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In the Lima News lately Fred Steiner mentioned the "phony storefronts, trying to be a village" in towns other than Bluffton. I want to second the challenge to phoniness, by asking our friends right here for real honesty.

I went to our Community Market, whose manager and employees are both helpful and kind, to buy their advertised crab cakes, and hoped for information on a label about ingredients. Would crab be a minor part?

There was no such label, but I persisted and found that these were Imitation Crab, made from pollock, so they contained no crab at all. Pollock is good food but is not crab. I had made a special trip to the Market to buy, frankly, a manufacturer's lie, which I did reject.

Our really good friends on Main Street also offer just a bit of phoniness with prices of $9.99 and $99.99, taking a whole penny(!) off from $10 or $100. The real purpose is to fool us about the intended prices. For example, a clerk quoted a price of $39, but it was $39.99. Was he just ignorant, "innumerate" (comparable with illiterate), or deceptive?

I like math but not messing with all those nines! Does "everybody" do it? Well, almost but not quite! And I'm sorry, but any easily seen deception suggests possible hidden deception in addition. Can we drop this bit of phoniness too?

Thanks for your consideration!

Your crabby friend,
Ronald Rich
327 S. Jackson