tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21166579.post2707936435576031052..comments2024-02-19T08:12:53.815-05:00Comments on The Right Thing: SOUND OFF: READ ALL ABOUT IT...FOR FREEJeffrey L. Seglinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15648051034425906705noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21166579.post-59169719033041877182008-12-20T22:19:00.000-05:002008-12-20T22:19:00.000-05:00"Clutts declined, but still wonders if she thought..."Clutts declined, but still wonders if she thought it a moral act to rip off a corporate giant to help a total stranger."<BR/><BR/>But she wasn't ripping off a corporate giant, she was ripping off a small businessman (or businesswoman). The newspaper sells the papers and the rights to fill certain machines to independent contractors, who make their profit from the small difference between what they're charged and what they sell the papers for.<BR/><BR/>So people who steal from the machines aren't stealing from the newspaper company - they've already got their money. Instead, they're stealing from someone who gets up at 2 or 3 in the morning every day to pick up the papers, then drive them around to the various machines and load them up, who sometimes make not much more than minimum wage.<BR/><BR/>It's not sticking it to The Man, it's sticking it to Some Guy Who's Just Trying To Make A Living.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21166579.post-38396557803630960332008-10-06T21:51:00.000-04:002008-10-06T21:51:00.000-04:00Regarding "free newspapers, two stories come to mi...Regarding "free newspapers, two stories come to mind.<BR/><BR/>In the 1920's, a kid got a job hawking newpapers to trolley car commuters in L.A.<BR/><BR/>Since he knew the trolley schedule, he'd sell papers, and spot the guy without correct change. He'd give the guy a paper, collect the money, and take his time fishing in his pockets for change, just long enough for the trolley to pull away. Eventually a few of his customers caught onto him.<BR/><BR/>He later became a prominent Architect in Orange County.<BR/><BR/>My story is similar. As one of several bellhops in a prominent hotel, earning mostly tips, we noticed the stack of newpapers that arrived each morning. They were free for the hotel patrons.<BR/><BR/>One day I decided to set an ashtray on top of the pile, and salted it with a few quarters.<BR/><BR/>One of the busboys' tasks were to keep the ashtrays clean. By the end of the day, of us usually had an extra $10 in our pockets.<BR/><BR/>Definitely not ethical.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com