Walmart

Tough Times

Fandango22 Comments

“I know you’re going through a rough patch lately, Donald. Inflation is beginning to creep up and I’m afraid that could result in a precipitous dive in the stock market,” Donald’s money manager told him. “There has been a subtle nuance in the financial markets of late, which I find quite revealing.”

Of course, Donald, who was not particularly astute when it came to money matters, had no idea his financial advisor what was talking about. “So what do you suggest?” Donald asked him.

“Well, first, Donald,” he said, “I suggest you liquidate a sizable portion of your assets and donate the proceeds to the charity of your choice in order to avoid substantial taxes on the cash exchange.”

“And then what?” Donald asked.

“Subsequent to that,” he said, I suggest you seek employment for the only job you’re truly qualified for at your advanced age.”

“And what job would that be?” Donald asked.

Donald’s money manager took a deep breath. “As a greeter at a local Walmart,” he said.

Written for these daily prompts: The Daily Spur (inflation), Your Daily Word Prompt (precipitous), Ragtag Daily Prompt (nuance), MMA Storytime (charity), Word of the Day Challenge (revealing), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (subsequent).

Three Line Tales — Wall Art

Fandango5 Comments

36E4184A-53A5-4C85-BE84-57562BB54401Stepping back from the wall, Reggie looked at his work in progress and said aloud, “This is damn good and when I’m done with it, it’s is gonna get me a name for myself for sure.”

The police officer stepped up behind Reggie, slapped handcuffs around his wrists, and said, “It is good, Reggie, but the only this is going to get you is a night in jail. You should know better than to tag your wall art on the side of a Walmart.”

Written for this week’s Three Line Tales from Sonya. Photo credit: Miguel Bruna.

Scratching My Head

Fandango18 Comments

C462C498-5DDE-47AB-997C-2DCCEE74BCBDEarlier today I wrote a post about toenails. Let me assure you that this post is not about dandruff. This post is about blame shifting.

In the aftermath of mass shootings last weekend in El Paso and Dayton, Republican officials, including, of course, Donald Trump, as well as the so-called “personalities” on Fox News, have pointed to violent video games as a significant factor in the rise in gun violence in America. Not to confuse them with facts, though, numerous studies have found absolutely no link between violent video games and actual violent behavior.

So naturally, Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer and the site of the El Paso shootings, is taking swift and decisive action. “Out of respect for the incidents of the past week,” Walmart is taking down displays of violent video games and movies in its stores in the wake of recent shootings.

By the way, Walmart is also one of the largest sellers of guns and ammunition in the world, and will continue to display and sell firearms in its stores.

So yes, I’m sitting here scratching my head, but not due to dandruff. Due to the egregious shifting the blame for gun violence to anything but guns.