Verizon Updates

Sometimes I feel like this little guy, spending all his time looking for a cheap meal. Meanwhile, everyone keeps making it harder to save a few nuts. Today, I get word that the employee share of our health insurance is going to increase by 13%. The news recently reported that the average private health care premium this year would be increasing by 20%. What ever happened to that health care reform bill that congress was supposed to have passed?

Then a letter arrives from Verizon Wireless, my cell phone provider, saying that they will be conducting network updates to improve the wireless experience for former Alltel customers! But, wait... reading on it says "as a result of these updates, two Alltel features - Blocked Numbers and Mobile Instant Messaging - will no longer be available on your Alltel device. What? How is that an upgrade? Verizon is trying to force me into a new "Smart Phone" and a more expensive 3G data plan. I don't need instant messaging, so I guess I'm going to wait for the next upgrade letter from Verizon that says voice service on my Alltel device will no longer work on their network. I don't much care for upgrades that are really downgrades in disguise.