I have never been a big fan of politicians. As you may have surmised, I have a problem with egocentric self-serving bloviators who misuse their power.
I am a big fan of those in elected office who genuinely heed the call to make things better for the citizens of this country and others on the planet. I cannot, at this moment, cite the name of a single individual who meets this criteria. Give me a moment...(2 hours pass) Ok, Ok, I guess I am an unreasonable idealist. The system does not elect people who truly want to help others. Those who are elected are not the best and brightest; they tend to be the most ruthless and single-minded.
I am sad today. Last night, I stayed-up to watch the biggest and most vexing public relations stunt I have had the misfortune to witness on TV. It was put on by our elected officials in the House of Representatives. Fortunately, "Desperate Housewives" was a re-run, so there was not much competition for viewers who could tune in to C-Span and watch the spectacle.
In a nutshell, the Republicans managed to call a Sunday night primetime appearance to pass a bill to force the Federal court to review the Schievo case. Supporters of the bill were unconvinced by the Florida State Court system that had on 17 previous occasions decided that the poor woman who had no higher brain functions should no longer be kept alive by artificial means. The Democrats, to their credit, tried not to debate the right to life/die issue. Instead they maintained that this was a family issue that had already been decided in due legal process. Thus it did not apply to the nation and was not a matter for the US Congress to decide.
The irony of the situation made you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Here is the body of government that - just last week cut - the funding for starving children in the USA, and has consistently failed to provide decent health care benefits to war veterans. Moreover, you'd have thought that the USA was a Theocracy from the way US Reps were out there, quoting scripture and invoking the name of God.
As if they know what God wants.
The proponents of the bill have opened-up Pandora's Box. In a shameless play for the support of the religious Right, they have turned the US Congress into a dysfunctional claque of special interests - for sale to the highest bidder.
I have to go now, and write a letter to my congressman. Maybe they will pass a law to help me to get my old job back.
3/21/2005
By The Way
By the way, for me, life is not merely existence. Nor do I believe that it it a precedent to something else. My only reason for continuing in this life is the hope of a pleasant day, a good meal and a cold beer. Without these to look forward to, what is the point?
Just in case I am not here to ask, or if am suffering a condition that renders me unble to express my wishes, here is my official and binding statement: "I do NOT wish to be kept alive by artificial means if competent medical authority deems that there is little or no hope for recovery." Should you find me in such a condition, please place a fluffy pillow over my face and hold it there for a long time. I will be sure to come over and thank you in the afterlife, if there is one.
Just in case I am not here to ask, or if am suffering a condition that renders me unble to express my wishes, here is my official and binding statement: "I do NOT wish to be kept alive by artificial means if competent medical authority deems that there is little or no hope for recovery." Should you find me in such a condition, please place a fluffy pillow over my face and hold it there for a long time. I will be sure to come over and thank you in the afterlife, if there is one.
3/14/2005
Manana
Ok stop yelling at me. I haven't felt like writing lately. Believe it or not, writing the blog is an easy thing to put off. I am busy and there are lots of other things going on.
Some people think that procrastination is the thief of time. All of my life, I have been reading time management aphorisms decrying the tendancy to delay until tomorrow that which can be done today. Do it now.
Quotes like: "Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried," have haunted me for years. Still, I have continued to plod on the wayward path of frittering last-minute idlers. I am the one who turns in his taxes just under the deadline on April 15th regardless of whether I am getting a refund or paying. If I am traveling, I finish packing as the car warms-up for the trip to the airport. If I have a report due on Monday, I start working on it Sunday night, after the 11 O'clock news.
I know I am not alone. In fact, I believe that there is a genetic component in what I call the Manana Syndrome My parents had it and so do my siblings. We have all been conditioned by goal-oriented society to be ashamed of our tardy tendancies.
The sign over my desk intones:
There are hundreds of books and seminars designed to overcome Procrastination. But there are virtually no guides to help people overcome their sense of urgency.
But at last I have found the reason why people behave this way: It Works.
One writer, John Perry, dignifies his tendancy to dally, labelling it Structured Procrastination. And there was another piece in April 05 Money by David Futrelle examining the positive side of procrastination.
Most of us who are successful procrastinators work exceedingly well under pressure. The fear of failure that drives most people to "get it done now" does not haunt the breast of a good procrastinator. We see our TV watching and paper shuffling as preparation time. We are terribly creative. We can find a million reasons Not to do something. The less gifted simply start working on the task. They will probably be done while we are still considering the options. Then, they fill their time with even more tasks to get done. I ask you, "What kind of life is that?"
We procrastinators make everything we do more interesting, adventurous and important. Seeing the deadline right smack in front of you charges up the adrenilin. "The sight of the guillotine tends to focus the mind" - another quote I have been carrying around on a yellow sticky note to enter into my journal, someday.
Some people think that procrastination is the thief of time. All of my life, I have been reading time management aphorisms decrying the tendancy to delay until tomorrow that which can be done today. Do it now.
Quotes like: "Procrastination is the grave in which opportunity is buried," have haunted me for years. Still, I have continued to plod on the wayward path of frittering last-minute idlers. I am the one who turns in his taxes just under the deadline on April 15th regardless of whether I am getting a refund or paying. If I am traveling, I finish packing as the car warms-up for the trip to the airport. If I have a report due on Monday, I start working on it Sunday night, after the 11 O'clock news.
I know I am not alone. In fact, I believe that there is a genetic component in what I call the Manana Syndrome My parents had it and so do my siblings. We have all been conditioned by goal-oriented society to be ashamed of our tardy tendancies.
The sign over my desk intones:
On the beaches of hesitation
Bleach the bones of countless thousands
Who, at the moment of victory
Sat down to wait
And, waiting, perished.
There are hundreds of books and seminars designed to overcome Procrastination. But there are virtually no guides to help people overcome their sense of urgency.
But at last I have found the reason why people behave this way: It Works.
One writer, John Perry, dignifies his tendancy to dally, labelling it Structured Procrastination. And there was another piece in April 05 Money by David Futrelle examining the positive side of procrastination.
Most of us who are successful procrastinators work exceedingly well under pressure. The fear of failure that drives most people to "get it done now" does not haunt the breast of a good procrastinator. We see our TV watching and paper shuffling as preparation time. We are terribly creative. We can find a million reasons Not to do something. The less gifted simply start working on the task. They will probably be done while we are still considering the options. Then, they fill their time with even more tasks to get done. I ask you, "What kind of life is that?"
We procrastinators make everything we do more interesting, adventurous and important. Seeing the deadline right smack in front of you charges up the adrenilin. "The sight of the guillotine tends to focus the mind" - another quote I have been carrying around on a yellow sticky note to enter into my journal, someday.
3/02/2005
Poor CEO's
News Item:
There was a big, protracted fight within HP stockholders about the merger/takeover. During this time, the uncertainty about the future tainted everything. New projects froze. Plans were put on hold. Budgets were constrained, management was scared and clueless. My workplace became a Hellhole.
In the end, Carly won the day. HP took over and the bloodbath at Compaq began. We watched helplessly as our contacts were laid-off. The relationships Compaq had developed with suppliers was nullified as HP asserted it's power. The inevitable happened: my job went away along with many others at the Hellhole. Thanks, Carly.
After two years, skillions of dollars, many thousands of casualties (both at Compaq and its suppliers) the HP board finally realized what I could have told them in the first place: Carly was wrong. She was punished severely, sent packing with a mere $21 Million severance to ease the sting of her public humiliation. She is eligible for unemployment benefits on top of that.
My severance was two months pay, plus unused vacation. This barely covered my tab at the local gin mill.
My last real job was going pretty well until Carly Fiorina decided that HP needed to buy Compaq. My company had a big contract, managing all the contract staffing at Compaq in the USA. My role was essentially to keep the customer happy. I was making good money and life was good. Then came the HP cloud."(WASHINGTON) Carly Fiorina, who lost her job as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard three weeks ago, has emerged as a strong candidate to become president of the World Bank, according to an official in the Bush administration..."
There was a big, protracted fight within HP stockholders about the merger/takeover. During this time, the uncertainty about the future tainted everything. New projects froze. Plans were put on hold. Budgets were constrained, management was scared and clueless. My workplace became a Hellhole.
In the end, Carly won the day. HP took over and the bloodbath at Compaq began. We watched helplessly as our contacts were laid-off. The relationships Compaq had developed with suppliers was nullified as HP asserted it's power. The inevitable happened: my job went away along with many others at the Hellhole. Thanks, Carly.
After two years, skillions of dollars, many thousands of casualties (both at Compaq and its suppliers) the HP board finally realized what I could have told them in the first place: Carly was wrong. She was punished severely, sent packing with a mere $21 Million severance to ease the sting of her public humiliation. She is eligible for unemployment benefits on top of that.
My severance was two months pay, plus unused vacation. This barely covered my tab at the local gin mill.
I guess I'm finding it hard to garner sympathy for the poor CEO's in the news. ( Poor Bernie, no one told him about the fraudulent accounting; poor Martha, she had to do jail time for doing what everyone does). But above all, poor Carly - what idiot would want to hire her, after the HP fiasco?
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