Republicans and democrats don't understand each other

[RSL]

Bad news, Alan. For a short while after I retired from the Air Force I sold sterilizer controls produced by my brother in law. (Diack Controls) I soon got to the point where I demanded payment in advance before I’d ship anything to New York hospitals.

[Alan Klein]

Bad news, Alan. For a short while after I retired from the Air Force I sold sterilizer controls produced by my brother in law. (Diack Controls) I soon got to the point where I demanded payment in advance before I’d ship anything to New York hospitals.

Were those NYC government-run hospitals under NYC Health and Hospital Corp, a government agency, or private NY non-profit hospitals?  Probably the latter.  Private has more flexibility and can be more accomodating, one of the advantages working for private.  With NYC government, all payments regardless of the city department you're working for have to go through the Comptroller's office who issues the checks.  With private, all bills are paid by each hospital so you can deal directly with their accounting office. 

I had a customer, The American Bible Society who had a 12 story office building on Broadway in Manhattan.  Great customer.  I had sent them a proposal to update their fire alarm system.  They had this one floor that had part of the original Gutenberg printer and manuscripts hundreds of years old.  The work required 1/3 payment up front.  Two weeks later, I still hadn't sent the first invoice for that payment.  So I got a call out of the blue from the building manager, a hell of a nice guy.  He was asking me for the invoice so he can pay the 1/3 payment.  Now that's the kind of customer you want.  Can you imagine trying to do that with a government contract? 

[Jeremy Roussak]

It seems that there are so many different varieties of cancer that it is almost impossible for a layman to know what he's talkiing about on that topic, and there is a danger in, and of extrapolating one person's experiences as being relevant to those of another. For example: my wife's began as breast cancer, yet I know several women who have survived that for as long as I've known them, decades, and the question always comes to this: were they lucky; did they find the problem earlier than others; were the types completely different?

Rob, there are very many varieties of cancer, and many different types of cancer can affect particular organs. Breast can be aggressive or relatively indolent.

Jeremy

[Rob C]

You guys ever have a private client go bad on you, leaving you to foot the loss. I have. Ever have a govt. client turn tits up, bust, on you?

At least the govt. is reasonably solid - not that I worked for it other than once before the fashion thing became absolute - and hey, I never had an advertising agency pay quicker than three months: standard in all their deals. Had a fashion manufacturer pay me in dribs and drabs over a year, leaving me to foot the tab for a massive colour lab bill; l didn't do colour processing once I went freelance - that was always paid for on a monthly basis, as was the norm with labs.

I never met a photographer didn't have a litany of complaints about getting paid.

[JoeKitchen]

I cannot imagine how my line of work could possibly bear on anything, but as it is not a secret, I will mention that it was various things in IT security.

a) the USPS is a corporation.
b) it delivers letters for 50 cents, somewhat lower than the lowest rates available from FedEx or UPS.

etc etc, I could rebut all day, and you could rebut back all day and nothing would change.

You referenced your line of work, so it just makes sense that you tell use what it is.  If you feel it does not matter, dont bring it up and dont act as if your line of work gives you some incite into the issue. 

Insofar as the USPS, how financially sound is that corporation right now?  I believe that the post master general has been trying to automate things to make it more efficient and save money, which would of course cost people their jobs.  But since congress needs to approve it first, and no congress person wants to vote away peoples jobs, it is not getting implemented. 

A independent business would have made the decision already and became a better more efficient company. 

On top of that a 50 cent stamp only gets you an ounce and it needs to be a flat standard or business envelope using white paper.  As soon as it become larger then an envelope, and/or heavier then a ounce, and/or material made from non-white paper, the price goes up and is comparable to UPS and FedEx. 

[RSL]

At least the govt. is reasonably solid. . .

Of course it is, Rob. It can extract what's necessary from you, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. People keep talking about "federal funds." There are no "federal funds." They're all taxpayer funds.

[amolitor]

My reference to my line of work was no appeal to authority, it was simply a way of saying "in my job" to distinguish it from the other elements of my life.

Your effort to make it relevant is the usual trick of trying to constantly bring up new topics, force the conversation in new and arbitrary directions, so that nobody need actually work through anything to an answer. There's always new things to nitpick and argue about. As soon as a topic gets iffy, you simply drop it and pick up a new thread

It doesn't matter whether it's progressives, conservatives, libertarians, religious zealots, whatever. The basket of techniques to simply exhaust the other guy is the same. It in no way resembles discourse, it's just a way to consume time pointlessly.

I don't play that game.

[Rob C]

Of course it is, Rob. It can extract what's necessary from you, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. People keep talking about "federal funds." There are no "federal funds." They're all taxpayer funds.

True, but in the greater scheme of things, as long as they honour their debts to the little guy, not a lot wrong with that.

If the taxpayer expects services he has to expect to pay for them in one way or the other. Personally, I suspect the entrepreneurial spirit quite a lot; seen both sides of it, and they are not always beautiful and uplifting. Not many people manage to retain youthful enthusiasm as well as even a little bit of gentleness after a year or two of fighting for their daily bread. Total commitment to self often sets in and things become anything but pleasant.

Of course, that's not to say that state employees are any better: I remember in the 80s having to turn up in Palma to get residency permits renewed: the queue stretched right down the steps of the building and along the pavement. Inside, when I'd managed to get into the building, staff were painting their nails and having coffee whilst folks waited at the window, paperwork in hand. Not nice to be ignored, unseen, by a bunch of clerks. At least with the European deal, that ended, and once you got your permit that was that.

I wonder what happens next for those who may have been taken our of the system without even a vote?

Our probable next PM is talking about not honouring the UK debt to the EU on leaving; great applause from the scoundrel side, but not a thought to the dangers that reneging on legal responsibilities can create.

[faberryman]

Of course it is, Rob. It can extract what's necessary from you, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. People keep talking about "federal funds." There are no "federal funds." They're all taxpayer funds.

Federal funds derived from federal taxes, as distinguished from state and local funds derived from state and local taxes.

[RSL]

Right, Fab, though in a lot of cases "local" funds are from federal "grants." But, yeah. If you're a Californian, you're going to be ripped off by the state to the maximum extent possible. Which is exactly why Colorado has become Californicated. The people who move there from Cal are too dumb to realize that it was their own votes that brought about the conditions that made them move. Now they're doing the same thing to Colorado they did to California.

[Alan Klein]

Right, Fab, though in a lot of cases "local" funds are from federal "grants." But, yeah. If you're a Californian, you're going to be ripped off by the state to the maximum extent possible. Which is exactly why Colorado has become Californicated. The people who move there from Cal are too dumb to realize that it was their own votes that brought about the conditions that made them move. Now they're doing the same thing to Colorado they did to California.

In my 55+ community in New Jersey,  a lot of the retirees are"snow birds". They spend 3 per 4 months in Florida during the cold winter.  A few of them make sure they stay there for 6 months and a day.   That way they claim Florida residence.  Unlike New Jersey that has a 6% state income tax,  Florida has no income taxes at all. It's why Florida is growing in population and New Jersey is shrinking.

[JoeKitchen]

My reference to my line of work was no appeal to authority, it was simply a way of saying "in my job" to distinguish it from the other elements of my life.

Your effort to make it relevant is the usual trick of trying to constantly bring up new topics, force the conversation in new and arbitrary directions, so that nobody need actually work through anything to an answer. There's always new things to nitpick and argue about. As soon as a topic gets iffy, you simply drop it and pick up a new thread

It doesn't matter whether it's progressives, conservatives, libertarians, religious zealots, whatever. The basket of techniques to simply exhaust the other guy is the same. It in no way resembles discourse, it's just a way to consume time pointlessly.

I don't play that game.

Then don’t bring it up next time.  You saying “in my line of work” opens the door for the reader to wonder what the line of work is.  It’s just natural to think that.  If it of no importance, don’t mention it next time. 

[amolitor]

Good effort at dragging me off into the weeds! But, the answer is still no.

[JoeKitchen]

Good effort at dragging me off into the weeds! But, the answer is still no.

I was not trying to drag you into the weeds; merely pointing out the contradictory natural of your comments.  You bringing up your experience makes the reader wonder what the experience is.  If it is of no importance, then don’t talk from it.  This is writing 101 here. 

[amolitor]

It is painfully clear that you wish to draw me into a pointless metadiscussion about the meaning and appropriateness of a single clause in some remarks I made quite some time ago, but since you seem to be doing fine by yourself, I will let you proceed.

Carry on!

[faberryman]

It is painfully clear that you wish to draw me into a pointless metadiscussion about the meaning and appropriateness of a single clause in some remarks I made quite some time ago, but since you seem to be doing fine by yourself, I will let you proceed. Carry on!

Consider it a victory. He is quibbling about the form but not the content of your remarks.

[James Clark]

I was not trying to drag you into the weeds; merely pointing out the contradictory natural of your comments.  You bringing up your experience makes the reader wonder what the experience is.  If it is of no importance, then don’t talk from it.  This is writing 101 here.

You're way overthinking this

[JoeKitchen]

You're way overthinking this

Maybe you're right, actually I think you're right.  I'll stop now. 

[Alan Klein]

You guys ever have a private client go bad on you, leaving you to foot the loss. I have. Ever have a govt. client turn tits up, bust, on you?

At least the govt. is reasonably solid - not that I worked for it other than once before the fashion thing became absolute - and hey, I never had an advertising agency pay quicker than three months: standard in all their deals. Had a fashion manufacturer pay me in dribs and drabs over a year, leaving me to foot the tab for a massive colour lab bill; l didn't do colour processing once I went freelance - that was always paid for on a monthly basis, as was the norm with labs.

I never met a photographer didn't have a litany of complaints about getting paid.

Every businessman has complaints about payments. it's part of the turf.  I mentioned in another post how I lost my credit line because of government political games.  So there's that.  Also, not every contractor works directly for government.  Most of my work when I worked on government projects, I was a subcontractor.  So my payments did not come directly from the government.  It came from the general contractor many of whom were bastards.  Sometimes you can get support from the government when things like that happen and you don;t get paid.  Often you can't.  For example, you can;t lien a government building like you can if your work is in a private building.

A lot depends on the circumstances, government agency, etc.  One game the general contractor would do is tell you he'll pay you now at let's say 50-60% of what the balance he owes you.  Or if you want to wait ten months until the government pays him, then you'll get the full amount.   So you're stuck needing cash so you agree to the first offer and he keeps part of your profits.  The government doesn't care.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Apropos nothing and everything: