to injury, they are sitting on HUGE piles of cash and not creating jobs.
 
That's right, the so called 'job creators' are NOT creating paid jobs.  They are, however,  very successfully (and nefariously, IMHO) figuring out how to trick all of us into performing unpaid work!   In fact, we're PAYING THEM FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF DOING THEIR SERVICE WORK.
 
They can't do that, however, if we refuse to cooperate.  So, let's figure out how to start mucking up the works.  We can start by NEVER going through a self service line at a retail or grocery store.  There is one little independent gas station in my town that still offers attendant pumped gas....I'm heading over there now.
 
Oh, and about Comcast yesterday, I told them we didn't need to watch so much TV anyway, so please remove us from the enhanced or premium or whatever you call it service and keep your box.
 
Got suggestions about other ways to circumvent corporate ploys to make the customer do what used to be and still should be paid service work?  BY ALL MEANS, PLEASE SHARE!
 
Be Well and Good Luck   MM