At a loss logic

Long day. Blogging with a friend from past school days (real long past). Logic. A topic in it's own, even without the recent reasons given by recent local city events. Education. Leadership. Actions. Learning curves. All associated with my recent bout of heartburn. Things we learned before being turned out to rule the world. Morales. Honesty. Responsibility.
Why would a person with multiple 'Masters' employ a manager that only attained a minor education? Failed in past employment charges, due to this lack of training and exhibiting a failure to safeguard his employees and employers from risk. Filling a position that oversees engineers, employees that are trained and educated in skilled disciplines and specific licenced personnel? And then discriminate against the very requested educated employees that the city spent many years changing the requirements of positions to fill? A very simple answer could be 'politics'. If one was a simple person, this answer may suffice. A detailed study may produce an opinion of a more systematic problem America is facing today. One that I take hits upon discussion groups everywhere. Being of an educated world carries responsibilities that the 'common' man does not prat ice. Spending the first third of ones impressionable life in training for the release to the world has it's limitations. Usually in the presentation of one's opinions that a higher education of the elite nature, positions one above and beyond all lesser subjects. We see the results every day. When one acts out their education with less concern for facts.

In days past, we were taught that in order to drive an automobile, one would need to respect the 'right' to drive and observe laws, placed for all our protections. I do not remember the death toll from automobile driving to be nearly ashigh as it it is reported today. MB A's mean that common sense does not necessarily apply. We teach our children of their 'rights' prior to their responsibility. We discriminate to our own means.

Making decisions on half a story in my day was considered lying. Laziness in acquiring the truth is also a dying trend. Breaking laws used to be unforgivable and carried a very stiff penalty. Now, if you don't like a restriction, just ignore it, in time it will become accepted by attrition.

Back to politics. why is it that when one wins an election by a majority of votes, not necessarily more than 50% of the total available votes, one becomes a GOD? One and final opinion?

Strange world we live in.

 I have had the extreme pleasure to meet and be taught by many wondrous teachers. Some even highly educated, but the first to exhibit 'not overly'. The bottom line from an especially brilliant professor in physiology told his class at the beginning of every meeting " COMMON SENSE CANNOT BE TAUGHT HERE", "that, my charges, is totally up to you to learn and apply on your own". That, in my latter years, has stuck out as the most singularly best piece of information that I ever took away from a teacher's efforts. And it gets more true as every day passes in my life.

Not all educators are leaders. Not all leaders are educated. Not all education is useful, unless in the correct environment and person.

Believing

Reading a published news page this AM I find a story about telling your Friend about a cheating spouse very appropriate for this week's learning lesson from Shitty Hall. A dilemma that is interestingly similar to local politics. When you take a chance and point out the errors of appointed officials and the leader responsible to investigate the charge turns on you, reveals confidential conversations and takes the retribution path you attempted to avoid out on you. What do you do? Ignore event from the start? Let illegal activities continue? Hide the instance and live with the consequences? Or report the whole mess to authorities above the politicians and move on to a new more honest life?

Me, I choose honesty. I'll take my lumps for my freedom from oppression and political bullying that comes with the blind faith management style that comes with failed management styles. Irish Catholic upbringing I guess.

Changes

Sometime change is good. Long awaited and necessary. The conditions that drive the need for change are important to the changes required. Change, just to meet one own's agenda is another matter. Truth does not lie with in one opinion only. When decisions are made only upon one opinion, oppression is delivered to a whole new group and support is eroded by a new class of participants. Changing from one oppression to apply another oppression is not good change. Closing the door to communication is discrimination in its own form. Blind faith in people has a cost. Trust is important for politicians and leaders. Laws and contracts are the terms that keep communications open for most enjoined parties. Discriminating in communications just to apply change is not good change.
The first impression you make, lasts forever. Trust is built, not demanded.

Hackers!

So, someone actually reads these comments. Taking the time to hack into the site to remove comments shows that my comments are affeting at least one person. I wonder why only two comments were deleated and not the first? Hum. Security has been up graded, but comments remain open.
Dan

Money, money, money.

5/1/2010






Uncollected Taxes. Uncollected bills. Reports of low cash, no cash and bills gone unpaid.



Is this our government at work?



Where is our money applied and what is planned for services to the tax and rate payers of Newburyport MA?



I am really surprised (discouraged) at the lack of questions coming from the public on these issues. It does appear that all is not well with Newburyport City finances and very little is being addressed publically. Questions on expenditure and oversight are alarmingly absent from the public.



It is odd that a new treasurer is leaving, the auditor 'finds' $2 million in uncollected property taxes, that the city, in our name has not pursued recovery, by law and there is no public or city council outcry for an audit of the city accounts and processes to protect the taxpayers!



I have been researching the city approved budgets and the actual spending allowed and I, for one, am alarmed at the expenses allowed and the trend to just spend more on needless programs.



We have seen cutbacks and reductions in areas that are basic support, being transferred to line items not approved by our elected council, or apparently not fully legal expenditures and there is no follow up on public representation or notice. Open books are not being examined by the taxpayers and shenanigans are assumed in an open air environment.



Tax money being spent like a' drunken sailor on leave' and intermingled with department funds that are not approved by the budgets approved by our elected officials or stolen and never repaid to the accounts are not being spoken by the lips of the taxpayers. Apathy seems to be the new political wave. Sadly, we will see more reductions in services due to the ignorance of the taxpayers to over see our own government.

Dan