Blog of Joe

On a lighter note than my previous post, I pose a question more than anything. My question is this: Do you tip on takeout?

I ask this question because tonight I ordered some food online which I went and picked up. I don’t normally tip on take out (but I do on delivery). Tonight, I felt the waitstaff was really fixed on whether or not I was going to use the tip function on the debit machine. Normally, people just leave you to your own devices when your doing your pinpad thing. This girl stayed and stared at the machine and so did her comrade who had brought out my order from the back. I only had to look at her face to figure out what she was looking at on the receipt and her demeanor changed right after too. How super uncomfortable.

I feel bad, but then again I don’t because I think it was kind of pushy to expect a tip and be so obvious about it.

I’m not the first to ask this question, and even Miley Cyrus is confused about what to do in these situations. I guess I should be grateful that the waitstaff didn’t jump me to bite off my balls. They probably knew I would enjoy that.

So..back to the question at hand..do you tip on take out or does it depend on the circumstances?

Recently, the Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador left his province to seek care in the United States for a heart condition. Today, it’s come out in the media that this condition was readably treatable in Canada (but he would have probably had to wait on a list). Now, Premier Williams is an independently wealthy man and he paid for all this himself. So you’re probably thinking, “What’s the problem? He can pay to get whatever he wants done to his body, wherever he wants it.” I don’t argue that point at all. As a private citizen, he would be able to do this and be free from scrutiny. But, Danny Williams is not “Private Citizen Williams” he is “Public Figure Williams” and even more importantly his is “Mr. Person-in-Charge-of-Health-Care-in-Newfoundland-and-Labrador Williams”. Get it? I’ll explain further:

According to Canada’s Constitution Act (1867), health care and its delivery is a provincial responsibility. By definition, all those appointed to take charge of the health care in a province are appointed by the Premier and his direct reports.

Any failures or misgivings in his province’s health care system stem from him and those he has appointed to act to implement the system (and we have many, many of these “appointees” in the system who never come to public scrutiny for their decisions). There is the complicated financial relationship of the federal government and the Canada Health Act, but the final person in charge is the Premier and those in provincial government, irrespective of each.

Hopefully, Premier Williams makes a speedy recovery while he’s convalescing in Florida. But while he’s there, I hope he’s asking himself about what he can do to help all Newfoundlander and Labradorians get off waiting lists, or who’ve been denied drug coverage, had trouble finding a doctor, etc. And while it is “his heart, his choice” those people are obviously not able to pay to get the “choice” of care they want and need. At best, they will have to wait in the chaotic system of care he and other politicians in Canada are responsible for managing and at worst, some will not get the care at all.

photo credit: CarbonNYC (creative commons)

Well, here we are. I’m blogging (again) because I have this insatiable urge to continue writing about whatever passes through my mind so off we go!

*In case you didn’t catch it, that’s the subject of this blog: whatever passes through my mind that I wish to opine about.