Although we've moved into the house, we don't have gas. Estimated ETA is about two weeks. Ultimately that means we can't cook, use our washing machine/dryer, or have hot water. Thankfully we switched our heating to electric, but it still means I'm showering in cold water in 50° weather. This is because of a fuck up at the Department of Buildings regarding our submitted plans, and they're late in issuing an approval. Con Ed won't attach the gas meter without that, and even then it could take two weeks to get a construction crew out here to handle it.

I also don't have any internet; I'm currently writing this at a neighbor's house. About a month ago dad called Time Warner, informed them of the situation, and explained what needed to be done: There is no wire going to the house itself, so a crew will have to reattach it. He set up an appointment weeks in advance, and when the dude came out and looked at our house, he said he was only responsible to internal wiring, and that we would need a construction crew. About a week later the experience was repeated with another dude. So far we're waiting to see what happens on try 3.

See, when people complain about governmental inefficiency and that private businesses are the answer, I reply so far business has been just as much of a pain in the ass. The Department of Buildings has been a complete nightmare in this process and definitely delayed the completion of this project by about three months while we waited for permits. But simultaneously customer service for businesses is something we all fucking complain about.

I think you can definitely make a case for capitalism vs. governmental planning. For example, whilst the USSR had factories of useless shit that Moscow thought would be useful, companies in the US could quickly determine what was making money and what wasn't, and adapted accordingly. And if they didn't, they died out. That's what happened to the pony express when trains and cars entered the picture.

But what happens when they can't die out? What I mean is, usually the refrain is if you don't like one company, switch to another. That works with stuff like orange juice, but what else do I have besides Time Warner? I can't get satellite because the apartment buildings are in my way. And I can't switch to Verizon because FiOS hasn't extended to my area yet. And now Time Warner's thinking of combining with Comcast, so there literally is no competition.

Both political parties need to examine their ideologies. The Democrats are saying government can help lots of our problems, but they don't really examine bureaucracy and waste enough. And the Republicans say flexible businesses will help everything, but they refuse to discuss the issues with monopolies. But of course, with the current political system I doubt that's gonna happen.