Bumper sticker of the week: Bush trusts the people, but not if it involves counting.
Quote of the week: ''The naturalist Milton Olsen once observed that when geese travel the blue lanes of the sky on their migrations, each bird flapping its wings creates an uplift for the bird following it, and by flying in V formation, the whole flock gets over 70 percent better mileage than if each bird flew solo. When the lead bird, which doesn't benefit from these physics of cooperation, gets tired, it rotates to the back, and a new bird takes over. If any bird falls out of formation, it is quickly reminded of the dynamics of drag and the importance of getting a little help from its friends.'' --Callings, Gregg Levoy.
I keep finding myself coming back to the same elementary question: Who's in Charge? Whether I'm at a grocery store, discount store, governmental agency, work, wherever, I find myself wondering where the buck stops. A lot of times when I've asked, no one knows, or is ashamed to say. The person is generally not on the premises. Between meetings and ''doing lunch,'' there's little time for the customer. I've spent most of my life in management, so I can say with some authority that trying to answer Who's in Charge? is one of management's most elusive questions. The reality of Who's in Charge generally has nothing to do with rank, salary, or position. From my own experience, Who's in Charge is usually the secretary. The boss gets paid 10 times more but usually knows 10 times less. If the question Who's in Charge were ever answered honestly, my, how the world would change.
Less than inventive incentives:--
Certificates of appreciation don't buy much dog food.--
Employee drawings. You work your butt off to get in a drawing with 20 other people and the prize is something they got free from NAEIR.--
How about that parking place right up front? Who in the hell wants to broadcast that you work for the place.--
I like when you earn points toward something. It usually takes so long for you to get enough points that everyone forgets what the prize is. Or the business goes out of business.--
You get lunch with the boss. Oh brother!
To quote the experts:--
''The electoral process is not broke. I just fixed it.'' Katherine Harris--
''Damn. Al's brother wasn't governor of Tennessee.'' Joe Lieberman--
''OK, forget votes. How many guns do you have?'' Charlton Heston--
''Three strikes and your President.'' The Supremes--
''What popular vote?'' W. George
Any person who can't beat a dead man in an election doesn't deserve to be appointed attorney general.
lnauguration Day is going to be one sad day in the life of any American who is down and out of their luck, a minority, poor, or otherwise hurting in some way. January 20th is going to mark the beginning of a long and bitter struggle that is going to take place over the next four years. Trouble is a-brewing. We will see increasing demonstrations, similar to the 60s and those in the recent past in Seattle, Washington, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. Sex in the White House will be minor as compared to the raping we will see of the environment. Land deals will be aplenty, as government lands go up for sale, often times to the lowest bidder. Christianity will be hailed as the national religion, and W. George will try to give our tax money to right-wing religious training grounds. HMO's, pharmaceutical and insurance companies will have a field day with our health care, adding tens of millions more to the already 40 million persons without health insurance. Government will give less to social programs and more to large corporations. Anti-abortion foes will be dancing around all the saved children, of course, none of them wanting to adopt any. Flag burning legislation will be passed, proving the old adage that hysteria sometimes prevails. The defense budget will grow,and Star Wars will become a reality, plunging the nation into an ever increasing paranoia. For my part, I'm going to fly a black flag on that day, representing for me a dark day in our history. I feel bad, but energized for what is to come. Americans are always at their best when we are united against a common enemy. This time the threat comes from the White House.