Not this guy.
"A Salt Lake City mortgage company employee allegedly got drunk, opened fired on his firm’s computer server with a .45-caliber automatic, and then told police someone had stolen his gun and caused the damage." - The Salt Lake Tribune
Friday, August 27, 2010
Rage Against The Machine
We've all experienced that very particular brand of fury that can overtake a person going head-to-head with malfunctioning technology. But most of us manage to turn our anger inward and just produce ulcers like good Americans.
Not this guy.
Perhaps he was sick of processing all those tiresome foreclosures.
Not this guy.
Spending A Fortune To Become An Average Joe
The U.S. political system has a long and noble tradition of catering almost exclusively to those who can front a big wad of cash for their campaigns - between 2000 and 2009, candidates spent $925.1 million on their own campaigns, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics - and this year's election circuit saw an especially high number of country clubbin' candidates paying their own way.
But during this recession, there's been a glitch in the matrix. Even though these candidates are loaded, they've gotten to talking all Huey Lewis-like. The current populist cravings of the public have led to some particularly bizarre behavior from these candidates. And by bizarre, I mean laughably hypocritical.
The New York Times noted that Jeff Greene, in an appearance last month in Miami, "arrived in a Cadillac Escalade S.U.V., before stumping for energy conservation," told the crowd "that he was “fed up and frustrated” with Washington while suggesting job-creation ideas previously proposed by Washington politicians"; and then received "a raucous welcome as an outsider who could turn Florida around."
While in the past, self-financed candidates have tended to lose (again, see the National Institute on Money in State Politics), this recent election saw them at a greater advantage. That's largely because the wells of financial support for traditional fund-raising have all but dried up during the recession.
And with the way things are going now, that phenomenon may persist for many elections to come.
But during this recession, there's been a glitch in the matrix. Even though these candidates are loaded, they've gotten to talking all Huey Lewis-like. The current populist cravings of the public have led to some particularly bizarre behavior from these candidates. And by bizarre, I mean laughably hypocritical.
The New York Times noted that Jeff Greene, in an appearance last month in Miami, "arrived in a Cadillac Escalade S.U.V., before stumping for energy conservation," told the crowd "that he was “fed up and frustrated” with Washington while suggesting job-creation ideas previously proposed by Washington politicians"; and then received "a raucous welcome as an outsider who could turn Florida around."
While in the past, self-financed candidates have tended to lose (again, see the National Institute on Money in State Politics), this recent election saw them at a greater advantage. That's largely because the wells of financial support for traditional fund-raising have all but dried up during the recession.
And with the way things are going now, that phenomenon may persist for many elections to come.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Outsourcing The Government?
Three months ago, the city of Maywood, California was headed towards bankruptcy. The city's Police Department alone was costing the town more than twice its total annual budget. Now, the town budget has been reduced by half and residents are ... thrilled?
That's because these days the parks are greener, civic space is better used, City Hall is running more smoothly, and violence has decreased. (Common Dreams) All of this (ostensibly) because in June of this year, the Maywood city council decided to contract out every one of the city's public services. The local police department was taken over by members of the LA County Sheriff's Department, the neighboring city of Bell was hired to perform services such as enforcing parking tickets, and so on.
Hearing of these plans, residents were initially quite concerned. As one resident told the New York Times, "Senior citizens were afraid they would be assaulted as they walked down the street. Parents worried the parks would be shut and their children would have nowhere to safely play. Landlords said their tenants had begun suggesting that without city-run services they would no longer feel obliged to pay rent."
Today, approval is high. However, around the country the experiment still inspires controversy: is Maywood's example one of progressive ingenuity, or a betrayal of city employees and the tradition of civic involvement?
That's because these days the parks are greener, civic space is better used, City Hall is running more smoothly, and violence has decreased. (Common Dreams) All of this (ostensibly) because in June of this year, the Maywood city council decided to contract out every one of the city's public services. The local police department was taken over by members of the LA County Sheriff's Department, the neighboring city of Bell was hired to perform services such as enforcing parking tickets, and so on.
Hearing of these plans, residents were initially quite concerned. As one resident told the New York Times, "Senior citizens were afraid they would be assaulted as they walked down the street. Parents worried the parks would be shut and their children would have nowhere to safely play. Landlords said their tenants had begun suggesting that without city-run services they would no longer feel obliged to pay rent."
Today, approval is high. However, around the country the experiment still inspires controversy: is Maywood's example one of progressive ingenuity, or a betrayal of city employees and the tradition of civic involvement?
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