Comments on: Small Town Victories http://erikras.com/2009/12/01/small-town-victories/ Thoughts and photos from an American living in Spain. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:32:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lance http://erikras.com/2009/12/01/small-town-victories/#comment-4820 Lance Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:29:26 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=3522#comment-4820 Oh, great. Now tax evasion only happens in the city? And cute babies only frolic in cute sunglasses in the country, right? Boy, you've really showed your true colors now. (By which I mean: "That's a good point.") Oh, great. Now tax evasion only happens in the city? And cute babies only frolic in cute sunglasses in the country, right? Boy, you’ve really showed your true colors now.

(By which I mean: “That’s a good point.”)

]]> By: Erik R. http://erikras.com/2009/12/01/small-town-victories/#comment-4819 Erik R. Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:11:16 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=3522#comment-4819 You reminded me that I forgot to mention that that same optometrist, when we bought Nora's sunglasses, let us use them for several days without paying a euro dime to see if she would wear them or not. It's true that all of these situations can happen in the big city. City neighborhoods are just like small towns. I, too, despise anyone who uses the phrase "<em>real</em> America" politically. I assume that since your "pay in cash discount" wasn't about "money now rather than later", it was to perform a bit of tax fraud. Such tax fraud is the rule in Spain, rather than the exception. You reminded me that I forgot to mention that that same optometrist, when we bought Nora’s sunglasses, let us use them for several days without paying a euro dime to see if she would wear them or not.

It’s true that all of these situations can happen in the big city. City neighborhoods are just like small towns. I, too, despise anyone who uses the phrase “real America” politically.

I assume that since your “pay in cash discount” wasn’t about “money now rather than later”, it was to perform a bit of tax fraud. Such tax fraud is the rule in Spain, rather than the exception.

]]> By: Lance http://erikras.com/2009/12/01/small-town-victories/#comment-4818 Lance Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:05:02 +0000 http://www.erik-rasmussen.com/blog/?p=3522#comment-4818 This all sounds good, but I feel compelled to speak up for the big city. These things happen in Atlanta, too (though postal routes are understandably more geographically compact here). We had a situation very similar to "Profit Presbyopia" at the mechanic down the block two weeks ago. And before last Christmas, Arica and I were shopping for some jewelry. We were first time customers at this store, but the store had been recommended to us by a friend. The jeweler offered us a lower price if we paid cash, but who carries cash? Also, we were going out of town for the holidays. The jeweler let us take the goods with us, saying "just pay me when you get back in town". We're talking several thousand dollars - not an amount that's going to make or break his operation, but not chump change, either. So we took the jewelry, Arica got to show it off to her friends and family, and we paid the guy when we got home. Sorry -- I don't mean to hijack your comment thread. All the things you describe point to quality of life in your town being pretty good. I just tend to chafe at "small town"/"big city" comparisons. The main reason for my ire is probably the stupid "small town America is the <em>real</em> America" nonsense that is fairly common in U.S. political discourse (and which I do not believe that you are in any way guilty of, whether in this post or any other). But also I feel that there's a fair amount of confirmation bias at work -- when something cozy happens in a small town, it must have happened because small town people are the salt of the earth. If something shitty happens in the city, it must be because the rat race has turned us all into assholes. This all sounds good, but I feel compelled to speak up for the big city. These things happen in Atlanta, too (though postal routes are understandably more geographically compact here). We had a situation very similar to “Profit Presbyopia” at the mechanic down the block two weeks ago. And before last Christmas, Arica and I were shopping for some jewelry. We were first time customers at this store, but the store had been recommended to us by a friend. The jeweler offered us a lower price if we paid cash, but who carries cash? Also, we were going out of town for the holidays. The jeweler let us take the goods with us, saying “just pay me when you get back in town”. We’re talking several thousand dollars – not an amount that’s going to make or break his operation, but not chump change, either. So we took the jewelry, Arica got to show it off to her friends and family, and we paid the guy when we got home.

Sorry — I don’t mean to hijack your comment thread. All the things you describe point to quality of life in your town being pretty good. I just tend to chafe at “small town”/”big city” comparisons. The main reason for my ire is probably the stupid “small town America is the real America” nonsense that is fairly common in U.S. political discourse (and which I do not believe that you are in any way guilty of, whether in this post or any other). But also I feel that there’s a fair amount of confirmation bias at work — when something cozy happens in a small town, it must have happened because small town people are the salt of the earth. If something shitty happens in the city, it must be because the rat race has turned us all into assholes.

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