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MURRAY -- Mayor Dan Snarr got an angry call from a Murray resident one day. The man wanted more services but said he didn't want to pay more in taxes. So, Snarr recalls, he said, "Well, that sucks.' And I looked over at my desk and I saw the Easy Button and said, ‘Rarely do I get to use that because in government things aren't easy.'"
Snarr also got an idea for a business venture. He calls it the Sucks Button. It's much like Staples' Easy Button but the statements when you press it are supposed to make you laugh. The statements talk about how much life can stink. Each phrase is voiced by either Snarr or another member of his family.
The makers of the Easy Button agreed to produce Snarr's invention, and the Social Nature Company got in on the marketing end of it.
Marketer Michael Reagan said the company started a soft market in Utah but hopes to take it nationwide soon. "People get it right away and people want one to put in their cubicle or on their desk or on the dashboard of the car and push it when those days are not so good."
But wasn't Snarr worried about offending people? He said it depends on their sense of humor. He thinks if people are chilled out, they will get it. "I've had plenty of people tell me that I suck, so my reputation precedes me."
One of the statements on the button is the message Snarr really wants to get out. "When life sucks, suck it up and do good deeds for others. Have a positive attitude and life won't suck." And that's exactly what he told his angry constituent the day he came up with the idea.
E-mail: cwall@ksl.com
