Held in Contempt

Who is being held in contempt? We are, the American buying public, by the companies that produce the increasingly shoddy goods we depend on. Take toilet paper, for example. It's now almost impossible to start a fresh roll without destroying several sheets. Also, despite being given muscular brand names like "Brawny," paper towels can't mop up more than a few drops of water without disintegrating. And how about perforated statements from credit card companies? The perforation has all but vanished, which means tearing the section you have to return with your payment. Everyone knows that opening products sealed in tough plastic risks cutting yourself, possibly badly. (Larry David devoted a segment to this on Curb Your Enthusiasm.) Most of us have long since given up trying to connect with a live "Customer Service" representative on the telephone. You know things have gone south when the phone company's automated CS message encourages callers to visit the company's website for help. I don't know what to do about these infuriating practices, but throwing all the Republican corporate enablers out of Congress would be a good start.