just another "five and dime"

"The U.S. government still functions as a five and dime store in an eBay world."

                                     -- Donald Rumsfeld*

A "five and dime store" has:

• accountability,
  
• you can see what you're buying,
  
• you know what you're really expected to pay
  
• the sales clerks can eyeball the customer and get correct payment,
  
• there is person-to-person contact and finally,
  
• a higher degree of trust.
  

With "eBay" you:

• have little apparent accountability
  
• don't really know what you're buying,
  
• can be cheated on the price,
  
• the sales clerk never see the customer and can't be sure of getting correct payment,
  
• there is no person-to-person contact and finally,
  
• a high degree of anxiety and little if any trust.
  

<sup>* This quote taken from 26 February 2006 Doonsbury.

This URL is also: http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/dailydose/index.html</sup>