Musing: Government

Musing of one thinking about the roving reporter who encountered a Rocky mountain hermit asked what he thought of Obama, and was told "I don't know, I've never heard that song".

There seems to be a general view among high government executives that entering upon a high government job automatically endows one with a some sort of omniscience and endows them with an ethical standard that is at least an order of magnitude higher than that of anyone in the private sector. With all due respect to everybody, this just isn't so. The government is run by fallible human beings who are no smarter than the rest of us, and they should remember that they function to serve not to rule.

Enough pontification for today.

Musing of one watching a man trying to verify a rumor that President Obama offered the mayor of Detroit a contract to consult on running a bankrupt government

Soliloquizing the other day I concluded that the administration has embarked on a long range plan to convert our political system into a one party system, similar to what the communist countries have. This involves spending more and more money on various assistance programs and if-so-facto influencing all the beneficiaries to vote for the party in power. The inevitable result would be that eventually the party in power would dominate both legislative and executive branches and maybe even the third branch. And so we would arrive at a point where we would have de facto dictatorship. That's not a very appealing prospect.

Musing of one watching three ants, two on one side, trying to move a leaf in opposite directions. The leaf was not moving.

So now we have the grand debacle of the government shut down because of the inflexible positions of two or three politicians. It is too bad we don't have someone like Ronald Reagan (Republican) and Tip O'Neill ( Democrat). When serious problems arose those two would sit down together and work them out. I think our current crop of politicians could take a lesson from Reagan and O'Neill. But as inflexible as they are, they probably won't.

Somehow we will muddle through this.

Musing of one thinking about the super salesman (the same one who sold the bear 2 tickets to the San Diego Zoo), who went to Washington, encountered a Congressman and tried to sell him 2 tickets for a guided tour of the Capitol, only to realize later that the Congressman had sold him the Washington Monument...

I have heard on TV news and talk shows much discussion about the national debt and the arguments about raising the ceiling.  But I have seen no discussion whatever about the annual budget and the need to balance it if the debt ceiling is to be maintained at its present level.  I realize that many people are out of work and currently dependent on some form of government aid, but there are other things which could be done, e.g. consolidating functions, eliminating unnecessary activities, freezing pay scales and the like.  It would be nice to see somebody in Congress worrying about this part of the government's fiscal situation. 

Musing of one wondering if one develops into a wizened up little old man when he ages, what did Methusaleh look like when he passed 900…

The other day, a bear broke into a house in our neighborhood.  A man in the house saw him and ran to shut the door from the kitchen into the next room.  He and the bear arrived simultaneously and a shoving match ensued.  The man trying to shut the door and the bear trying to push it further open.  In the process, the bear bit the man on the hand.  Eventually, the bear got tired of it and walked away.  According to the newspaper account, the man went to the doctor to have his hand treated and then left the state and went to Oklahoma.  I don't know if he was the owner of the house.  I guess one could conclude from this episode that kitchens in this neighborhood are adequate, but just bearly.  OW. 

Musing of one thinking about the man who inadvertently stepped backwards into a revolving door and found himself coming and going…

The other day, as old folks are wont to do, I was simultaneously philosophizing and reminiscing.  I got on the subject of humbling experiences and a couple of those which I had immediately came to mind. 

1. Late in World War II, I was drafted and the receptionist in our office arranged a farewell reception for me.  Then I went off to do my duty while Mary Kay and the kids settled in with her parents.  About 2 years later, having been discharged, I went over to the office to get my old job back.  I walked into the lobby and the same receptionist was there. I said "Hi Mary," and she said "Hi."  I looked around the lobby and said "Well, it's good to be back."  And after a slight pause, she said, "Have you been somewhere?"  Out of sight, out of mind. 

2. After I retired, Mary Kay and I opened a public accounting office in Thousand Oaks, CA.  One of our tax clients, whom we considered to be an elderly lady (she was probably in her 70s), liked to drop in and chat with Mary Kay.  On one of these occasions, it developed that both of them were interested in collecting something (teacups maybe?).  And she invited us over to see her collection.  So one night after dinner, we went over to her apartment.  She served us coffee and dessert and when we were finished, she got up and said "Come on Mary Kay, I'll show you my collection," and started down the hall with Mary Kay following.  She didn't say anything to me, so I stayed put.  She took several steps, paused, half-turned, and said, "What's-his-name can come to if he wants to."  Sometimes you make an impression, sometimes you don't.  And so it goes. 

Musing of one thinking about the guy who checked in to an upscale hotel on the East Coast, went to his room, opened a folder marked local attractions and found a copy of an IRS instructions for line-dancing...

I think Congress is going at the border thing the wrong way.  They are providing a line of defense and when that happens the opponent will look for ways to get over, under, around, or through it.  What they need to do is provide a strong disincentive so that people won't want to come in the first place.  An example would be no public assistance of any kind to those who cannot show legal residence.  A second disincentive would be to provide that children born here of parents here illegally would not be legal US citizens (this is consonant with what the Supreme Court said way back in 1893).  I think that once would-be illegal immigrants learn of such disincentives, they would not be inclined to get into the US.  I do believe that the border defense should be set up anyway because some people are bound to try entry in the hope of some kind of gain. 

I'm not familiar with the details of the immigration bill currently in the US Senate.  But it seems to be concerned with legalizing the status of people already here rather than preventing more from coming in. 

Musing of one wondering what really happened to the young Roman who tried to arrange a tryst with Caesar's wife and was caught red-handed...

The other day, as old folks often do, I got into a reminiscent mode.  When I was a kid going to school, I had a part-time job at a service station.  When a customer pulled up to the gas pumps, two of us would go out to service the car (there were 4 of us altogether).  While one was putting gasoline in the tank, the other would lift the hood (which in those days was hinged at the top) and check the oil, water and battery.  Once he had done that, he would proceed to check the tires, while the one who had been filling the tank was washing all the windows.  Anything to keep the customer or perhaps secure a repeat customer.  These operations of course took a few minutes.  I began to wonder what it would look like if the same procedure were being followed today.  The line of cars waiting to get to the gas pumps would probably be 9 miles long. 

I also had a part-time job in another service station.  One of its customers was the playwright Zoe Akin who had a European limousine (I think it was a Hispano Suiza) and a very finicky chauffeur.  If one drop of gasoline was spilled on the finish of the car, he went high order.  He also stood over us as we checked the oil, water, and tires to make sure we were doing a proper job. 

Not long after I went to work at that station, I noticed there was an office identified as a tire sales office.  I noticed that women were always running in and out of that one office, which was run by one guy.  Eventually, I deduced that the guy was a bookie and sometime later, he disappeared and one of the other guys said he thought Jim had gone to Canada.  So I assumed he had incurred the wrath of the mob and took off to save his skin. 

Thanks to all of those who have made comments.

As to the size of government, I think it's interesting at least from an empirical standpoint that most of the large governments are those of poor nations.  Perhaps a better criterion would be the size of government relative to the population.  On the other hand, who knows? 

Musing of one thinking about the atheist who absent-mindedly wandered into a church, encountered a priest, and tried to sell him a box of nothing...

All of the scandal going on in the Federal Government reminds me of some remarks I made about the nature of government not long after I established this blog.  I said in effect, that government is not a separate being but rather (paraphrasing Chief Justice Marshall) "...an artificial being, invisible, intangible..."  It's affairs are conducted by fallible human beings who are no smarter than the rest of us.  It follows that government should be as small as possible and that it's employees should always bear in mind that they are servants of the people, not rulers.  This position has about as much chance of prevailing as one who tried to shoot down a drone with a BB gun. 

Apropos of nothing, the other morning, one of my caregivers and I were sitting at the breakfast table and somehow the conversation turned to handkerchiefs.  She wondered what we did with them in my younger days.  So I told her.  When a guy went out on a date, unless they were going to participate in a sport, such as tennis, he wore a suit.  And in the breast pocket of that suit, he usually carried an extra handkerchief.  This was for the use of his date if she needed it.  The girl usually carried her own dainty handkerchief in her purse along with her mad money and cosmetics.  (Kleenex existed at the time but apparently was not widely used.)  If she needed the handkerchief, he would offer it to her and she could use it for the rest of the evening.  She would take the handkerchief home, wash and iron it, and return it to him at the next opportunity.  If she was interested in the guy, the return of the handkerchief might be accompanied by some encouraging hints; if not, there would just be a routine thank you. 

Somehow my caregiver, a young woman, found this screamingly funny.  And so I'm happy that even though I'm not a comedian, I was able to amuse a member of the younger generation. 

Musing of one wondering how many literate people there were in the world when the Iliad and the Odyssey were written...

I guess we old folks tend to get confused, but I've been pondering what I think is the mother of all confusion.  News broadcasts and talk shows tell me that ObamaCare will save everyone a wad of cash or it will cost taxpayers a trillion dollars over the next 10 years.  I think you'll have to admit that would confuse anybody, no matter what that person's age.  In my view, it epitomizes the state of the nation-everyone is confused and no one knows what to do about it.  And so we go merrily down the road which may lead to eventual chaos.  Sic transit gloria mundi.  (Loosely translated-that's the way the cookie crumbles.) Maybe somebody can enlighten me. 

Musing of one thinking about the man who was late to catch a train, bag in hand, he grabbed his ticket, tore through the turnstile and started running down the platform as hard as he could only to realize that the train was going in the opposite direction…

I continue to wonder if those in charge of government finances have the vaguest idea as to what they are doing.  Considering the national debt and the annual budget (whenever there is one), I don't think so.  Unfortunately, occasionally a lone voice in the wilderness pops up and tells people what we need to do, which makes him very unpopular.  I hope that someday the majority of people will call a halt to all the deficit financing.