Category Archives: Government

Governments Around the World

Posted on May 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

imagesCA6NBE3A imagesCA7XGC20

 

 

 

 

All of us studied civics in school during which we learned about the three branches of the United States government, the difference between a republic and a democracy, and why we have the Electoral College. Other countries have different systems, of course, so it might be useful to understand how some of their systems work.

North Korea: The guy with the goofiest haircut gets to be in charge.

Italy: The male who throws the outrageous parties wins.

France: The man with the prettiest mistress, but of course.

Somalia: Actually, Somalia has no national government but it is doing far better than when It had one.

Ancient Israel: Whoever the high priest anointed with oil was in charge.

Modern Afghanistan: Whoever the CIA anoints with money is in charge.

Venezuela: The president of the Che Guevera fan club is also in the country’s president.

Russia: If you’re Vladimir Putin, you get to be in charge – regardless of what title you or anyone else are currently using.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Education, Government, History, Holidays, Humor, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Part Time Americans

Posted on May 15, 2013 | 2 Comments

flag

I got sucked in by one of those online “news stories” that actually was at least 6 months old. The article purported that wealthy Americans were giving up their citizenship to avoid paying taxes particularly on money earned, kept or hidden overseas.

I’ve read that with our progressive tax system about half don’t pay any income tax and/or may receive a credit from the government. Likewise, reports indicate that the top one percent pay 30% of the taxes to the federal government. (I’m not saying these are correct, as Mark Twain reportedly said, “There’s lies, damned lies and statistics.”)

At first I thought it might be worth our while to try to induce these folks to stay around in order to catch the tax revenue, but then I dug a little deeper.

It appears that most of them don’t actually live here. I’m guessing many have dual citizenship, so they’re more like part time Americans.

Since money is more important than their citizenship, I figure they’re at best fair-weather Americans; at worst, American in name only.

I prefer us normal, not wealthy, plain old every day Americans, anyway.

To the rich who are turning in their passports, “Don’t let the bank vault door hit you in ass on your way out!”

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Philosophy, Taxes, Wealthy, Government, Business, People, Immigration, Culture, Politics, History, Media

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Forgotten Hero

Posted on May 8, 2013 | Leave a comment

sims

“America’s Greatest Flag Officer” by Chuck Steele which appears in the June 2013 issue of Naval History magazine, is fascinating. When most people thing of World War I they immediately think of John “Black Jack” Pershing. Pershing’s success and reputation is no accident; he chose assignments based on how well they would benefit his future success. While stationed at Fort Russell in Wyoming, he married Frances Warren the daughter of the most powerful politician in the state (also named Francis).

Pershing used his political clout with Teddy Roosevelt to be promoted from captain directly to brigadier general, skipping over 3 ranks and 860 senior officers. He achieved the highest rank ever awarded – “U.S. General of the Armies” equivalent to a six-star general. It was such a unique honor that Congress in 1976 posthumously promoted George Washington out of courtesy.

In the meantime, William S. Sims career was unfolding in somewhat a similar manner. The difference was that he tended to seek assignments that would better the ability of the Navy, taking chances that could have hurt his career but were nevertheless the right thing to do. He accepted assignments that exposed him to the British, French and Russian Navies, and when he realized that the US Navy was not an equal, he pressed against the bureaucracy for years to bring about improvements. It’s testimony to his ability that he was able to take on the establishment and still be promoted.

American entry into the world war was critical to its outcome, and it ended a year and a half later. During that time, Sims was a most effective officer, while Pershing managed to infuriate his French counterpart.

Today, history remembers Pershing and has all but forgotten Sims. However, Sims made his choices based on what was best for the Navy, and did not seek glory, so I think he’d be fine with that.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Culture, Government, History, Leadership, Military, People, Philosophy, Politics

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

No Gridlock Here

Posted on April 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

npr

I’m not exactly a liberal, so sometimes NPR rubs me the wrong way. However, NPR does in-depth coverage of issues that only get sound-bite treatment from other sources, so I’m a regular listener.

(Yes, I’m a member, and have been donating for years.)

Occasionally NPR will cover some issues that no one else seems to want to cover.

Recently they investigated why the number of people receiving Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI – also known as disability payments) nearly doubled over the past 15 years. It turns out that there’s a whole industry dedicated to getting people disability payments. Who’s a big customer? State governments some of which pay thousands of dollars for each person moved from welfare (a state funded program) to disability (a federally funded program).

Thought provoking – the link is http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/490/trends-with-benefits?act=2#play

Today NPR had a piece describing how in a matter of 30 seconds Congress (the same Congress who can’t seem to agree on anything) passed a bill and got it signed by the President. Of course, this was a SPECIAL bill. A VERY SPECIAL BILL. This bill canceled many of the provisions of the law that made congressional financial trading more transparent. The original bill made it possible to see how lawmakers invest their largesse. Did Senator Whatsisname own stock in the pharmaceutical industry before voting on a bill that benefitted drug companies? The original law was intended to make it possible to find out. The thirty second bill fixed that.

If you’re interested in the details, here’s the link. http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/04/16/177496734/how-congress-quietly-overhauled-its-insider-trading-law

In the recent past I wished Congress could get along and get things done. Now, I’m not so sure.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Business, Communications, Culture, Education, Future, Government, History, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Taxes

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

From the Tiniest to the Greatest

Posted on April 15, 2013 | 1 Comment

dna

One of the cases before the Supreme Court is to determine whether a company can patent its ability to identify a couple of genes and their potential for predicting cancer. Big money. Big deal.

Let’s ignore the legal aspects, and focus, for just a minute on the philosophical.

A gene is a tiny, tiny part of DNA.

DNA is a tiny, tiny part of a chromosome

A chromosome is a tiny, tiny part of a cell.

A cell is a tiny, tiny part of an organ.

An organ is only part of a system.

A system is only part of the human body.

The human body is only a part of what we call a person.

If this company claims a unique and beneficial capability because of a gene, imagine just how unique and beneficial a Creator who made all this happen. The genes, the DNA, the chromosomes, the cells, the organs the systems, the human. Then He put everything in the right place on the right planet in the right solar system under just the right circumstances.

Now THAT’s a big deal!

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Business, Culture, Government, Healthcare, History, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Church, Science and Mistakes

Posted on April 11, 2013 | Leave a comment
Pope Francis graduated as a chemical technician before moving on to study philosophy, psychology and theology. CNN (Link below)

Pope Francis graduated as a chemical technician before moving on to study philosophy, psychology and theology. CNN (Link below)

It seems as if many are watching the Vatican to see what Pope Francis is going to do. Lord knows there are mistakes to be cleaned up.

Being human, and being an expert at making mistakes, I accept the fact that churches and their leaders do the same.

My family is not particularly fond of my mistakes, and I’m not fond of the church’s mistakes.

The relationship between science and theology, for example. The church decided that the sun went around the earth, and when Galileo took a “responsible opposing view” the gloves came off.

The problem was that Galileo was right and the church was wrong.

CNN quoted Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, the Director of the Vatican’s Science and Faith Foundation as saying, “There was a time when theologians thought they understood everything… If you look at what is going on today you will see that theologians are very careful about what they are thinking or speaking about related to scientific issues.” [Click for CNN article]

This is good.

As much as I like the pastor at our church, he can’t seem to tell me why my car makes that funny noise, how to get my lawn to look better and we won’t even talk about how bad his advice was on my golf game.

Nevertheless, on spiritual matters he’s good to have around.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Business, Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Family, Friends, Future, Government, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science, Solving Global Warming, Technology

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Far Out Vacation

Posted on April 8, 2013 | Leave a comment
Cheech & Chong(Back in the Day)

Cheech & Chong
(Back in the Day)

Some friends of mine decided to take a vacation trip to one of the states that has recently legalized marijuana. Not exactly my cup of tea, but to each his own.  They’ve never entirely left the sixties.

However, curiosity got the best of me so I stopped over to see if their trip had met their expectations.

“So how was the vacation?” I asked.

“Ummmm. I’m not sure. I sort of can’t remember it,” he said.

“Well, where did you finally decide to go?” I continued.

“I think was either Washington or Colorado,” he answered somewhat vaguely.

“I wish we’d taken pictures,” added his wife. “All I know is it’s a week later and we’ve each gained 20 pounds.”

As for me, I think I’ll stick with Universal Studios and Disney.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Arts, Business, Culture, Fiction, Friends, Future, Government, Humor, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Science

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

IMBY NIMBY

Posted on March 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

Const

Sometimes we have the negative form of a word, but not the positive. George Carlin mentioned the need for “chalant”; we have “nonchalant,” so the concept is there.

Same for NIMBY – “Not In MY Backyard!” I want reliable electric power, but not a transmission line much less a power plant.

IMBY – “In My Backyard” has led to many earmarks, set asides and other pork in various forms of legislation including bridges, highways, defense contracts and whatever.

Want to find the nearest college stadium? There’s an app for that. Want to build a new college stadium? There’s an earmark for that. If it doesn’t get a direct grant, funding will qualify as a charitable contribution and be a deduction.

We look at places like Afghanistan and laugh at how they identify themselves according to tribes and villages, but are we any different? It’s my city and my industry I’m interested in. Those are my village and tribe writ large. If the rest of the world goes down the tubes, so be it.

Once upon a time, so long ago that we still capitalized nouns, a bunch of guys got together and after a lot of hard work, drafted a document that begins:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, so ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Like every other person who has or is serving in the military, I swore an oath to protect and defend the principles in that document, from enemies foreign or domestic. An oath, once taken, stands. I am just as proud today as I was thirty some years ago to stand by my commitment.

How much stronger are we as “We the People” instead of “me”? Don’t we together have a better chance of maintaining domestic Tranquility and an effective defence?

Don’t we all want Justice so we’re all treated fairly and to see the general Welfare promoted so we all benefit?

Let’s look past our tribes and our villages and be a part of “We the People.”

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Culture, Family, Government, History, Leadership, People, Philosophy, Politics

Tagged , , , , ,

To Protect and To Serve

Posted on February 25, 2013 | 1 Comment

Swat

It was going to be another busy night. Too busy. Every night was too busy.

We were crammed shoulder to shoulder in the armored personnel carrier. Every one of us carried an M-16 with a combat load – 60 rounds of 5.56 mm full metal jacket ammunition. An M-9 semi-automatic pistol was within easy reach on a drop down holster to keep it clear of the body armor. Our Kevlar helmets and our backs were clearly marked in large reflective letters, “NYPD SWAT.” We want to make sure that citizens knew we are the good guys. We protect people from dangers of all kinds.

I’d wanted to be a cop as long as I could remember, and not just any cop. No suit and detective badge for me. I wanted to be among the elite, Special Weapons And Tactics – S.W.A.T. I’d taken a degree in Criminal Justice, paid my dues as a street cop, wrote thousands of traffic tickets and broke up countless domestic squabbles before I finally made it three years ago. I spent the better part of a year undergoing intensive physical, mental and weapons training before I was officially assigned to a team.

At first it was exciting, but over time, after seeing the gritty underbelly of the big city it lost its luster. I now looked forward to the end of the shift and my days off far more than working. But, I had taken an oath, and no matter how dangerous, I would carry out my duties.

“Everybody ready?” the captain asked. He was met with a dozen thumbs up. I felt the vehicle decelerate rapidly. The rear door popped up.

“Go! Go! Go!” she shouted.

I thumbed the safety on my M-16 to full automatic and raced up the steps of the aging brownstone, hitting the glass of the front door with the butt of my rifle. A blizzard of glass fell and one of the other guys reached through and turned the door handle. Once the door was open, we all raced up the stairs to the third floor.

I could hear the police helicopter hovering overhead, always a reassuring sound.

I pointed my flashlight at the number by the door. “3-C.” This was the right place. I waved and Charlie came to the front with the short steel battering ram. When it came to breaking down doors, Charlie was an artist, and with one powerful blow the handle and lock separated from the rest of the door which swung inward. We rushed in like we’d done a thousand times before, each cop knowing just where to go. As one we raised our weapons, and a dozen laser gun sights quivered like red fireflies on the center of mass on the suspect.

“Put down the large soda!” yelled the captain. “Put it down, step away and keep your hands where I can see them!”

Jeannie sneeze, accidentally squeezing off about five rounds that knocked the perpetrator on the floor. The captain came over to Jeannie.

“Hey, we’re going to lose a few. Don’t feel bad. At least we saved him from all that high calorie corn fructose.”

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Business, Communications, Culture, Fiction, Government, Healthcare, Humor, Media, Military, People, Philosophy, Politics, Science

Tagged , , , ,

Pope Brouhaha

Posted on February 24, 2013 | 2 Comments
Coat of ArmsPope Benedict XVI

Coat of Arms
Pope Benedict XVI

The news media has carried on in their usual way with regard to the retirement of the Pope. Headlines talked about it being “Shocking” and “Unbelievable.”

Say what?

First, when I’m 85, I hope I’m well experienced at being retired. Serving until death is a leftover from the days when the Monarch was expected to actively participate in combat and dodge assassination attempts. Life expectancy was much shorter.

The Catholic Church is like any large organization. Leaders come and leaders go. They tend to come from the same pool of candidates. I suspect that Fortune 500 CEOs reflect a lot of individuals with Harvard MBAs and who grew up thinking country clubs were a normal part of life.

I drive a Ford. I have no idea as to who is the current president of Ford, or who’s on their board of directors. It doesn’t affect me. To a large degree, the same is true of the Pope.

Large powerful organizations do both good and ill. With a two thousand year history, the Catholic Church has had more opportunities to experience errors, suffer from bad leadership, as well as do some good things. The bad stuff is more interesting to talk about.

Look at Catholics, as opposed to the Catholic Church organization and hierarchy. Like most other Christians we get up each morning, pray to do a good job, do some things right, screw up on others, ask forgiveness, and keep on going. Like other Christians we place our faith in Christ, along with our hope and love.

If the news media reported a month from now that the Catholic hierarchy had been unable to elect a Pope, it would not affect most Catholics. We’d still attend Mass Sunday mornings and try to live our faith on a daily basis.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Business, Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Future, Government, History, Leadership, Management, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted on January 20, 2013 | 1 Comment

mlk

As with most historical figures, as time passes, our recollection of The Reverend Doctor King changes. It’s sometimes hard to believe that so few years ago we had legally enforced segregation. That the Pentagon had separate bathrooms for blacks and whites because of Virginia law. That Norfolk shut down its public school system rather than integrate. That Rosa Parks was arrested for keeping her seat on a public bus.

Dr. King brought these ugly facts to the forefront, but did so in a way that made it impossible to ignore.

We all think of ourselves as the “good guys” and prior to the 1960s, equality was not something we wanted to think about. Whites weren’t biased, it’s just that blacks and whites were seen as different, or so we wanted to believe.

It’s true, blacks and whites are different. Not because of being black or white, but because each of us is an individual and every individual is different. It took us a long time to figure this out.

Today we look around and congratulate ourselves on making a lot of progress. We have a black president starting his second term. Neighborhoods are integrated. Mixed families are becoming more common.

However, making progress is different from reaching a goal.

It’s because Columbus found land in the New World that he’s renowned, not because he set sail. Armstrong wasn’t the first astronaut to head to the moon, he was the first to actually get there. Progress is good, but it’s only a step in the right direction.

We’re making progress, but we need to continue.

Today we may see Dr. King as an icon – an ideal. Like Washington, Lincoln, and so many others, in life he was not a marble statue but just another individual. The difference is that people like Washington, Lincoln, and King took on the challenges, took the heat, and told us what we needed to hear, whether we wanted to hear it or not. King was a man, not an icon, but that’s what makes what he did so monumental. He stood up when others feared to.

Celebrate tomorrow as a day that marks one more step forward for humanity.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Education, Family, Friends, Future, Government, History, Holidays, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Religion

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Perspective

Posted on December 18, 2012 | 2 Comments
Dr Seuss(Theodor Seuss Geisel)We Miss You!

Dr. Seuss
(Theodor Seuss Geisel)
We Miss You!

 

For the Christmas season in 2005 I was bouncing around Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. The Sailors I was responsible for worked hard unloading and reloading ships, acting as Customs Inspectors and training Iraqi and Afghani forces. When the holidays approached, they looked forward to some well-deserved downtime.

Alas, it was not to be.

When the holidays come, so do FOGOs – Flag Officers (Admirals) and General Officers (Generals). Instead of a day to catch up on some shuteye, read a book, relax or whatever, the Sailors (as well as their Army, Marine, Air Force and Coast Guard compatriots) had to put on a clean, pressed uniform and spend half a day at the DFAC (Dining Facility) while a FOGO they’d never met carved the turkey or dished up mashed potatoes on the food line and then sat and “chatted” with the service members.

All well-intentioned, but not exactly a bull’s-eye.

This Christmas, may I suggest that whatever you’re planning on doing to entertain or support others, please – keep your audience in mind. If you give them what they want, it’s so much better than if you give them what you want to give.

Just a thought.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Government, History, Holidays, Military, People, Philosophy, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

A Day That Will Live in Infamy

Posted on December 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

{Nowhere Man will continue}

“Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 — a date which will live in infamy — the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt speech in which he asked Congress for a declaration of war with Japan.

pearl-harbor2a

It has been 71 years since that day. Cries of “Remember Pearl Harbor” have faded. No longer a day of infamy, it passed largely unnoticed by most Americans.

That is how healing happens.

Veterans know that there is a time for war and a time to lay down one’s arms. The enemy ceases to be a nameless, faceless monster and becomes a type of kindred spirit, fighting for different beliefs. Often, this is followed by alliances between once warring nations and a strange but special camaraderie between once bitter enemies.

During the war we viewed ourselves as divinely inspired and the Japanese as barely human. After the war we had to reconcile how we were not, in fact, perfect. We treated American citizens of Japanese descent horrendously we and we treated black American soldiers and sailors with outrageous disrespect.

Along with healing comes growth. With growth comes the opportunity for maturity.

I believe that humans have the extraordinary ability to grow and learn from whatever life throws at them. I see those who lived and served during the Second World War and understand why they are revered as “the greatest generation.” They pulled together for a common cause in the face of adversity. However, each following generation has the ability – and the responsibility – to continue to build on what they experienced, what they endured, and what they learned from it.

Today honor those who faced the challenge 71 years ago.

Tomorrow, continue the journey forward.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Communications, Culture, Government, History, Holidays, Military, People, Philosophy, Politics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , ,

There’s Nothing to Write About

Posted on December 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Okay, I actually have been very busy with Thanksgiving, setting up the Christmas decorations, soccer tournaments, etc., but I keep looking for something new to write about. In the last month we’ve had elections, economic reports, coups, countercoups, threats, counter threats, but what is really different?

Economists are saying recovery is just around the corner again/still.

The economy is still in the dumper again/still.

Washington is gridlocked again/still.

Lindsay Lohan is in trouble again/still.

Our president is the president again/still.

Everyone says we have to solve the tax / deficit / immigration / jobs / global warming problem again/still.

No one is actually willing to do anything about the tax / deficit / immigration / jobs / global warming problem again/still.

I keep looking for something – anything – that is new enough to inspire me, but, alas, I continue to fail. And I mean really fail. I’ve tried to write another science fiction serial, but there needs to be something, instead of nothing, which is what we’ve got.

(Even the graphic I tried to put here showed up as nothing…..)Fortunately, there is enough nothing to go around. If every American had his fill of nothing every day through the holidays and well into next year, there would still be enough nothing left for future generations.

Wal-Mart considered outsourcing nothing to lower cost Asian and Central American companies, but these emerging economies wanted nothing to do with it.

Jerry Seinfeld already did a television series about nothing, so there’s nothing to be done there.

So we have to ask ourselves, “Is nothing sacred?”

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Arts, Blog, Communications, Culture, Government, Holidays, Humor, Immigration, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Solving Global Warming, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , ,

E-Mail Security

Posted on November 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

With the controversy over General Petraeus, CNN asked the question that if the Director of the CIA’s e-mail isn’t secure, what about yours?

It’s fine, don’t worry about it.

That got me to thinking. What if my e-mail isn’t secure? What if the world at large could read everything I’ve ever sent?

They’d die of boredom, if they didn’t die of embarrassment about your pre-spellcheck errors and terrible grammar.

I mean, it’s not like I’ve ever written anything that outrageous, at least that I remember.

Ha! At your age you can’t remember where you put your car keys!

I’m probably paranoid. I guess I don’t need to worry about whether my e-mail is sacrosanct or not.

Nope. Nothing to worry about here.

Don Adams as Maxwell Smart on “Get Smart”. Not someone tapping into your e-mails. No really! You’re fine! We’re fine! Everything’s fine!  How are you?

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Communications, Culture, Government, Humor, Media, Military, Technology, Television, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

My Turn to Fume

Posted on November 13, 2012 | Leave a comment

I try to be positive and upbeat, but every once in a while I just have to engage in a temper tantrum because things just don’t make sense.

Right now there’s a lot of discussion about “Obamacare” or whatever you want to call it. First, let me say that after 30 years in healthcare, I have huge problems with the current medical industry business model. No one can tell you the price of anything in advance. Prices are set exorbitantly high so that insurance companies can get huge discounts. There is a disconnect among who decides what services will be used, who is the “customer” for those services and the third party that pays. Many can’t get primary care and basic prescriptions so their only option is to wait until things go from bad to worse and show up at the Emergency Department, after which there is no follow up.

Etc., etc., etc.

However, I also have concerns about the government running these programs.

(Before I continue, let me say to the business community – you blew it by putting your own short term profit interests ahead of the big picture. You could have proven yourself a better choice but you elected not to. If you had come up with something better, that’s what we’d be using. Know what value added is? Didn’t think so.)

The government has been involved with various service industries either directly or through quasi-corporations in the past. Let’s review a few of them.

There’s the United States Postal Service, whose primary customer is junk mail producers.

There’s Fannie-Mae and Freddie Mac who helped usher in the housing crisis.

There are the student loan programs that are making for-profit college owners rich while not actually leading to people (especially service members and veterans) getting degrees that will help them earn a living.

There’s AMTRAK which sells hamburgers for $9.50 (!) even though it costs AMTRAK $16.00 (!!!) to make each one.

I use the official prescription plan for military retirees. They don’t send me the prescriptions that my doctor has ordered but they do send me the ones that he has discontinued, even when I specifically request them not to.

Frustrated, I sent a note to the mail-order pharmacy through my user ID and password protected access to their site and they send me a response that required me to set up another separate user ID and password (yes, separate from the one I have) just to read their reply.

What ultra-secret words of wisdom did they have to share with me?

"Dear Mr. Nowak,

Thank you for using XXXXXXX Pharmacy Program. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

Thank you for your feedback. XXXXXXX Scripts appreciates suggestions made by XXXXXXX beneficiaries as it allows us to improve our processes. Your feedback has been forwarded to the appropriate department for review.

If you have any further questions please email or contact us at 1-877-XXX-XXXX.

We apologize for any inconvenience you have experienced. Thank you for continuing to use XXXXXXX Pharmacy Program.

Sincerely,

Shawn G.

I’m not sure how you read this, but to me it says, “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Go away!”

Now I’ll bet you’re all excited about how the new healthcare system is going to make your life better, too.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Business, Culture, Government, Healthcare, Military, Science, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Veterans’ Day

Posted on November 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

The shooting stopped during the “Great War; the War to End All Wars” on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The armistice was commemorated by Armistice Day.

Thus was born the date that would eventually be known as Veterans’ Day.

There are about 21.5 million veterans in a nation of 312 million people. Of Americans 18 years or older, about 12 – 13% are veterans. Counting all Americans, slightly less than 7% are veterans. As we lose the veterans of the Second World War, the percentage of veterans will drop significantly.

Of the currently seated Congress, 28 of 100 Senators are Veterans, as are 92 of the 438 members of the House of Representatives.

Presidents in my lifetime who served in the military:

Harry Truman (D) Army

Dwight D. Eisenhower (R) Army

John F. Kennedy (D) Navy

Lyndon B. Johnson (D) Navy

Richard Nixon (R) Navy

Gerald Ford (R) Navy

Jimmy Carter (D) Navy

Ronald Reagan (R) Army (Air Corps)

George HW Bush (R) Navy

George W Bush (R) Air National Guard

The military uniform is often referred to as “the cloth of our country.” If you are one who has worn the uniform, “On behalf of a grateful nation,” thank you.

All gave some.  Some gave all.

 

 

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Culture, Government, History, Holidays, Leadership, Media, Military, People, Philosophy, Politics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Crawling to Safety

Posted on November 5, 2012 | Leave a comment

The vast wasteland lay before me as though an eternity. I knew to stay in one spot meant certain death and there was nothing behind me so I decided to crawl forward. I was long past walking. I had tried to sleep in what shelter I could find and move when I could do so unnoticed, but so far it hadn’t seemed to do me much good.

By sheer willpower I continued on. Many times I let my head drop, but knew if I gave up for a moment I would give up completely. I was thankful for the numbness for I knew if I could feel, the pain would be unbearable.

What was that ahead? A glimmer of hope? Could I keep going.

I had to.

If I could, I might have a shot at surviving – a small chance, but I had to shoot for it.

Yesterday I would have welcomed death to save me from this torment but today I continued on, knowing if I could last just a few more hours the political ads would stop. The robocalls would no longer haunt me. The hate that filled the air would subside.

I dragged myself forward toward the light.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Communications, Culture, Government, Media, People, Politics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work!*

Posted on November 1, 2012 | 1 Comment

I’ve been outrageously busy at work preparing for a meeting. Since I’m a Federal employee, I just wanted to let you taxpayers know that there actually is an effort to keep costs down. The number of justifications I have to complete in order to travel for work is sufficiently onerous that anyone who has the option would quickly decide to stay home. It has to be really, really important before you’re willing to run the gauntlet for orders to travel.

As an employee, it’s an ordeal. As a taxpayer, I approve.

So, here are other thoughts…

We have a combination printer copier at work. It prints, it copies (obviously) it does dual sided copies, it enlarges, it scans, it folds, staples, spindles and mutilates.

So why doesn’t it know that if 3 of its 4 trays are filled with the same size paper oriented the same way, it doesn’t have to stop all printing and wait until Tray 1 is refilled?

At what age did it happen to you?

Twenty?

Thirty?

Forty?

At what age did you realize that your “Permanent Record” was no longer of any consequence?

I always wanted to read that the Permanent Record Storage Vault was destroyed by fire, flood or hacked by Wiki-Leaks throwing the country into chaos. I pictured it as some cavernous bomb proof shelter buried deep underground in West Virginia accessible only by a secret trap door in an otherwise nondescript Waffle House.

But, alas, it was all but a ruse by our high school teachers.

Today’s high school teachers have to tell a far better story to the kids today.

* Governor LePetomaine – “Blazing Saddles“

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Actor, Business, Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Government, Leadership, Management, People, Philosophy, Politics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Style vs. Substance

Posted on October 23, 2012 | 2 Comments

NPR had an interesting piece on “All Things Considered” (<- Click for link) in which they rated presidents in terms of charisma. The last question by the interviewer was, “Could Washington be elected today?” The answer was “I don’t think Washington would have a prayer of being elected president today.”

Sorry, George.

How sad.

I accept the fact that it takes a different set of skills to get a job than it takes to actually do that job – perhaps with the exception of accountants and actuaries. Somehow I can’t envision a truly great CPA as being the model of wit and charm in an interview. It’s like hiring a skinny chef – something is wrong with that picture. I’d suspect a charming accountant of cooking the books and stealing from me, and a skinny chef as, well, not really capable of cooking anything.

I guess we are so enamored with style that we have given up on substance in many areas of our life. Roses used to have a distinctively pleasant aroma; in order to have a hardier, more commercially viable flower we essentially bred out the smell. A rose by any other hybrid name, does not, in fact, smell as sweet.

So we weed out Washington and the Jefferson and without a doubt the “obnoxious and disliked” John Adams in our quest for a prettier package.

Be careful of what you wish for, you just might get it.

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Celebrity, Communications, Culture, Government, History, Leadership, Media, People, Philosophy, Politics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,