08 Mar 11 Bureaucratic Bullshit
So we all hate paying taxes. I guess even those clowns in Government that set taxes hate paying them, but then most of those mandarins have large salaries, expense accounts, and many other perks not available to the ‘common man’ – even in these days of austerity, cutbacks, and expense account investigations. Like many of us, I have a weekly wage. That’s it. I can’t put anything on an expense account that someone else (us poor soaked taxpayers) pays for.
Still, that aside, the thing that really gets me going about taxes is not even the amount we pay. I realize that in a civilized society we need to pay for some items for the common good. Now we all have differing opinions about that - what items, and how much.
No, what really gets my goat is the inefficiency of it. The waste. The red tape. Bureaucratic Bullshit, dear reader.
Also, the public works that seem to be arse about face.
Here’s a small example. In Richmond, Surrey, which is, by and large, one of the more affluent London Boroughs, even in today’s troubled times, there is disruption caused by digging up of streets. Replacing vital services? Don’t be daft. Putting in new kerbstones. I’ve seen this going on in many places. I’m picking on Richmond because I drive through it almost every day. While new kerbstones ultimately look nice, paving stones are still askew, presenting trip hazards, and the road surfaces in many places leave much to be desired.
So, I have to ask myself, why is Richmond messing around tarting up the kerbs, when the money could be spent giving the overtaxed road users a better surface to drive on, leading to less discomfort, and fewer accidents, and less wear and tear on vehicles?
Tags: austerity, civilized society, common man, expense account, expense accounts, inefficiency, kerbstones, london boroughs, mandarins, paving stones, paying taxes, red tape, richmond surrey, road surfaces, road users, tarting, trip hazards, troubled times, wear and tear
10 Apr 08 US Airport Delays
I’m not scared of flying.
I do always have that feeling of apprehension in my mind that something might go wrong though, and I don’t mean with the airplane itself.
I don’t like the hustle and bustle of airports; being herded around from one line to another; the delays, chaos, and endless waiting. As I’m around 6ft tall, I never find flights very comfortable either -certainly not long haul.
Ok, so it’s not always that bad.
I’ve taken many flights where I’ve turned up, and boarded, left on time, got to the other end early and got through immigration/baggage reclaim/customs etc, without any real issues.
Now, as a libertarian, I’m all for Government butting out of people’s lives, and out of business, and getting rid of as much red tape as possible, and just letting everyone get on with their lives.
However, I am heartened to see that the F.A.A is itse’f being taken to task for cosying up to the airline industry over safety checks and that audits are now taking place that are leading to huge swathes of flights being grounded.
No one wants to be delayed, but I know I would rather be delayed a while, than not get there at all.
There hasn’t been a major large jet disaster in the United States since that American Airlines jet crashed in Queens in the fall of 2001.
Airlines must make safety checks as mandated, and the F.A.A must be, and must be seen to be, the policemen in this role, and there must be no excuses or leeway given to airlines not to perform these checks.
After all, what’s the point of having big Government agencies in the first place, if they don’t perform the tasks they were set up to do?
Tags: airline industry, airplane, airports, american airlines, american airlines jet, apprehension, audits, bustle, chaos, customs, disaster, federal aviation authority, flights, government agencies, immigration, leeway, long haul, policemen, red tape, safety checks, united states
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