Tuesday, November 4, 2008

The Hawg gets a response from IHOP

A couple of days ago, I sent a note to IHOP asking them to bring back that fantastic boysenberry syrup.

I grew up with boysenberry syrup and have been dismayed because my IHOP here in Benton, Ark., no longer carries the stuff. Yes, choking down a stack of pancakes with common maple syrup, butter pecan (which is just nasty), blueberry or strawberry just isn't the same.

IHOP e-mailed a reply to me earlier today. Here's a copy of it:

Dear Mr. Nobles:

Thank you for taking the time to contact IHOP. Boysenberry syrup is an available option at our restaurants. Most IHOP Restaurants are franchised by individual business owners. We strive to balance the consistency of a national chain with the flexibility of allowing our franchise owners to customize the menu to meet the needs of their customer base.

To do this, we require all restaurants across the county [sic] to offer a core menu of items. The restaurants are also able to add to their menu any approved optional items. We suggest that you contact the franchise owner or general manager of the IHOP you frequent and let them know of your desire for Boysenberry syrup on the menu.

Thank you for your interest and thank you for your patronage.

Sincerely,

Don Miller
Guest Services Representative
IHOP Restaurant Support Center

That note tells me a couple of things. First of all, IHOP has some great public relations in place. Second, I need to go pester the manager of my local IHOP.

It's always good to have a cause.

Meanwhile...

Like a lot of Americans, I've been watching election returns tonight. Now we've got to put up with Barack Obama and his crap for four years. It was pretty clear months ago that whoever won this thing would be a lowdown, filthy bastard. It appears that the lowdown, filthy bastard the Democrats picked won this time around.

The fact that America has sunk so low that our choices boiled down essentially to Obama or John McCain ought to be enough to make anyone paying attention absolutely sick.

I'm not going to talk about that. What I will talk about is that the Republican party, which I've supported for 20 years, is a mess. How bad is it? The party should have easily slapped down a goofy leftist like Obama. The party is losing seats in Congress and appears extremely weak right now.

Here in Arkansas, we had races for all four seats in the House of Representatives and one seat in the Senate. Three of the House seats are held by Democrats and the Republicans didn't bother to field candidates (the Green Party ran for two of them and one went uncontested). The Senate seat, also held by a Democrat, also drew opposition from only the Green Party.

What the hell is going on here? The Republicans aren't even bothering to field candidates for Congressional seats? Pitiful.

I'm convinced, now more than ever, that it's about time for some strong third parties to arise. The Republicans have abandoned those of us who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate -- the clods that George W. Bush surrounded himself with spend money like drunks on shore leave and tend to swing way right on social issues (many of which a lot of us don't give a damn about).

The Democrats, meanwhile, continue to trick the middle class into voting for them (anyone want to bet we'll see that promised tax cut? Clinton promised the same thing, too) and appear to be in love with what America should be than what it actually is or has been. If you think for a second that the sweeping (and expensive) changes the Democrats are howling for won't be achieved without robbing the middle class, you're living in a fool's paradise.

National health care, for example, isn't cheap and history have shown that such social programs fall on the shoulders of the middle class. We're not wealthy enough to buy the influence to keep the feds out of our pockets and we're not poor enough to pity in the least. In fact, we're little more to the federal government than a revenue source that is relatively defenseless. Unless you're rich enough to buy influence, poor enough to have no money or get paid in cash and keep your money in The First National Bank of Mason Jar, prepare to get robbed.

A good number of us, I suspect, want low taxes and to, essentially, be left alone. Neither party gives a damn about us and they haven't for some time.

Both of these parties are, quite simply, obsolete in that neither represents a sizable majority of the country. Scrap them both. It's time they both went the way of the Federalists and the Whigs. Both parties should have been tossed in the trash at the turn of the century.

Meanwhile, Arkansas voters have approved a lottery amendment and the folks on ABC mentioned that people in Kenya are thrilled by the prospect of Obama being president of the U.S. Things just keep getting worse.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm going to offend with a pretty crude comment, so Ethan, delete if you wish. As soon as I saw Obama walk out onto the stage, I had to run to the bathroom. OK, you have to imagine the crudeness.

When I returned to the TV, what I heard was not an 'acceptance' speech, but a pep rally. Buzz words flying like crazy, and no substance whatsoever. Eyes gazed up at him in adoration and wonder.

While I watched, not once did his eyes change. Not once. There was no emotion behind his words. I'd rather see wild craziness - the flat, cold eyes scare me worse.

At the end, I thought I heard him say, "...and God bless the United Cult of America."

Look, I hope I am wrong. I can't tell you how much I want to be wrong. Please, let me be wrong.

HawgWyld said...

I just watched the television, fumed and started researching third parties. The Republicans have failed us aging Reaganites to the point that the party is weak, unfocused and can't even whip a smarmy leftists like Obama.

Obama scares the hell out of me, primarily because we really don't know what we're getting with this cat and we're about to find out.

"God bless the United Cult of America?" Well, that may be accurate...

Anonymous said...

well said mr. the hawg!

perhaps obama could talk to your local ihop manager.

"we need change! boysenberry syrup? yes we can!"

at least some good will come of the election.

i gotta say i tend to lean to the left but your rant on the republicans is dead on, they absolutely could and should have swatted obama had they tried. listening to karl rove on FNC after the festivities, it honestly sounded like they punted this election and are hoping to let the dems hang themselves, take back some congressional losses in '10 and actually try in '12.

whats really sad, had they not sent him on a fool's errand to the united nations a few years ago we could still have been talking about america's first black president... colin powell.

cheers mate

Paul Eilers said...

I have been staying up, counting the final reported votes, as well as the electoral votes.

Now that it looks like Virginia is lost, then it does indeed look like Obama has won.

I have always believed that my success is not dependent on who is elected president. However, Obama, Reid and Pelosi will make it that much tougher.

HawgWyld said...

chris -- I don't think they could have swatted Obama, honestly. The party is too weak. It's got no focus and has abandoned the core beliefs that made it nationally competitive.

Look at it this way. You wouldn't see Reagan pushing for a $750 billion bailout for a bunch of banks that engaged in ridiculous lending practices that were condoned -- hell, encouraged -- by the federal government. However, Bush did just that, and so did McCain.

That party needs to be radically changed or discarded. I, of course, favor on tossing it out the window and starting again.

Now, the "change" in the Waffle House was going against years of tradition by getting rid of boysenberry. I don't think, then, I'd get much help from Obama. He's all for change, after all. Change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change, change!

I can't wait for months (or years) of hearing that buzzword pop up time and time again.

paul -- don't pick on Pelosi! I understand she's so excited that she went down to the big ass pearl store to get a few more gaudy necklaces.

Just wonderful. The legislative and executive branches are controlled by one party. And Arkansas Repubilcans didn't even put up a fight. Where the Republicans who should have run against Pryor for Senate and Snyder in the 2nd District? Where were the Republicans in the 1st and 4th districts?

That's just what I needed. A couple more years of Snyder mumbling out pansy crap from underneath his ridiculous mustache.

It's enough to make me sick. I haven't been this mad about politics in a long, long time.

Anonymous said...

Well, you know I agree with you about giving the Reps and Dems some competition from third parties.

I watched the election coverage last night neither sad nore happy, because as you say, both candidates sucked and we're screwed no matter what. Although I of course voted, it's the most apathetic I've ever been about a presidential election.

At least Bush will be gone soon.

Da Old Man said...

Mr The Hawg, I thinkthe biggest problem with a 3rd party is it has been done the wrong way. First Anderson, then What's his name with the big ears, and then Nader. Each ran for President, hping to build a party top down. That won't work. It needs to be built bottom up. It needs a strong base, like any construction. I've felt for a while that a minority of strong conservatives, not the neo conservatives of late, but true ones, could mean a lot in the house. Just a 5% group is enough to swing many votes and to establish a presence to be developed.
My biggest disappointment in this race was that, despite all evidence to the contrary, old myths continue to prevail.
Dems are the party of the poor? Then why did they raise and outspend the Rep 2-1?
No voter fraud? Then how did Michigan have results with 103% reporting?
I need to go throw up.

Margie and Edna said...

Re: IHOP and the boysenberry syrup...the squeaky wheel gets the grease, my friend. Good luck on your syrup crusade! :)

HawgWyld said...

gumby -- I felt about the same way while watching the returns. Oh, I defaulted to my typical Republican vote, but I can't say I was too enthusiastic about McCain.

The flat truth is neither party represents me or, I suspect, the majority of Americans. These two are the best we can do?

I sure as hell don't feel that apathetic right now, however. Evidently, "change" is expensive. Guess who's going to get to pay for that? It isn't the rich (they've got money and influence) and it isn't the poor (they've got no money). No, the middle class will get squeezed some more as we've got income, but not enough to buy the influence that is sadly necessary to keep the feds out of our pockets.

Both parties did what they always do -- lie through their teeth to capture some votes. I do believe Obama will kick us in the teeth harder than McCain would. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for McCain, is it?

Da Old Man -- You're right, of course. The way to build a party is to build some local support and then expand. You don't start out by running for the highest office in the nation.

And, yes, I couldn't help but notice those old myths. The flack over Palin's wardrobe just infuriated me. So, she can't spend $150,000 on some new clothes, yet Obama's election night party in Chicago (that cost somewhere between $1 and $2 million) is fine? What the hell? Also, I got sick of hearing whining about negative campaigning from the party that went out of its way to destroy anyone who opposed Obama (the attacks against Palin started almost as soon as she was chosen).

Don't get me started on voter fraud. I hadn't heard about the Michigan thing, but where were these complaints when the Gore campaign was, uh, "influencing" the homeless to register to vote by passing out cigarettes? Where were these complaints when the mob delivered Chicago to Kennedy in 1960?

Margie & Edna -- Thanks! I'll start bugging the manager of our IHOP...

Anonymous said...

Isn't it true that a candidate cannot win when the people are not voting FOR him, but are voting AGAINST the other guy?

Your blog may not be the place to go all Biblical, but check 1 Samuel chapter 8... the people begged for a king, and the Lord told them, yeah, verily, he will be a crappy king and make you miserable, and the people said, "We want a king!" and the Lord said, yah, fine, you'll get one, but don't come crying to me about him.

That's the HebsFarm translation, anyhow.

pamibe said...

First, just let me say that Boysenberry syrup is my favorite. My obsession with it started at Knott's Berry Farm when I was a small child.

Second, I agree with your assessment of the sorry Republican party. There's an up and coming offshoot called the 'Conservative' party but I don't know anything about it... who knows what the parties will look like four years from now?

And Theresa? I did the same thing, don't feel bad.

Anonymous said...

better than 8 more years of bush which is clearly what McCain would of brought :) since he did agree with bush 90% of the time and then that Idiot Palin who didn't know Africa was a country LOL! oy vey! Thank god she did'nt get elected into office.

~ Christopher ~

http://cmarlow480.blogspot.com/