Bad Service? Trust? What happened?

Whatever happened to the old, "you trust me and I trust you" deal? Is it gone forever? I got a lesson this weekend from a small U-haul place. The guy, who lacks any enthusiasm for the job, has me sign a contract and initial where I don't plan to take the insurance (the truck is dented all over) and to initial where I promise to fill the truck up with gas. THEN he gives me the keys. Well, I'm late and I jump in the car to go pick up my new front doors. As I look down- I see the truck isn't full. I return it an hour later and fill it to where it was. No one's there to tell, so I drop the key in the box and call up the next morning. He's already charged me 50 bucks for not filling it up. He tells me I signed it and I tell him he didn't give me the key until I did. He says, oh, I would have known. I told him where I filled it and he says, too bad. I told him, I'm not trying to scam him and describe the scary place I got gas. He says, talk to the manager tomorrow. I tell him, fine,I'll just stop payment and pay the correct amount. He didn't like that. Where could I have driven in an hour? How far? Where is the trust? Is everyone expected to lie now?

Who Believes In A Stronger Federal Govt?

Since I'm in a political mood, I'll share an astounding revelation. I believe there is a metamorphosis going on in the Republican Party. They once believed in a weaker federal govt. I now believe they are changing that view to a stronger federal govt, quietly. The reason is simple: now they have the power. The Democrats held federal power for so long that they believed in a stronger central govt. You can't fault the party in power for believing that they should run things, but keep an eye on them when they do. I think we took things for granted because the Democrats took care of all their pet projects and that's the way it was. Now it's the Republicans' turn. We need term limits for all of em!

Extreme Moderates Unite!

I'm so sick of labels. Many of my conservative friends have labeled me a liberal (a word that is now dirty). I don't know if it's because of the prevailing political climate or a reactionary's black or white attitude. I believe in some tax cuts but not all. I'm an environmentalist but also against welfare (unemployment and SS should be able to handle the job). I believe in war, if we are attacked. I'm pretty sure there are others like me. Sometimes I think the extremists hate us more than each other, precisely because they CAN'T label us!