Creeping Commercialism On Thanksgiving

Several stores in the local area have decided to start their “Black Friday” sales a little early, by opening on Thanksgiving this year. 

Wal-Mart stores will be open at 8:00 p.m., Target Corp. will be open at 9:00 p.m. Sears and Toys-R-Us will also open at 8:00 pm tonight. 

There are really two dynamics at work here.  First, stores want to gain a competitive advantage on an important day for sales.  At least one source estimates that stores which choose not to open on Thanksgiving would see sales decline by around 20-25% over stores that do open on Thanksgiving.

Another reason is the obvious security implications of having a midnight “rush” of sleep deprived shoppers hitting the stores at a very late hour.  In the past few years, reports of assaults, and stampedes have trickled in from around the country, sometimes even resulting in fatalities.

By opening the stores a few hours early, these outlets could potentially reduce the adverse effects of these manic crowds.  

But where does this all end?

At least one Catholic Bishop has spoken out against the continuing trend of opening stores earlier and earlier.  This Bishop argues that the practice is depriving families of much needed time together by forcing some to work on this cherished Holiday, while luring everyone else to go off shopping. 

In addition, some Walmart workers are fed up with having to work on yet another Holiday and are planning to walk out from a few locations in California. 

Personally, I’m of the opinion that the commercialized madness really needs to stop.  After-all,  are consumers really saving anything from all of these “sales?”   

I-95 Express Lanes Open

The biggest change to the region’s transportation system is causing chaos all over Northern Virginia.  As of Saturday, two new express lanes opened on I-95, the beltway, in Northern Virginia.  The new lanes are designed to get traffic moving, and can arguably get you into the District faster, but at a price.  Commuters are going to have to cough up their cold hard cash to use the toll lanes, either acquiring an EZ pass transponder, or paying $12.50 if they do not have a transponder.

They’re also causing a lot of confusion on the roads along with traffic delays.  While minor accidents were reported on Saturday, major problems didn’t start until the Monday morning commute. 

A four car accident was reported at 6:30 a.m. this morning, causing a complete block of the north bound entrance to I95 via Braddock road. News reporters and police have also observed numerous cars frantically trying to swerve out of the toll lanes to avoid having to pay up. 

But the big test is going to be this upcoming holiday weekend, when out of state drivers will try their luck with the new lanes.

So what will happen next? Are these express lanes becoming an expressway to traffic hell?

Loudoun Gets Ready For Christmas Showdown

Get ready folks, the Christmas season is about to begin. 

According to a WTOP report, Loudoun County is bracing for a holiday display that is inevitably going to offend someone.  At a cost to the taxpayers of $3,400 the county will offer a holiday display outside the local courthouse that is representative of the Christian, and Jewish religions, and an atheist group. 

Last year, a peculiar display of a skeleton Santa Clause hanging from a cross was just too much for some people to handle.  The display was defaced, and ultimately taken down after severe adverse public reaction.

It’s unknown whether the skeleton will be coming back this time around.

My take: I’m more puzzled about the odd looking skeleton Santa Clause than anything else.  Is it meant to be anti-Christmas or anti-Christmas? Or maybe it could be a statement lamenting an apparent decline in Christian influence on American public life?  Whatever the reasoning behind the display, it is not obvious what message the display is trying to convey.  So how can that be offensive?

My Two Cents: During Christmas, it seems like it’s almost impossible to offend someone.  Local governments need to just man up and do one of two things.  Either honor the Christmas holiday by allowing religiously appropriate displays and put up with a lawsuit from some curmudgeon atheist group, or don’t display anything at all.  Trying to make everyone happy with this multi-display stuff is really starting to get out of hand.

Creeper Assaults Teen Girl

A creep assaulted a 17 year old girl in the women’s rest room of Thomas Jefferson Library in Fairfax, WTOP reports.  According to the Police, the assault happened on Tuesday night and occurred after the girl attempted to evade a man who was following her around, by escaping to the bathroom.

Bad idea…

The man just followed her into the bathroom, shoved and touched her, then fled the scene.

Suspect Description: Black male with a medium brown complexion, between 5-feet-7-inches and 5-feet-10-inches tall and weighing between 160 and 180 pounds.  Other features include  a shaved, bald head, brown eyes, a gap in his front teeth and a scar running across his forehead.  The suspect was wearing a pale green, long-sleeved shirt with khaki pants.

Anyone with a relevant tip is encouraged to call: (703) 691-2131.

Bonds Bonds Bonds!

 Update 11/08/2012: The Fairfax Times reports that all four of the bond measures passed by the overwhelming majority of voters.   The bonds will authorize the County to borrow an additional 185 million for...well all the things you can read about below/ 


It happens every election.  You go up to the ballet, cast your vote for the candidate you think is the lesser of two evils, and then you get hit with the crazy stuff.

But that I mean bonds.  Apparently, the County needs to get your approval before it can rack up more debt to pay for important things.

Library Bond:

The libraries are asking for about $25 million to cover renovations.  The libraries that are going to get the bulk of this money are the John Marshall Library, Pohick Regional Library, Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library, and the Reston Regional library.

My take: If you actually go to these libraries, this measure might be worth your while.  On the other hand, most people are using libraries for the free internet service these days.  Is that really worth all that new debt?

Public Safety:

The Police and Fire Departments, as well as the Court system are asking for about $55 million in new bonds to cover renovations at their buildings.

My take:  If you don’t have security, you don’t have a country.  These services are critical.  So unless you think you can take on crime by yourself or save your house from a burning fire, I’d go ahead and vote on this one.

Stormwater Drains

Around $30 million is being asked to construct new storm drains around the flood prone Huntington area of Fairfax.  Although the neighborhood narrowly escaped serious damage from hurricane Sandy, the area has been damaged by weather events around three times in the past decade.

My take: This is probably worth it as this measure will go a long way toward saving lives and reducing property damage.  With hurricane Sandy on everyone’s minds, I would hate to see citizens from this locality suffer the kind of damage we are seeing up in New York and New Jersey.

Parks:

Seriously? When was the last time you went to a park?