Tag Archives: writing

Just What Makes Federal Employees Special?

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On a crisp September morning, I arrived at my workplace, ready to start another day. It was a routine occurrence, much like the countless previous workdays I had experienced over the past twelve years.

My manager requested my presence, which was not entirely unexpected. Occasionally, they assigned me special tasks or sought clarification on my work. While not an uncommon occurrence, I approached the meeting with an open mind, ready to address any questions or concerns.

How-some-ever, this time the situation was distinct. Following a brief discussion, I departed the premises, never to return.

I was confused and disappointed to learn that I was among the twenty percent of employees who were let go that day. Despite my hard work and dedication, the decision did not seem to make sense. As I left the premises, I was informed that the company had undergone a significant restructuring, resulting in layoffs across all departments, including maintenance, sales, and software support. Given the size of the organization, this was a substantial reduction in workforce.

They acknowledged their mistake in letting me go and offered to rehire me. They admitted they were aware that my contributions were more extensive than they had realized. While it was a difficult decision, I ultimately chose to decline their offer. There is no need to delve into the specifics.

The point is this: What is so special about federal employees that they should be immune from being fired? I mean, I got fired. Why should a federal employee who has their feet on their desk be immune?

Why shouldn’t federal employees be required to provide periodic accounting? If they are not performing their duties, why can’t they be terminated? If their absence would not be missed, why shouldn’t they be provided with their severance package?

Just why are government employees better than those of us drawing a civilian paycheck?

Commanders? Really? For Sure?

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I have long thought about the mascot name for Washington, D.C. After all these months following the name change, I am still trying to think of just what a Commander mascot would look like. For sure, I am considering whether it is any kind of improvement.

It does make one wonder, if they came up with such a mascot costume, how much would they have to pay someone to wear it? That amount might explain why one has not heard of any such a mascot.

Perhaps, if they chose a different, better mascot. How about Chickens? I agree, it might not be a good mascot, but it would be much better than the current one. The truth is that chickens are really pretty brave birds.

Hawks might be good, but for the Seahawks are already taken. Let’s face it. All the good mascots have been taken. I mean, squirrels, rats, and raccoons just don’t have the right… Well, the right projections. Who do you know that would like to play for the Rats? To be sure, rats and squirrels are very smart and resourceful rodents..

Maybe, we should abandon the world of animals and look back to humans, such as politicians, who are widely respected. Then too, there are the very powerful lobbyists. That won’t work as it might be confused with large rooms.

(which reminds me, why are they called lobbyists instead of bribers?)

My opinion on it all. They should have come up with a new name before they abandoned one of the best, even according to most Indians. Oh. I apologize, Native Americans.

Sorry folks. Though it is highly politically incorrect, I happen to find Indian mascots far more ferocious than a commander. And don’t we want fierce mascots.

By the way, I wonder. If a football player is given a choice, would they really want to play for the Commanders? If they do want to play for the Commanders, is that a player you’d want on your team?

Computers Fix Everything

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Many moons ago, more than I care to admit, I used to subscribe to PC Magazine. It had interesting and useful articles. Additionally, I enjoyed the letters to the editor. I was reading through them one day when the letter writer included a picture from an ad in the previous edition. Unfortunately, I cannot recall the witty body of the letter, but the picture was of a person removing their new computer from a box. The unusual part was that the monitor displayed the standard Windows screen.

It is the sort of thing most of us wouldn’t even notice. As I looked up a while ago, I noticed another unlikely picture. The proverbial computer expert pressed the keyboard twice. Instantly, the screen started showing all sorts of pertinent information.

I spent decades in the computer industry. I have personally known dozens of people who could do some truly amazing things with computers.

Sorry, folks. It does not work that way. Most experts these days use a mouse or touch screen for the most part. Keyboards are still used extensively, but the idea of doing everything by pressing two keys is still a long way in the future. I suspect we are closer to new computers working while still in the box.

I understand. Television shows often have time restrictions that lead to representations rather than reality. For example, when a character knocks on a door in a TV show, it takes only two seconds for the door to open. In reality, it takes me longer than that just to get out of my chair. I hope that if the police ever come knocking on my door, they will wait more than the two seconds typically depicted on television.

The point is, computers are still a far cry from the omniscient, all-powerful overlords we’ve been led to believe. Let’s not get too carried away and start bowing down to our silicon-based overlords just yet. Even the most tech-savvy among us are still limited to the constraints of their creations, try as they might to convince us otherwise.

Mascots

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A little while ago, WordPress came up with a writing prompt about team colors and mascots I decided on red, white and blue because I didn’t think they would let me get away with black & white stripes.

More important, I came up with the Eagles for a mascot. It seemed logical to me. Today’s game between the Commanders and the Eagles seemed to make it obvious that I chose well.

Then again, just what is the mascot of the commanders. Ever since they changed their name, Washington just doesn’t seem to be able to do much.

Today the Eagles walked all over… Well, they won. I’m just not sure what mascot they beat. Just what is their mascot anyway.

Well, that does settle it. It’s twice as hard to win without a mascot. Do you think Washington really has a chance to make it to a championship without a real mascot mascot? You know, one with a costume. Just what sort of costume does a commander wear, anyway?

Those news readers never get it right

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The difference is, now most of us know it.

Nonetheless, lets go over it to keep the misunderstanding down.

  1. There was no rioting on Jan 6. I didn’t see anyone rioting. Did anybody see any rioting. If you really truly saw any videos of real rioting, please let me know.
  2. The only one killed was a civilian lying down in a no threat position by a policeman. That video I did see many times.
  3. Some people did do damage, t admit. However, by now they paid for their crime in the 4 years since.
  4. There were FBI people in the crowd urging people in.
  5. A signal needs to be sent that our citizenry should never, ever be treated like that again… Ever.
  6. Many of those who were charged never entered the building, which makes them not guilty of any inference of any crimes, not even a minor one. Standing on unsecured ground outside is in no wise illegal.
  7. Finally, again I saw the video many times, Trump never even suggested that they should riot. The dems claimed he did and impeached him for it. They lied and knew they lied over and over. It was totally intentional, being as they too saw the same video I did.

How in the World Did We Learn to Talk?

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I guess the experts tell us that talking started a long time ago, before we knew about nouns and verbs. Now how did that happen? I mean, when I started the fifth grade, my teacher stood in front of the class and said, “A noun is a person place or thing.”

So, how was it that I learned to talk, probably about the age of two. Oddly, I stated using nouns and verbs the way I was supposed to and it would be years yet before I would know what a noun or verb is.

My guess is the talking came first. I suspect not many Romans knew what nouns and verbs were. Nonetheless, they communicated well. Many people today are still reading their writings.

Someone, someday decided to come up with some names for words and rules on how to use them. Truth is, I have no earthly idea when that happened.

Somehow, for, perhaps hundreds of years, we got along without the rules. How can that be? How did we manage to survive without the rules. I wonder if we need them now.

Is it really necessary to know what a dangling participle is? Do we really need to know what an adjective phrase is? Really, for thousands of years we got by without knowing about any of it.

What’s more, 3 and 4-year-olds communicate pretty well without knowing about the existence of parts of speech. Now how is it that they do that?

I am not saying that we don’t need to know some of that. However, I do believe there is too much emphasis placed on it. I mean it is possible for a person to know a lot and not know anything.

The day that Abe Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address, another man spoke for a long time. He was considered to be an expert orator. Yet, today, few if any know his name or what he said.

I don’t know what he said, but he talked for 2 hours and his name was Edward Everett. He was very well educated. You can verify it by looking his name up on the internet. He had credentials as long as my arm, maybe a little longer. I think Abe knew a whole lot more.

The Magnet Theory

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The magnet theory is simple. If you let illegal aliens stay in this country, more will want to come. Yet many well meaning people want to overlook it for various reasons.

They say, if they behave themselves, if they pay taxes and fines, etc. etc…, then let them stay. This overlooks the magnet theory. If you let them stay in any way shape or form, then more will come.

I have my own theory. If you seal the borders, if you send all illegal aliens home, if you record fingerprints and DNA immediately, and if you pass a law that anyone caught living here illegally, they will never, never, ever be allowed citizenship here. The DNA will help enforce this.

Incidentally, it would also stop them from trying to claim unrelated children as kin. It is a process used to “import” child and slave labor.

If these things are done, instantly, those illegally entering this country would drop off to virtually nothing.

In the end, it is more humane. They would not be risking life, limb and rape to get here. It would stop the slave labor. It would drastically reduce the drug and slave trade.

As long as we permit the magnet to remain, dangers of the cartels will persist, south and north of the border, to aliens and American citizens alike. (perhaps, even more for the Americans)

The Problem With Pseudo-Buttons

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My cell phone rings. I pick it up before it rings the second time. It’s easy. I carry it in my shirt pocket. However, I slip up and touch some part of the face of it. SUDDENLY, the pseudo-button I need to use to answer the phone is gone. For some reason, I am looking at some internet screen advertising something I have less than any interest in, and I start searching frantically for those elusive buttons.

I find it and I start to press it as I hear the last ring and the button disappears. It brings to mind another one of my pet complaints, the CEO affect. That’s the one I wrote about a long time ago. You remember it. It is when the CEO of the company never uses his product so he never knows the problems with the things he makes.

I can’t swear to it, but I’d guess the CEO of the company that makes my not so smart phone, does not use the phone he sells. Now I ask you, does that make sense?

I ask you, what is the problem with making the phone so as I can answer it any time it is ringing. Am I asking too much?

As an aside, I really don’t use my phone to surf the web. I have a computer and a pad for that. I have large hands and fingers. I do find it difficult to push those small buttons. Moreover, I am old. I have to wear glasses to read the screen. Some of the stuff on the screen is too small to see even with my magnifiers.

Hint for CEOs: Lock the screen on the phone while it is ringing, please. I don’t need to see some shoe ad while I am answering the phone. Actually, I don’t need to see shoe ads on my phone at all.

One more little thing on my wish list. Can we actually disable the screen while I am not using my phone. The batteries would last longer, you know.

Stupid Doesn’t Get It

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Just how many times have you seen a baseball player do something and you ask, “Why did he do a stupid thing like that?”

I once heard a coach on TV say that when he looked for players, he said that we looked for speed. Hitting, catching, and throwing we can teach. Fast is not learned.” Before I heard him say that, I never understood why I never became a famous baseball player. Now I know.

Regardless of my shortcomings, over the years, I have leaned that another thing is needed to be a good baseball player, intelligence. Stupid doesn’t get it. When the player throws to first when he should have thrown to second, it is learned, but not totally. For sure, some players pick it up on the fly very well. Even so, occasionally, even the pros do things that are really stupid. After it’s all over, they will usually be the first to admit it.

The thing is, regardless of the talent, regardless of the speed, when a player continually does stupid things, the coach starts looking elsewhere. And here’s something else. The same thing is true of football, basketball, golf and tennis. Indeed, it is, to some degree true of most every sport.

You ever notice, quarterbacks have a tendency to be the most intelligent guys on the gridiron? I’m sure no one had to tell you. You likely figured it out by yourself. On the other hand, besides their speed and skill, the linebackers and and safeties are likely pretty smart too. Otherwise, they are likely to hear if from their coach on occasion, “Why did you do a stupid thing like that?” Actually, I suspect my remark cleans it up some.

Most sports have more than physical skills, but also strategies. Of course, from time to time, occasionally, someone slips up and they realize they have been out strategized. I know. I’ve been there. I have found myself wishing I didn’t do the stupid thing.

This is not restricted to sorts. Ask the lawyers. They’ll tell you. Most that have been at it a while have been taught a lesson or two in the courtroom. Ask the businessmen. They know it. Yup. They made a mistake or two. Ask the politicians. I have seen some of those first hand. I am sure that all of them wish they could have taken a step or two back. I’m sure you’ve seen it.

However, when a person takes the leadership of a nation in his hands, it gets serious. Old Joe opened the border. Now Kamala is stuck trying to explain it. Try is the operable word because she can’t. She won’t even try. She realizes any attempt will just make it worse. The fact is, it was one of Old Joe’s stupid things and she knows it.

Old Joe permitted, even took part in driving the prices of oil up. I don’t care what the reason. However, it allowed the Russians and the Iranians to gain great financial gains and power. It allowed them to finance the HAMAS which allowed them to attack Israel. That was stupid. It allowed Russia to attack Ukraine. I believe that most of the Israelis and Ukrainians will say that was a stupid move by Old Joe.

Now my question. After 4 years of stupid, do we really want another 4 years of it? As far as I am concerned, stupid doesn’t get it. I’m ready for someone to take over who actually knows what is going on. I mean, we’re not playing games here. We are talking thousands of lives already lost under Old Joe. It means more lives lost by Kamala, who said she’d not change a thing.

Competition for Dollars

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I don’t much care for repeating this, but those that read my posts vary. So I feel the need to an explanation for some before I proceed.

I am not rich. I basically live off Social Security. With that, I do have to pay for utilities, food and transportation. Mostly, the highlight of the day for my wife and I is going out to eat. Here in Desoto County, we have a wide variety of reasonably priced restaurants that are really pretty good. Many of the people that work at these places have gotten to know me enough to wave at me as they see us entering. We would eat at home but for two things. With just the 2 of us, a lot would get wasted. It is difficult to prepare portions for two. Then too, would you deny us of our one highlight of the day.

Now to get to what I wanted to say. Did you know that there are about 1 million official charities in the US. That means, if I had 1 million dollars and gave one dollar to each charity, I’d be broke again. It is, as I have said, they are all competing for my dollars. And, as mentioned, I don’t have many dollars.

Even if I meticulously pare down all the charities to those I would like to give to, that’s about 20. If I were to give ten dollars to each, that’s $400. Sorry. Can’t afford that. I would have to give up eating for a few days a month. And by the way, there’s a lot of inflation going on out there. I’m having to pay $40 for what I used to pay $25. I am already having to cut back, back at the store and the restaurant. These days, we have to pass on salads and desserts.

The radio station I listen to is a important to me. I have already done away with cable and if the prices keep going up, I’ll have to go to a restaurant to gain access to the internet. However, every time I turn around, someone on the station is coming up with this reason for me to send them money. I’m not going to get specific for these reasons, but I am sure you have an idea.

This time of the year, there are dozens of folks looking for contributions for campaigning. I understand. Really I do. I would like to give them the money. They all have good reasons. On the other hand, over the years, I have also become fond of eating. I hope you understand.

The thing is, they don’t limit themselves to charities. They have businesses that are paying their bills. They are called sponsors. They pay the bills for the radio stations and for the productions. They also pay the salaries of the talk show hosts and their staffs. They all live better than me, I’m sure. So I am quite reluctant to let go of mine.

Still, I have no use for many of the the things they advertise. I mean there are ads tempting me to get security systems. May I remind you, I don’t have much. If a burglar were to break into my house, he’d be tempted to leave me a dollar or two when he saw the way we live. Not much to steal here.

Even so, you must understand. It is a competition for what little I have. If I give to the charities and candidates they want me to give to, I have no money to buy the security system. Even if I had a little money, I would have to be careful, you see. I can’t contribute to the charities and candidates and make the purchases of what all they advertise.

I don’t think I am alone in this. Some are worse off than me. My little house is small and it isn’t worth much. It does need some serious attention, but it is paid for. Some of us living on Social Security can’t say that. Some might be making big house payments too. Some may not yet be on Medicare so they are paying $1800 a month on Obama care.

The truth is, as they compete for the dollars, there are some of us who just don’t have many of the dollars for anything other than paying the bills. I don’t write this out of self-pity, but rather to enlighten those seeking money from those of us who simply don’t have it. It has been my experience that when I say I can’t afford that security system, they think I am lying to them. It’s not my problem if they have a hard time with that.

You can thank Obama care for some of that. Before my wife got on Medicare, I paid out 35,000 on Obama care for my wife. If I hadn’t had to do that, just maybe I would have been just a little more generous. For that, we can thank AARP for backing the plan just enough to get it passed. (I wonder who got a dollar or two for that one. You think maybe AARP and Obama had a few face to face meetings. Does AARP represent the elderly who pay their dues, or Obama?)