The time I spent not working that summer enabled me to observe others not working. The engineering department of Livingston had three full-time civil engineers. There wasn’t enough actual work to keep even one busy. We surveyed land that had already been surveyed. We observed a road construction project and some housing construction. Very little of what any of us did had any practical purpose.
The water department was slightly more productive. Every morning the water department van would go out to fix broken water mains. Most of the time there were none to fix, so this crew of about a half dozen men would be "on call." How often did water mains break? Once every month or two. How long did it take them to fix a broken main? Two or three days. Do the math and it is obvious that these men were paid to do nothing most of the time. What did they do? They would hang around the local parks, the Livingston Mall, the Donut Basket, or somewhere else.
But that was in New Jersey. Nothing like that could happen in Oregon. So you Oregonians, go back to your corn flakes.
Comments (6)
ah yes, No Show jobs, east coast style. They should get a reality TV show.
Well, not to circle back, but we've had this ongoing discussion about raising taxes and I've yet to find an example of serious cost-cutting at any level of govt. I understand we have fixed costs (senior prescriptions, welfare, unemployment, etc.), but when I read things like the EPA getting 30% budget increases and we can always find money for PERS contributions, trains and developer handouts, I've got to wonder about how much effort has been made to increase efficiency of govt.
Heck, I'd support a tax if they did a $1 increase for each $1 budget reduction. I'm not expecting Greece, but its a lot easier to do when you don't get your hand forced like with sequestration.
The planning bureaucrats and all of the consultants, facilitators, cronies, politicians and other nonessential busy people are much the same but they are good at pretending they are doing something needed.
The near $10 million in gas tax dollars being spent "planning" the Southwest Corridor that no one asked for, voted for or needs is exhibit A.
This arena produces busy work like none other and it involves an enormous heap of useless stuff all aimed at imposing what voters would never approve.
Did you miss the post of photos of that intersection where a bunch of people stand around looking at one guy working on bricks? Or the CRC planning? or any planning for that matter?
Plenty of examples of waste work & no show jobs right here on the Left coast.
Planning and planning and never giving our city or the people a rest from the intrusions and chaos is not healthy. There needs to some measure of stability, isn't that why some codes were in place in the first place? But some like Hales liked changing those codes and now he is back. Code Language Improvement Projects they were called!! Isn't using the word "improvement" clever?
Well, every summer while in HS and college I worked for the city I grew up in in New England---for the school department---as a maintenance worker cutting grass and doing general upkeep at all the schools in the city. Admittedly, I got the job because my father was the city manager---all the students working on the crew had a connection of some sort.
Other than the older guy who ran the department---an extremely hard-working individual, virtually all the other city workers, in different departments, were some of the laziest and entitled individuals imaginable. Despite the fact that they were paid pretty well, with great benefits, and no real pressure to work all that hard, the bitching and endless whining was legendary. It's pretty much the same everywhere, I'd guess.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (6)
ah yes, No Show jobs, east coast style. They should get a reality TV show.
Posted by mcinor | November 14, 2012 6:57 AM
Well, not to circle back, but we've had this ongoing discussion about raising taxes and I've yet to find an example of serious cost-cutting at any level of govt. I understand we have fixed costs (senior prescriptions, welfare, unemployment, etc.), but when I read things like the EPA getting 30% budget increases and we can always find money for PERS contributions, trains and developer handouts, I've got to wonder about how much effort has been made to increase efficiency of govt.
Heck, I'd support a tax if they did a $1 increase for each $1 budget reduction. I'm not expecting Greece, but its a lot easier to do when you don't get your hand forced like with sequestration.
Posted by Steve | November 14, 2012 7:51 AM
The planning bureaucrats and all of the consultants, facilitators, cronies, politicians and other nonessential busy people are much the same but they are good at pretending they are doing something needed.
The near $10 million in gas tax dollars being spent "planning" the Southwest Corridor that no one asked for, voted for or needs is exhibit A.
This arena produces busy work like none other and it involves an enormous heap of useless stuff all aimed at imposing what voters would never approve.
It's all very repulsive.
Posted by Flush it | November 14, 2012 8:57 AM
"ah yes, No Show jobs, east coast style."
New around here, mcinor? East coast?
Did you miss the post of photos of that intersection where a bunch of people stand around looking at one guy working on bricks? Or the CRC planning? or any planning for that matter?
Plenty of examples of waste work & no show jobs right here on the Left coast.
Posted by Harry | November 14, 2012 11:25 AM
Planning and planning and never giving our city or the people a rest from the intrusions and chaos is not healthy. There needs to some measure of stability, isn't that why some codes were in place in the first place? But some like Hales liked changing those codes and now he is back. Code Language Improvement Projects they were called!! Isn't using the word "improvement" clever?
Posted by clinamen | November 14, 2012 11:27 AM
Well, every summer while in HS and college I worked for the city I grew up in in New England---for the school department---as a maintenance worker cutting grass and doing general upkeep at all the schools in the city. Admittedly, I got the job because my father was the city manager---all the students working on the crew had a connection of some sort.
Other than the older guy who ran the department---an extremely hard-working individual, virtually all the other city workers, in different departments, were some of the laziest and entitled individuals imaginable. Despite the fact that they were paid pretty well, with great benefits, and no real pressure to work all that hard, the bitching and endless whining was legendary. It's pretty much the same everywhere, I'd guess.
Posted by Jason | November 14, 2012 9:30 PM