A number of us choose self-serve checkouts believing it to be quicker. It may be, but you could be conserving your energy  while watching a paid worker do it. You can spend those few minutes being socially civil to those around you or slowing down to reflect on your next moves. And don’t forget the bagging up part we do even when a clerk checks us out.

I absolutely hate pumping gas, no matter if it was snow outside or sunshine. Gone are the days when you drive up and someone is eagerly waiting to pump your gas. Some places would even check your oil and your tire pressure. You’d never had to even get out of your car. If there’s a kid around asking to pump gas, they get my dollar.

I feel sympathy for my friends who are in the dating game. There was a time when you could meet decent,  non-scary people in the course of your regular activities — church, parties, sports outlets, etc. There are online dating sites that take up a lot of time scrolling through profiles, trying to figure out who’s real and who’s fake. Once you pick a person, it’s the trial and error of going on a date. One friend I know hired an online dating coach whose only job (for a hefty fee) was to help you navigate the dating sites.

There’s a billing error on one of your household accounts, let’s say a utility bill. Don’t expect to get any help from customer service because it’s all automated prompts. You can spend considerable time listening to wacky music while you wait to get a real person. Even if you’re lucky to get a live voice, the onus is still on you to get all your documents together and prove you made payment. I recall a relative who had all the utilities shut off on the last day of his lease. Several months later, he received a letter from a collection agency for an unpaid electric bill. He spent days obtaining a copy of the paid bill from the utility company and a verification letter from the apartment leasing company, among other tasks.

True, most of these examples are about companies using technology over hiring staff to maximize their profits. But there’s also the issue of how the government has reduced the amount of money for social services that includes the safety net that catches us when there are the inevitable unexpected situations. This scenario forces families to research and track down the resources they need to survive. This is especially stressful in the case of natural disasters and the long-term recovery that follows.

The current administration has shut down or is threatening to shut down federal protection agencies like FEMA , EPA, FDA, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and others. There is no consideration for who takes on their unfulfilled missions. As far as saving tax dollars as a result of these extreme reductions, those dollars will find their way into the pockets of the oligarchs inside and outside of the trump regime.

Congress has a big role in stopping this runaway train. You need to get really familiar with that paid public servant. Put them on speed dial. Get organized so that you are part of community groups to put pressure on Congress. We have to remind them what the “for” and “by” the people means in the U.S. Constitution. If we fail, the Constitution will become a relic of a by-gone democracy.