EMERGENCY!

Back in the early 1970s there as a show on the air called EMERGENCY! in which two guys showed the world the new Paramedics in California. This show was a key motivator for me to get into emergency medicine and lead me to go initially the Coast Guard, who wasn’t hiring, but finally into the US Army as a Combat Medic (91B plus others). It progressed from there. Anyway a great TV series, and I found it, all 100 episodes, available on Netflix, and started watching them again. A GREAT series still!! Although I have been laughing at the cloths of the time. (Didn’t think they were funny looking back then though….)

Today while checking out what was available, I also found “The Rat Patrol”. LOVED this show when I was a kid, in black and white, but didn’t see a lot of them, as, if I remember right, when it was on, there were things that my parent’s wanted to watch instead. Started watching it today, in color now!!, and am enjoying them too!

So, without commercials, I am now catching up and re-watching Seaquest, Emergency!, and The Rat Patrol, as well as watching new and old movies… A happy camper, and it keeps me busy as I recoup from surgery and exercise on and off all day at home.

Surgery Pending.

My knee continues to act up, hurt and all but give out (and occasionally give out completely). I am tentatively schedule for another surgery on January 10th for an ACL install (they took mine out back in July but couldn’t get the fused in screws out), or potentially a total knee if they can’t successfully get the old screws out and destroy my knee in the attempt to get them out.

This means when that happens, after the initial few days post surgery, that I should have more time to post and keep my blogs update. The down side is I will be out of work for a couple of months, and potentially longer….

Looking forward to removing this pain and the unstable knee though!

The Government And Money…

One of the biggest issues here in the US, and probably all over the World right now is about money, taxes, and benefits in general. And with reason. Money is tight for everyone right now, be it an individual, a family, a city, state or the national government.

This is an issue we need to look at very closely. But the subject is a VERY touchy subject for many of the wrong reasons, as it deals with individuals and their goals.

This is were I see things as it deals with the US, my family and I…

First off, we need to start at the bottom and at the top of the structure concurrently. I will start here with the “top”, national government of the US, and work down to my family and finally me.

Having worked in the US Government initially in the US Army, and now as a Veterans Administration Employee (as well as one other position) I have seen how the US Government spends money and how small or big it is. Many aspects of our US government are WAY too large, while in a few they are way to small. We spend too much money on financing and looking at entitlement programs for individuals and “groups” (those groups beings social/racial/sexual) and in managing those programs once they are set up. Once we realize that EVERYONE is a human, and treat everyone the same, regardless of their race/creed/sexual preference, and get rid of a vast majority of the entitlement programs out there, our national budget will start (but not get there) to get under control. At the same time, because we are doing away with the programs, the size of the over reaching government will shrink. (Don’t worry, I’ll talk about jobs as well!)

The Government, at the top levels needs to start participating in the health and retirement programs, which probably should stay in place, just like their constituents are required to. And once they leave office, they should have the same benefits that would be given on the “civilian side”, meaning they don’t get their non-contributing pension when they leave, even if they served for only one or two terms. Speaking of terms, ALL positions in the US Government should be term limited, with no more than eight (8) years of service before moving on. Since the majority (ALL?) of the members of Congress are not farmers or active business people anymore, we need to do away with the long term breaks, which were set up to allow the original members to go back to their farms and plant, harvest, etc. They are paid full time salaries now, work full time like the rest of us. They should have the same leave (vacation) practices that the rest of the Government employees have. In just these steps, several millions of dollars are actually saved.

Our law making process needs to be looked at, and in many cases cut back on. Funding the “investigation” into laws that “protect the individual from themselves” needs to be cut out, and the emphasis should be on laws that protect the citizen from others. Removing laws that protect an individual from themselves (what they can eat, where they can get it, adults wearing seat belts (although I think every person should wear one, that should not be a law that requires monitoring, etc.), etc. should happen immediately. Laws should deal with protecting someone from someone else. Requiring children to wear seat belts makes since, as they do not have the reasoning capability to understand the dangers of not doing so. Laws on toy manufactures restricting what they can use in the production of toys that may harm kids makes since. This change in our law system will save even more money, and help focus the time spent on the floors of Congress being reviewed and in-acted.

There are some government organizations that do need to be increased in size. Our military as it makes since for readiness and ability to respond to US issues and, in a somewhat more limited fashion, global issues. Our intelligence agencies should be properly funded and staff to meet our need for proper intelligence for the safety of our nation. And laws should be review, rewritten and/or deleted to better focus on the national protection of citizens, more so than individual protections as it seems to currently be.

Now, how do we fund these things? First off, EVERYONE, individually, not business (more on them shortly), in every State of the US should be taxed the same. My recommendation is a flat 10% of gross income, across the board, for all income levels. Eliminate all the tax loopholes that are out there that stop people from getting breaks, which will reduce the need for such a large collection agency we call the IRS, reducing it’s size significantly, although not getting rid of it, as it has a valid function, allowing only charitable donations as a reduction of taxes up to 25% of the total tax paid. Tax should be done on gross income, before expenses. This is earned income, including on investments, etc. Once you earn it, you pay the taxes. If you reinvest that earnings, after taxes, be ready to pay taxes on the earnings that investment garnishes later! No deferment till you actually put it in your pocket, because when you invest it again, you put it in your pocket for a second before you re-invested it!

Business should be taxed at a flat rate of 10% as well, after operating expenses are deducted. Again, aside from operating expenses, get rid of all loopholes to reduce taxes. Public companies should pay their taxes BEFORE paying dividends, which should not count as operating expenses, but benefits to investors. Buying back stock is NOT an operating expense in this case either. However, assisting employees in medical expenses IS an operational expense!

With the reduction of Government jobs as outlined above, there will be some people “on the streets” without work. We need, as a nation, to get back to providing our own food. Farming needs to become an important business again, and that will require many hands and bodies to work the fields and make things grow. This will do several things. It will decrease, in the long run the cost of food. We need to open our own oil fields. This will further reduce the cost of food, while it helps reduce the cost of oil products as well. Both of these two endeavors will increase the need for labor pools. We need to get back to being the innovative nation we use to be, bringing our industries back within our shores and building things again, from the ground up!

All of this requires that we begin re-building our education system as well. Which will require more teachers, again more jobs. Our education system should get back to the basics, focus on the foundations of business and innovation, reading, math, history (to learn from past mistakes and good events), and social studies. It should include the arts: music and art, which should be MANDATORY up to a certain age, and start early to get the foundation there.

This nation was built on “faith” in God. That faith needs to come back as well. This will cause ripples, but it is fact, and should be looked at closely, as the departure of that faith has caused many of the problems we now see here in the states!

The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation

As my ever changing life continues to move forward, I have opened a new lay community that is pending approval and supervision of the Bishop of the Dioceses of Lexington Kentucky. This Order, The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation is open to all Catholic men eighteen years of age or older (no upper limit, except based on health and mental status, and the Canon of the Church) who are in communion with the Holy Roman Catholic Church and able to meet the requirements of Religious Life per the Canon of the Church.

To learn more about the new community and to express your interest, go to The Order of Brothers of Reconciliation’s web page and follow the links there.

We are also looking for US tax deductible donations, which you can find more information on here. Prayers for our growth and approval and supervision by the Bishop are greatly needed and accepted as well!

In Christ!

Pout…

Well, this is the last day of my “vacation” (of sorts)… Tomorrow morning I go back to work… Pout/Cry/Scream…

I hope by the end of the week though I hear that I have a new job in the IRM department, or IT department as most companies call it, at the same place I currently work at. I had a “preferred” interview there last week, a week from today, and I pray that I am selected. Not sure what a preferred interview is, but I’ve been kinda told that means that if I’m qualified (and I am, I’ve been doing the work for over 20 years now!) I am supposed to get the job. But this is the US Government, specifically the Veteran’s Administration, and I’m a Vet, so the chances of that being the case isn’t 100%. We shall see!

As it is, tomorrow I go back to a job that I do not like, the first job I have truly NOT liked in my working history, for a shift I’m not overly impressed with, 0930 hours to 1800 hours. Only good thing is I don’t work as hard as I did when I was on the 0700 to 1530 hours shift. I work WAY less, but I liked the other shift hours and job much better.

And to make it worse, my knee still hurts, and is all wobbly… And has a LOT of fluid on it…

Sigh… Pout…

Cabin Fever…

For the most part, the last week and a half has been spent in the house sitting down on a recliner kicked back reading, or sitting at the computer desk with my leg propped up working on ExposeYourBlog!. I have gone out after a week to work to get my leave worked out and fixed, I went to a movie (bad mistake, walked sideways down the chairs to my seat and tweaked the knee something awful!) twice, went to Mass once, and Walmart twice. But other than for that, mostly at home, having cabin fever.

The knee is at a point where I can bend it as far as I could, almost, before the surgery, and the wounds are pretty much healed up, until they take the stitches out this coming Thursday anyway, but the knee hurts and clicks and sticks and gives out just like it did before surgery.. Shouldn’t be clicking and freezing and giving out anymore one would think…

I will get out of the house Wednesday for sure, as I have a job interview for the IRM (IT, they call it Information Resource Management in the VA) at the same place I work now at at 2PM!! If you are the praying type pray for me!! I could use the pay raise and the getting back to what I was made to do, work on computers as a Sys Admin and Support person!

More of “I don’t get it…”…

I don’t get government management folks at all. I was in a job in which a person was doing such a pour job at work, they tried to get him fired in his first five months of work three times that I know of. This person even bragged about it to anyone that would listen. Now mind you, in the first year you work with this agency, you are on a one year probation in which they can terminate you for any or no reason. You sign a paper stating you understand that when they hire you! Somehow the Union got him out of trouble each time.

Now, this team had inspections frequently, and at least monthly, but normally more often than that. This guy flunked each and every inspection in a big way. You would often find him hiding in a room surfing the internet on someone’s computer (which he wasn’t supposed to be on) or on his cell phone or the company phone instead of doing his work. When he was asked why his work wasn’t done almost every day, he would say he was given too much work to be completed by one person.

At the same time there was a guy that was one of two people, out of about 20 people, that had passed his inspections 100% every time, never receiving a “gig” on his area of work. He tended to take more sick time off than most (to be with his son at HS sporting events, and after having asked for personal time off, and not getting it, because he didn’t schedule it in the December before (not that he was there for leave selection) that year) people on the team though.

A job opening in another department came up, and both applied for it. The guy that did crappy work, and who they attempted to fire got an OUTSTANDING review was a great employee, and highly recommended for the position. The guy that did OUTSTANDING work, although called off sick 8 times in six months was given a VERY BAD review and was recommended against the job.

Of course the “bad employee turned good in the review” got the job.

On the new job, this person who couldn’t do the first job continues to not work, always on the phone or in front of a computer surfing the internet. He would take 1 hour plus lunches instead of the 30 minute lunches he was supposed to, and instead of two fifteen minute breaks he would take thirty to fifty minute breaks as often as he wanted to, not just the two. Leaves the job at least 10 minutes early most days, and was coming 5 to 10 minutes late each day.

MANY people complained to management, but nothing appears to have been done about it. There was a two week stretch were “middle management” came into the area for “watching and shadowing” us, but all they did during that time was go to meetings or sit in front of their computer answering emails. There was no shadowing and no observing what was going on.

There have been even more complaints from this guys teams mates, and while there may have been one meeting (again with the Union involved) about his long lunches and breaks, nothing appears to have changed. There was a short two or three days where he took 30 minute lunches and his 15 minute breaks, but things are “back to normal” again. Long lunches and long and frequent breaks…

Then there is a person on this team that does their work daily, plus some, is on time, seldom takes his breaks at all (except lunch) and is continually getting “written up” for small things, often out of his control, and in some instances that of his non-working teammates job, not his!

What is up with management these days?

I know when I was management, ran companies or departments, if I had an employee that wasn’t doing their work, they would be talked to, the meeting and their responses document, their job performance documented, they would get three chances to fix their issues, and if they didn’t they were terminated and replaced. QUICKLY! So as to get the job done. I would NOT give the person a OUTSTANDING recommendation just to get them out of my department. That continues to negatively impact the company and it’s purpose in life!

Supposedly the Government follows that same process, but I’m not seeing it in this organization!

I don’t get it!!

First Snow!

We had our first snow here in Ashland, KY this last few days. At work we had about three inches, here at the house we had an inch or so. It is starting to go away, but we are supposed to get a couple of inches tonight, along with sleet and rain. Doesn’t sound fun, going to work tomorrow.

I like snow, but not the bitter cold we are having this year. Last year, today was 47. Today the high was 26ish. BRRRRR!!

Some days I miss Ft. Lauderdale when it gets this cold, although I hear its a bit cold down there this year too!

Looking forward to a possible white Christmas this year!

Merry Christmas!