A way out of the California pension mess?

First, my plan. I call it the "Graduated Postponement" law.

Under this proposal, which could hypothetically be effective 1-1-2011, every state employee covered by a publicly funded pension plan who had been initially hired full time before 1-1-1985 would not have their pension conditions and benefits changed; they would simply remain in effect as currently written.

Those first hired on or after 1-1-1985 through 12-31-1989 would have their retirement conditions and benefits modified in such a way as to add the requirement of serving one additional year [12 months] beyond their existing target date before they could go into effect.

Those first hired on or after 1-1-1990 through 12-31-1994 would have the same conditions and benefits modified in such a way as to add the requirement of serving two additional years [24 months] beyond their existing target date before they would become effective.

Those first hired on or after 1-1-1995 through 12-31-1999 would have the same conditions and benefits modified in such a way as to add the requirement of serving three additional years [36 months] beyond their existing target date before they were to become effective.

Those first hired on or after 1-1-2000 through 12-31-2004 would have those conditions and benefits modified in such a way as to add the requirement of working four additional years [48 months] beyond their existing target date before seeing the effective date.

And those first hired on or after 1-1-2005 and thereafter would have the same conditions and benefits modified in such a way as to add the requirement of working five additional years [60 months] beyond their existing target date before retirement might be implemented.

Retirement target ages would not be mandatory and provisions would be continued in place or modified that enable the accumulation of additional retirement credit for each year worked past a target age. At their discretion agencies would be permitted to reassign or transfer without relocation or hardship, but they could not demote, employees working past 15 or more years past their target dates.

Nothing in this law would modify or alter any other existing conditions or requirements for state employment, including health, physical condition, etc., etc.

Whatever their current target dates, a law like this would simply set-back most full time state employee's retirement options for a given number of months - based on when they first began full time state service. In this way the change would maintain early retirement perks public safety officers enjoy, and the net effect would be to spread the hurt fairly evenly among agency employees based on the ever-loved "seniority" modality, which at the very least should make it slightly more palatable it to employee unions.

Meaningful comments and suggestions are welcome but moderated. Others are treated with the respect they deserve.

PS: Update 6/10/10. To date four off topic responses have been very gently deleted.

How I see the problem…..

No matter how tempting to think so, what follows is not intended as a “hit” on diversity per se,. Instead, it is a constructive comment inviting informed and reasonable dissent or comment. Also, it is meant as a general statement, recognizing quite well there have been and will continue to be many, many exceptions.

None-the-less, if the illegal immigration/open borders issue is to ever be resolved, at least one factor of the dilemma must be faced and fixed: a perceived lack-of-assimilation pattern within too large a segment of the extant Hispanic community. It's a dilemma compounded both by lawful and unlawful residents. Some express the problem differently. In a recent interesting and perceptive article in the Washington Times Ivan Kenneally wrote:

However, the deepest and most important issue that underlines the current imbroglio is what precisely it means to be an American citizen.

In most cities and towns where they live these families are seen to cluster in tight, inclusive barrios. Obviously, at the very least, the reasons for this include economic, cultural, security and convenience factors. There very likely are other forces in play.

Clustering is understandable and for the most part an historical and positive way for new-comers to the US to begin entering the mainstream. The problem is too many Hispanic families who are here lawfully seem to stop right at that point and hesitate to take the next step. Add to this the unlawful resident and it only compounds the problem. Thus over time a barrio becomes third-world-ish, and its inhabitants become further sheltered from the “regular” world about them. Shopping, commercial services, government is all provided in their own language and the incentive to “Americanize” is not compelling enough for many to break through from their tiny worlds and test the bigger outdoors by dipping their toes in public waters, so-to-speak.

The negative societal result includes an extra heavy burden, usually well beyond acceptable per-capita norms, heaped on the educational, medical, commercial and governmental service providers involved. It is amplified and made even more tragic because far too many resultant students seriously underachieve in school, or become frustrated and drop out early, not because of lack of ability, but because their parent(s) fail to be involved due to unassailable language and cultural barriers. And the majority of those children seem to be forever damaged and short-changed.

The situation also tends to encourage maintenance of closer ties with family members in the “old country”, which contributes to a regular massive outflow of “support” currency to residents of third world nations which seriously shorts the interests of local economies.

Another serious factor is the ease with which barrio residents are influenced and victimized by unscrupulous persons and criminals. For example the city of Phoenix, AZ, is now the kidnapping capitol of the USA almost exclusively due to criminal Hispanic gang activities targeting non-English speaking immigrants who are either surreptitiously passing through the area or have already settled nearby. Some of the latter have lived there for years without integrating into the local culture, and have proven to be extraordinarily “easy pickings” for kidnappers. Successful prosecution of these crimes has turned out to be a nightmare.

A major part of the lack of assimilation problem is likely caused by a high degree of adult illiteracy among those coming from Mexico and Guatemala, as well as other nations. For persons who can barely read or write their own language a “savior” of sorts becomes the local electronic media. Spanish language radio and TV is almost ubiquitous in the southern US, and indeed has spread now to virtually every state. Plus, if one lives beyond the range of over-the-air broadcasts there is always cable and satellite TV.

I have two questions. One, is the programming currently available from Spanish language electronic media contributing to the non-assimilation situation? Does it tend to continue the cultural separation factor? Two, are conservatives and/or tea party organizers taking the opportunity that particular medium provides to reach into the quasi-isolated Hispanic community with effective messaging that provides an alternative point-of-view together with incentives and encouragement towards the assimilation process? Or is there a field here that may be ready for cultivating?

Comments are moderated but encouraged.

Trifecta. A world record?

Back in ancient days when 49er worked for a living, in one particular period of time he was driving a front-load garbage truck [somewhat similar to this] five nights a week on a midnight until done shift in a central California city. A private firm held the city's solid waste collection contract, and in turn the firm "contracted" with 49er to run their "commercial" [OK, front-load bins] route while the rest of the company - and the city itself, pretty much slept.

Btw, for those with an opinion for or against "privatization" of municipal functions 49er did in five days and about 50 hours a week, including personal nap time, exactly what three city employees had normally done in six days and at least 140 hours a week - including 20 or more hours of time and a half overtime. But that's not important.

It's not that interesting but at the time 49er's truck was of the style that picked up a loaded bin with two front forks, then the arms holding the forks raised the bin up and over the cab, and finally the forks pivoted and dumped the by then upside-down bin's contents into a huge hopper, where a giant packing "blade" could push the trash rearwards, compacting it against the rear door and whatever else had been loaded earlier. The truck was a new type that could pack while moving, thus saving time in transit by clearing the hopper for the next load. And because this was a solo night route the truck had custom work-area mirrors, special overhead work lights and a public access radiophone in addition to it's company two-way radio.

To avoid ruining resident's sleep patterns, for the first few hours each night [or morning, to be exact] the route was limited to downtown and shopping center commercial districts [thus the name for the route], and agricultural packing shed and industrial park areas. All of which were thought not to be in proximity to residential areas.

One particular week-night at about 3 AM 49er began a fresh run - having just dumped the prior load in a landfill - by emptying a string of bins in an alley serving major downtown businesses. The loads consisted mostly of loose boxes, lightly folded cardboard flats and balls of plastic wrappings. Pretty light and loosely packed stuff. At about the sixth bin, located at the rear of a furniture store, something unusual happened. After tipping the bin, righting it and beginning a pack cycle - and at the same time lowering the arms holding a now-empty bin - 49er caught a glimpse in a mirror of something out of place near the right arm. Whatever it was, was moving!

Everything froze! Instantly he stopped packing and arm lowering to check. Was relieved to find it was merely a large sheet of loose plastic being blown around by engine exhaust. Whew! He began lowering the arms again when suddenly what appeared to be a shoe and lower pant leg came into view, obviously attached to a human being, seemingly reaching down from overhead probing for the fork arm. Everything froze again!

OK, need to explain something else. Sometimes homeless persons sleep in bins. Why, you ask? Why not. Sheets of cardboard afford protection from wind and bagged office trash can ofttimes be formed into "pillows" or "mattresses". Loose plastic can make everything water and weather-tight. Snug as a bug, etc. When the firm took over the city's collection task it had inherited one known location where one individual, night after night during his infrequent unincarcerated periods, made his home. 49er's solution to this hazard was to routinely dump this particular bin after daylight, and after a pre-dump safety check. Just to be sure.

Now 49er jumped out of the cab but could not spy anything amiss in a quick walk-around. His first thought was homeless guy had picked a new location, but that fellow usually made noises and moved around when the truck approached, and right now everything was still and quiet - except for the idling truck engine and 49er's beating heart.

Even with special work-lights there was limited visibility in the darkened alley. His quick solution was to carefullly move the truck as-is to a well-lit nearby service station and have the police and ambulance respond to a potential "industrial" accident. A few seconds later the truck pulled in under huge overhead lights at the station as two officers arrived. He explained the situation and everyone prepared for a disaster.

Everything was still quiet overhead, in the platform above the cab. The police called out but nobody responded. One cop began climbing the front access "ladder" to the over-the-cab platform and suddenly stopped and called out again. "Freeze"! "Show me your hands"! The then cop switched to giving instructions in Spanish. A sheepish-looking individual slowly stood up on the platform, hands tentatively reaching for the sky. He was drunk! And he wasn't homeless guy. He was merely a borracho field worker. And too drunk to safely climb down the access ladder by himself, so a second cop scrambled up and the two of them handed the tipsy but uninjured passenger down to two other freshly arrived officers standing on the ground. Relief and laughter all around. No blood and guts. Guy is arrested for public intoxication and put into the back of a squad car. Case over. Ambulance canceled.

Exchange of information, shooting of the breeze for a minute or two, first cop had already climbed back down, second was checking out the blade operation because this truck was new and had caused quite a stir among city staff by working the pants off three former city trucks. Suddenly cop #2 calls out, "Come out of there." Then switches to Spanish. More commands. Cop #1 goes back up the ladder. Both reach down into the top of the full hopper and pull another field worker up,
out and onto the platform. This one even sleepier and more borracho than his friend.

The hand-down process is repeated and passenger #2 is also checked over, found to be uninjured, arrested and put into another squad car. More laughter and relief. Bit that bullet, too. And a double! Two in one bin. Never had that happen before. Wow, call the newspaper. Good human interest story material there. Things were settling down, getting serious, but something was nagging 49er. The first cop car leaves for the jail. The second and third are preparing to follow. Wait a minute!

Suddenly dawns on 49er the second guy was wearing pea green dungarees, just like one member of a group of three field workers seen earlier, shortly after midnight, staggering up the alley behind one of the city's Mexican bars and cantinas. What if this was the same group and there was a third body still up in the hopper?

This time 49er climbed topside, followed by two officers, and began pulling flat sheets of cardboard out of the hopper. Three flats later a portion of a human leg appeared, and the situation reverted once more to tragedy. By this time the flats were too far down in the hopper to be reached from above, so one officer carefully jumped into a far corner of the hopper and slowly began pulling additional flats away in an attempt to find other parts of the body that went with the leg. And he did. Find other parts, that is.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, as cardboard was pulled away the officer uncovered the rest of the clothed body - still attached to the leg! The body was sound asleep. Passed out. Borrracho in the extremis. But apparently not bloodied or traumatized. Wonder of wonders; tres amigos in a dumped bin and none injured. Unbelievable.

Number three was finally passed down to ground and poured into a squad car. On further reflection 49er made a command decision and had one officer follow him to the landfill where the remainder of the short, uncompacted load was unceremoniously dumped and spread out on the ground where it could be gone through tooth and toenail to ensure there were no other bodies or parts lying around. And none were. Case closed.

The question arises, could this be a world record? Three people dumped from one bin, all uninjured? 49er doesn't know, but several veteran officers from a central California city still recall the night they responded to one of the weirdest and frightening calls on record - a possible injured person squashed or mangled in a trash truck, and everything turned out well - hilarious in the retelling, perhaps, but well. As for the tres amigos, upon release the following morning none seemed to recall just how it was they came to be arrested. In vino veritas? Not this time.

Is it true? Could VDH be a pantywaist?

I'm sorry to have to raise this question, but one of my literary heroes, Victor Davis Hanson, yesterday seemed to unveil himself as a fraidy-cat.

I know, I know, military historian and columnist extraordinaire and all that, but this rough and tough professor and straight-talking raisin-farmer from the Central Valley practically admitted to being intimidated and humiliated by lowly clerks at the DMV.
FULL DISCLOSURE: A retired DMV office manager, this author spent a portion of his career, including two years as administrative assistant to the region manager, working in offices in VDH's neck of the woods.

"Going into the DMV to deal with SEIU T-shirted employees is to face petty humiliation and impediment."

OK, the purple SEIU shirts are stupid, but these not-that-well-paid people are striving to move customers in and out as quickly as possible, be as accurate as can be, and get everything done correctly the "first time" during the customer's current visit. That's the way they're judged by their bosses, and as with any concern - a boss is a boss is a boss.
For a grown man to feel humiliation and obstruction in the face of an employee who only hopes the customer doesn't have halitosis and remembered to bring all of his documents is way too "sensitive" and touchy-feely. Does the professor have the same feelings on opening day of his classes, facing a classroom full of new students? Or when the picking crew arrives for the first day of harvest each year? I doubt it. Methinks he overstates the point here.
As a California DMV customer VDH - and every other patron - is in the position of power. A front-line technician must be courteous and provide the patron with what he needs WHEN the application process is finished. If that doesn't happen, a simple conversation with the employee's supervisor usually will suffice. And beyond that supervisor is an office manager. Beyond her - or him - is a regional manager. None of them want to answer a service compliant when it comes down from the Governator's office, so trust me - they want customers to leave happy and fulfilled! Kaput! Satisfied! In fact, they'll provide them with a mail-in survey form afterward just to confirm it.

"I watched dozens of hurried customers stand in line while bored employees at the window lackadaisically redirected them to other bored employees."

This one is cute. VDH can see the same thing at every busy grocery store, bank, train station, college admission offices at the beginning of semesters, etc. People stand in line. But in virtually every California DMV they only stand in the "start here" line once, when they first walk in.
"Why are you here"? It might not have occurred to Dr. Hanson, but each DMV office is set-up to perform from two to three dozen different tasks. Not all offices do all things. One needs to be screened on arrival to ensure he or she is properly served. Why do hospitals triage patients arriving at emergency rooms? Would you want to walk up to any old window, interrupt the customer being served and tell them what you want to do? That seems rude and inefficient. Do the harvesters jump from vine-to-vine and row-to-row, going back and forth repeatedly over just-picked vines when something catches their eye - or do they carefully harvest each vine thoroughly so as to pick all the fruit that's ripe as they go along that day? It's more efficient for both the user and the service provider to find out what a customer wants and is served by a properly prepared person.
Then, after a customer passes through that one line in each of the seven DMV offices surrounding the Fresno - Kingsburg area, the extended community where VDH lives, customers are given a coded number and offered the opportunity to wait in chairs in the lobby until their number is called. At the time of this is writing the longest wait time posted in real time on-line in any of those seven offices was 22 minutes - while seated. The shortest wait was 12. "Hurried customers"? While sitting in chairs? Seems unlikely.
Likewise "bored employees" is an interesting comment. When I worked the front line I used lots of friendly humor, trying to make the process fun. Most customers responded in kind, but several times my display of levity offended customers because in their minds what they were doing was, to them, "very serious". The point is front line workers are forced to draw a fine line. Sometimes just maintaining an non-judgmental appearance is the best that can be done. A little empathy, please, professor.

"The subtext was 'You need my form and stamp, so calm down, take a deep breath, and wait on my time. It’s not like I have to work for your rat-race company.'”

California DMV offers one of the most elaborate web sites with hours and hours of advice and information for customers needing to "do" something requiring licensure, vehicle or vessel registration or any of the other myriad of disciplines DMV handles. About one person in a hundred, or less, uses that site to thoroughly simplify and speed up their office visit. Most folks just skim it and then wait till they're there, and ask the technician what to do? TRANSLATION: Most customers are not quite prepared to complete their transactions during their first trip. This makes more work for the technician and customer. And that counts against the worker. So most technicians try to figure out a way to get around those problems. Sometimes they can, and sometimes they can't. Dr. Hanson sounds as if he is chiding the underling because the power person messed up. Isn't that like blaming the messenger, or something?

I hope I've totally misconstrued the professor's remarks. On the subject matter of his post I'm mostly in agreement. But I think in this case he resorted to hyperbole, stretching the DMV example by blending his memories of the old days with modern times. If not, then if going into today's California DMV really intimidates him, in my view he's a scaredy cat.
As usual, I am humbly open to corrective and instructive comments.

This one is too easy.....

I really, really try to be nice and not make fun of the less fortunate, like certain career bureaucrats, but sometimes they lob such a temptingly easy serve it can't be ignored, like this one:

"Former NASA associate administrator Scott Pace, now a professor of space policy at George Washington University, said relying so much on commercial companies is taking a big chance because they might not deliver on time or on budget."

Apparently Professor Pace has never run into a government agency that doesn't "deliver on time or on budget". At least in his own little fantasy-world, of course. But here in real life the rest of us can spew our morning coffee all over the room when we read his words and he just ignores the mess he leaves behind. "On budget", eh? I wonder if he ever in his entire lifetime ever heard those words muttered together, by themselves, in a meeting or by a co-worker?. No? I thought not.

Holy Geiko! This is.... This is...... Wow!

Some news stories write their own headlines. This one not so much.

"Hans Kurt Kubus, 58, is to be deported to Germany [from New Zealand] as soon as he is released from prison, Judge Colin Doherty ordered Tuesday. Kubus was caught by wildlife officials at Christchurch International Airport on South Island in December, about to board an overseas flight with 44 geckos and skinks in a hand-sewn package concealed in his underwear."

Forty four lizards sewn into one's underwear! The mind boggles. From a newspaper city editor's perspective where to be begin with the headline? Feel free to comment. And ..... were any cavemen involved?

Lunacy wins in Statistics v. Performance fray

OK, the inmates are officially running the asylum. According to this from the AP [which had to be found far afield since the local rag dropped the link about 30 minutes after posting - hmmmmm, wonder why?] the state of Califschwarzenegger is finally applying logic to its appalling prisoner recidivism rate. The state will no longer check in on a certain number of its new parolees and thus will not know if they need to go back to prison or not. That way parole officials will have fewer felons to place back into custody. Viola! Like magic, the rate should be lower.

"At the same time, the state will stop its monitoring of low-level offenders after their release. That is designed to reduce the number of parolees returned to prison, essentially because the state will not know if they are violating the terms of their parole."

What could possibly go wrong with that?
It's past time for the Maricopa County, AZ, sheriff to be put in charge of California Prisons and Parole. At least his recidivism rate is honestly reported.

Obama's OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO(DA) Loop

The genius of John Boyd's OODA Loop lies in its simplicity and brevity. Developed to give allied fighter pilots an edge during WWII aerial dogfights, it proved immensely successful - even over superior pilots and aircraft. Briefly, it outlined a strategic process to "observe", "orient", "decide" and "act". And then repeat as often as necessary. Modern businesses found the process to be so understandable and intuitive they adopted it wholesale after the war. Read the full Wiki piece for clearer details.

What our current president has cleverly done is modernize that process - at least as far as the war in Afghanistan is concerned - into an endless cycle of repeated observations and orientations, thus eliminating his onerous duty of actually forming a decision and doing something about it. As pointed out in Young Hamlet's Agony published today by RealClearPolitics and by the pen of Charles Krauthammer, after a lengthy process begun post-inauguration in January our leader claims to have "decided" March 27 on a "Comprehensive New Strategy" (CNS) vis-a-vis Afghanistan and Pakistan, going so far as to publicly "outline" the CNS. Only we now find out the "decision" forming the CNS was probably announced before it was really ready.

Fast forward two months later to early May. We are told the apparently still pre-decisional CNS is now "under review". OK, we have a new military commander on the ground and he needs time to "orient" himself. Point taken.

But then, five months later on October 4, we learn "The president is currently in the midst of an involved, overall strategic review of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan." Hmmmmmm. What happened to the CNS? Still no deciding and acting reported. Just observing and orienting. And today we learn from the president's national security adviser, James L. Jones, Jr., "you don't commit troops before you decide on a strategy." What? We STILL don't have a "strategy"? Isn't that what a "CNS" is - or was?

Egads! Hamlet would be proud. But poor Colonel John Boyd should be rolling over in his grave. At this rate a real decision might not be forthcoming until the next US administration takes office. Way to go, President International Rock Star. Keep talking - essentially about yourself. No sense "doing" anything now and besmirching your regime's reputation.

Hi-Jinx on American Idol?

Are the sound engineers for American Idol on air broadcasts that bad or simply rank amateurs? The truth is for the last two weeks they stunk. Imo I know of several unpaid sound guys in junior colleges and churches who could work rings around those so-called professionals. But they don't belong to any broadcast union.

Watching the two hour airings this week brought deja vu memories from last week's first group of twelve show. During both broadcasts I thought the sound person(s) "riding the boards" were either deliberately sabotaging certain contestants, or learning their craft on-the-job. Either way, they did a lousy job.

What I'm speaking about is the "mix". During "live" artist performances using background vocalists and instrumentalists there should be at least four - or more - main categories of sound, plus a large number of minor categories. First and most prominent should be the artist, then the background group, then the instrumentalists and finally the concert hall. Last week and again tonight home viewers could clearly hear the concert hall, the instrumentalists and the background singers. Down somewhere in the "mud" both weeks were the first three or four - or more - artists. Just couldn't clearly hear their voices, their notes, their tones or their lyrics in order to judge how well they did. Until afterward when they began talking to the judges. Oddly, that part worked OK.

[NOTE: I am not even mentioning the obvioous short-comings in the "monitoring" process (direct sound feeds for the artist, etc.). That important function's failures were also obvious. But to keep it simple this rant is only about the sound being broadcast].

During both weeks' shows the singers further along in the sequence benefited from better broadcast acoustics, in my opinion. This gave them a tremendous advantage. But was it fair? In my opinion, no! If it had happened just one week it could have been an odd occurrence. But two weeks in a row make it a pattern. In my view it is most likely a deliberate attempt to skew the rating results. And that makes the entire series merely an underhanded, cheating set-up. Boy, am I surprised.

Oh, well. That's just Hollywood.

Smile, please!

It is official. The Monterey Bay and its environs have become overly-saturated with touristy types. See this item in the Monterey County Herald. So-called playful sea-otters of the area may have noticed this, too, and although unremarked upon in the daily paper, are apparently compiling evidence to be used for goodness knows what type of future complaint? For proof see this:

This shot, taken from a tour boat in the Elkhorn Slough on February 3, 2009, by freelance wildlife photographer Enrique Aguirre, shows a "happy critter" spotted turning the tables on a boatload of photographers who themselves were enjoying a photo shoot on the bay. At any rate, this is fair warning that whenever visiting the Monterey Bay and its sanctuary, one should now stay alert for the latest menace - nautical paparazzi.

What's wrong with this picture?

Found on boingboing.net is this graphix of a bus from the Netherlands, but it is not what it appears to be. What you think you see is not actually happening. Study the photo again if you haven't yet figured it out.

And then scroll down for the solution.






OK, scroll a little further you cheater, you!










Careful scrutiny will show red stop and taillights on both sides of the "front face" of this coach, plus high in both corners may be seen red and amber marker lights. Even in the former Holland red lights may only be displayed on the rear of a normal vehicle, so what gives?

Well, the "windshield view of the driver and interior of the bus scene" and "the headlights" are merely hi-res graphic wraps, but the license plate, route designator, manufacturer's marque and company logos are all legit. It turns out an advertiser - apparently Apeldoorn Insurance in Amsteredam - is using this simple but effective eye-catching scene to establish name recognition and competitive positioning in this marketplace. Pretty cool, I say.

No word on what the local motorists think about this situation, but the mind boggles when considering the reaction of some folks on their way back to offices after extended "business" lunches. What they think they are seeing is a city coach "backing up" at normal speeds on the regular bus route. Talk about too much information to filter. 12 Step Programs, here we come.

Reflections on [not-always] Solid Waste

One of my regular "reads" is William M. (Matt) Briggs' interesting site [His MOTTO: "All manner of statistical analyses cheerfully undertaken"] wherein the author frequently expounds on a statistician's life's work and its associated travails. Lately Matt is sounding somewhat introspective and bored, as per this post on a study comparing satisfaction factors of 200 careers. Close to the bottom of the list were "garbage collectors". Said Matt:

For the last eleven years I have seen the same two guys drive their garbage truck down my street. They are always chatting and appear happy. They are outside and not hunched in front of a computer. There’s very little stress. They get good pay and benefits and first dibs at any choice garbage¹. They don’t need to shell out cash for a gym membership to “exercise”, which is better defined as work that you pay for. In every parade I’ve ever been to, it’s the garbage men following after the horses that get the biggest applause.

His comment re: one of my cherished former occupations could not in all good consciousness remain unanswered, thus the following 49er Fiction and Fact tidbits:

• The most rewarding time of the year for G-men vis-a-vis choice of food scraps is the week after Thanksgiving. Turkey is king!
• On average it takes a retired G-man 20 years to sort through and dispose of the "usable" trash hauled home during a 10 year collection career. When all is said and done he will actually be able to use less than 2% of the stuff.
• A hauling company will cut 25% off their labor budget if they require drivers dump loads at local transfer stations rather than outlying landfills. Locally there's much less opportunity for drivers to be distracted wasting time looking through "good stuff" others have dumped.
• Usual question from a new customer: "Do you deliver in River City"? Usual answer: "Sure. How many truck loads do you want"?
• Residential hauling technique pre-1965. Open top dump-truck with running boards on both sides; at least one man on each side plus driver, stepping on running board while lifting/carrying can, lifting and dumping can at least 45" above ground, sweeping upside-down can from side to side to spread trash around, stepping down and dropping empty on ground then picking up next can and repeating as needed. Jumped on running boards and held on till next stop. Time: About 45 seconds per can. Capacity: 220 cans. Work interval between bad back episodes: five days
  
• Residential hauling technique post-1965. Covered bodied compaction truck with rear loading hopper; one man plus driver, lifting and dumping can into empty hopper from ground level, dropping empty on ground and repeating as necessary. Jump on rear step, activate compaction lever and held on till next stop. Time: About 30 seconds per can. Capacity: 800 cans. Work interval between bad back episodes: forty five days
  

OK, that's enough for now. Too many memories. And too much turkey-ala-king.

To my children

We here in America usually don't keep close track of happenings in other nations. That's probably more because we lead extremely busy lives and have full plates just "getting by," much of the time, and not due to our parochialism or arrogance I hope. But I could be wrong.

Anyway, something is now occurring in The Netherlands [nee Holland] that bodes ill for your future, and as the "supreme authority figure in this family" [interpretation: ancient of days] it is my solemn duty to draw the issue to your attention - not that you can change it, but because you need to be aware of the ramifications that might eventually flow over you and yours from it.

Please read this post from one of my favorite web sites. Maybe even follow its links. Afterwards you might want to "google" Geert Wilders and read more about his supposed "crime". The sad fact is that America is the ONLY major nation left in the world that allows our level of "free" speech. Not Canada, not Australia, not Great Britain, not Scotland, not France, not China, not Japan, not any of the major players. All those nations in some way limit "free" speech if the words in question cause someone else to "feel" a certain way. In other words, they've given up one person's freedom to accommodate another person's feelings. I'm trusting you each see the fallacy in this line of thinking.

Now I'm not an absolutist on "free speech". There are reasonable limits to this freedom, such as not being permitted to yell "fire" in a crowded theater when there isn't one, etc. But arresting a person just because one's exercise of free speech might cause others in opposition to the expressed viewpoint to become violent is not "reasonable," in my view. Someone else's criminality is their responsibility, not a speakers merely because the speaker expressed an opinion. And any nation or peoples group which thinks otherwise have slipped a cog in the rationality department I fear.

By-the-way, taking away free speech would be the important first step in eventually altering or removing freedom of religion, and though that end result might at first glance seem far away, in fact once "free speech" could be shackled a restriction on religion is probably less than a decade behind - in my estimation.

The reason I raise this issue with you now is because there is a fear, whether realistic or not, that some radical supporters of our new administration, along with a few congresspersons, also favor the approach taken by The Netherlands in limiting certain aspects of "free" speech. Please be vigilant in the years ahead over this issue. If it comes up please exercise your rights as citizens to be heard. This issue sounds so innocuous at times, but once taken away, freedom of speech can almost never be restored without bloodshed. And the thought of that possibility waiting my offspring's future saddens me.

Ranting lesson over. Resume normalcy.

The "Cleanliness" of Hypocrisy

Nothing seems to excite liberals quite so much as when they go about supposedly "righting wrongs" perpetrated by evil conservatives. Latest example is BHO's order closing down - within a year - the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A thread on The Volokh Conspiracy blog has been discussing a few ideas on how that task might be accomplished, but some of the commenters there seem giddy about this supposed "victory" over GWB. See here and here, for instance. Or read the entire thread for more flavor. [208 comments at one count].

Widely seen as the epitomy of torture and brutality, few take the time to remember why "Gitmo" was needed in the first place. For that memory jogger one needs the historical perspective of this Belmont Club entry. During his administration if it hadn't been for WJC's desire to keep his hands "clean" by cruelly and unproductively dealing with terrorists through third party entities, and the deniability - and paucity of intelligence - that afforded him, we likely wouldn't have had the deadly result of 9/11.

But who really knows? What is provable is that since then, by virtue of the intelligence obtained from interrogations at Gitmo [of non-state affiliated terrorist gunmen captured while dangerously trying to blend in with local citizenry], the war on terror has NOT had to have been fought on our shores. But for some that apparently is not a good thing.

So once again liberals throw out wisdom in search of "cleanliness". The terrorists we capture post Gitmo will apparently not have to worry about gaining weight during incarceration any more, but will they tell us anything to prevent future attacks - or will they even survive? Their future - and ours - looks much bleaker. I suspect we are returning to "don't ask, don't tell" once again. Merely in order to "feel good" about ourselves. Hypocrisy. Hope and change.

Do we start a new count? Or merely continue......?

President-elect Obama is apparently more like President Bush than his supporters expect. At least as far as becoming known as a

..... is concerned.
If both these linked reports below are correct he is continuing the trend covered here earlier and is just another politician - who lies.

Here's what was said then, in mid-October when criticisms surfaced over Obama middle east policy adviser Robert Malley being seen talking with Hamas. According to a campaign spokesman,

Rob Malley has, like hundreds of other experts, provided informal advice to the campaign in the past. He has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future.

And here's what's being said after the election.

President-elect Barack Obama has dispatched his "senior foreign policy adviser", Robert Malley to Egypt and Syria........

Hmmmmmm. What would you call it? Just a quick hire?

H/T to lgf

Now its time for some serious stuff

First, congratulations to Senator Obama and the democrats for their historic election victory. I wish them well in the coming term.

But seriously, isn't it about time our nation "fixed" the national elections? Weren't any of you a teensy bit embarassed by one or more aspects of the process? I was. Here is a list of what made me uncomfortable:

1. The whole thing took too long
2. Too many candidates dropped out early, restricting later choices
3. The primary process gave too much weight to a few voters
4. The two party system restricted the development of minority points of view
5. Some qualified voters were not registered to vote, some unqualified voters were registered to vote, some qualified registered voters were not permitted to vote and some unqualified voters voted. The registration and voting process has become too politicized, and there is no real system in place to fix it, nor do politicians seem to care
   
6. The news media had too much influence on the outcome
7. The polling industry had too much influence on the outcome
8. News media coverage may have [once again] lowered some voter turn-out numbers in western state elections

I'm planning on discussing each of these points - and might even add to the list - in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned.

From the UK - a conservative manifesto

H/t to Samizdata for this eight year old manifesto by Sean Gabb on his strategy for conservatives "taking back" governance of their island nation. It will take a few minutes to read, and some of Gabb's examples and situations may not exactly fit, but it's amazing how apropos his ideas are to the current US situation. Who'd a thunk it? Is the UK today where we're going to be tomorrow? Scary thought.

The most difficult task for Yank conservatives to do, I suppose, is to come to the point where we comfortably consider liberals as an "Enemy Class". But Gabb is spot on. Members of the Enemy Class have thought of conservatives in the US as enemies for several decades, only we right-wingers have been too modest or polite to acknowledge this dirty little point. Its time for a reality check. Whether one is carrying an AK-47, a typewriter or a video camera, a person who wants to destroy my way of life is an enemy - and I need to accept that if I'm going to do my job and protect my family.

Gabb has a list of suggested action points once a conservative sweep occurs in the UK. Below is my US version:

Within 30 days of conservatives coming to power:
Abolish the following executive departments: Agriculture; Commerce; Education; Energy; Health and Human Services; Housing and Urban Development; Interior; Labor; State; and Transportation.
All agencies, commissions, boards, councils and committees associated with those departments would be closed. Whole divisions of other departments would be scrutinized and many, like the Internal Revenue Service, abruptly shut down. We should likewise stop federal funding of the tasks associated with these defunct departments and agencies to local governments.
At the same time, we should abolish all other statutory agencies not directly associated with the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice and Treasury. This would include all "self-financing regulatory agencies", without exception. We should abolish the functions, destroy the records, sell off the physical assets, and discharge people by the hundreds of thousands. Termination and pension rights would be respected according to law, but during the termination cycle seniority could not be taken into account outside one's own department or agency. At least a half of the federal government should no longer exist after our first month in power.

There's much more to his plan. Is it radical? Sure. But read Gapp's entire thing and let me know if you agree or disagree with his take. Fun stuff.

Racism and blue bins

I'm going to suggest something controversial.

49er's Premise #44: There might not be as much "racism" running rampant through the US as some pundits believe. Furthermore, it may turn out to be "racism" is a little analogous to "blue bins".

OK. You want me to explain? Consider this. By "bin" I'm speaking of what you might call a dumpster. Real "G-men" [garbage picker-uppers] don't often use that term, but that's not important. They call most larger bulk trash containers designed to be emptied by mechanical devices "bins". [The smaller ones, usually plastic, are often called "tubs"]. Bins are usually metal, but they can be plastic. And they are everywhere. Here's a 3 yard capacity front load type.

Recognize it? They come in various sizes, and the larger ones look and are handled differently, but "bins" similar to the one pictured are so common that almost no one pays them attention. They just "are". If you commute three miles to work in almost any city these days chances are you'll pass over a hundred of these babies located at businesses and apartment you drive by while going to work, and the same number traveling home. So why are bins like "racism"? It's because if you look for them, you will see them. And that's the point of premise #44.

Years ago our family lived in a rural area and traveled to a medium-sized city regularly to shop, etc. Usually all of us traveled together in a van. "Us" included a disabled foster son, I'll call him "Charley". Over the years he taught us many valuable life-lessions. Though "bent" Charley's not "broken", and seeing life through his eyes has been a journey unto its own.

Charley is almost a savant when it comes to knowing where he is, how he got there, where to turn to reach his destination, and also which is the quickest or best way home. Being male, I don't need this talent, but when DW travels afield she frequently takes him along "just to be safe" and not end up lost. This was once merely a family joke but over the years has turned into a useful benefit.

Another of Charley's skills is "eagle-eyed-ness". Before he fully matured he knew where everything was, or where it should go, or where I had left the car keys, or flashlight, or........you name it. He was particularly useful when we were in a hurry to leave and couldn't find something critical to the trip! He could - and did - spot anything. And remembered it. This has all been prelude, of course, but the nub approaches.

One of my earlier careers involved managing a local garbage company. And we had bins. Lots of them. Charley knew as we traveled around the community that when I saw an overflowing bin I took a special interest in it because of service considerations. Soon he knew where all the bins were and would spot them - and their condition - before I would. But those bins were brown. Or rusty. Or ???

After a few years I graduated into a better position with a branch of an international garbage company headquarted in the medium-sized city mentioned above. And all our new bins were blue. The competions' might be brown or green or tan, but ours were blue. Henceforth when our family traveled through that city Charley soon learned I was only interested in blue bins, and so he would loudly call out "blue bin" every time he spotted one. Or two. Or twenty.

Then on lengthier trips he noticed blue bins in other cities. His joy was complete. Did I mention he was basically "non-verbal"? Didn't speak much at all, and could not - for the life of him - answer direct questions. His brain was wired in a way that when he tried to answer a question he switched to a "blank look" stare". So when he was able - without coaching - to call out "blue bin" he was proud that he could speak and prouder still of his scouting skills. He - and we - thoroughly enjoyed those times.

Charley's "blue bin" spotting skillset exists still today, decades after I no longer care if a blue bin has been emptied or not. Whenever we travel to a new city Charley always remembers those earlier days and can't wait to call out "blue bin" whenever he spots one. You see he's looking for blue bins. The same ones you drive by everyday without noticing.

I'm not equating the evils of racism with the smelliness of blue bins. Well, that is an apt comparision, isn't it? What I'm saying is that if you look hard enough you will probably find whatever it is you are looking for. And that search and resultant discovery will effect you. But if you know some something is there and choose to ignore it, driving by it blindly every day as it were, the thing will not damage you. It's only when you stop and get too close to a bad thing that the harm occurs. Calling attention to it only means its impacting you. Ignoring nastiness means it end's up rotting out onlu the one who's nasty.

Yes, I know the analogy ultimately breaks down. But the heart of the premise still holds. At least in my view. You see what you're looking for. Have your kids watch for the "blue bins" next time, and see if you agree.

More sad than funny

Here's a link to a whole slew of Michael Ramirez cartoons. Spend some of your time and open up a few. He makes very telling points. Thanks to Investors Business Daily for sharing his work.

H/T to Powerline

Could this really occur? MN thinking of adopting CA air standards?

Ran into this post from Minnesota Majority concerning two local bills currently being considered there, HF863 and SF481. I simply could not believe it. After shaking my head and laughing mirthlessly for ten minutes decided to post on it a bit further.

Accordingly, in my view one of the silliest things Minnesotans could do would be to tie their own vehicle emissions standards to those of Californians. I AM a native Californian and since I'm older than dirt have some insight into the evolution of CA's standards.

They were implemented year ago solely to partially resolve an environmental crisis in the Los Angeles air basin. A crisis caused more by manufacturing and processing plants, than by autos, and a crisis that local government at-the-time would not deal with and fix. The remainder of the state, like Minnesota, did not actually need those restrictions, but politicians at the time looked at the overwhelmingly huge voter block in SoCal and as is their wont in a panic felt they "had to do something", so they did.

Years later the fed's standards "caught up" to CA's, but once started down this path the ARB could not let that minor trifle stand in the way so EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM WAS SOLVED emission standards in CA became even further constrained, until today they make no sense and cause Californians to pay 5 to 8% or more for extra transportation associated costs than do residents of other states.

If Minnesotans fall for this silly idea they will join CA in spending needless extra funds merely to go shopping or commute to work. That is their free choice to do, but where is the "common sense" most Minnesotans I've known display?

Unbelievable. Or it should be.