Yes, there are important things going on in the world, things I could dance and sing and gloat about, like Bush's former press secretary writing a book that verifies everything the sane 48% of the nation suspected for years. However, with the call volume high at ye olde call center, I don't get to read up on that stuff much, just a glance at CNN on my 15 minute break.

So instead I'll tell you about how another Republican is ruining one of my favorite businesses.

Monday, Memorial Day, there was the usual kinda-sorta sale at Guitar Center. I have enough gear to play the Fox Theater already, but I thought I'd see what was for sale. On a pre-sale drive-by I saw that they had a near-mint, used Boss PH-2 Super Phaser. I've had one of these for 15 years now that's hardly seen any use at all and works perfectly, but you know I have to have two of everything. It was tagged at $55 but I was betting I could talk them down to $40 or thereabouts.

They also had some unused display model DigiTech pedals on the counter for $50, including a Synth Wah Envelope Filter. I'm leery of DigiTech's digital stuff since a delay I bought off E-Bay died within five minutes of being plugged in (the Bad Monkey overdrive and Hot Head distortion analog pedals I have from DigiTech are great, though). However for $50 and a 30-day money back guarantee it would definitely be worth taking home, I thought.

So I approached the young sales dude and told him I'd be interested in taking home the DigiTech wah and the Boss phaser, if he'd knock the Boss down to $40.

"Well, I don't know if you've heard, but the game has changed around here," he said. Bain Capital Partners bought Guitar Center last year. I remembered having read that, and we both struggled for a few seconds after I said that a former vice presidential candidate was the founder. What was that guy's name? Huckabee? No, the other one with the big, square head. Mitt Romney! That was the guy! "So we're not really allowed to make deals on used stuff anymore. I mean I'd love to take some right off the top, but we can't."

This was a bit peculiar, since the other sales guy had just told me the day was 10% off everything in the store, including the used stuff. Whatever, I decided providence had intervened to prevent me from tossing nearly $100 on stuff I didn't really need. Bargaining has been the norm at guitar stores ever since I was 12, but I guess Mitt Romney hasn't hung around the guitar scene much.

So Romney's Guitars could've made $90 + tax on me that day, but instead they made $0. Instead I abandoned Mitt's shop and went to Sam Ash, where I picked up a Boss A/B footswitch that has been fantastic. This way I can plug into two channels of an amplifier and switch from clean to dirty sounds with a tap of my foot. I wish I'd gotten one of these years ago. Only $34.99, too, a price so low I didn't even bother haggling like I might normally.

Guitar Center and their online store, Musicians' Friend, used to send out these incredible full-color catalogs on a monthly basis, with really splashy ones quarterly. It occurred to me I haven't gotten one of those in awhile, and I thought maybe I'd fallen out of favor. However the stuff they have laying around in the store is also really puny; I guess Mitt vetoed such expenses. Just hard-and-fast prices and that's it.

Count on a Republican to ruin the music business.