By Eric Wolf Schoen
I knew it was coming. I would go to fill my car up with gas. Correction. I go to a station that provides full service. My tank was 1/8 full. I said ‘fill it up, Regular please.’ And the bill came to $75. For many of you I am sure the fill-up is higher.
Normally I would tip the guy, but you want a tip you wash my windows. No window wash, no tip. I don’t care that the price is so high and they don’t wash windows. Want a tip wash my windows like you did when gas was $2 a gallon. And the higher price should incentivize full service to please their customers by washing the windows because we all know the price will ultimately come down.
So Biden at press time is waiting to decide if he will suspend the federal gas tax. What’s his big question? People can’t afford $5 gas. He better do something. We all can’t ride our bikes like he does to get where we need to go. And restart drilling that he stopped when he came in office. People can’t afford to go anywhere.
Planes. Last weekend 2 of 3 friends got their planes cancelled. And the third had a two hour delay as the captain abruptly stopped the plane as the brakes were not working. They were screeching. Doesn’t someone like a mechanic check out the brakes on the plane before it is put into service? The friendly skies really aren’t friendly anymore. Remember the days when flying was fun?
Who would want to be a flight attendant or pilot and get abused by passengers? Everyone wants to fly now that the threat of Covid is lessening. It seems like the airlines are booking flights for which they don’t have pilots or flight attendants for. And let’s not even talk about the costs for these flights that will never fly!
Have you been to Ridge Hill lately. No more Orvis, Lord and Taylor, REI, Brooks Brothers, and many other little stores. Closed tight. During the pandemic they discontinued the parking fee when all those stores were open. Now with $75 gas fill ups they are ‘attempting’ to reintroduce the parking fees.
I say attempting because they have removed the machines that let you pay with cash or card. Now you are supposed to pay via your cell phone. Text a number, capture one of those squares with lines with the camera on your iPhone. Are they kidding? Do the realize that many people don’t have cellular phones. Or maybe their cellular phones don’t work and they are on the way to the Apple Store. Or that they haven’t a clue how to do what they are being asked to do.
Or are Senior citizens unfamiliar with the technology? When I go to Ridge Hill they have a man there to explain the new way of paying for parking and most people laugh at him. I asked what are people to do if they can’t pay using the new technology. The answer I got was ‘park outside.’
Where is one supposed to ‘park outside’ I asked the ignorant jerk who offered that as an alternative to parking in the garage. You remember when they first opened they had parking meters and it was determined they were illegal. There is an insufficient number of handicapped parking spaces and numerous 10 minute spaces for quick pickups and drop offs at various stores. There is no where to ‘park outside.’ And the garage is such a hazardous nightmare to begin with I am surprised with drivers going crazy speeding in that lot that there aren’t more accidents. At least one set of the elevators by the movie theaters is always out of service.
If Ridge Hill needs parking fees so badly given the fewer stores that exist, things must be pretty bad. The only way we will stop these fees is if consumers put pressure on merchants to put pressure on Ridge Hill Management to put an end to the fees or to reintroduce the machines that they had in the past.
I went to vote in the primary and got to the Will Library before the polls opened at noon. I walk in the door, inquire about the primary (I thought they started voting ar 10:00 a.m.) and the man said to me ‘wait a minute you have to put a mask on.’ I could not vote, wanted to pick up something at the library where masks are not required so I did not put on a mask. Wasn’t the purpose of early voting where you have for the Primary the choice of one person to avoid the mask nonsense. If masks are so important, I suggest people vote by absentee ballot giving Covid exposure as their reason for a ballot to be mailed to them.
How come every time Apple introduces a new operating system there are problems. This time, my iPad clock is on Military Time and my iPhone speakerphone stopped working. What do they do there in Cupertino, California? Don’t they test out these operating systems before they automatically download on your iPhone or iPad?
I ran into reader Joe Cianciulli when I stopped to pick up some wake up wraps at Dunkin Donuts. I showed him my receipt that listed the tax on my purchase as ‘City of Yonkers’ and we both agreed that the sales tax on our purchases was not just Yonkers but a combined city, county and state sales tax. Something for the Mayor and his aides to correct.
Food prices are out of control. My box of 5 Think energy bars which 2 months ago was $5.50-$6 is now $8.69. Where could an almost 50% increase be coming from? Boats stuck at sea? Price of production going up? Or are companies just getting damn greedy with their prices. I cannot believe the increases in so many products we purchase. Start reading those sales flyers to get some ideas of the products that are discounted.
In Yonkers and most of Westchester we have a Congressman out of touch with the interests and philosophies of most of his constituents. The State Legislature came up with an illegal redistricting plan that a court appointed Special Master had to change. County Legislator Vedat Gashi stepped up to the plate to primary the AOC branded Jamaal Bowman, a guy who goes on television representing our district wearing a sweater versus a collared shirt most Congressman wear, many with suit and tie.
Out of the clear blue sky County Legislator Catherine Parker joined the race. She could have been a candidate throughout the whole redistricting process but chose to enter the race at the last minute. If we end up with the current out of touch Congressman in November thank Catherine Parker for being the spoiler in this most important race.
That’s the city to our country today. We are off next week for the 4th of July. Make sure you fly your flag no matter how big or small it is. And God Bless America, My Home Sweet Home!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen on the Westchester Rising Radio Show alternating Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, WVOX.com click listen or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
