Favorite Things Now That You're in America?

[JMacQueen 0]

Buggles, is that you?

[trailmix 77]

USPS is full of black people and Mexicans who know they can't get fired due to equal opportunity laws.

I am sorry, but that is absolutely and completely offensive. I am disgusted. How dare you.

Hate to say it. But it's true. After spending 20 minutes in line at the post office lineup to finally get to the person working there. They then spent over 30 minutes gone in the back while I waited. I watched the clock. All in all it took 65 minutes.

Going there another time to ask how to file a lost report because my package was missing, I got the evil eye and grief about it. You can't do that here!!! That's federal! When I told them I'd been sent there by the police to file a missing mail report, all of a sudden they got real nice.

Return to sender mail never gets returned to sender. They just send it back to me.

I've been here less than a year and have gotten horrid service from them. They don't care. They don't applogize. When we ordered a Christmas gift that was mailed from Arkansas Dec 3rd and couldn't even get to our home until January, you know something is wrong. It's one state away.

I've yet to see a non-minority person working for USPS. I see their trucks all the time. I go to the post office somewhat regularly.

What a bunch of racist clap-trap coming from you texanadian. I second what crikey said. Absolutely disgusting.

Edited February 24, 2008 by trailmix

[Flames9_RN 358]

Yes, racist comments have no home here!

[Texanadian 10]

ok so you have had bad service at the post office.. what does that have to do with blacks and Mexicans??

Perhaps I should have said the Post Office hires nothing but visible minorities who believe they can't get fired because of their special status. And because of that, they show very poor workmanship.

I'm not racist against Mexicans. In fact I was just saying the other day that I've never seen one begging for change at a stop light. The only time they're standing on the corner is when they're looking for work and bothering nobody. The Mexican restaurant down the street has fantastic service. Very friendly. They're hard workers.

I am against illegal immigration and using services without paying, but that's a seperate matter.

My first post above though where I apparently unleashed the hounds is directed at people who take advantage of the system and don't deliver. Literally. In this case, it was the two groups I specified.

I'm not alone in my disdain for USPS. There has been talk of circulating a petition to everybody on our street asking that the people who deliver our route be replaced. The complex manager has been to the central Post Office and complained numourous times. But nothing ever changes.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I'm not interested in watching hockey on the computer. I like to relax on the couch and watch it on the big screen.

I'm with AT&T U-verse instead of Comcast. Can't get Comcast in our apartments. It's either Phonoscope or U-verse. No satellite allowed either. I went with the U200 package rather than the U300 package with Uverse. Basically the same thing but without the 30 channels of Fox Sports (mostly football, but I'm sure there would be hockey on there).

But I miss it being on CBC/TSN/Sportsnet. It was always available. I mean who didn't have those channels? I think they were included in the cheapest TV package, never mind the good ones.

I've yet to see Cider in restaurants, grocery stores, or liquor stores. Not sure why.

USPS is full of black people and Mexicans who know they can't get fired due to equal opportunity laws. Probably different in other areas. They've left all our mailboxes open and unlocked, lost our mail, taken weeks to deliver from Dallas to Houston, not delivered packages we've signed for, and not picked up outgoing mail from my wife's office. In the past, they've had carriers dump their entire bag of mail into the ditch. Nobody gets punished for it.

Canada Post on the other hand was friendly, outgoing, and fast.

I'm gathering you're not the USC in the relationship, so you're having a difficult time adjusting to life in Houston, TX. That's fair. However, as a born-and-raised Houstonian, please allow me to assist you in a few matters here...

I'm not sure what area of Houston you live in or what apartment complex you're at (all of which can make a difference), but Comcast is most definitely available in Houston. They took over Time Warner in the area. The level of customer service they seem to provide is about the same (read: lackluster), but they do exist. As far as I know, they provide television and Internet service; they may even offer a DVR setup as well, but I'm unclear on that. Some apartments restrict what their tenets may or may not use, usually because the apartment complex themselves have signed non-compete contracts with those companies. So that might explain your problem as well.

There are tons of sports channels in Houston. I'd be very surprised if ESPN, at least, wasn't available with some sort of package. Texas, as a whole, is a sports-crazy state (especially when it comes to football). Hockey generally isn't too popular in Texas, but it has more support in the northern states. Football, once again, is the big seller here, with baseball and basketball coming in right behind.

Cider (as well as other beverages) are widely available if you look in the right places. The best places to shop would be Central Market and Whole Foods Market. Central Market is a Texas-only grocery store and both are considered quite "upscale." If you can't find what you're looking for there, then it's not in Texas.

USPS post office centers are, in general, not the friendliest places on Earth and they're usually quite crowded. I'd recommend going to privately owned mail/shipping outlets. Two that are very easy to find would be The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. You might have to pay a little more, but the service is much better and the people are a lot nicer. So in my mind, it's definitely worth it.

[Texanadian 10]

DeadPoolX, thank you for the information. You are correct in that our apartment doesn't allow Comcast. I checked Comcast's site and plugged in my address and it said they service our area. I wanted to switch to them because they offer 12 mbps internet while AT&T Uverse maxes out at 6 mbps.

I checked my channel package with Uverse. I don't get any of the Fox Sports channels. I do get ESPN though. I was actually quite surprised at the appreciation of hockey in Texas. Or at least in Dallas. Watching the Canucks vs Dallas Stars in the playoffs last year, the Dallas crowd was pumped. Watching the Canucks against San Jose following the Stars series, their crowd seemed quiet and mute by comparison.

I haven't heard of Central Market (I'm in the Galleria) but I have seen Whole Foods Market. I don't tend to shop at Whole Foods as my unemployed stage means cutting back on expenses where possible. I have been to Whole Foods inside once though. I liked what I saw.

UPS Store....that's a sore spot for me. I've been dinged with way too many expensive brokerage/disbursement/COD fees by UPS from living in Canada. When you buy a $20 part that fits in the palm of your hand and it weighs 1 lb. You don't expect a UPS Ground shipment from Indiana to British Columbia to cost $77. $16 of the $77 was the shipping cost. $2 of it was tax. The rest were UPS's fees. I used to use them as an absolute last resort when there was no alternative available.

There is a Mail Boxes Etc nearby. I should take a look at them sometime. Of course the issue isn't really sending out packages. It's more the lack of tracking available (even though I have a tracking number), and the service in regards to receiving packages. However, I'll stop in there and see if they offer some kind of receiving service.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I haven't heard of Central Market (I'm in the Galleria) but I have seen Whole Foods Market. I don't tend to shop at Whole Foods as my unemployed stage means cutting back on expenses where possible. I have been to Whole Foods inside once though. I liked what I saw.

Central Market is inside the 610 Loop. If you're around the Galleria area, then Central Market is very easy to find. Just head east on Westheimer (you'll pass the Galleria itself) and you'll find yourself driving through Highland Village. You'll know it since the area tends to look very nice and for some reason or another, they never take down the Christmas lights (if none of that tipped you off, there's a large sign that says "Highland Village" too). Once there, you'll come across Central Market on your right-hand side. It comes up rather suddenly, so be prepared to pull into the parking lot quickly.

As a sidenote, the stores in Highland Village could be described as "very posh" so if you wanted to do a little shopping, it's a nice place if you're tired of the Galleria or other malls.

UPS Store....that's a sore spot for me. I've been dinged with way too many expensive brokerage/disbursement/COD fees by UPS from living in Canada. When you buy a $20 part that fits in the palm of your hand and it weighs 1 lb. You don't expect a UPS Ground shipment from Indiana to British Columbia to cost $77. $16 of the $77 was the shipping cost. $2 of it was tax. The rest were UPS's fees. I used to use them as an absolute last resort when there was no alternative available.

The UPS Store can also send out regular letters and many types of packages without using UPS. It's merely called The UPS Store since UPS owns and runs it; however, they don't have to use UPS either. They don't advertise this (for good reason), but there are other options.

[Texanadian 10]

Central Market is inside the 610 Loop. If you're around the Galleria area, then Central Market is very easy to find. Just head east on Westheimer (you'll pass the Galleria itself) and you'll find yourself driving through Highland Village. You'll know it since the area tends to look very nice and for some reason or another, they never take down the Christmas lights (if none of that tipped you off, there's a large sign that says "Highland Village" too). Once there, you'll come across Central Market on your right-hand side. It comes up rather suddenly, so be prepared to pull into the parking lot quickly.

As a sidenote, the stores in Highland Village could be described as "very posh" so if you wanted to do a little shopping, it's a nice place if you're tired of the Galleria or other malls.

Ah yes, the Christmas light area. Series of palm trees too. I know where you mean. I seem to recall they have a brutal railroad track that caught me off guard.

[Alex+R 0]

Dayum, my post office here in New York is staffed by mostly white people and they're totally incompetent. Maybe they think they can't get fired cuz it's a government job? Or maybe the post office is not a very prestigious job and attracts people with some problems?

A few ideas minus the racism...

[DeadPoolX 9]

Central Market is inside the 610 Loop. If you're around the Galleria area, then Central Market is very easy to find. Just head east on Westheimer (you'll pass the Galleria itself) and you'll find yourself driving through Highland Village. You'll know it since the area tends to look very nice and for some reason or another, they never take down the Christmas lights (if none of that tipped you off, there's a large sign that says "Highland Village" too). Once there, you'll come across Central Market on your right-hand side. It comes up rather suddenly, so be prepared to pull into the parking lot quickly.

As a sidenote, the stores in Highland Village could be described as "very posh" so if you wanted to do a little shopping, it's a nice place if you're tired of the Galleria or other malls.

Ah yes, the Christmas light area. Series of palm trees too. I know where you mean. I seem to recall they have a brutal railroad track that caught me off guard.

Yes, it's a nasty railroad track, indeed. I don't think I've ever seen a train use it, however. It's not too bad if you drive over it slowly, though.

Anyway... if you need any more advice on the city, feel free to contact me. I know most of it extremely well (that's not ego; it's just fact, since I've learned it over the years, some of which came from trial-and-error) and I'm willing to help out.

[bluegreen 0]

ok so you have had bad service at the post office.. what does that have to do with blacks and Mexicans??

Perhaps I should have said the Post Office hires nothing but visible minorities who believe they can't get fired because of their special status. And because of that, they show very poor workmanship.

I'm not racist against Mexicans. In fact I was just saying the other day that I've never seen one begging for change at a stop light. The only time they're standing on the corner is when they're looking for work and bothering nobody. The Mexican restaurant down the street has fantastic service. Very friendly. They're hard workers.

Sorry, I don't usually get involved with these kind of arguments, especially online where it is easy to misconstrue someone's intentions. I just think it would be better to keep these type of arguments to face to face discussions, because I find your attitude really offensive, and I think I do have the gist of exactly what you are saying. I'm sorry that you get bad service at the post office. I think it is pretty unlikely that you are able to surmise exactly WHY you are getting bad service each and every time. I had extremely bad service there last week from a caucasian lady. And the week before from a black man. *Maybe* it is just a poor corporate culture. I personally wouldn't like working there and it would affect MY attitude a lot. Who knows. Maybe it does have something to do with equal opportunity laws for a few people. But it is very unfair to tar an entire race/ethnicity with the same generalized, simplistic, dismissive brush.

I will tell my Mexican husband to make sure he doesn't hang out on any street corners unless he is "bothering nobody", looking for work and being as inconspicuous as possible. Sorry, that was sarcastic and unfair, but generalizations like yours make me pretty upset.

I don't mean to revive this argument, but please think before you post potentially inflammatory and hurtful comments online where we can't have a face to face discussion.

[aravis227 1]

Sorry, I don't usually get involved with these kind of arguments, especially online where it is easy to misconstrue someone's intentions. I just think it would be better to keep these type of arguments to face to face discussions, because I find your attitude really offensive, and I think I do have the gist of exactly what you are saying. I'm sorry that you get bad service at the post office. I think it is pretty unlikely that you are able to surmise exactly WHY you are getting bad service each and every time. I had extremely bad service there last week from a caucasian lady. And the week before from a black man. *Maybe* it is just a poor corporate culture. I personally wouldn't like working there and it would affect MY attitude a lot. Who knows. Maybe it does have something to do with equal opportunity laws for a few people. But it is very unfair to tar an entire race/ethnicity with the same generalized, simplistic, dismissive brush.

I will tell my Mexican husband to make sure he doesn't hang out on any street corners unless he is "bothering nobody", looking for work and being as inconspicuous as possible. Sorry, that was sarcastic and unfair, but generalizations like yours make me pretty upset.

I don't mean to revive this argument, but please think before you post potentially inflammatory and hurtful comments online where we can't have a face to face discussion.

I don't have anything extra to add, I just wanted to give a big Amen to what you said bluegreen! I was trying really hard not to comment because I know this topic always frustrates me. My mom is white, my father is Jamaican/Balinese...no one quite knows what to make of me here in Utah and I get associated with everything from Middle Eastern to Mexican to African-American to pretty much anything you can think of, and I get labelled with the worst stereotypes of all of those groups. Yeah...that's super fun, especially since I've worked at least two jobs since I was 17, I've never stolen anything, and I've never taken advantage of affirmative action to get anything.

[bluegreen 0]

Sorry, I don't usually get involved with these kind of arguments, especially online where it is easy to misconstrue someone's intentions. I just think it would be better to keep these type of arguments to face to face discussions, because I find your attitude really offensive, and I think I do have the gist of exactly what you are saying. I'm sorry that you get bad service at the post office. I think it is pretty unlikely that you are able to surmise exactly WHY you are getting bad service each and every time. I had extremely bad service there last week from a caucasian lady. And the week before from a black man. *Maybe* it is just a poor corporate culture. I personally wouldn't like working there and it would affect MY attitude a lot. Who knows. Maybe it does have something to do with equal opportunity laws for a few people. But it is very unfair to tar an entire race/ethnicity with the same generalized, simplistic, dismissive brush.

I will tell my Mexican husband to make sure he doesn't hang out on any street corners unless he is "bothering nobody", looking for work and being as inconspicuous as possible. Sorry, that was sarcastic and unfair, but generalizations like yours make me pretty upset.

I don't mean to revive this argument, but please think before you post potentially inflammatory and hurtful comments online where we can't have a face to face discussion.

I don't have anything extra to add, I just wanted to give a big Amen to what you said bluegreen! I was trying really hard not to comment because I know this topic always frustrates me. My mom is white, my father is Jamaican/Balinese...no one quite knows what to make of me here in Utah and I get associated with everything from Middle Eastern to Mexican to African-American to pretty much anything you can think of, and I get labelled with the worst stereotypes of all of those groups. Yeah...that's super fun, especially since I've worked at least two jobs since I was 17, I've never stolen anything, and I've never taken advantage of affirmative action to get anything.

Well, there are many unfair generalizations that are often made about many groups of people. Texans, for example, unfairly attract some very sweeping generalizations...ahem. I know most open minded people try not to fall into the habit of doing this.

Anyways, I loved this topic (fav things about America) as I was getting some great ideas of new things to try and feeling a lot more positive, so hopefully there are more great comments to come on the original topic. Let's hear them!!

[Texanadian 10]

I will tell my Mexican husband to make sure he doesn't hang out on any street corners unless he is "bothering nobody", looking for work and being as inconspicuous as possible. Sorry, that was sarcastic and unfair, but generalizations like yours make me pretty upset.

I'm referring to people who actively are asking for money at the stop lights. These are the people who walk back and forth on the street lane while you're waiting at a red light. Walking around your car. I've never seen a Mexican do this. This is a good thing. I get tired of seeing the same bums at the same stop lights everyday. Is it going to anger people if I say the people begging for change at lights are cacausian? Did I just stereotype an entire race of people?

When I see 30 people all standing in a row on the sidewalks on the feeder roads. Just standing there and waiting. Lunch box in hand. And they're there at any and all times of the day. It would seem to me they are day labourers waiting for somebody to pick them up for a day of work. They're Hispanics. They aren't in my face. They're not standing in the road. And they're willing to work to earn their money. This is why I said they don't bother me.

I suppose in retrospect, I should have worded my first post differently. When I lived in Canada, I dealt with multicultural post office staff who were friendly. As soon as I got here, I had crummy service from USPS that was all minorites. The Post Office as far as I know is a pretty good job to have. Doesn't have much downsizing or outsourcing worries, good pay, good benefits, and a government grade health care plan. I can't see any reason for a difference in job workmanship. Maybe I was wrong for choosing my reason. It just seems to me that it's affirmative action gone wrong.

One of the things I do like about Houston is that it is one of the most multicultural cities in the world. In fact I would say it's about on par with New York City in that regard.

[L_n_O 3]

sigh......