Man Crushed To Death By Giant Pile Of Cheese After Refusing To Tell Olive Garden Waitress To Stop - The Babylon Bee

According to diners who saw the accident, the man locked eyes with his server and sat in stoic silence as mountains of cheese piled all around him.

Made it to the ocean.

Southwest Airlines, USAA, and CarMax used to be a few of my corporate heroes. Companies that I could rely on to do the right thing, to put their customers first, and deliver outstanding experience each time. The past decade has been hard on all three.

Southwest started faltering when they merged with AirTran. A whole new crop of employees suddenly changed uniforms, but they didn’t change cultures. Instead of warm, friendly employees at every encounter, Southwest started to look and feel a lot more like their cattle-call competitors.

USAA needed to grow their membership, so they opened it up to anyone who had served honorably. A massive new pool of members rushed in the door and USAA had to staff up quickly. Phone hold times extended, employees grew more corporate, and the overachievers disappeared into thin air.

CarMax build a brand on car buying the way it should be. In a slimy business, they stood out. Their cars were better than average, cleaner than average, and backed up by a no-questions asked warranty. But they could only build so many superstores, and many smaller markets would never support that volume. So, they came up with a new small-market format store and spread far and wide. New employees missed the memo, and now they deliver overpriced cars with an underwhelming experience.

The thread that ties together these three stories is growth at the cost of fundamentals. They needed to grow, and they did, but they forgot to bring their new team members into the culture. Any bozo can run an airline, issue insurance, or sell used cars. It takes a truly great company to turn customers into raving fans. And when the great fall, it’s time for the market to go looking for new companies that act like the greats used to.

A Popular Tax Trick for Savers, the Mega ‘Back Door’ Roth IRA, Is Eliminated in House Bill - WSJ

The IRA measures will raise tax revenue to help pay for items such as universal prekindergarten and lower prescription drug prices.

What an accounting trick!

They eliminate the tax payments the government receives today from a 35 year old couple making backdoor Roth IRA in exchange for taxes paid at withdrawal on a traditional IRA at least 25 years away, but book the assumed additional tax revenue today.

This is Enron-style accounting.

Of course, many models suggest that these high earners that Congress is targeting would be better off using a pre-tax strategy during peak earnings years anyways. The assumptions made by this Congress are dubious, to say the least.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that the Democratic leadership looking to kill the Backdoor Roth today are the same ones who codified it into law when they held power in 2010.

Gorgeous fall colors.

A stop back in time.

Biden Asks FTC to Examine Oil, Gas Companies’ Role in High Gasoline Prices - WSJ

In a Wednesday letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, Mr. Biden alleged that there is “mounting evidence of anti-consumer behavior by oil-and-gas companies.”

C’mon man!

Keystone XL, Green New Deal, clean energy tax credits bonanza, the new Dept. of Energy Green venture capital fund, constantly bashing oil and gas, suspending permitting for drilling on Federal lands….

The anti-consumer behavior is being perpetrated by the Biden Administration.

Worth the drive.

Glasgow’s Climate of Unreality - WSJ Opinion

“If [Mr. Biden] were asking them to boost their production over five years, I’d quit,” Mr. Kerry told reporters, by way of trying to square this circle. “But he’s not. He’s asking them to boost production in this immediate moment.” Lord, make us green, but not yet.

Great line.

Steve Bannon Surrenders to FBI to Face Contempt Charges - WSJ

The indictment marks the first such criminal case for the Justice Department in decades. Attorney General Merrick Garland has said it underscored the agency’s commitment to pursuing equal justice regardless of politics.

Does it, tho?

I’m no Bannon fan, but this does not have the optics of Justice.

Apple Imposing Strict Terms on U.S. States for Digital IDs in Wallet App - MacRumors

The company requires states to independently maintain the systems used to issue and service credentials, hire project managers to respond to Apple’s inquiries, verify IDs, perform quality testing to ensure that digital IDs meet Apple’s requirements, “prominently” market the feature, “proactively” offer digital IDs whenever a citizen gets a new or replacement card, and encourage state and federal government agencies to widely adopt digital IDs.

I’m interested in this idea, having my license on my phone, but I hope my state looks at these terms and tells Apple to pound sand. Completely inappropriate for a private technology to dictate terms to a governmental agency over a program that benefits the private company’s bottomline, at the full expense of the taxpayer.

Even St. Joseph needs a few friends.

As with every issue, Biden claims to be a helpless bystander on inflation | Washington Examiner Opinion

Just as with immigration , Afghanistan , and unemployment , Biden and his allies want us to think that he is nothing but a bystander. It can never be his fault or the fault of the policies he has pursued and implemented. The world is simply out of his control. It’s OPEC that isn’t boosting production, not Biden’s failed energy policies. It’s those oh-so-complicated supply chains that are to blame, not Biden’s COVID-19 stimulus and unemployment policies.

It’s a bizarre argument coming from the leader of the free world. Especially when many of these issues are demonstrably a result of his decisions.

Red Alert: Your Wife Just Saw A ‘Fun, Easy’ DIY Home Project On TikTok - The Babylon Bee

Prosecutors Charge Trump Adviser Steve Bannon for Defying Jan. 6 Panel Subpoena - WSJ

Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Today’s charges reflect the department’s steadfast commitment to these principles.”

That pardon really got to them, huh?

Many have been referred to DOJ on the same charges, Lois Learner, Eric Holder. None have been indicted. I’m not saying that Bannon is right, just that justice should be equally administered.

‘That Boy Was Fake-Crying!’ Says Man Who Bursts Into Tears Whenever Someone Lightly Brushes His Elbow - The Babylon Bee

LeBron was then immediately knocked over by a slight gust of wind, causing him to crumple like a blade of grass.

What Home-Schoolers Are Doing Right - WSJ Opinion

We shouldn’t accept a public education system that offers academic achievement at the expense of a flourishing life.

Education is not an end unto itself; the objective is developing well-rounded people.

To all who served, and the families who stood behind them, thank you.

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How Much Do Electric Vehicles Cost to ‘Fill Up’ Compared With Buying Gasoline? - WSJ

In our look at fuel only, the driver of a Mach-E saves 4 cents to 9 cents per mile.

I’ve waited for this information. A great article that takes gas vs. electricity comparison head on.

On the high end of this average, EV owners would save $1,350 a year, after paying nearly double on the sticker price, before incentives and before installing a home charger.

Of course, I can sign up for fuel station programs and save $.05 a gallon on gas and wipe out any fuel savings that electric charging offers.

This isn’t a compelling value-proposition, which explains all of the subsidies. The Market hasn’t embraced it outside of niche pockets, so the government creates a distortion. The Transportation Department is going to spend billions building out charger networks, and yet it’s never had to build or own a single gas station.

The best technology should compete and win, and long-term that may be EVs. For now, the government picks winner and losers which is a surefire way to waste taxpayer dollars.

I missed the narrow window to see No Time to Die in theaters. I can now rent and stream the movie for $20 at home. The problem is it’s 2:43 long. Geez!

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