So insulting it causes physical pain.

       See that?  Up there.  That is one page of a three-page, full-color, glossy advertisement for flood insurance, sent to me, by FEMA.  That's right.  The postage paid stamp is from FEMA.  I could go into great detail about being in a part of town that is higher than the rest by 50 feet.  I could fire off a comment about not having a basement and therefore if I had water in my house the street would already be 8 feet deep.  But I wont.
       I will question why this is being sent.  If you need flood insurance, and have a mortgage, (Like your's truly) your lender tells you in no uncertain terms that you'd better have this type of insurance.  So this is a sales come-on.  From the government.  Indirectly of course but... seriously?  I think this particular truth is so "self-evident" that I need not even state it.
       Someone mentioned something about debt, and some soldiers still deployed in some filthy sandbox.  These concerns clearly pale when held to the light of marketing flood insurance to people who don't need it.

       We more money put into space exploration.  I want off.

Short Christmas Missive

       We all have better things to do so I will keep this short.  In business there is a practice called "root cause analysis" that is used to find the source of a problem.  Its the equivalent of asking someone you are dating, "What's really bothering you."  (Married people have learned to be more obtuse)  Root cause analysis is useful in real life.  Like next time you ask yourself: "Why do I have so much garbage?"
       Start with buying habits.  You buy things.  regardless of how much or how little you end up with more garbage than you should.  So then turn to the manufacturers.  Most of their superfluous packaging is to prevent theft.  Avoidable by other methods, but not horrible.  Look now to the people who packed that box for the thing you ordered online.  Lots of extra space, lots of foam/air-bags/peanuts/bubble-wrap/corn foam. (real thing, look it up)(http://www.starchtech.com/?gclid=CJCWhJiSkq0CFeQCQAodjmK5lQ)
       Why do they use so much packaging?  Here is the root cause.  Because the people we charge with the safety of our packages, whom we pay for their safe transit from one point to another, are so bad at their jobs.  UPS, The Post Office, Fed Ex, and the others are careless to the point of criminality.  I know you think this is a silly over-reaction, but to compare: if package carriers were the police, we would all be required to wear class four body armor just in case one of them accidentally did something to hurt us.  So the next time you want to blame someone for the trash, blame the real culprits.
       You will note that I did not call this a "Holiday Missive"  That is because I do not celebrate "Holiday"  I celebrate Christmas.  So Merry Christmas.  If my wishing you happiness bothers you that is a reflection of your character, not mine.
       In my time I have worked in the North Shore area of Chicago.  Many times I was wished to have a happy Hanukkah.  Also Chanukah.  Depended on if they were Orthodox or not.  I never once was offended.  I never felt they were just putting my face in it either.  The fact that anyone, of any religious affiliation, wished me to have a happy anything, was heartwarming.  For the record, I always wished them one back.  See goodwill is free.  It can be freely given.  In fact, I felt it meant a bit more from those who knew I was not Jewish myself.  
       So forgive me this silly Christian tradition.  If my wishing you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas bothers you, or in any way troubles your belief system, know that I say it not to be a troll; but rather, because I genuinely wish well to my fellow man.  It doesn't happen often.  Enjoy it.

Merry Christmas
Happy New Year

Sam.

P.S. just found a Google Easter egg.  Try googling Hanuka, or Chanuka.  You will see a garland at the top of the page.  At least today I did.

Re-engineering government.

        Governor Quinn recently line item vetoed the funding away from regional school superintendents.  His reasoning is that they are unnecessary bureaucrats.  While I would advise a former Lieutenant Governor not to throw stones at useless bureaucrats, I can't say he is wrong.  This really is not even a good start on eliminating useless positions in Illinois government.
       Having been victimized by it more than once, I have read many books, articles, and 'zines on re-engineering companies, workers, and management.  A quick show of hands: who here, at some point, has been re-engineered right the hell out of a job?  Everyone, I see.  That is part of my point.  We all face the prospect, daily, that some re-organization or re-engineering will put us out of work.  But then, we do not work for the State of Illinois.  The workers there, as in many bloated, corrupt, good-old-boy-network, employers feel entitled to a job.  Even if it has no duties or responsibilities.
       I would humbly suggest to our august Governor that he perform a corporate style re-engineering.  And by that I mean, start at the top.  Ask first: what needs to be done?  Then: who do we have that can handle that.  Next: Assign those people to those positions.  Then proceed to the next level down.  Include in your assessment any existing or emerging technology.
       Illinois spends more than any other state, per student, on education.  Now if we had the best educated students, I would not mind one bit.  The sad fact is we have very dismal student outcomes.  Some seventy plus percent going on to college and only 26% that do not require remedial courses on arrival.  How does this happen.
       The teachers union points the finger at the bloated administrative level, and calls them unnecessary.  The Administrators say the cost overage lies with the cost of new equipment, like computers, that the students need.  The state, who mandates these, say the teachers unions and administrators earn too much.  They all point in a big circle at one another and all are right.  Despair.com has a poster depicting a drop of water hitting a pool.  It says: "No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood"  That is truly the case here.  All of these groups are right.  They are all to blame.  Illinois teachers do earn too much relative to the outcomes experienced.  The no-bid contracts to supply electronics exceed the cost of simply giving each student a computer.  The administrators are both unnecessary and overpaid.
       I use the schools as an example only because they are in the news.  I would much rather overpay a teacher than a sign holder on a construction crew that makes more than said teacher.  Also I would rather have too many teachers than sign holders.  I do not mean to pick on the education system.  It is a symptom of the problem, not the cause.  We have more districts than any other state.  We have more levels of government than any other state.  This does not buy us better efficiency.  quite the opposite.