I am sorry I feel like this.

[Phx0808]

There are some stupid, stupid people out in the world today.  I am not talking about mentally challenged or handicapped but just plain stupid people asking stupid questions and doing stupid things.

I am at a stop light. The guy behind me honks his horn. I look at the light, it is still red so I ignore the horn. This guy gets out of his car behind me and come up and says, "You can turn right on a red in Phoenix." I said okay thanks but I am going straight. He said "Well you should be in the other lane." I pointed out the left lane was for left turns only and pointed to the left turn only sign and said I wasn't turning left. He storms off back to his car and for the next 2 minutes he honks his horn several times and then tries honking it in one loud honk.

2 police officers pulls up with lights and a blast of the siren. The guy behind me gets out of his car (mistake 1) and starts screaming at the police officers (mistake 2) about my not turning right and how I need a ticket. One is calming the guy down. and the other comes up and asks me what happened. I told my side of it and he said hang tight for a minute. A pedestrian comes up and speaks to the officer in Spanish. He comes back after a few minutes, and says next time don't hesitate to call us yourself. Have a nice day.

20 minutes later, I see this same pedestrian at the neighborhood Walmart. It was just across the street form the incident. He says the guy was cited for road rage, and a few other traffic infractions. Then the driver objected to $2500 price tag of all the tickets and ended up being arrested for assault, resisting arrest, and damaging police property.  It began after I drove off and after the guy realized I wasn't given a ticket.

Speaking of Walmart, it was crowded and after I finished getting what I needed, I saw a short line to pay for stuff, then I realized why. There was a trainee checker with her trainer and she wasn't well trained. However, I had only a few items and thought it would be no problem, I asked for the 8 pack of coke to be put in a sack and she no problem, and did it. After she rang up my total, she said it would be $15.08. I handed her a $20 and a dime hoping to get $4.02 back in change. She begins to put $20.00 amount tendered. the trainer stops her and says how much did he give you? She says $20.00 and this (holding up the dime). So you should put in $20.10 for amount tendered. She protests "Why did he give me 10 cents?" Put in 20.10 and you will see. She begins arguing with the trainer and the trainer finally takes over she puts in 20.10 for the amount total and I get my $4.02. The trainer was ringing up other customers and trying explain that I didn't want a lot of coins. The trainee said, "Well I don't see why not, I know how to make change."

At McDonald's, a while back the cash registers were not functioning and the 30-something women behind the counter says " I guess we will have to get your total the old fashion way. She pulls out a pencil and a calculator.

I have many more stories, but that's enough for now. I don't know if it is the water down in Phoenix, or the school system, or just what it is. Something is making them do stupid things. I can't figure it help. God help us all!

[sigmapi1501]

Wow, with all these stories you could be a stand up comedian in 1991.

[kingozzy]

That dude with road rage needs to get slapped across the head, what the hell.  The light will change and he can turn right after you go straight

[BeccaGoga]

Wow. Stupid people never cease to amaze me. Kinda scares me in a way how stupid most people are.

[luvh8tragedy87]

That driving story is one of the reasons why I hate to drive and avoid it whenever I can. People are always in a hurry.

[ptfunds]

Good stories. The road rage incident had a good outcome. Hopefully the recipient of the tickets has had some time to think about his choices and perhaps has an opportunity to take a different road in life. You never know...   I'm curious about something. Were you patient when it came to the incident in Walmart with the new checker?

[Phx0808]

Good stories. The road rage incident had a good outcome. Hopefully the recipient of the tickets has had some time to think about his choices and perhaps has an opportunity to take a different road in life. You never know...   I'm curious about something. Were you patient when it came to the incident in Walmart with the new checker?

Well you have to be at Walmart. People get min. wage there for a reason.  If I am in line and a manager walks by I will say to them, "Can you please get some more registers open?" and that usually does the trick.

[maxinmotion]

You run into all kind of people driving on these roads. Here in Georgia he would be too busy trying to figure out how to get off of Peachtree Street to have road rage.

[duroz]

(I apologize for the condensed, dissected version of your post)

......it was crowded and after I finished getting what I needed, I saw a short line to pay for stuff, then I realized why. There was a trainee checker with her trainer and she wasn't well trained.
....After she rang up my total, she said it would be $15.08. I handed her a $20 and a dime...
She begins to put $20.00 amount tendered. the trainer stops her and says how much did he give you? She says $20.00 and this (holding up the dime). So you should put in $20.10 for amount tendered. She protests "Why did he give me 10 cents?" Put in 20.10 and you will see. She begins arguing with the trainer...
The trainer was ringing up other customers and trying explain that I didn't want a lot of coins.
The trainee said, "Well I don't see why not, I know how to make change."

What amazes me here is that she (claimed) to know how to make change....but couldn't grasp the concept of the dime to make your change return less..?? 
Also, DOES she know how to make change..I mean really....does she? Because I can't remember the last time I encountered a "young person" who could do this...AT ALL.
(PLEASE don't take offense at my saying this if you are a young person who can do this...I just haven't met you!)


And that goes hand in hand with this:

....the cash registers were not functioning and the 30-something women behind the counter says " I guess we will have to get your total the old fashion way. She pulls out a pencil and a calculator.

And that's how they are taught and learn math, with calculators. (??)

Hardly anyone can spell correctly anymore, they don't care that they can't, and they don't even try.
Correct usage of the English language, or even coming remotely close to it? No, no-one cares.

I know they no longer teach them ANY writing skills, obviously then, there is no such thing as "penmanship".

Have you had an opportunity lately to watch some of our young people write, or try to? I have seen more than a couple who basically CANNOT do it AT ALL, and others who can barely manage it.
Or attempted to read something they (maybe) finally painfully managed to get on paper? The "chicken scratching" looks like it was the first time they ever had a writing instrument in hand.....and you really CAN'T read it sometimes. 

This is WRITING!! Shouldn't it still be a basic skill that everyone is expected to be able to do?

Something is making them do stupid things. God help us all!

I don't know if we can still be saved from this stupidity of the masses.

[depate99]

It's the damn dry heat.  It fries brain cells.  Got the hell away from it and Phx in general.

[inertia4]

You should write a book about all these incidents. And I am sure it would be entertaining.

[Tresbn00]

I don't think that there is any reason for you to be sorry! The funny thing is that stupid people make smart people look even smarter...lol!  I went to a McDonalds the other day and asked for a large breakfast.  The cashier said "lo siento, no habla ingles".  Seriously? What kind of a cretin would put someone who can't speak english, in America, at the front line?!?  I knew enough spanish to request my breakfast but felt sorry for the hordes of people who were going to have to point to the pictures in order to get something to eat.

[plennis]

The one comic says give them a sign, it would save a lot of time and trouble.  You would know not to ask or expect anything from them.  The not knowing English just makes me so very angry.  This country is an English speaking country....LEARN IT.  Our government would save so much money if we did not have to print ballots, tax papers etc., in English and then about 25 or 30 other languages.  It would save so much on phone charges if they did not have to give the messages in English and then all of the other languages.  If you cannot read the signs for driving, street names, businesses no wonder you are lost.     Sorry, had to vent.

[duroz]

The one comic says give them a sign, it would save a lot of time and trouble.  You would know not to ask or expect anything from them.  The not knowing English just makes me so very angry.  This country is an English speaking country....LEARN IT.  Our government would save so much money if we did not have to print ballots, tax papers etc., in English and then about 25 or 30 other languages.  It would save so much on phone charges if they did not have to give the messages in English and then all of the other languages.  If you cannot read the signs for driving, street names, businesses no wonder you are lost.     Sorry, had to vent.

While I DO agree with the points you make, I can't help but think that if Americans themselves can't grasp the use of their own language, how will people that aren't American be able to get it?   

[southernhorizons]

The one comic says give them a sign, it would save a lot of time and trouble.  You would know not to ask or expect anything from them.  The not knowing English just makes me so very angry.  This country is an English speaking country....LEARN IT.  Our government would save so much money if we did not have to print ballots, tax papers etc., in English and then about 25 or 30 other languages.  It would save so much on phone charges if they did not have to give the messages in English and then all of the other languages.  If you cannot read the signs for driving, street names, businesses no wonder you are lost.     Sorry, had to vent.

It makes me angry too. If people are going to come here from other countries to work and live, they should at least be required to learn to speak and understand basic English.