Sorry, wrong end of the stick. Not the office workers, the elected officials. Remember, you get the government you deserve. Most of the office workers are as upset about their managers as you are. They just can't say so by law or strike, by law. Their options are: 1. Sit down 2. Shut up. Only Congress can pass laws, hand out raises and make themselves exempt from the consequences of their actions.
Dave in Fairfax
Damn ... you mean those are ALL member of "Congress" behind the counters and desks when you stand in line at the post office, or visit the DMV, the court house, municipal building departments, tax appraisal districts, school houses, or any of the myriad of other government offices??
No, I mean that the majority of the govenment workers are never seen by the public. The ones that are seen are as numbed by the constant abuse by members of the public as might be expected. For some reason people who are tlaking to other people across a counter day in and day out, aren't seen to be human beings by the people they are trying to help. They are seen as figureheads for an uncaring uber-company. It isn't surprising that they get burned out. The members of congress ensure that by degrading their retirements, benefits and wages on a regular basis. They are then used as scapegoats for the problems caused by those same members of Congress. But hey, that's just my opinion, and I don't work for the Government other than paying the taxes. You don't have to agree.
Dave in Fairfax
I entirely agree. I was a civilian employee of the Navy for thirteen years, and while I found that the proportion of lazy or incompetent employees seemed to be higher there than in private industry, so did the proportion of really top notch workers. Most government workers, in my experience, want to do a good job, but we are often hamstrung by absolutely ridiculous regulations.
A couple of examples from my experience managing a major Navy computer system:
- The system doesn't run nearly as fast as it could, and is in constant danger of crashing, because of the ten-year-old disc drives it uses. Due to their age and their outdated design, the monthly maintenance fees on these drives are sky-high. Replacing them with new drives would pay for itself in less than a year through the reduction in monthly maintenance fees ($440 per drive versus $38) and energy costs (over 200kwh per drive per *day* - really - vs. 180kwh per drive per *month*), but I can't buy replacements because the capital equipment budget has almost no funding -- but the maintenance budget is a pocket with no bottom. And it's a violation of Federal law to buy capital equipment with maintenance money.
- Then the Navy comes along with an energy-saving program. We can get capital equipment funding to replace old, inefficient equipment with newer machines that use less energy. Oh, boy! Here's my opportunity to replace those old disc drives, right? Wrong! My system isn't eligible, because I'm not spending _enough_ money: you have to lay out at least $100K to qualify. Okayyyyyyy...I have a few more drives, not quite as old, and not quite as expensive to operate, that I'd like to replace, too. That pushes it up over $100K... but it also pushes my payback period out from 10 months to 15. Sorry, still not eligible: you have to have payback in less than a year to qualify.
One reason I feel that way is that I have to take off work this afternoon to make a second trip to the SSA to attempt to have an error corrected again.. It may not be the person I talk to, but somewhere in the bowels of the movement there are a couple of incompetent people that cannot make a simple correction.
Probably a damn good thing ... if they were all like the one's who are put out front to watt on the public in this neck of the woods, we would be in even bigger trouble. But I'll have to take your word for it .... those who pay the freight aren't allowed behind the counter.
Unfortunate, but hardly limited to the gov. I've been trying to get some parts for a Delta BS for almost a month now. Repeated contacts, all nice people, but my Bs is still down.
Dave in Fairfax
The USPS is an "atypical" part of the gov. It operates outside differently than line agencies. Unfortunately it has time and performance constraints that place enormous demands on its personnel. Most manage to be civil and indeed friendly under those demands, but after a time it can get to them. The Patent Office is another area where people have to accomplish an obscene amount of woork within a very limited time period and it results in a lot of stress for them as well. Peoplle have problems dealing with stress, and when it becomes a long-term or constant part of the job, they lose the will/desire to do their all. Unofrtuantely it stresses those who truly want to do the best the most.
Dave in Fairfax
Must be nice living in Fairfax ... and at one time it was like that here, but this urban cesspool ceased being Pleasantville quite a few years back. Unfortunately, there is a _notable_ passive/aggressive behavior amongst many of the "public servants" in this area ... and in more than one language/dialect.
This morning (at the building code department) was a perfect example ... don't even want to go there.
It wasn't wonderful 20 years ago, and things have gone downhill since then. We're researching WA as a place to retreat to. The problems of "cultural diversity" are pretty annoying at this point. The driving habits come to mind as do the misuses of the system. I'll be glad to get out of Dodge. OTOH, I think that everybody should have to live in the DC area for a few years so that they could learn how th e gov really works.
Dave in Fairfax
That was always the formula I heard for the IQ of a meeting...
Turned out to be a good experience. The person I saw today took care of the problem instantly that was not done by others for a couple of years of shuffling documents. At least I have a receipt that says it was fixed.
Right about not just the government. Seems like the bigger and more sophisticated the company, the more difficult getting a resolution to simple problems. Dell and Gateway used to have good customer support, but now I never hear good about it. Same with insurance companies, health care providers (billing mostly).
Now Woodworker's Journal gave me a prompt reply. Seems like they have some good people.
Nope. I think the point being made was that a mob essentially had less intelligence than an encephalated turnip (to borrow a term from an infamous e-bay listing).
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
I am sorry to pick nits here, but by definition music has both rhythm and melody. Rap may have have rhythm that point is debateable, but it lacks melody. Therefore, the words Rap and Music, when used to describe an "art form" whose practitioners and "performers" are judged more by their body count and arrest record than by their talent, are mutually exclusive. Or put more succinctly: Rap is crap!
the best definition of music I've seen is "an arrangement on notes in time"
your (racial/ cultural/ class) bias is showing...
Remember, information is not knowledge; knowledge is not wisdom; wisdom is not truth; truth is not beauty; beauty is not love; love is not music; music is the best.
-- Frank Zappa
or...
Americans want grungy people, stabbing themselves in the head on stage. They get a bright bunch like us, with deodorant on, they don't get it.
--Liam Gallagher
Thats what I was going to suggest. Roofing tar and paint thinner in various ratios gives a whole range of colors for dirt cheap. Sam
My apologies and deep regrets. Please strike my original statement and modify to read: "smart rock or the required IQ to actually enjoy rap."
That better? again, :-)
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Just because everyone exclaims how wonderful and resplendant the king's clothes are, doesn't hide the fact that he is naked. Neither then by attempting to wrap some kind of aura of "culture" or "ethnicity" or "social standing" around a form of behavior that is then promoted as entertainment, despite the fact that numerous people clamor and buy it, does that make it so. What's doubly frustrating is the fact that those who point out the nudity are then accused of some sort of failing on their part.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Yep, and still funny!!! Well done. Thanks. (ROFLMAO)
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