(03-06-2020 11:30 AM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  Drinking while posting is never advisable. She was probably more than a couple of glasses of Chardonnay in.

Yep.

(03-08-2020 02:27 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 05:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 03:55 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I don't disagree with that. I just know there are tens of thousands of bureaucrats embedded in the Fed gov (I'm well aware since I did consulting work for them for decades), and it is 95% Dems.
You ain't gonna reform that place in any fashion unless you burn it down and start over, b/c all they do is hunker down and wait you out, and subvert where they can. And when their party gets the presidency, they plant poison bombs everywhere.
So, you can fire a few for cause, after a long battle, and maybe put one in jail now and then, but I don't see how you win the battle.
Here's one quick example. I headed a project for SecNav John Lehman, and during a meeting, got him to agree to change the way projected manhours were calculated to forecast manpower for Navy shipyard overhauls of carriers, destroyers, etc.
He gave the order to his CNO Admiral, and told him to change it that day. It was a move that would literally save billions of dollars a year, not hurt their ability to overhaul ships, and allow them to compete with private shipyards for additional business.
All it did was stop personnel from hiring extra workers they didn't need, who simply bloated the payroll. That formula was never changed, even though Lehman's Chief of Naval Ops Admiral went after it personally.
Just too many embedded bureaucrats in the way, and you can't fire them. All you can do is slow down their promotions, or transfer them elsewhere.
In this case, four of the 8 public shipyards eventually had to be closed down, due to excessive labor costs. The private shipyards took their business. The remaining 4 only stayed open as a national security measure, b/c in case of war, you can't shut down all your ship repair capacity and rely solely on private companies.
And to this day, that formula hasn't been changed, and the workforce continues to grow unnecessarily.
I can tell you 50 stories like that.

Your experiences parallel mine, almost exactly. From DOD, to various federal agencies where I worked as a consultant, to various other federal agencies before which I represented clients, it's the same everywhere.

The average person has no idea how much power is wielded by nameless, faceless, and unaccountable bureaucrats. Those people think they are invincible and can do whatever they want, regardless of consequences. And their goals are first to persevere and increase the power, headcount, and budget of their agency, second to advance their own personal careers, and third to do whatever it is that the agency is supposed to do.

I think you have to make major overhauls in the way the "fourth branch," the entrenched bureaucracy, operates. And I don't see how you get that through congress.

Exactly. That is my frustration with the system. It has just grown so huge, it's like Frankenstein, and those in charge don't want it to change. That's the swamp, lol.

Another thought I forgot to add earlier, when bantering with JR. I heard a talking head fed lawyer say yesterday that even when you catch someone breaking the law (like Comey and McCabe), it is almost impossible to win convictions, b/c the cases have to go to DC court, and those juries are always stacked with Dems.

He said that's the likely reason the DOJ chose not to prosecute those two so far, not b/c they thought the cases were weak, but b/c of the jury they would draw.

Dems hate Comey too. Sometimes you need to be willing to take a risk that you lose. Still serves part of the deterrent purpose.

(03-08-2020 08:36 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 02:27 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 05:13 AM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote:  

(03-08-2020 03:55 AM)TripleA Wrote:  I don't disagree with that. I just know there are tens of thousands of bureaucrats embedded in the Fed gov (I'm well aware since I did consulting work for them for decades), and it is 95% Dems.
You ain't gonna reform that place in any fashion unless you burn it down and start over, b/c all they do is hunker down and wait you out, and subvert where they can. And when their party gets the presidency, they plant poison bombs everywhere.
So, you can fire a few for cause, after a long battle, and maybe put one in jail now and then, but I don't see how you win the battle.
Here's one quick example. I headed a project for SecNav John Lehman, and during a meeting, got him to agree to change the way projected manhours were calculated to forecast manpower for Navy shipyard overhauls of carriers, destroyers, etc.
He gave the order to his CNO Admiral, and told him to change it that day. It was a move that would literally save billions of dollars a year, not hurt their ability to overhaul ships, and allow them to compete with private shipyards for additional business.
All it did was stop personnel from hiring extra workers they didn't need, who simply bloated the payroll. That formula was never changed, even though Lehman's Chief of Naval Ops Admiral went after it personally.
Just too many embedded bureaucrats in the way, and you can't fire them. All you can do is slow down their promotions, or transfer them elsewhere.
In this case, four of the 8 public shipyards eventually had to be closed down, due to excessive labor costs. The private shipyards took their business. The remaining 4 only stayed open as a national security measure, b/c in case of war, you can't shut down all your ship repair capacity and rely solely on private companies.
And to this day, that formula hasn't been changed, and the workforce continues to grow unnecessarily.
I can tell you 50 stories like that.

Your experiences parallel mine, almost exactly. From DOD, to various federal agencies where I worked as a consultant, to various other federal agencies before which I represented clients, it's the same everywhere.

The average person has no idea how much power is wielded by nameless, faceless, and unaccountable bureaucrats. Those people think they are invincible and can do whatever they want, regardless of consequences. And their goals are first to persevere and increase the power, headcount, and budget of their agency, second to advance their own personal careers, and third to do whatever it is that the agency is supposed to do.

I think you have to make major overhauls in the way the "fourth branch," the entrenched bureaucracy, operates. And I don't see how you get that through congress.

Exactly. That is my frustration with the system. It has just grown so huge, it's like Frankenstein, and those in charge don't want it to change. That's the swamp, lol.

Another thought I forgot to add earlier, when bantering with JR. I heard a talking head fed lawyer say yesterday that even when you catch someone breaking the law (like Comey and McCabe), it is almost impossible to win convictions, b/c the cases have to go to DC court, and those juries are always stacked with Dems.

He said that's the likely reason the DOJ chose not to prosecute those two so far, not b/c they thought the cases were weak, but b/c of the jury they would draw.

Dems hate Comey too. Sometimes you need to be willing to take a risk that you lose. Still serves part of the deterrent purpose.

Apparently, the DOJ doesn't look at it that way. It will be interesting to see if they pursue anybody from the Durham investigation.

(03-07-2020 12:39 PM)shere khan Wrote:  Twitter is the rattle on the snake.

Speaking of rattlesnakes, a friend of a friend killed a monster while rabbit hunting not too long ago that covered the whole tailgate of his pickemup. That nasty effer had 16 rattles. Yikes! This was between Somerville and Oakland I had no idea they were in these hyar parts!

I deer hunt on 1500 acres right between Somerville and Oakland, I've got the whole damn place to myself. I shot an old 9 point and a really nice 8 point back in January, the 9 point tested positive for CWD. I shot them both within 75 yards of each other. I aint eating that thing and I'm still waiting on results for the 8 point. I aint eating him yet either.

And I'm going to buy me some damn snake proof boots.

(03-07-2020 12:54 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(03-06-2020 10:34 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(03-06-2020 09:04 AM)TripleA Wrote:  What's troubling to me is that she generated enough anger sitting at home with her computer to post that. And mean it. Yikes.

And she's not some rabid Antifa slow leak. She's a college educated museum director.

Is Trump causing these people to lose their minds, or just Republican policies in general? I don't get it.

Is this post satirical?

If not, The fact that your options both focus on 'someone else's fault' actually speaks to the real reason. Petulant children and their enabling parents are used to 'winning' just for showing up. They don't understand why they can't just believe something and have it work out for them.

Trump is a jerk, but he hasn't done anything that really hasn't been done before, and 'Republicans' and their policies aren't meaningfully different than politicians have been for decades. It's the 'new' left that is different... insisting on things that we've never had before... insisting that we believe the non-existent math for climate change solutions and healthcare funding... and when they don't get it... they throw a temper-tantrum.

Only it's an adult (in chronological age anyway) with a platform and perhaps a little authority throwing the tantrum rather than an infant

Dude...cut the lecture already...it wasn't satirical as much as rhetorical...I'm 72...I've been following politics since elementary school...you don't know anything about politics that I don't know.

It wasn't an attack on Trump or Republicans, as you seem to think with your defensive response. It was simply meant to make a point that the craziness had some trigger. I think it was Trump's election, b/c he threatens the political establishment.

But it isn't the "new left" that is doing anything. It's simply the left. And even simpler than that, it's simply a political philosophy that could be left or right. There are radical positions on both sides of the equation. It's not something that is always limited to your version of "the new left." It's a more basic human instinct than that.

Are you old enough to personally remember who Joe MCCarthy is? I am. Countless thousands of lives were permanently ruined by a philosophical panic generated by a few who wanted to impose their brand of politics on everyone else. Just like now.

What you call "new" is not. It's simply another flavor of firebrand political philosophy that has once again gotten out of control.

IMO, it is fueled by the evolution of social media, which makes it much easier to stir the easily influenced masses, but it isn't new, and in fact, McCarthyism back in the day is even more remarkable, b/c it happened before the advent of the internet, and actually before widespread use of television sets.

Anyway, what I was getting at is it's deflating that, once again, humans have somehow let their political leanings overcome their common sense, to the endangerment of others.

Like shooting up the Pub baseball team. Or this woman calling for all Pubs to die. Or the Ohio college student recently calling for the same and using a throat slashing gesture.

But since I actually was alive and observed McCarthyism, I can tell you this is the same. Not new.

My question was rhetorical, not really satirical. I know the answer. People let their fervor for a political position overcome their humanity.

But you have to admit, this time it seems more severe and widespread than anything before it, and it's logical to ask, "Why this time? Why now?"

Does DJT trigger something in folks that makes them crazier than normal? I don't know, but there is at least a casual connection there, b/c they were calling for his impeachment the day after he was elected.

You seem to take offense at that suggestion, so let me ask you this. Do you think the "new left" would have reacted exactly the same if Pence was the President? Or Nikki Haley?

I seriously doubt it. What I don't get is why they have such a visceral reaction to Trump. No, he didn't cause it, but there definitely is a symbiotic relationship there that seems to make the political crazies crazier than usual.

Because he's an outsider. He's not beholden to any of the beltway denizens. The status quo on both sides hate him because they can't control him through their usual means. He is upsetting their apple cart and for that he gots ta go mayne.

Speaking of Joe McCarthy, do you feel he was simply a man who felt he was doing his patriotic duty and caught up in performing a task his superior(s) assigned him, to ferret out communist who had infiltrated the highest echelons of government?

(03-08-2020 10:13 PM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  

(03-07-2020 12:39 PM)shere khan Wrote:  Twitter is the rattle on the snake.

Speaking of rattlesnakes, a friend of a friend killed a monster while rabbit hunting not too long ago that covered the whole tailgate of his pickemup. That nasty effer had 16 rattles. Yikes! This was between Somerville and Oakland I had no idea they were in these hyar parts!

I deer hunt on 1500 acres right between Somerville and Oakland, I've got the whole damn place to myself. I shot an old 9 point and a really nice 8 point back in January, the 9 point tested positive for CWD. I shot them both within 75 yards of each other. I aint eating that thing and I'm still waiting on results for the 8 point. I aint eating him yet either.

And I'm going to buy me some damn snake proof boots.

Reading your post brought this article I had read recently to my mind.

Mississippi hunter cornered by 4-foot rattlesnake hiding in deer stand:

(03-08-2020 10:21 PM)TigerBlue4Ever Wrote:  

(03-07-2020 12:54 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(03-06-2020 10:34 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(03-06-2020 09:04 AM)TripleA Wrote:  What's troubling to me is that she generated enough anger sitting at home with her computer to post that. And mean it. Yikes.

And she's not some rabid Antifa slow leak. She's a college educated museum director.

Is Trump causing these people to lose their minds, or just Republican policies in general? I don't get it.

Is this post satirical?

If not, The fact that your options both focus on 'someone else's fault' actually speaks to the real reason. Petulant children and their enabling parents are used to 'winning' just for showing up. They don't understand why they can't just believe something and have it work out for them.

Trump is a jerk, but he hasn't done anything that really hasn't been done before, and 'Republicans' and their policies aren't meaningfully different than politicians have been for decades. It's the 'new' left that is different... insisting on things that we've never had before... insisting that we believe the non-existent math for climate change solutions and healthcare funding... and when they don't get it... they throw a temper-tantrum.

Only it's an adult (in chronological age anyway) with a platform and perhaps a little authority throwing the tantrum rather than an infant

Dude...cut the lecture already...it wasn't satirical as much as rhetorical...I'm 72...I've been following politics since elementary school...you don't know anything about politics that I don't know.

It wasn't an attack on Trump or Republicans, as you seem to think with your defensive response. It was simply meant to make a point that the craziness had some trigger. I think it was Trump's election, b/c he threatens the political establishment.

But it isn't the "new left" that is doing anything. It's simply the left. And even simpler than that, it's simply a political philosophy that could be left or right. There are radical positions on both sides of the equation. It's not something that is always limited to your version of "the new left." It's a more basic human instinct than that.

Are you old enough to personally remember who Joe MCCarthy is? I am. Countless thousands of lives were permanently ruined by a philosophical panic generated by a few who wanted to impose their brand of politics on everyone else. Just like now.

What you call "new" is not. It's simply another flavor of firebrand political philosophy that has once again gotten out of control.

IMO, it is fueled by the evolution of social media, which makes it much easier to stir the easily influenced masses, but it isn't new, and in fact, McCarthyism back in the day is even more remarkable, b/c it happened before the advent of the internet, and actually before widespread use of television sets.

Anyway, what I was getting at is it's deflating that, once again, humans have somehow let their political leanings overcome their common sense, to the endangerment of others.

Like shooting up the Pub baseball team. Or this woman calling for all Pubs to die. Or the Ohio college student recently calling for the same and using a throat slashing gesture.

But since I actually was alive and observed McCarthyism, I can tell you this is the same. Not new.

My question was rhetorical, not really satirical. I know the answer. People let their fervor for a political position overcome their humanity.

But you have to admit, this time it seems more severe and widespread than anything before it, and it's logical to ask, "Why this time? Why now?"

Does DJT trigger something in folks that makes them crazier than normal? I don't know, but there is at least a casual connection there, b/c they were calling for his impeachment the day after he was elected.

You seem to take offense at that suggestion, so let me ask you this. Do you think the "new left" would have reacted exactly the same if Pence was the President? Or Nikki Haley?

I seriously doubt it. What I don't get is why they have such a visceral reaction to Trump. No, he didn't cause it, but there definitely is a symbiotic relationship there that seems to make the political crazies crazier than usual.

Because he's an outsider. He's not beholden to any of the beltway denizens. The status quo on both sides hate him because they can't control him through their usual means. He is upsetting their apple cart and for that he gots ta go mayne.

Speaking of Joe McCarthy, do you feel he was simply a man who felt he was doing his patriotic duty and caught up in performing a task his superior(s) assigned him, to ferret out communist who had infiltrated the highest echelons of government?

IDK his motives. IDK if he was instructed from somewhere else. But I do think he let it get out of hand, and his motives did not seem honorable to me at all, b/c he ruined people's lives with little or no evidence, in some cases. I'm sure he ferreted out a commie here and there, but I have the impression he was killing flies with nukes.