Rip-offs

The last week we spent an inordinate amount of time trying to take care of cable and internet issues. In the course of trying to determine the best course of action, we made a discovery. Perhaps admitting this will make me appear stupid, but I am a big fan of honesty and in many ways I am stupid (gladly not in every way!).

For the last however many years, we have paid seven dollars a month to our cable provider for what was called a "modem lease." I am not very tech savvy and I tend to trust people. That is a bad combination. I am also very busy so I do not dig around like I should. That is the icing on the awful cake. This week we purchased a modem at Best Buy. It cost us roughly $60. However inept I am in other areas, I am pretty good at math. I see and think mathematically. I immediately recognized that the cable company was ripping me off. In one year my total rent was 140% of the cost of purchase. My cable company periodically sends communications indicating that I am a valued customer.... Heck yeah I am valued. At that profit margin I am down right golden!

It would have been cheaper for me to buy a modem and hammer it into oblivion each year and go out to purchase a new one. Not only cheaper, but much cheaper. If my cable company leased me my car it would have cost me about $2400/month. If they had leased me my house, my monthly rent would have been $30,000. Clearly, seven dollars is a small enough charge to hide, but even so, this is a rip off.

Do I blame them? Part of me thinks that it is wrong. I also know I need to be responsible to watch out for myself. Welcome to the real world!

I have heard people say that the problem with companies is they rip you off. This is an example. But in reality, rip-offs are a fruit of the Fall. Pro-labor folks rail against the abuses of management. When I went from front line to management, I carried with me a strong sympathy for the front line folks. But after some months I also saw that many employees were not, shall we say, giving it their all. A seminary friend shared with us that his father frequently napped at his manufacturing job. There was some chuckles about that, but I was also troubled. Business want to make profit, the more the better. Employees want high pay and benefits, the more the better. I do not think anyone is pure. A rip-off may not be the preferred mode of operation for most of us, but in a sinful world it can and will happen, regularly.

I do not think labor is pure. I know too much about the Mafia to fall for that. I also know about the abuses of labor unions. On the other hand, without unions there is little question that the standard of living for most working stiffs would be seriously diminished. When the balance of power tilts too much to one party or another, ripoffs are more easily pulled off. Corruption infects everything humans touch: greed, deceit, and abuse of power. Yet the same grace which also blesses the human soul is manifest in what we touch: mercy, kindness and self sacrifice.
I do not know what is more shocking the rip offs or the amazing generosity. Both are manifest regularly.

We need a redeemer. I do not think anyone can ever sort out the mess of things except God. We need healing and renewal. We need it badly. Sin and evil touches every aspect of life, many times it is nickle and dime stuff, like leasing something at a ridiculous rate. Other times it is much more heinous. Yet we need God to clean it all up and free us from it. It is easy to pray, "Your kingdom come!" when you live in this world.