It was ten til seven in the morning and I was at the store to pick up some repair items for a toilet in my house needing its lever and flapper replaced. As I walked past the toy aisle towards hardware a voice came over the PA system from a supervisor. At that time customers were outnumbered by preparation employees and the supervisor was making an announcement in regard to the time and a goal that was to be met by seven. In the distance the announcement was met by an employee stating “shut up already”.
I rolled my eyes at the disgruntled employee and it reminded me of a similar event the day before. We took our nineteen month old son to a restaurant with activities for children to meet a friend and their son who is about the same age whom because of where they live, doesn’t get to that kind of place too often. We thought arriving in the late afternoon, well past lunch and a bit before dinner, would spare us from the typical crowding. We were wrong; apparently there is no good time to visit that place on a Sunday. Every unoccupied or unreserved table, and there were few, was absolutely disgusting and in desperate need of cleaning. My wife went to find some help and we camped out at a table large enough to seat our party. Ten minutes later the one employee charged with cleaning at this place packed with several hundred people stopped by. He quickly wiped over the table with dirty water. After a decidedly subpar effort this employee informed us that that was all he was going to do and mumbled some excuses inaudibly under his breath.
After they left I remarked to our group, “Well, obviously his level of give-a-crapness is lacking.” To which one of our group exclaimed, “What do you expect, he probably makes minimum wage.” I rolled my eyes again, gathered my thoughts momentarily and replied, “With that attitude, why should anyone ever pay him a cent more?” My heckler was forced to concede my point.
Today we all too often use compensation or lack thereof as excuse for an utter lack of effort. It is an old and completely irrelevant excuse. Chris Rock was right when he said that when someone pays you minimum wage that they would pay you less but they can’t because it’s against the law. But that doesn’t excuse doing a job poorly.
In this country jobs are applied for and chosen, not assigned. Certain jobs can be done by more people and the more applicants available the less that an employer can offer them in terms of compensation. Either at the department store or the restaurant, if the disgruntled employee did not agree to work for a given wage they could have refused to apply and looked for something else. It’s reasonable to assume that their respective skill sets are commiserate with their current positions, which means at this time that’s the level of compensation which they can expect.
Of course, how they perform at that level of compensation and the skills, both job and employment related, that they acquire there are meant to serve them later. The whole point of a market economy and what is known as the American dream is to strive to and work to success. It takes time to learn and then master the types of skills that employers are willing to pay more for. Complaining over menial tasks and blaming a lack of performance on low compensation will only lead to one never learning enough to do anything else.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A new Senator
For third time in my 32 years, New Mexico will have a new senator with Jeff Bingaman retiring as his term expires at the end of 2012. Bingaman happened to be the first new Senator New Mexico has had during my lifetime and when his term expires, will have served in the US Senate for 30 years. The announcement came last week, just before Bingaman’s kabuki theatre grilling this week of the New Mexico Gas Company following delivery problems stemming from recent freezing temperatures not seen in New Mexico in more than two decades. What was most striking of the announcement was the initial response of shock expressed by local and national news agencies. It could be surprising to learn that an entrenched senator would budge from such a lofty perch but one should not be shocked that someone approaching their 68th birthday would elect to retire. Anyway, the only sentiment that I can attribute to Senator Bingaman is that he helped to solidify my positions that direct elections of senators was a mistake and the lack of term limits for any elected office is an atrocity.
To Bingaman’s eventual replacement the state democrat party sanctioned a survey with a ton of candidates resulting in a lot of support for US Representative Martin Heinrich, who has proven to be worthy as Bingaman’s intellectual and political heir, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Heinrich is ambitious and regarded as a good fund raiser, but these are not positive attributes when discussing political creatures. Heinrich’s positions, statements, votes and responses prove that he is a liberal, progressive, whatever-they-use-next, democrat politician who represents the interests of those whom he agrees with or is beholden to for financial support.
In New Mexico politics, name recognition is an immense factor and if the democrats don’t nominate from the recent retread trio of Martin Chavez, Bill Richardson (laugh) or Diane Denish it seems a good chance that Heinrich could win the nomination as the congressman from the State’s single largest urban area. This could be a good thing if he proves to be unelectable to statewide office or a bad thing if he proves to be electable. Electing Heinrich would be a mistake and ensure more of the same patronage spending tied to the perpetual money machine made up of public sector unions, the state’s large federal presence and the democrat party, ensuring a senator that represents the narrow interests of Nob Hill.
Truth is, any democrat selected to run for senator would be the same, leaving it to the Republican’s to nominate a responsible legislator, able to represent New Mexico’s interests in the US Senate instead of lobbying for handouts that benefit their paymasters. Former representative Heather Wilson would be an excellent senator as an intelligent and accomplished person who had a great record as a house member and was heralded by her constituents when they contacted her whether or not they agreed with her positions. Unfortunately for Wilson, she was almost constantly attacked by political hacks for personal reasons and after five terms in the house there may be a fatigue factor.
While Wilson holds the edge over other candidates in regard to experience our recent gubernatorial race has provided a candidate who has useful experience and has the stage presence that could lead to election. I stated on this very blog that Doug Turner should have run for US House against Heinrich last year instead of running for Governor and an open senate seat provides an opportunity for another chance at public office. Turner works in the private sector. He was a part of Governor Gary Johnson’s campaigns and administrations. He is a clear conservative and excellent speaker. Jon Barela, who ran unsuccessfully against Heinrich last fall, is also mentioned and proved to be a worthy candidate, but he just did not do well enough to expect that he could succeed in a statewide race.
If anything is going to change, both in our state and in our country then we need responsible lawmakers. Governor Martinez has started moving things in the right direction for New Mexico; Mayor Berry has done the same for Albuquerque. Former Senator Domenici was a nice enough person but in the last 18 years of his 36 year reign in the US Senate became a creature of Washington politics, ‘doing’ things for New Mexico is not bringing home the pork, it was past time for him to retire in 2009 and likewise it’s past time for Jeff Bingaman to retire. The democrats will treat the seat as their birthright and the only way to win will be to nominate a conservative with thick skin and an ability to effectively convey ideas, that person should be Doug Turner, if he desires to run that is.
To Bingaman’s eventual replacement the state democrat party sanctioned a survey with a ton of candidates resulting in a lot of support for US Representative Martin Heinrich, who has proven to be worthy as Bingaman’s intellectual and political heir, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Heinrich is ambitious and regarded as a good fund raiser, but these are not positive attributes when discussing political creatures. Heinrich’s positions, statements, votes and responses prove that he is a liberal, progressive, whatever-they-use-next, democrat politician who represents the interests of those whom he agrees with or is beholden to for financial support.
In New Mexico politics, name recognition is an immense factor and if the democrats don’t nominate from the recent retread trio of Martin Chavez, Bill Richardson (laugh) or Diane Denish it seems a good chance that Heinrich could win the nomination as the congressman from the State’s single largest urban area. This could be a good thing if he proves to be unelectable to statewide office or a bad thing if he proves to be electable. Electing Heinrich would be a mistake and ensure more of the same patronage spending tied to the perpetual money machine made up of public sector unions, the state’s large federal presence and the democrat party, ensuring a senator that represents the narrow interests of Nob Hill.
Truth is, any democrat selected to run for senator would be the same, leaving it to the Republican’s to nominate a responsible legislator, able to represent New Mexico’s interests in the US Senate instead of lobbying for handouts that benefit their paymasters. Former representative Heather Wilson would be an excellent senator as an intelligent and accomplished person who had a great record as a house member and was heralded by her constituents when they contacted her whether or not they agreed with her positions. Unfortunately for Wilson, she was almost constantly attacked by political hacks for personal reasons and after five terms in the house there may be a fatigue factor.
While Wilson holds the edge over other candidates in regard to experience our recent gubernatorial race has provided a candidate who has useful experience and has the stage presence that could lead to election. I stated on this very blog that Doug Turner should have run for US House against Heinrich last year instead of running for Governor and an open senate seat provides an opportunity for another chance at public office. Turner works in the private sector. He was a part of Governor Gary Johnson’s campaigns and administrations. He is a clear conservative and excellent speaker. Jon Barela, who ran unsuccessfully against Heinrich last fall, is also mentioned and proved to be a worthy candidate, but he just did not do well enough to expect that he could succeed in a statewide race.
If anything is going to change, both in our state and in our country then we need responsible lawmakers. Governor Martinez has started moving things in the right direction for New Mexico; Mayor Berry has done the same for Albuquerque. Former Senator Domenici was a nice enough person but in the last 18 years of his 36 year reign in the US Senate became a creature of Washington politics, ‘doing’ things for New Mexico is not bringing home the pork, it was past time for him to retire in 2009 and likewise it’s past time for Jeff Bingaman to retire. The democrats will treat the seat as their birthright and the only way to win will be to nominate a conservative with thick skin and an ability to effectively convey ideas, that person should be Doug Turner, if he desires to run that is.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Random Thoughts – 2/17
Albuquerque’s fire chief has banned a sticker that has been appearing on the helmets of firefighter helmets as of late. The sticker reads “FMB” and it has been peddled by union president Diego Arencon to stand for “forever my brother”. For those who pay attention and don’t swallow when fed bull, the sticker is most certainly a nod to Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, think F Mayor Berry, whom the union is currently suing over a contract dispute. I wonder if the president of the union would believe it if I addressed him as M. Arencon, and that the M. was simply an innocuous substitute for Mr. Doing so would be incredibly disrespectful and so is the childish action taken by the firefighters and the dishonesty exhibited by their union leader. They have shamed themselves and it should make any citizen nervous in the event they require their services. The chief should be commended for being an adult.
There has been much discussion lately in regard to the sham of a budget that was submitted by the president for FY2012. Many recognize the so-called cuts as gimmicks, continued deficits alarming and the complete avoidance of entitlement reform as negligence. At first it was the cynical and conservative who diagnosed the budget as a work of politics, with the president effectively daring the Republican house majority to submit a more realistic document leading to a legislative standoff that could lead to a government shutdown that the president could blame on Republicans and use as a 2012 campaign platform plank. More recently Democrat commentators have advanced the same diagnosis, but instead of being repulsed laud the action of the president as a brilliant political maneuver. This is all based on the presumed benefit to Bill Clinton when a similar showdown resulted in a shutdown in the mid-nineties. It would benefit us all if this false and massaged history doesn’t repeat itself.
School teachers in Wisconsin have taken to calling in absent, during the school year, in order to protest the Governor of Wisconsin making necessary changes to an unsustainable system that has led to current and projected budget deficits that will eventually cripple that state. It is unsettling that many school teachers have, at the direction of unions, have taken leave of their work in order to protest something that will have to be done sometime. Enough teachers have followed this path that the schools there have had to cancel school, forcing parents to scramble and leaving those teachers who did not neglect their duty to miss work. All of this over the Wisconsin governor’s plan attempting to remove the ability to collective bargain from the teachers unions. A plan that would eliminate the ability of teachers unions to hold the public they are to serve hostage and ensure that more teachers are paid in line with their abilities and achievements instead of by how long they have existed and because of what a union decided was best for them.
I have heard a lot of radio advertisements for a security company offering the arrival of an armed response team in contrast to traditional firms who just notify the authorities and can't guarantee the cops arrival. I wonder if even these armed response teams can even arrive in time.
There has been much discussion lately in regard to the sham of a budget that was submitted by the president for FY2012. Many recognize the so-called cuts as gimmicks, continued deficits alarming and the complete avoidance of entitlement reform as negligence. At first it was the cynical and conservative who diagnosed the budget as a work of politics, with the president effectively daring the Republican house majority to submit a more realistic document leading to a legislative standoff that could lead to a government shutdown that the president could blame on Republicans and use as a 2012 campaign platform plank. More recently Democrat commentators have advanced the same diagnosis, but instead of being repulsed laud the action of the president as a brilliant political maneuver. This is all based on the presumed benefit to Bill Clinton when a similar showdown resulted in a shutdown in the mid-nineties. It would benefit us all if this false and massaged history doesn’t repeat itself.
School teachers in Wisconsin have taken to calling in absent, during the school year, in order to protest the Governor of Wisconsin making necessary changes to an unsustainable system that has led to current and projected budget deficits that will eventually cripple that state. It is unsettling that many school teachers have, at the direction of unions, have taken leave of their work in order to protest something that will have to be done sometime. Enough teachers have followed this path that the schools there have had to cancel school, forcing parents to scramble and leaving those teachers who did not neglect their duty to miss work. All of this over the Wisconsin governor’s plan attempting to remove the ability to collective bargain from the teachers unions. A plan that would eliminate the ability of teachers unions to hold the public they are to serve hostage and ensure that more teachers are paid in line with their abilities and achievements instead of by how long they have existed and because of what a union decided was best for them.
I have heard a lot of radio advertisements for a security company offering the arrival of an armed response team in contrast to traditional firms who just notify the authorities and can't guarantee the cops arrival. I wonder if even these armed response teams can even arrive in time.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Is email confusing or something?
So, last week I was finishing up some paperwork for something important by asking all kinds of questions of people that were supposed to be able to answer them. I received a response for an important question in a reply that ignored other questions and had no identifying information anywhere, like a signature. I could identify the person from the email address but that was it. The person who had to then take action in response to that reply did by sending another email to the first person, to which there was no reply. A week later I received another email from the original responder stating that my paperwork was missing the response that the action taker had sent to the person seeking it. Again, the sender sent the email with no identifying information whatsoever. I replied by re-sending the response by the action taker and asked if there was anything else and requested a reply stating whether or not my paperwork was complete. It has been several days and I have received noting.
This kind of occurrence is much more common that I care for. For whatever reason there has always been some type of taboo surrounding email in professional interactions for certain people. I was in high school in the mid-nineties and then college in the late-nineties, graduating in 2001 so email has almost always been a part of my life. When I started to work full-time email was my basic method of communicating with co-workers and contacts when I needed to discuss anything. In professional engagements I prefer email to phone conversations or impromptu meetings because there is a written record and I assume is actually the product of some kind of real, actual thought, more so at least than an off the cuff statement.
For others email seems to be this great barrier to effective communication. I have worked with many people who prefer direct conversations over the phone or in person to email and are even somewhat hostile to the use of email. Do these people imagine that everything they discuss is akin to a state secret and can’t be written down? What’s the problem with having an actual written record of what was said so that the same discussion can be avoided over and over again? Others can’t seem to answer more than one item in an email reply, never get back to other questions and never identify themselves in one. I often wonder if these people can only read forty words or so at a time and can’t bother with more and why it’s such a bother to at least include a name at the end of a message, is it really so difficult to type a dozen or so more letters? Or to use an automatic signature that can be applied to every email after setting it up just once? Those who take a very long time to reply or don’t at all are the worst. Are they so important that my inquiry is inconsequential to their world? Why should I have to re-send emails or manage my messages to include actual deadlines just to receive a timely response or even any response?
Email has been around for a long time and has been common in the workplace in most desk jobs for at least a decade. It can be an incredibly useful tool; unfortunately too many obstinate people refuse its practical use preferring instead to use company resources to spam me with none-too-funny jokes passed from others. I actually was scolded recently, yes scolded, by a coworker who stated that they couldn’t possibly remember everything that had been said in previous meetings, of which notes were taken and sent via email and could be referenced from. So I’m the jerk because I remember and don’t want to have the same discussion multiple times. Give me a break; get with the times you people who can’t or won’t use email effectively. It’s not my fault that you suck.
This kind of occurrence is much more common that I care for. For whatever reason there has always been some type of taboo surrounding email in professional interactions for certain people. I was in high school in the mid-nineties and then college in the late-nineties, graduating in 2001 so email has almost always been a part of my life. When I started to work full-time email was my basic method of communicating with co-workers and contacts when I needed to discuss anything. In professional engagements I prefer email to phone conversations or impromptu meetings because there is a written record and I assume is actually the product of some kind of real, actual thought, more so at least than an off the cuff statement.
For others email seems to be this great barrier to effective communication. I have worked with many people who prefer direct conversations over the phone or in person to email and are even somewhat hostile to the use of email. Do these people imagine that everything they discuss is akin to a state secret and can’t be written down? What’s the problem with having an actual written record of what was said so that the same discussion can be avoided over and over again? Others can’t seem to answer more than one item in an email reply, never get back to other questions and never identify themselves in one. I often wonder if these people can only read forty words or so at a time and can’t bother with more and why it’s such a bother to at least include a name at the end of a message, is it really so difficult to type a dozen or so more letters? Or to use an automatic signature that can be applied to every email after setting it up just once? Those who take a very long time to reply or don’t at all are the worst. Are they so important that my inquiry is inconsequential to their world? Why should I have to re-send emails or manage my messages to include actual deadlines just to receive a timely response or even any response?
Email has been around for a long time and has been common in the workplace in most desk jobs for at least a decade. It can be an incredibly useful tool; unfortunately too many obstinate people refuse its practical use preferring instead to use company resources to spam me with none-too-funny jokes passed from others. I actually was scolded recently, yes scolded, by a coworker who stated that they couldn’t possibly remember everything that had been said in previous meetings, of which notes were taken and sent via email and could be referenced from. So I’m the jerk because I remember and don’t want to have the same discussion multiple times. Give me a break; get with the times you people who can’t or won’t use email effectively. It’s not my fault that you suck.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Random Thoughts – 2/14
There’s a lot of praise of late for President Obama’s latest speech on the situation in Egypt. And some of it was good, someone with dozens of speechwriters on staff should be able to get one out there that will be at least inoffensive. The trouble is that it was a speech making all kinds of grandiose statements about an event that has not yet played out and inserted person who had nothing to do with those events (Obama) into the middle of it. The president seemed to wait things out, making squishy statements as the tides changed and in the end came out supporting the protesters. Which ones (remember there were pro-Mubarak demonstrators out there) exactly he didn’t say. Mubarak wasn’t a voice for freedom but when things went down, he didn’t shoot protestors like in Iran or run over them with a tank like in China. My point is that there are worse out there. When did the president ever support the most recent uprising in Iran after that “election”? When has he said anything about the similar events now taking place in Tunisia? There is something unsettling about the administration’s fence sitting and opportunistic statements. Good luck to the people of Egypt and may their road to self-governance actually exist.
President Obama’s budget proposal for FY2012 features a whopping 2% in cuts from the post stimulus baseline of 2008. Meaning that after saying that it was a onetime thing, the White House is attempting to include the failed, so-called stimulus (because it didn’t stimulate anything of lasting value) in future budgets. And much of what is being advertised as savings is coming in future years from raising taxes in multiple ways. This will fail for many different reasons. There is less revenue this year than previous years but is mostly due to the high levels of unemployment under this regime. Paying extended unemployment benefits and not collecting taxes from those being paid does not increase revenue. Attacking higher earners is only a distraction peddled by the administration and is no excuse for spending more than we have on too many things that we don’t want or need.
Vice President Joe Biden was known as a booster of Amtrak when he was a Senator from Delaware because he often spoke of his commuting by train. And now, because of the Vice President’s personal preference we are being forced to spend billions of dollars on nonsense high speed rail projects all over the country. Delaware and Washington DC are so close that travel by rail might make sense for those who don’t like to drive the sparse and low speed limited roads of Delaware. For everyone else, traveling by train is miserable. And even where it is more prevalent, it’s expensive. The Amtrak route from New York City to Washington DC costs more and takes longer than taking an airplane. New Mexico has had to learn the hard way that rail travel is just not that great. Who cares if France’s and Japan’s passenger rail systems work better than ours? That just means that it works for those countries. Our rail system works best at freight transport, which will be hurt by increased passenger train enthusiasm because they have track priority and will lead to delays and lower capacity of shipments.
Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll for 2012 at CPAC. Congressman Paul is a good legislator but would not make a good executive. While there is much to admire in Paul’s positions many should also be questioned. Putting him out there only makes CPAC seem to be out of touch.
President Obama’s budget proposal for FY2012 features a whopping 2% in cuts from the post stimulus baseline of 2008. Meaning that after saying that it was a onetime thing, the White House is attempting to include the failed, so-called stimulus (because it didn’t stimulate anything of lasting value) in future budgets. And much of what is being advertised as savings is coming in future years from raising taxes in multiple ways. This will fail for many different reasons. There is less revenue this year than previous years but is mostly due to the high levels of unemployment under this regime. Paying extended unemployment benefits and not collecting taxes from those being paid does not increase revenue. Attacking higher earners is only a distraction peddled by the administration and is no excuse for spending more than we have on too many things that we don’t want or need.
Vice President Joe Biden was known as a booster of Amtrak when he was a Senator from Delaware because he often spoke of his commuting by train. And now, because of the Vice President’s personal preference we are being forced to spend billions of dollars on nonsense high speed rail projects all over the country. Delaware and Washington DC are so close that travel by rail might make sense for those who don’t like to drive the sparse and low speed limited roads of Delaware. For everyone else, traveling by train is miserable. And even where it is more prevalent, it’s expensive. The Amtrak route from New York City to Washington DC costs more and takes longer than taking an airplane. New Mexico has had to learn the hard way that rail travel is just not that great. Who cares if France’s and Japan’s passenger rail systems work better than ours? That just means that it works for those countries. Our rail system works best at freight transport, which will be hurt by increased passenger train enthusiasm because they have track priority and will lead to delays and lower capacity of shipments.
Ron Paul won the presidential straw poll for 2012 at CPAC. Congressman Paul is a good legislator but would not make a good executive. While there is much to admire in Paul’s positions many should also be questioned. Putting him out there only makes CPAC seem to be out of touch.
Valentine’s Day
As my poor wife would attest, I am bad at Valentine’s Day. And as anyone who knows such things, disappointing someone who is into Valentine’s Day is not conducive to a peaceful existence. I try and will continue to try but in the end the unfortunate bottom line will be that I’m not good at it because I just don’t care to. I’m not sure what it is and where my ambivalence comes from. And that’s because I don’t care to really think about.
I’ve never really been into the day and it’s not as though there is some kind of traumatic event in my past that drives it. I remember once when I tried to do something that could be considered a romantic gesture for someone that I had an interest with and that failed. But I didn’t care so much that it failed than the fact that a so-called friend effectively stabbed me in the back.
What I often wonder is what exactly is the point of the day and to me I’m just never sure. Certainly the commercial side is more than evident but it just never really gave me much motivation to care. Of course the only real motivation for someone that doesn’t really care is to deal with it in a way that doesn’t contribute to their own misery.
So for today, bleh. And to those that find themselves to be miserable due to this day for whatever reason, don’t take it too seriously. In the end it’s just a day and there’s much more to be said when something you want occurs when it’s best for you and not just because it’s supposed to be on that day because someone no one remembers said so.
I’ve never really been into the day and it’s not as though there is some kind of traumatic event in my past that drives it. I remember once when I tried to do something that could be considered a romantic gesture for someone that I had an interest with and that failed. But I didn’t care so much that it failed than the fact that a so-called friend effectively stabbed me in the back.
What I often wonder is what exactly is the point of the day and to me I’m just never sure. Certainly the commercial side is more than evident but it just never really gave me much motivation to care. Of course the only real motivation for someone that doesn’t really care is to deal with it in a way that doesn’t contribute to their own misery.
So for today, bleh. And to those that find themselves to be miserable due to this day for whatever reason, don’t take it too seriously. In the end it’s just a day and there’s much more to be said when something you want occurs when it’s best for you and not just because it’s supposed to be on that day because someone no one remembers said so.
Shortness of Days
Back when he used to be funny Chris Rock made a joke where he mentioned that the old assertion that life was long was indeed false. His retort, life is long. It is. As a whole, it is the days that are short. A couple of days last week really reminded me of this.
I just happened to not accomplish much. Thinking about it, the truth is that I did not happen to goof off all day or anything, it just seems that there was much left for me to do that I couldn’t get done and the sum total of things that I had indeed accomplished just didn’t seem to amount to anything. Come to think of it, I’m often familiar with this kind of situation.
Sometimes there are tasks that just take longer than you could ever imagine. Everything seems to be alright when you start but once you start to make progress the time just flies and it’s easy to wonder whether or not I’m incompetent or something. It’s markedly similar to playing a video game that takes up a whole lot of time and you’re left wondering where the time went just after realizing that you don’t remember what exactly happened.
In a sense it was confusing and it seems to be one of those things that are to be expected as my career continues to shift more and more away from the work of doing real, actual things. When I first started working full time there were tangible things to be done in a day and as things were done or not, there was a real sense of accomplishment.
It’s not necessarily that I no longer have a sense of accomplishment, just that often the days seem short and when there is a lot of waiting and tons of paperwork that needs review or small edits. It’s a change for sure.
And for what it’s worth, I still think Chris Rock is kinda funny. Just not like he used to be. And that joke works with a lot of comedians that are no longer funny. Lewis Black, George Lopez, Dane Cook, etc.
I just happened to not accomplish much. Thinking about it, the truth is that I did not happen to goof off all day or anything, it just seems that there was much left for me to do that I couldn’t get done and the sum total of things that I had indeed accomplished just didn’t seem to amount to anything. Come to think of it, I’m often familiar with this kind of situation.
Sometimes there are tasks that just take longer than you could ever imagine. Everything seems to be alright when you start but once you start to make progress the time just flies and it’s easy to wonder whether or not I’m incompetent or something. It’s markedly similar to playing a video game that takes up a whole lot of time and you’re left wondering where the time went just after realizing that you don’t remember what exactly happened.
In a sense it was confusing and it seems to be one of those things that are to be expected as my career continues to shift more and more away from the work of doing real, actual things. When I first started working full time there were tangible things to be done in a day and as things were done or not, there was a real sense of accomplishment.
It’s not necessarily that I no longer have a sense of accomplishment, just that often the days seem short and when there is a lot of waiting and tons of paperwork that needs review or small edits. It’s a change for sure.
And for what it’s worth, I still think Chris Rock is kinda funny. Just not like he used to be. And that joke works with a lot of comedians that are no longer funny. Lewis Black, George Lopez, Dane Cook, etc.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The “Wealth” Trope
Today listening to the Rush Limbaugh program a caller offered their explanation for the situation in Egypt. The caller’s diagnosis was due entirely to the now widely reported average daily income of a typical Egyptian in dollars. The solution to the problem, as stated by the caller, was the transfer of “the wealth” to the people who needed it. The caller described herself as being at the bottom and took the occasion to veer into a criticism of the President, stating that he does not visit “the hood” and does not “do enough” to transfer “the wealth” in our country where all of its problems, like Egypt
s, could be solved by the transfer of.
I remembered President Obama’s somewhat infamous campaign statement in regard to the transfer of “the wealth” and found it amusing that the caller did not think the President was doing enough even though through his words seems to be on the same page. A page that I cannot even comprehend because of the utter lack of understanding required to believe in this abstract concept of “the wealth” and then to believe that all of the world’s problems are indeed due to this “the wealth” not being spread evenly.
I can sympathize with the caller and anyone who is truly in need. From those who really can’t take care of themselves all the way to those that find themselves in difficult straits due to unfortunate circumstances that are beyond their control. The caller was very passionate, they said as much, and staked their righteousness on that passion. Unfortunately they were completely off-base and quite inappropriate.
Inappropriate in that this caller did not state any qualifications for understanding the needs, wants, desires and dreams of a faraway country. From the news it appears that no one really comprehends the situation in Egypt coherently and with a population of 70 million, it is folly to even pretend that the entirety of their people’s plight can be stated within a single argument. Beyond that, it seems almost certain that the caller has no comprehension of what that loose dollar translation means in Egypt and exactly what kind of life that amount can afford there or even if every person’s needs in that country can be characterized within any currency.
The caller is off-base because they apparently do not recognize the multitude in ways that “the wealth” continues to be transferred within this country. There exists thousands of government programs as the federal and state level that function exactly as the caller desires, many of which concentrate on the hood. Further, the caller’s misunderstanding of wealth and assumption that the government, in this country, creates and manages it demonstrates ignorance.
Much is written about the failure of the war on drugs and its many failures but never is anything mentioned in regard to the much worse failure of the war on poverty. Many scholars have written about the ill effect on communities that many of these wealth transfer programs have. The failure of our education system leading to the idea that passion serves as a substitute for real, actual knowledge is more of a problem than the imaginary hoarders of “the wealth”.
s, could be solved by the transfer of.
I remembered President Obama’s somewhat infamous campaign statement in regard to the transfer of “the wealth” and found it amusing that the caller did not think the President was doing enough even though through his words seems to be on the same page. A page that I cannot even comprehend because of the utter lack of understanding required to believe in this abstract concept of “the wealth” and then to believe that all of the world’s problems are indeed due to this “the wealth” not being spread evenly.
I can sympathize with the caller and anyone who is truly in need. From those who really can’t take care of themselves all the way to those that find themselves in difficult straits due to unfortunate circumstances that are beyond their control. The caller was very passionate, they said as much, and staked their righteousness on that passion. Unfortunately they were completely off-base and quite inappropriate.
Inappropriate in that this caller did not state any qualifications for understanding the needs, wants, desires and dreams of a faraway country. From the news it appears that no one really comprehends the situation in Egypt coherently and with a population of 70 million, it is folly to even pretend that the entirety of their people’s plight can be stated within a single argument. Beyond that, it seems almost certain that the caller has no comprehension of what that loose dollar translation means in Egypt and exactly what kind of life that amount can afford there or even if every person’s needs in that country can be characterized within any currency.
The caller is off-base because they apparently do not recognize the multitude in ways that “the wealth” continues to be transferred within this country. There exists thousands of government programs as the federal and state level that function exactly as the caller desires, many of which concentrate on the hood. Further, the caller’s misunderstanding of wealth and assumption that the government, in this country, creates and manages it demonstrates ignorance.
Much is written about the failure of the war on drugs and its many failures but never is anything mentioned in regard to the much worse failure of the war on poverty. Many scholars have written about the ill effect on communities that many of these wealth transfer programs have. The failure of our education system leading to the idea that passion serves as a substitute for real, actual knowledge is more of a problem than the imaginary hoarders of “the wealth”.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
More Governor Martinez annoying the right people
Unfortunately the link that is in this post is part of the problem, at least as it pertains to my opinion. And it starts with an unfortunate logo on a News page.
Look at that logo. And think about the story that is being commented on and how it relates to that logo and to the section of a supposedly reputable news organization that felt that this story belonged in this section adorned with that logo.
The crux of the story is as follows:
These suspects have already presumptively broken some law and what is not at all mentioned in this article or in any literature proffered by immigration rights groups is that being in this country illegally is also against the law and that many residents of New Mexico’s prison system are in our country illegally.
What these immigrant rights groups really advocate are two things, illegal immigration, which they don’t accept as illegal because second, they also disregard legal borders. Because of the fact that almost all of the illegal immigration in this part of the country comes from one place and is made up of a certain designated ethnic group these rights groups obfuscate the real issue in order to make it based completely on emotion. This reliance on emotion is dangerous because it separates us as a country while doing a disservice by hiding the actual issue.
Which gets me back to the logo. As a member of the ethnic group which makes up most of the illegal immigration in this part of the country, though an American, it is disheartening to witness the continued separation that is advocated by these so-called immigrant rights groups. What is being discussed is an illegal activity in this country and Governor Martinez, like Mayor Berry first, has bent over backwards in order to maintain equal protection in taking baby steps towards solving a very real problem that must be confronted sooner rather than later. That logo on the Fox News “Latino” page is just another reminder that our country is rapidly dividing into disparate groups rather than uniting as the United States of America.
Our New Mexican ancestors left a rich history of adapting to the culture of colonial times, combining their own experiences of the past and learning from those they came into contact with. Our ancestors have done this many times and would teach us how to live together if we would only listen. Instead we bicker over nonsense while our real culture, our country and our way of life is steadily destroyed.
Look at that logo. And think about the story that is being commented on and how it relates to that logo and to the section of a supposedly reputable news organization that felt that this story belonged in this section adorned with that logo.The crux of the story is as follows:
Immigrant rights groups are planning to rally at the Capitol in protest of the Republican governor's immigration policies.What these self-fashioned immigrant rights groups are protesting specifically is an executive order signed by Governor Martinez that requires state law enforcement to check the immigration status of arrested criminal suspects. This order is similar in nature to one signed in 2010 by Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, doing the same thing in the city.
These suspects have already presumptively broken some law and what is not at all mentioned in this article or in any literature proffered by immigration rights groups is that being in this country illegally is also against the law and that many residents of New Mexico’s prison system are in our country illegally.
What these immigrant rights groups really advocate are two things, illegal immigration, which they don’t accept as illegal because second, they also disregard legal borders. Because of the fact that almost all of the illegal immigration in this part of the country comes from one place and is made up of a certain designated ethnic group these rights groups obfuscate the real issue in order to make it based completely on emotion. This reliance on emotion is dangerous because it separates us as a country while doing a disservice by hiding the actual issue.
Which gets me back to the logo. As a member of the ethnic group which makes up most of the illegal immigration in this part of the country, though an American, it is disheartening to witness the continued separation that is advocated by these so-called immigrant rights groups. What is being discussed is an illegal activity in this country and Governor Martinez, like Mayor Berry first, has bent over backwards in order to maintain equal protection in taking baby steps towards solving a very real problem that must be confronted sooner rather than later. That logo on the Fox News “Latino” page is just another reminder that our country is rapidly dividing into disparate groups rather than uniting as the United States of America.
Our New Mexican ancestors left a rich history of adapting to the culture of colonial times, combining their own experiences of the past and learning from those they came into contact with. Our ancestors have done this many times and would teach us how to live together if we would only listen. Instead we bicker over nonsense while our real culture, our country and our way of life is steadily destroyed.
Rental Car Review – Nissan Altima Coupe
A few weeks ago I was sent to sunny San Diego for a business trip and as a result rented a car. My intermediate car furnished by the Avis counter was a late model Nissan Altima Coupe with a bit under ten thousand miles on the odometer. It was a 2.5 S model in ocean gray metallic paint. The car was typical of midsized rental cars with an automatic transmission, power everything and cloth seats. The 2.5 S is the lowest end of the model line for the Altima coupe and is front wheel drive, powered by a 2.5 liter DOHC variable valve timed four cylinder engine with 175 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 180 ft-lbs. torque at 3900 rpm which is plenty of power for a car that weighs just over 3100 pounds and is being driven at sea level.
The Altima Coupe is easy to get into even though it is a coupe though the rear seats look small and I didn’t bother to try to get back there after having a difficult time putting bags there. Even though the car is relatively small it rides larger and just feels like a big car from the front seat. It is equipped with 17 inch wheels but that doesn’t make much of a difference in the ride character of the coupe which drives similar to a typical family oriented sedan when a sporty ride is expected. The mirrors are acceptable and they need to be as rearward visibility is nearly non-existent without the ability to turn one’s head all the way around.
Engine drone from the four cylinder is noticeable when accelerating to freeway speed but is not too much of a bother when cruise control is on at about 70 mph. The Altima Coupe accelerates well in traffic with its peppy feeling CVT automatic transmission; I didn’t bother with the manumatic feature that allows for simulated manual shifting via a secondary gate below D which forces the transmission to hold a gear ratio.
Entertainment is provided by a six speaker stereo with 24 station settings and an in dash CD player plus an in-dash MP3 player auxiliary input. The stereo face is orange on black and easy to see with glare. It is easy to operate with auxiliary controls for preset selection and volume on the steering wheel. Dynamics are limited to treble and bass and audio quality is acceptable though no one will praise the quality of the sound.
As a Nissan owner it is easy to compare other models to my own and this car is similar in layout to the front cockpit of my Infinity G37 with a lower quality of materials. Striking about the Altima Coupe in comparison is that it seems larger inside and rides like a larger car than the G37. Because it is a coupe and looks sporty, it’s easy to be taken aback by how similar it is to any other 4 door sedan in presentation from the driver’s seat.
Overall, the Altima Coupe is a full featured, nice, decent, sporty looking car with good gas mileage (EPA 23/32) and an affordable price (starts at $23,460) that serves as a good alternative for a typical sedan buyer who doesn’t need the extra room, prizes a nice looking two door and doesn’t like adult passengers much.
The Altima Coupe is easy to get into even though it is a coupe though the rear seats look small and I didn’t bother to try to get back there after having a difficult time putting bags there. Even though the car is relatively small it rides larger and just feels like a big car from the front seat. It is equipped with 17 inch wheels but that doesn’t make much of a difference in the ride character of the coupe which drives similar to a typical family oriented sedan when a sporty ride is expected. The mirrors are acceptable and they need to be as rearward visibility is nearly non-existent without the ability to turn one’s head all the way around.
Engine drone from the four cylinder is noticeable when accelerating to freeway speed but is not too much of a bother when cruise control is on at about 70 mph. The Altima Coupe accelerates well in traffic with its peppy feeling CVT automatic transmission; I didn’t bother with the manumatic feature that allows for simulated manual shifting via a secondary gate below D which forces the transmission to hold a gear ratio.
Entertainment is provided by a six speaker stereo with 24 station settings and an in dash CD player plus an in-dash MP3 player auxiliary input. The stereo face is orange on black and easy to see with glare. It is easy to operate with auxiliary controls for preset selection and volume on the steering wheel. Dynamics are limited to treble and bass and audio quality is acceptable though no one will praise the quality of the sound.
As a Nissan owner it is easy to compare other models to my own and this car is similar in layout to the front cockpit of my Infinity G37 with a lower quality of materials. Striking about the Altima Coupe in comparison is that it seems larger inside and rides like a larger car than the G37. Because it is a coupe and looks sporty, it’s easy to be taken aback by how similar it is to any other 4 door sedan in presentation from the driver’s seat.
Overall, the Altima Coupe is a full featured, nice, decent, sporty looking car with good gas mileage (EPA 23/32) and an affordable price (starts at $23,460) that serves as a good alternative for a typical sedan buyer who doesn’t need the extra room, prizes a nice looking two door and doesn’t like adult passengers much.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
An Unsolicited Observation...
Vindication was on the menu his morning. If I cared, that is. Allow me to explain. A couple of years ago when I was shopping for a new car the manager of my office at that time advised me to get the all wheel drive option. And this wasn’t some kind of passing mention either. This guy was adamant and even belligerent about it. When I first received the unsolicited advice I thanked the person for it and tried to move the conversation on from there. Of course, this guy wasn’t done. He went on and on about how he knew everything about driving in weather because he was from the northeast part of the country or some such place. I basically discarded the advice because while I’m not from the northeast, I am from this part of New Mexico, and since I still live here figured my experience was more relevant. And that experience is that we just don’t get a lot of bad weather here. If it’s bad enough I’d rather just stay in.
Anyway, I bought the car, with rear wheel drive, in early fall 2009 and in a year and a half of ownership it hasn’t really met inclement weather. Until today, of course. The city of Albuquerque woke up this morning to roads of ice and sleet with precipitation and fog limiting visibility. While I could have stayed home and it was tempting to do so, I decided to head in to the office. Taking it slow I made it into work without much issue at about 6:30 in the morning. My traction control came on more than a few times and ensured that my car remained in the direction I intended. That’s why I feel vindicated.
Could the all wheel drive option have made my drive in easier? Probably. And would I enjoy the speedier 0-60 time that AWD has? Likely. But, would I even notice that slightly faster acceleration and would I like a heavier car that gets slightly worse gas mileage. No, I would not.
The entire reason I mentioned all of this was to bring up an observation. And that is it seems every single gentleman of at least middle age and older who moved to Albuquerque from the northeastern part of the country believes that they know everything about everything and like to share it with everyone. Seriously, I was driving with an older gentleman from Chicago recently and they were an even worse back-seat driver than me. Every turn he would tell me to turn AS I WAS TURNING. Every time I would accelerate I WAS GOING TOO FAST. He explained to me MY CULTURE and why things are the way they are, NO MATTER IF IT IS THE OPPOSITE OF ALL OF KNOWN NM HISTORY and AS IF I KNOW NOTHING.
But I digress. If you don’t believe me, hang out with an older dude from the northeastern part of the country sometime. You’ll be cringing in no time. I guarantee it, double your money back.
Anyway, I bought the car, with rear wheel drive, in early fall 2009 and in a year and a half of ownership it hasn’t really met inclement weather. Until today, of course. The city of Albuquerque woke up this morning to roads of ice and sleet with precipitation and fog limiting visibility. While I could have stayed home and it was tempting to do so, I decided to head in to the office. Taking it slow I made it into work without much issue at about 6:30 in the morning. My traction control came on more than a few times and ensured that my car remained in the direction I intended. That’s why I feel vindicated.
Could the all wheel drive option have made my drive in easier? Probably. And would I enjoy the speedier 0-60 time that AWD has? Likely. But, would I even notice that slightly faster acceleration and would I like a heavier car that gets slightly worse gas mileage. No, I would not.
The entire reason I mentioned all of this was to bring up an observation. And that is it seems every single gentleman of at least middle age and older who moved to Albuquerque from the northeastern part of the country believes that they know everything about everything and like to share it with everyone. Seriously, I was driving with an older gentleman from Chicago recently and they were an even worse back-seat driver than me. Every turn he would tell me to turn AS I WAS TURNING. Every time I would accelerate I WAS GOING TOO FAST. He explained to me MY CULTURE and why things are the way they are, NO MATTER IF IT IS THE OPPOSITE OF ALL OF KNOWN NM HISTORY and AS IF I KNOW NOTHING.
But I digress. If you don’t believe me, hang out with an older dude from the northeastern part of the country sometime. You’ll be cringing in no time. I guarantee it, double your money back.
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