So, its that time of year when I purchase a PC or two for the little company I work for. (I’ve got a cycle in which every one will have a new PC every 4-5 years.) I buy Dell. It isn’t because I think Dell is superior, it is because of Carly Fiorina and her adament support of the H-1B visa program. Dell is flawed, too, but I won’t forgive nor forget the treasonous behavior of HP and their complicity with forces antagonistic to the U.S. economy and the American worker. I estimate that I directly compete for a job against 1 million imported workers. HP doesn’t hire many H-1Bs anymore. She moved employment off-shore, so they don’t need the artificial wage suppression accomplished by H-1B. And, that’s for another post. I just have a hard time talking about buying computers without mentioning this bit of treachery. Skilled U.S. workers combined with U.S. laws and tax codes allowed HP to become a fortune 500 company. Today, U.S. laws and tax codes allow them to remain one. The people responsible for HP’s success? The American people? They get put out like last night’s refuse. Well, ok two posts for the price of one!
The post really is about the green lunacy and more proof that P.T. Barnum was correct. (Ok, P.T. probably never said that, but it fits.) Anyone familiar with buying a Dell PC on-line would be familiar with customizing options. If one wishes for software or hardware upgrades, you can simply purchase it through the process. I actually like the way Dell does this. But at the end of the process, I always get a chuckle. Check out Dell’s encouragement for you to do the right thing! Apparently, its the right thing to give them $120 for them to recycle their junk and charge you unreasonable prices for their PCs all over again. Very green. I don’t know why Coors and Pepsi don’t get into this gig. Oh, and on the way out, don’t forget to give $4 to plant a tree! Has anyone ever seen a tree planted by Dell in their name? Just curious. Offset a LCD monitor? lol, What in the world would a CRT or Plasma cost? Anyway, I haven’t wrote any thing for a while and this always gets me, so I thought I’d write a quick note. Tell you guys what. Send me only two dollars and I’ll plant a tree (seed) in your name, and I’ll even send pictures! BTW, did you know that many states are licensing the ability to collect e-waste? Another insidious ploy. One can’t just take it to the dump, but take it to a licensed collector of junk. How long before they charge you to take it, only to receive money for re-cycling so they can gouge you again for the same material you’ve already bought and paid? Just like they do tires. They used to pay you for your old worn used tires, because they still hold value and can be recycled or the material used for other purposes. Today, now you have to pay them to take your tires and then they receive money to recycle the material for which you’ve already paid. Beautiful. And they wonder why our economy is in the tank.
DELL RECYCLING
Hanging on to PCs you no longer use can cost more space, time and money than you might imagine. Do the right thing and help ensure that they are re-used or recycled, while protecting the environment and your sensitive data.
Select options below
Asset Recovery Svc Label and Box for recovery of 1 IT pce(NTB,DSK,MON,etc) [$120.00]
Plant A Tree
Select options below
Support Reforestation: Plant a Tree for Me (System Discount May Apply) [$4.00]
Plant a Tree for Me – Offset a LCD Monitor (System Discount May Apply) [$4.00]
Johnny Appleseed would be very proud.
Cheers,
James
suyts space 
Mr. Sexton, I read your comment on WUWT and it led me here. H-1B, this is new to me. I’m curious if this could also explain why American Doctors are so rare in the Veterans Administration? I have asked and while a “program” is mentioned, it ends there. Good food for thought, this may answer a question I’ve had for several years. I faved your page and look forward to future posts. Thanks,Mark
Thanks Mark, and yes, it does also include Doctors. The program was seized upon by tech companies. But, in private enterprises, there are limitations. For public entities, they can use it with impunity. The rationalization in the instance of the V.A. is that there aren’t enough American doctors to fill the need. Which is the same rationalization for skilled tech workers. The problem with that particular rationalization is that if demand for the job is so great, it would be filled as soon as compensation was commensurate with the demand, and demand would be filled. Instead, as you stated, places like the V.A. are filled with “doctors” that barely speak a language typical vets can understand. In a past life, I had a career in health-care. If the patient can’t understand you, you’ve lost. It is impossible to give proper care to a patient that can’t understand instructions or explanations. They will not be compliant to directions if they don’t understand the directions. I would note, there are more “programs” than just the H-1B to import competitive employees. I don’t typically rant like this, but my teeth hurt and this is a subject that is near and dear to me. In my view, it is unconscionable what this government is doing to our Veterans, our care givers, and our workers. There can be no end to this except disaster. Both private and public entities are becoming more and more reliant upon imported help. Gibbons was correct.
BTW, it’s James. Mr. Sexton was a wonderful man. He taught me more than I’ve ever learned from anyone else(collectively), but he’s gone. But, even then, it would have been more proper to call him Sgt. Sexton…….(Ret.) but only ’cause they told him it was time to go.
Mark, welcome. Feel free to look around. I didn’t start this blog with anything in mind, but rather an easy way to link some of my graphs to the public. I’m still wondering exactly what I’m going to do with this blog, but in the mean time, the post underneath this is of great interest to me, and I’m encouraging anyone to look at the information presented and give their opinion about what is shown.
James it is, apologies. My condolence for the loss of Sgt. Sexton. I,m just scratching the surface of your past posts, quite refreshing to see common sense ( all to uncommon ). Keep up the good work and thanks for your sympathy in my plight with the VA.
James,
Yes the marketing guys have definitely found a great way to separate suckers from their money with this one. Dell aren’t the only ones though…just walk down the aisle of any store and it’s green this, organic that, just about all of it higher priced and all exuding a kind of branding that identifies the product as somehow innately superior. Product marketers wouldn’t do it if there weren’t plenty of suckers.
Of course, you’re correct, but it’s a bit disconcerting to see the American public fall for such stuff. I mean, what the hell ever happened to the spirit of the people? We haven’t fell for such nonsense since the snake oil salesmen and the brontosaurus. WTF?
Companies don’t do things like this unless they believe someone will do it. And, it won’t stay unless some do. For my company, I made a $1200 purchase. For an additional $120 they’d throw in a way for me to send it back to them after I was done with the product. lol…… I love the moxy!!! I hate the fact that it seems some decision maker in Dell’s hierarchy thinks this is worthwhile. I hate even more that he’s probably correct. Worse, upon realization of the depths of the general American public has sank to, they are still willing to prey upon such a public.
I’m very conflicted about this. In one hand, I believe Dell owes an allegiance to the people that allowed them to prosper. This is uniquely the American people’s providence. We did it, and we did it alone. OTOH, if there’s a dumbass that would buy into their $120 stupidity…… well, if he wouldn’t give it to Dell, then he’d give it to some other azzhole that would likely be overseas. In which case the money would leave the States. Then, this leads to a greater question, why does some dumbass have an extra $120 to give to Dell to buy back the overpriced junk they sold them? This is such a reverse concept, I don’t understand it. Damn!!! For another $120 I could almost build them a current machine!
This sounds about the same as purchasing extended warranty! That concept drives me nuts too. Think of it … paying good money for something you think is supposed to last, and then paying extra so that you are covered if it doesn’t last. It reminds me of an old “Wizard of Id” cartoon where an insurance salesman tries to explain to the king what life insurance is. The king then says, “What if I die young?” to which the salesman replies, “You win”.
Exactly. I bought a PC at Best Buy once. They pushed hard for me to purchase the warranty. I explained to them that lemon laws extend beyond vehicles, and that by selling new equipment, there is a legally binding implied warranty. And that, if the machine I purchased wasn’t working properly within a reasonable period of time, that they would have the machine back and I’d have my money regardless of me purchasing the warranty or not.
They looked at me funny, took my money, and wished me a good day.