On Fri,3/24/2017 9:21 AM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
The Chicago stores were put under partly because hams would use them
as show-rooms to look at rigs, then PHONE IN AN ORDER TO AES IN
MILWAUKEE to avoid Illinois SALES TAX.
Just like consumers of nearly all products, not only hams, have been
doing for years.
Of course IL SKY HIGH Sales Tax to blame also!!
I spent 42 years in Chicago. I don't remember IL sales tax as being "sky
high." But I do remember pretty well maintained roads, both inside and
outside the city (and FAR better in Chicago than in NYC -- ever ride in
a NYC cab?). :) And CA sales tax is even higher, but we get a LOT in
return. CA roads are, in general, excellent and most are well
maintained. We're a mountainous state, so many roads are much more
costly to build and maintain, and storms generate a need for a lot of
repairs just to keep them open! After a recent week of storms (and a
massive seasonal rainfall of 108 inches since Aug 1) all three roads
allowing me to get off the mountain were closed by mudslides, downed
trees, and downed wires. I certainly don't mind paying taxes to do those
repairs! There is no free lunch.
We as a culture have become increasingly penny wise and pound foolish.
People in Chicago drove significant distances to buy gas in IN, where
gas taxes were lower (and cigarettes that were killing them), somehow
forgetting to factor in the cost of the gas (and wear and tear of the
miles on their car). We buy cheap crap of all sorts and have to throw it
away because it's junk or it breaks, and then get to buy it again. And
we buy cheap again and repeat the process. Many years ago, I bought a
moderately priced, US-made Waring coffee grinder. It lasted for nearly
ten years, and when a part wore out, I was able to buy a new one and
install it myself.
Two weeks ago, I was looking for a big (16"x20" or so) hinged, gasketed
weatherproof box into which I could mount a bunch of lightning
arrestors. I checked out several vendors online to see what was
available and the costs, then went to three local vendors. Two,
including the largest which billed itself as the serious one for
electricians, gave me blank stares. The counterman at the third, a much
smaller store, understood exactly what I wanted, grabbed a ladder, and
pulled it down from a high shelf where boxes of multiple sizes were in
stock (and others were in stock of the size I bought). The price was
only a bit higher than those online vendors. When I get what I want/need
and that kind of service, I'm more than willing to support local vendors.
I was adding that box to my station because I was getting tired of
buying a new Polyphaser every year or two to replace one that had blown
simply because the gas tubes are not replaceable. (I have a lot of
antennas, so about 16 Polyphasers on the entry panel). I studied the
options, and on the basis of what looks to me like a superior design,
chose those sold by Array Solutions, based on the design of the ICE
units that they used to sell.. They cost a bit more, and they are larger
than Polyphaser and Alpha Delta, so they require a larger enclosure. But
they are also built so that the gas tube (and other components) can be
easily replaced, and their design gives me hope that they provide equal
protection but blow less often. Time will tell.
73, Jim K9YC
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