As the last days of summer envelope us, most often this year in oppressive heat, I have a few complaints I need to get off of my chest.

In no particular order they are:

Why is it the only food that I can get delivered is cold pizza? A society that can create nanotechnology can't find a way to get a good dinner delivered? How can this be? I can't help but wonder if the same guys who control pizza delivery also control the armor orders for our troops in the field.

You order it (somebody did order it, right) you wait, wait, and wait Š (honey shouldn't you call to see if they have the order; General where is the order for those 10,000 body armor vests) and then they deliver it wrong (I didn't want anchovies or body armor that is new and defectiveŠthey shoot at us here.)

Can't people just say what they mean? I mean the group that claimed John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court nominee was supportive of bombing abortion clinics could have just said. "We hate the guy" and at least been honest. And can't the president ever tell us what we already know about Iraq? Look, it's a mess, and we are having all kinds of problems that, at least right now, we can't solve.

This president does speak plainly, but not candidly. After all, the guys in the administration, at least last time I checked my pocket Constitution, do work for us. So tell us the real truth, not that things are peachy when they are anything but.

Whatever happened to the do-not-call List? I am on it nationally and state-wide and they call me constantly. That law didn't last as long as a Dairy Queen ice cream on the hottest day of summer. Are some laws just made to be broken?

Apparently, a large number of our elected legislators can't figure out how to ask just who pays for their trips all over the world, trips in violation of the law.

Republicans and Democrats alike seem unable to figure out that lobbyists using their credit cards are actually paying. HummmŠ.it is a puzzle.

Let me offer some help here. If you cheat on the law and you are a lawmaker you should be fired, expelled, discredited and given the boot, not necessarily in that order.

Ever notice just how bad it is to talk to a recording? Listen to 10 options, pick one, listen to 10 more, pick one, listen to 10 more, then go on hold forever. And many companies, while I am giving up half my afternoon in their system of non-human voices and clicks, tell me, by recording, how important I am to them and how important good customer service is to them. Horsepucky.

Here is where you have to admire the lobbying industry. They are honest people. They don't care about you or me. They care about their very special interests, interests that aren't ours or they wouldn't need to spend millions lobbying them.

They have a lot more influence than you or I most of the time, and they are proud of it. The bankruptcy law changes are the result of a decade of campaign contributions and endless trips and other considerations from the banking lobbyists. Are these good laws for the public? Absolutely not, but the banking industry never said they were.

If you are at all offended by automated phone connections you should be deeply offended by lobbyists buying bad law in the U.S. Capitol.

Well, it's a hot day, and complaining makes it just a little bit better.

Go home and complain to someone, anyone. It's a national pastime.

Dr. Jim Crawford is a professor at Ohio University Southern. He can be reached at drjim893@msn.com.