What has happened to McFeeleys

[DerbyDad03]

If you want to hear about the ridiculous process for developing a government website, listen to this podcast:

[Swingman]

We can't have that attitude around here. It causes butthut ...

[Leon]

I think one only had to try to sign up for Obamacare to understand the development of a government website. ;~)

[Swingman]

I use Spax mostly for when I need something to withstand sheer force and has has a smaller head/will be plugged or out of sight. And yes, best to use their included driver bit if you want good results.

For installing side by side cabinet runs I've had good luck with FastCap cabinet screws; and they can fitted with a plastic cap for appearance if necessary.

The 1 1/4 size and that big head insure they will not penetrate two layers of 3/4" plywood casework

I carry two sizes of these in the truck:

Mostly filled with #8 square drive screws from Circle Saw here in Houston. Also buy Rockler for those cases where I'm sure they will not twist off (have learned to pre-drill the longer Rockler screws in hardwoods to be safe).

Except for Spax, drywall and deck screws, I rarely buy any screw from the Borgs.

[Leon]

;~)

I went to a local Fastenal yesterday looking for #6, 5/8" washer or pan head screws. No luck. Odd screw anyway.

I finally ended up finding the online catalog on the McFeeley web site, thanks to J.Clarke. I found what I needed and ordered. I did order

1,000 of the Spax #6, 5/8", pan head, self taping, combo screws. Those are only supposed to be square and Phillips. We'll see.

I tried Quick Screws. An order of 1000 similar screws was about $18.

+$2 handling + $12.95 shipping. I passed. McFeeleys was only $8.95 for shipping. Ended up being a couple of dollars cheaper with a #1 square drive bit for the Spax screws and 100, 1-1/8 washer head screws for attaching drawer fronts.

Unfortunately HD does not carry much of what I need so I try to buy in bulk on every project screws.

On another note the last box of "deck" screws that I bought, about 3 years ago I was not pleased. What ever brand Lowe's sells with the star bit drive and yellow color. I built a small porch/deck for our storage shed and I would say that 5~8 screws have broken several months after being driven. The same screws were used inside the shed for shelving with no issues. The boards that had the broken screws warped, so I am sure that is why the screws broke but damn those screws were being used exactly for what they were intended. Other brand replacement screws pulled the boards back down into position and are doing fine up to this point.

Concerning the cool deal at Highland Hardware, the Festool box with the

1,300 Spax screws, I verified that they were all combo and not torx. BUT all were flat head and I seldom use that screw any more. I steer more towards washer head and pan head screws, when I use them. The Kreg screws are pretty darn good for most any use.

[DerbyDad03]

That very subject is discussed in that podcast. Regardless of whether you are for Obamacare or not, it's a shame that the website development process (which was in place long before Obamacare was a gleam in Barack's eye) was what caused so much of the initial problems with signing up. First impressions and all that. "Obamacare? Have you seen their website? Man, does Obamacare suck!"

It may (or may not) suck, but the pre-existing website design process was what caused many of the initial problems. Per the podcast, it wasn't clear which of the many contractors involved was responsible for stitching all of the various modules together. Integrated testing wasn't started until 2 weeks before it went live. That design process wouldn't work well for *any* program, retailer, forum, etc.

[Leon]

The difference between a business financial report and a government financial report is that the government report has no bottom line. So anything that the government does is pretty much the result of operating blind.

Notice I said a financial report vs. P&L statement.

[krw]

A *big* +1

Government never does a cost/benefit analysis.

[DerbyDad03]

Really? Is Executive Order 12866 no longer in effect? It was issued in 1993 and amended in 2007. I see no record of it being reversed. Do you know that it has been?

[J. Clarke]

do yhou knolw with certainty that any government agency actually obeys said order? And it is most assuredly not binding on the Congress.

[DerbyDad03]

Have you asked krw if he knows with certainty that they don't? He said "never". I think the odds are in my favor.

[Leon]

Yeah, that is not working like it should. If it really was working the debt would be getting smaller.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Congress does. They simplified the process. If it benefits us, the cost to the taxpayer does not matter.

[DerbyDad03]

Not necessarily. It all depends on what you consider a "benefit" and how you price it.

A cost-benefit analysis may have nothing to do with reducing costs. If the govt adds 15 new programs and are able to justify the costs based on the benefits provided, our debt could go higher.

e.g. If the govt were to borrow a few billion to fix our roads, the benefits might be that you and I would spend less on car repairs and lives might even be saved. The govt goes deeper in debt, but the welfare of it's people improves.

If I decide to buy curtains, the benefit might be that I can walk around nude instead of wearing all these damn clothes. My costs may go up, but my family would gain the benefit of laughing at me.

[nailshooter41]

Amen, brother!

I have several folks in my social group that work for the government, and t he way they describe the waste (explained to me as , "since when is providi ng jobs/employment a waste?") for people that do nothing is incredible.

One has a govt job that has a section of about 45 people. There is so litt le work that they actually bid on the work to be done against their fellow employees, and then the folks that don't bid have nothing to do. They are written up if they have 3 months in a row with little or no production, but since they are only making about $60K a year each, the govt doesn't fuss t hat much over the small potatoes.

Robert

[Swingman]

Found out the other day, talking to a new mail carrier, that this is how the USPS is awarding carrier jobs in the area.

Current employee's actually bid on available routes.

[krw]

You're kidin' me, right?

[krw]

Never! They don't even analyze what they've done to see if the results are as planned (they never are).

[krw]

No, they don't. They use numbers to justify what they're going to do anyway. BTW, the CBO, by law, uses static scoring. Hate to break it to them but the world is quite dynamic.

[Leon]

The problem of not operating with in a budget is that eventually the money that the government spends either dries up because its credit rating continues to drop or it continues to water down the buying power by adding more currency to the world. Neither scenario is on I want to see happen.