“From city halls to county courthouses, from the State house to the White House – bureaucrats control our lives. Public servants who often try to become our masters. People whose salaries we pay, but what goods and services do we get? On Sierra Wave’s Bureaucrat Beat, we’ll report what they’re up to.” That’s the Bureaucrat Beat declaration of dissatisfaction, but as you may know, Bureaucrat Beat talks about so much more.
Like the Post Office. We in the Bureaucrat Beat Newsroom do love the Post Office, in spite of some obsessive regulatory attitudes. It’s a service we need, and the Post Office, partially funded by the federal government, loses billions of dollars per year. To help stall the financial slide, the P.O. has decided to launch a fashion line – for men only!! What are they thinking?? Don’t they know women are the world’s premiere shoppers?
The clothing line will be called Rain Heat & Snow. The P.O. will collect royalties from sales. They will sell outerwear, sportswear, casual wear, athletic wear and seasonal wear – for men only!! What’s up with this? Is it requirement that the P.O. shoot itself in the foot? Oh, all right, eventually, they claim, they will include women.
Smith & Wesson doesn’t care what gender buys their products. News reports say that S & W’s third-quarter earnings more than tripled from the previous year. Like locusts, Americans have cleaned out huge gun stores’ shelves. Fear of gun control, and some unnamed terror has driven up sales. This year, Smith & Wesson reported a third-quarter profit of $14.6 million compared to last year’s $4.4 million.
Love the story about the Crystal Geyser employee who sued for discrimination – he is an overweight white man. Before the judgment came down in his favor, he had lunch with his lawyer at the Merry-Go-Round in Lone Pine. His fortune cookie said look for financial gain ahead. He was awarded more than half a million, in total. We in the Bureaucrat Beat Newsroom have made reservations for lunch.
Way over half million – the latest DMV debacle. According to the LA Times, a half-finished, $208 million computer project was iced for lack of progress. They spent $135 million before trashing a big part of it. The part that would have overhauled vehicle registration is dead in Sacramento waters.
That’s not the only computer nightmare in the State’s capital. A computer upgrade for the state’s payroll system came to an ugly end after spending $254 million!!
On a more soothing note, David and Janet Carle of Lee Vining have issued a new book after they traveled outside cities across Japan, Korea, China, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Greece, Sicily, Spain, Portugal, the Azores Islands, and the U.S. Their book, “Traveling the 38th Parallel”, indeed follows that line of demarcation around the world and bisects familiar territory at Mono Lake. The book chronicles the Carle’s adventures. The book’s inside cover says, “Former park rangers, the authors set out on an around-the-world journey in search of water-related environmental and cultural intersections along the 38th parallel.” The book focuses on many who are “struggling to preserve some of the world’s most amazing, yet threatened, landscapes.”
Back down to the ugly depths – lots of scams about these days. For heaven’s sake, don’t give strangers personal information, don’t trust a weird story over the phone or in email. Sadly, you can’t even use your credit/ debit cards for shopping without fear of someone stealing your numbers. A Bishop man said he found out his card numbers were hacked when his bank told him about a charge on his card in a jewelry store in Italy! He was one of the some 200 Bishop people whose cards were scammed.
Did you catch “Hotel Impossible” and the crew’s re-do at Alpenhof Lodge? Great story and a lesson to all of us in business – we’re only human, we need to grow and change, it’s not scary. Especially if Anthony Melchiorri comes to visit.
Let us pray that the Koch brothers do not visit their ownership on the Los Angeles Times and other Tribune papers. The obsessive brothers like to wield political power with their big bucks. If you dig extremist, right-wing life, you’ll love the Koch brothers. That kind of out of balance lifestyle is not compatible with news media ownership.
We’re not the only ones miffed at LADWP. Parents of students at Marquez Elementary Charter School at Pacific Palisades have launched a major campaign to stop DWP from building a power distribution station right next to the school. Parents point to “regular accidents at distribution stations around the country, risk of fire and explosions, and health risks like childhood leukemia from the electromagnetic field.”
Poor DWP. Those pesky members of the public always get in the way!
With that, this is Benett Kessler, signing off for Bureaucrat Beat where we await your word on our lives in the Eastern Sierra and beyond.
People who question what our founding fathers intended should look at the gun laws back then.
Mean while according to the latest CNN Poll the support for Gun Control is dipping especially over the past few months. http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/18/cnn-poll-is-support-for-gun-control-dipping/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po6Vr2j8ZJY
To the person with endless monikers and hateful language: I thought of you when I saw this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGwtG8nVpUU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pilG7PCV448
Does anyone have any ideas about why the founding fathers included the phrase,”A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state”?
Because they remembered the British and how we won our freedom.
BK
Benett- I wonder what Thomas Paine would write about the gun control issue… and other issues for that matter (in today’s context).
Not sure, but I opened my copy of “Common Sense, Rights of Man, and other essential writings of Paul Paine.” I saw his Declaration of Rights. Number IV says, “Political Liberty consists in the power of doing whatever does not injure another. The exercise of the natural rights of every… Read more »
It always baffles me as to whe some people love to bring up what “The Founding Fathers” did or did not do back then as the end-all to any disputed subject today. As if 1776 was just last week and society is exactly the way its always been. And speaking… Read more »
If you’re going to quote me Dr Facts, quote me in the context it was meant, not in the twisted hate you seem to perpetuate. I’m glad to see you quoting that same comment not once but twice, I guess it made too much sense, so you are using it… Read more »
Because the threat of the British and untamed Indians posed a immediate threat to the colony’s so it was very pertinent to have a well REGULATED within each colony at that time! Pro 2nd amendment folks Just need to admit it that, They don’t care about anybody else and not… Read more »
Jereniah- that is hogwash. People have been killing each other long before any type of gun was invented. And they will continue to. Look at the Romans and Vikings glory days. It’s like blaming the car makers for my speeding tickets.
The monkeys first clubbed the other monkey to death, with a bone or a stick .. he didn’t even know he murdered the other one. The first man clubbed another man to death, he was probably like look what I invented!
Here, is an example of how some Americans feel about gun control. Also perhaps a prime example of how people they should express themselves (angry, bitter, nasty) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-34dy_rpyOc I know posters on this blog such as Big Al are great pontificators and would prefer “we leave the junk behind” (don’t… Read more »
Oh my a third time quoting me Dr. oh me .. I am so honored .. thank you thank you very much!
Trouble people believe what they want to believe, or what they have been conditioned to believe! A speeding ticket and a love ones life is not comparable, so please miss me with your juvenile remarks. The solution to our tainted culture is nowhere in sight, so how irresponsible does that… Read more »
They are only in sight if we allow ourselves to see them Jerry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJr3VVXfxAU
Interesting point of view on gun lovers.
Here is a better one on guns:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=0sujnvIV4g4
Yah, I have my gun locked away and the key is hidden. I would never want it to escape its locker and go out on a killing spree. So I keep it locked away.
John, to my best ability I respectfully disagree. The whole people kill people saying is just a short cut to dismissal. A short cut of dismissal to acknowledge the FACT the less guns equals less incidents. I guess it’s hard for a gun owner to admit guns do kill people… Read more »
Thanks Jeremiah. I have now locked away my baseball bat in my gun safe in case it wanted to go postal and take out some people.
Hey good for you Joe! If you can’t use the bat to hit baseballs/softballs then yeah, put it away!!
Ever notice the correlation between how active the NRA becomes after the GOP gets their butts kicked in a presidential election … twice? Also interesting is how fast the GOP is trying (wisely) to thoroughly distance itself from the Tea Party … if it ever wants to win another election.… Read more »
Gun Control is such a petty issue when it comes down to the real problems we face. It’s blown way out of proportion. But I am gonna say people will very well need their guns to survive when the next currency collapse happens. So You may say I am flip… Read more »
You bring up a hard, cold fact, Jeremiah. The most straight-shooting economists are telling us that the glory days, post WWII, of America (especially the world-famous middle class) are gone. For decades, a person (especially in California) could bet on the property he bought (or inherited) would increase in value,… Read more »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK0tbb1LFfw
This is the sort of paranoia (and outright lies) that exists today.
And it’s always our party is better than your liberal party.
The NRA tries it’s best to keep our rights not just to only keep and bear arms, but also through their efforts they help preserve our liberty. If the govt. takes away our rights to keep and bear arms, then they can do what ever they want with us, and… Read more »
How many guns do you think you need to protect yourself? Question number one. Plus, I will just say that there are a number of court decisions regarding guns that show there can be some regulation on weapons although this does not keep us from owning guns and protecting ourselves.… Read more »
Benett- Someone told me the other day, that with every new law is another freedom taken away. My right to bear arms is already a joke once I step outside my front door . Pepper spray and a whistle just piss off people that are out of control . I… Read more »
You might read the second amendment. I did last night, and it’s fairly open-ended re: personal possession of firearms for personal reasons. There are also Supreme Court decisions allowing states to regulate firearms and other issues. I frankly don’t know what new laws I would support. It’s just obvious that… Read more »
I disagree about the 2nd amendment being open ended. The original intent is plainly obvious in that citizens have always possessed guns since its inception. Somewhere along the line we went from a society that self regulated to a society that is completely dependant on government. I think Benjamin Franklin… Read more »
Mr. Franklin certainly had the insight to understand the nature of man through the ages. Truly, giving up liberty for safety leaves us nowhere – remember the liberties surrendered under the Patriot Act, ongoing poking into our emails and other communications without warrants. FYI – Here is the 2nd Amendment:… Read more »
I maintain a collection of various firearms dating back to the late 1800s which I use to hunt and shoot with on a recreational basis. I appreciate the workmanship that went into them. Like a stamp or baseball collection, one can accumulate literally hundreds of guns representing different makers, styles… Read more »
Consider reading our precious first amendment, I am sure it is close to your heart as it is mine. When I read it I understand its intent yet see its vulnerability when subjected to interpretation and doubt. I believe that threatening our second amendment puts all other freedoms in jeopardy.… Read more »
The question isn’t how many guns does it take to protect yourself, but rather how many laws does it take to protect yourself. Laws do little to protect people. Criminals find ways around laws and the law abiding citizens are left as victims. I’m referring to white collar crime too,… Read more »
Points well made. People are the ultimate cause and point of potential self control.
Benett
Benett – The presence of weapons might or might not have an effect on human behavior. It depends on the individual, thus the familiarity with the gun and its use or simply the personality of the subject. We have to realize that everything influences behavior, such as our surroundings and… Read more »
John Barton who is to rationalize how much guns is enough to protect yourself? We have become so accustomed to blowing each other away in this country, we have become desensitized to the fact. Why make arguments on speculation? In areas with the highest gun ratio have the highest gun… Read more »
You are missing the point completely and your arguments are without coherent logic. Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. The place of government is not to dictate what and how many “things” I can have but rather to control what I can and can’t do with them such as… Read more »
It really isn’t about how many guns you need to protect yourself, it is also the right to own them, if one wants to collect guns such as one collects cars, then they should be able too. I will say it again Benett, this is just the tip of the… Read more »
Nonsense! The NRA is a shill for the GOP and one of the largest lobbyists in Washington. Every so often (like copulating dogs in the street) the NRA and the GOP go on the warpath, whip up anger and resentment amongst our most unhappy voters, and create more political garbage… Read more »
In 1959, the Gallup poll showed that 59% of Americans supported banning handgun possession. In 2011, the Gallup poll showed that 26% supported banning handgun possession. In 1990, the Gallup poll showed that 78% of Americans supported stricter laws on gun sales than were existing at the time, 17% felt… Read more »
Big Al, What are you talking about “if the govt. takes away our rights to keep and bare arms” ?? What’s that? and which one of 20 something executive orders does it say the gov’t is gonna take the 2nd amendment away?? To me it’s about a logical way to… Read more »
Not unlike the famous rat experiment, (where the rats were allowed to multiply until there were so many of them their society completely broke down) too many human beings stuffed together like rats, produces some who take to violent measures and lose their way.
You are soooo right Dr.!
If we had a well regulated militia , I would join one. Just to shut you tea toddlers all up.
Well Jerry, if you can’t see it now, you will. I am surprised you feel this way about the govt. wanting to take our freedom away, with all that you write. The laws of nature are well and good, but they will fall by the wayside as well .. when… Read more »
Big Al this illusion of freedom you speak of is comical. What is era of ones perceived freedom are you referring to? We are not free! And we see proof of it everyday, But if people want to buy into the illusion of freedom and live their content lives, that’s… Read more »
Be careful there, Jeremiah.
When you shed light on the greedy and how corporations are effing up everything, you run the risk of being labled “a commie.” Or worse yet … “a liberal.”
(with a wide grin)
Jeremiah – Here are some more facts re: the NRA our Tea Party folk don’t like to talk about: The NRA is criticized by groups advocating for gun control such as Americans for Gun Safety, Brady Campaign, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Million Mom March. Some newspaper editorial boards… Read more »
I am gonna weigh in on the gun control first, yep guns sales sky rocket. And the gun manufactures thank all the doomsday preppers, thank all the paranoid ammo and gun stockers, all the people who believe this congress can actually pass a bill that the people support. what good… Read more »
By the way, LA County Coroners Office has long sold their gift shop gifts to the public through the internet. Want a toe tag with your name on it? Just order it. How about a beach towel with a chalk outline of a body? No really, it’s true. Again, you… Read more »
OMG! Very strange. I wonder if they make money for their department.
BK
OMG LMAO!! That’s funny .. hehe.
The humor ends though when showing up to identify loved ones.
Benett I felt the need to correct you. The USPS is not partially funded by the federal government it recieves no funding from the federal government.
You are essentially right. The USPS remains controlled to a large degree by the federal government and only receives subsidies for disabled and overseas voter mailings. Congress passed an act that requires the USPS to pre-pay retirees health funds for ten years. No other federal agency has to do this.… Read more »
These and the many, many other services rendered from government employees are warmly welcomed. They make America the great country it is.
I have no problem whatsoever paying taxes to continue receiving these services.
A happy taxpayer – ok, but are you happy with the value you’re getting from your tax dollar?
Imagine this country being run by the mega-rich and their stooges – Corporate America. (Isn’t this the way it really is?) While the rich buy up everything in sight, they throw an occasional bone to the little guy. Lately the mega-rich has masterfully convinced a certain group of people to… Read more »
Don’t forget to mention that, unlike UPS and FedEx, the USPS cannot close post offices, change the days of service or raise postal rates without Congress voting in agreement. So far Congress has absolutely tied the hands of USPS management to control their costs.
I have seen some very big transportation companies buy computer systems and software that never worked as advertised and had to be scrapped in a couple of years after purchase. FedEx is one of these. Anyone who has ever had to deal with SAP knows how bad “enterprise softwar” can… Read more »
I think .. the men only line is a start, actually, a test run before they run the women’s line. After all .. they start with the easy choice … men … LOL … they are not so picky, so it it is a success then they know they can… Read more »
Imagine there’s no heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today… Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in… Read more »