Karen’s Opinion

I got new glasses back in 2007 and decided I need to get a new pair. Back then, I got wire frames that are rimless. They are so flimsy that they are often out of focus. I try to be careful to put them in a case each time I take them off but I admit to not always doing so. That means they are scratched up and the frames are bent.

I went to the eye doctor this morning and tried to purchase the cheapest frames and get out of there for the least amount of money spent. Can you believe that my total is still almost $500!! And to top it off, I have to join AARP to get a 30% discount.

I have bad eyes and I am old. I am cheap. I wish I could go back to bed.

Does it bother anyone else that President Obama felt he had the time to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno? It bugs me to think that he has time to jaunt around the country at the tax payers expense when so many people are worried about losing their jobs. He should be working with our congress men and women. Maybe if they took the time to really work on their proposed stimulus plans, they wouldn’t be full of loopholes that only help the businesses who are failing because of greed.

Another thing that really sticks in my craw is what was said on Leno. Our dear Mr. President, who should know first hand about stigmas and prejudices, should be more considerate of all our citizens. That includes the citizens with special needs. My friend Val said it better than I could ever blog. You can read her post at An Apology Isn’t Enough.

As a leader, President Obama needs to set an example. Sure, mistakes are made. He made a big one and he needs to publicly apologize.

A sports star in New York was awakened by his fiance’s cat. It angered him so much that he beat the cat and killed it. The news went on and on to describe what the man did to the cat. I won’t repeat it here. It was disgusting. It makes me wonder if he did that to a cat, what he would do if angered by a small defenseless child.

Aside from the horrific deed, what angers me is that the court, or I should say a court appointed jury, let him remain a free man. According the the story in the Star Tribune, the baseball player says he acted in self defense. Give me a break. He should have received the maximum punishement for this felony charge — aggravated cruelty to an animal — which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison.

Part of running a business is taking the backlash from competitors. I have learned to ignore what is said and let our expert installation and reputation stand for itself. It is when unfair practices are taken that I think people need to speak up and let the truth be known.

Such is the case with the Lifelock Company. Experian is saying that they are losing money because of LifeLock. Because of the extra service LifeLock is offering it’s customers, more and more people are using their service. Experian is trying to discredit LifeLock by saying that credit laws do not provide for a third party to place fraud alerts on behalf of a consumer. Such tactics are only done to discredit LifeLock. LifeLock prides itself on their excellent customer service and the products they provide. I am sure that they are doing so well is what Experian has a problem with. I hope they don’t feel the need to get into a peeing contest with a skunk and use the law to show that what they do is proper and for the best of their clients. LifeLock is the specialist in identity theft protection services. LifeLock is the industry leader in the rapidly growing field of Identity Theft Protection and that has some crying foul.

Have you tried to sell textbooks? I think the amount of money that students have to pay for their textbooks is awful. I also think it is a scam. They tell students that they will be able to sell the books back to recoup some of their hard earned money only to find they are offered a small amount of money. It is ridiculous the amount of money they are offered for a book that has hardly been used.

The text books are another sore subject with me. Do you think that colleges receive a kickback for choosing a particular book?