Dealing with the Minions

Tomorrow, I will go to the appraisal office, look the minions in the eye, and explain to them...once again...their form of extortion, regardless of how they justify it, is wrong. In spite of what the law allows, a 61% increase of the appraised amount in 7 years is not acceptable. I will observe their vapid expression, know my trip will probably not yield much, but I will...once again...be satisfied I tried. 

I think if their schedule included the appeals of everyone being taxed on their property, they would have a clue they're not being good citizens. Regardless of what you can get away with, wrong is wrong, and extortion is immoral.

**spit**

Big and Beautiful?

I haven't read the Big Beautiful Bill. My feeling about the legislation is that since it's big, and politicians call it beautiful, it's an increase in spending, pandering to those that feed at the public trough, and in spite of any projections, will lead to more inflation. I might be wrong, but after fifty years of voting, all the hype always leads to the same madness called Federal spending. A family spending the same way would have long ago been out on the streets, wondering where the next meal will come from, and have little hope.

A Tale of Two Bridges

 It's not actually two bridges. It had two different names over time, and it consolidated the traffic of two streets that hadn't crossed the interstate for decades, but some planners (planners/politicians/grifters) decided it was necessary, and threatened to kill a puppy if it wasn't built. (No, they didn't plan to kill a puppy, but probably threatened to elect a more terrible derelict to Texas Congress. That's probably worse). It won't be standing much longer. Demolition is soon to start.

The bridge is masterpiece of glut, unnecessary embellishment, and for those that I knew that built it, a thing of beauty and accomplishment. Formwork required panels that reflected stonework of a time past, and the lighting was of a past century. The safety rails took some fancy detailing in formwork to reflect bannisters of an expensive staircase. I was impressed with the work. 

 It is beautiful, but in reality, the amount of traffic it allows convenience never satisfied the cost. That, and when I first drove under the finished bridge, I wondered if the clearance would become a problem in the future. That, and glad my commute through that area didn't have to deal with the construction traffic due to the bridge.

The interstate is in the process of expansion. Two main travel lanes in each direction are not enough. They haven't been for years, but funding wasn't available. The bottleneck at two major exchanges requires much more pavement, and from what I'm seeing, flyovers will be required. The bridge that had the name of a local politician, after the name of the two streets it consolidated, is in the way. In April, it will close, and the traffic on the interstate will become a nightmare for those traveling to, and from, across Texas. Demolition of a bridge over a live interstate requires detours, detours require the walls of death, and the carnage will begin.

So, progress is on the way. It requires me to avoid that section of the local city if I decide to visit. I already avoid it as much as I can, but now have another very good reason to not visit. It's looking too much like parts of Houston, and the traffic is sometimes worse. 

In a few months, there will be a much different appearance of this area.

So, What Did They Do With The Money?

 A few local communities are having problems with their infrastructure. Roads are the usual problem. Traffic changes, traffic loads increase, and even some newer roads are showing signs of problems. Many I watched during construction. Since I have no access to testing reports, or watched them performed, there's no way I can say it's due to shoddy construction, but know enough to see where it probably happened. Laziness, outright fraud, and unscrupulous contractors can lead to "boiler-housed" test reports, and failures in the future. City crews do what they can, but do so at a pace that guarantees they probably are rejects from the private sector.

The problem that is found more in the news is the problems with sanitary sewers. Regardless of the millions spent in the eighties by grants for rehabilitation, and new systems, the sewer systems are failing. Why? There's too much groundwater infiltration from dilapidated pipes, overloaded systems, and a failure to upgrade capacities. This causes the sewers to surcharge in rain events, toilets don't flush, and some neighborhoods are filled with people calling their insurance agent to claim they need new carpet. Why is there so much infiltration? Cities don't spend the money on for what it was intended. They spend it on useless salaries, unwarranted benefits, ridiculous programs, and the necessary things are pushed to the back burner...until they break. Then it becomes a crises without funds for necessary upgrades.

I'm sure this is not just isolated locally. Cities, like all government entities, are filled with incompetent, selfish people that never intend to do anything but secure a salary and retire with a pension you can't find in the private sector. It is what it is, and I'm glad I moved away from a city decades ago. I like my toilets to drain, my water supply to be without repairs I can't do, and not having to deal with the bureaucrats that ignore telephone calls. As far as the roads, our county commissioner does what they can, but is a politician. That explains it all.

It's Worse, When You Think About It

 There were tens of thousands of Federal employees screwing the pooch for years, and many think they deserve their pay for not doing anything. When you add the agency that supposedly was supposed to keep the taxpayers in mind with union affairs was pissing off money for luxuries, you realize most have no integrity and should be given ten years of breaking big rock into little rocks. Will someone be prosecuted, made to pay large fines? Of course not. We're supposed to be more gentle in punishing reprobates, and federal judges are part of the subterfuge. A less polite society would be digging some holes.

Autopen Illegalities

There are rumors Biden didn't have enough clarity to sign important documents. In any legal document I ever signed, a forged signature was considered fraud. If this is true (and I believe it is) many documents lost all legal authority. How this is handled will be something to see, but it's necessary to pursue. Those that failed to alert the nation to the inability of the President to perform his duties are guilty of sedition. They should be prosecuted, and the documents nullified. 

How can this be rectified? My solution is that every important document Biden "signed" with an autopen should be placed in front of him by legal witnesses, and  his actual signature used in an affidavit to ascertain. This includes legislation passed by Congress, any executive order, and any treaties. If he can't do this, then it isn't official, regardless of any testimony of close personal advisors. They are automatically suspect, and their testimony unacceptable.

Cleaning Up

Pelosi, and others, grifted money for San Francisco, which in a national perspective, is of no importance. Included are unneeded buildings and millions for a trust for a city park.  According to Democrats, it's retaliation. Maybe so, but regardless, the taxpayers don't need to be paying for things that have no purpose to the rest of the country in what has become a large outdoor toilet in California. The pendulum is swinging hard, and without mercy. I have no sympathy. In fact, I have no problem if it's retaliation. Pelosi through down the gauntlet, and now will find she can't escape the reaction.

Call Them What They Are

From looking at the news, ciphering what's reported, and reading between the lines, I can see many federal agencies are filled with thugs, parasites and derelicts. To make things worse, they give away taxpayer money at will for kickbacks and favors. When fired, many will take their grifting and swindling to the private sector. That's a problem and will make smart consumers very wary of products, and service, they purchase. Those in manufacturing will have to stay on top of their quality control.  

What Might Be Found?

From reading some reports, it appears many U.S. agencies have been automatically paying for things they shouldn't be paying for. How much? The examination is in its earlies stages but it will be a substantial amount. Included in these automatic payments are to groups that don't have the best intentions for the United States. Maybe we should demand our money back, and go get it if they don't do as asked. One thing is for sure: find all these payments, remove those necessary, and punish anyone that authorized the payments without vetting the recipient, or avoiding scrutiny with illegal methods. 

Windfall For Those That Sell Shredding Machines

With the fleeing of those that will need to flee, I wonder if there are some people making some good money on selling shredding machines. Of course, they're supposed to preserve records, but if they don't exist, what is there to preserve? I may be wrong on thinking there is really big group of people in D.C. trying to cover up their subterfuge, but I don't think I am.

How Could It Have All Gone Wrong?

Let's see: Three unqualified important officials that only have the qualifications of being of the correct sexual orientation, slushing money allocated for infrastructure, draining important water sources to protect a fish that doesn't exist, and allowing dangerous dry brush to accumulate in places where it can't be controlled when ignited. Surely everyone can see this has nothing to do with the fires in Los Angeles. It has to be Mother Nature, or Trump. If you don't believe this, ask the legacy media and California officials. They'll straighten out your thinking. 

Still Counting

 Some states are still counting votes on the 12th of November. From what I've read, it's due to signature verification, absentee ballots, mail-in ballots and other malarky created by bureaucrats. To me, it's BS. It gives the professional vote stealers time to shuffle away ballots they don't like, and certify suspicious ballots that should have been thrown away days ago. When you add the electronic manipulation that's almost impossible to find until long after the election, it's too much exposure to illegal actions. 

It's taking too long. anyone with an IQ larger than a garden vegetable knows this, and it's wrong.

Something Learned By Experience

FEMA is feckless. It's a ponderous bureaucracy filled with people that have a comfortable salary, good benefits, ridiculous political beliefs, and willing to use the money they have for anything other than what it was intended. If you don't believe this, think about how taxpayer money allocated for helping those in a disaster is being funneled into the traitorous effort to help illegal invaders. That alone should be convincing, and a less polite society would be rounding up traitors for prosecution. 

Different Days

We didn't have air conditioning when I was in school. The teacher's lounge did, as well as the administrative offices. Some teachers were kind, made sure the class caught some of the breeze from the fan, and suffered with the students on the days when the temperature was in the nineties, and the humidity was high. Other's didn't, and only kept the fan where they were. It was that way until the year I graduated high school. The next year involved huge amounts of money to air condition buildings not designed for the systems, and guaranteed many of the old buildings would be demolished for the new schools needed for replacing the old buildings with only one problem: they didn't have air conditioning. It was all for the children...or not.

Pfffft!

Several large corporations receive billions in federal subsidies, and only give a few hundred thousands each to the Red Cross, which uses the lions share of the money to pay exorbitant salaries, advertise on national networks, and purchase expensive real estate.

Meanwhile, people that paid taxes their entire lives are struggling to survive, and wondering if they will. I hope they reflect their dissatisfaction by avoiding boiler house charities, and the products of corporate welfare companies. Their tax dollars may be abused, but they still control what they have left on pay day.

Pfffft!

Neanderthal Retaliation

At the last of his term, Obama removed the filtering of the NSA, and allowed all intelligence agencies access to raw intelligence, without any vetting by the agency with the responsibility for preventing the data to be misused, or leaked by those without the clearance.

While I've been suspicious of the NSA, at least the information was bottled up tighter than it now is. Private information collected without warrants was not available to just about anyone in law enforcement. Now, not only are private citizens at risk, government employees, with loyalties to others - or being paid to spy by anyone without the U.S. interests at hear - can subvert operations, slant the news with illegal leaks to unscrupulous media outlets, and the ability of the government to function is reduced due to the tedious effort to plug the leads.

Personally, I think the courts will be too slow to solve this problem, and the same goes for investigations. This slowness will infuriate some with not only a strong loyalty to the United States, they'll have the power of neanderthal retaliation on those caught misusing classified information.

For those willing to take such chances in the future, I advise you to realize all the money in the world won't hide you from those with the power, and resources, to find you. If you're lucky, you'll be prosecuted, but I'm betting some of those coming for you won't be willing to take the time.

Where Does it Stop?

The government is laundering money, allowing high ranking officials to break laws with impunity, distorting the Constitution for "feel good" results, raising the debt at alarming rates, wasting money to the tune of billions per day, harassing citizens to keep the bureaucracy intact, and ignoring those that furnish the money.

Where does it stop?

Election Cycle?

"Cycle" is defined as a serious of repeating events. At one time, it was an accurate description of the process of electing a President. Since this is now a constant event, electing the President is now an "election drudgery".

You're welcome. Now you can better define your irritation at the constant bombardment of hype, rhetoric, and stupidity.


_ and I have to add a comment on the candidates: They don't sweat, they don't have blemishes, they wear makeup, and not a hair is out of place. It's like we're electing someone to accept the Academy Award, instead of someone to run the United States. We don't elect Presidents anymore; we elect the best supporting actor, or actress, in a movie loosely based on reality. 

Picking Up The Garbage

I've never understood how people that will demand immediate action, when their garbage isn't removed from the curb, will idly sit and let the feckless Federal government waste so much money without getting anything done.

Maybe it's the size of the tasks, but still, if the trash isn't removed, the garbage continues to pile up at the curb.

Meanwhile, At the Supreme Court

No matter your opinion on the two decisions that affected the entire nation, both created a divide, which isn't split down the middle. Ultimately, the resentment, removal of liberty, deception, attempts to force beliefs, and the attack on the Constitution will end in a swing of the pendulum in the other direction.

At this point, minority opinion is shaping laws. The majority opinion of the rest is now reinforced with resentment and bitter anger. They will not acquiesce, and those cheering will find their exposure will not be such a good thing in the future.