Odd things I've heard today....

Did you hear about the stink involving NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) as they track Santa Claus?   It seems some people are upset that kids are seeing FA-18's escorting Santa as he slips into North American airspace.  

They say kids will think that either Santa himself is suspect, or that he might be attacked by bad guys.  Either way, it's a sight kids shouldn't be exposed to.  "Our society is just too violent" they say.

I agree.  How can we expect kids to enjoy playing Black Ops-Call of Duty on their new XBox One or to knock off hookers and dopers playing Grand Theft Auto 5 when their innocent little minds are worried sick over whether Santa is about to get whacked by Al Qaeda?

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I'm all for government doing what they can to save a few taxpayer dollars, but I'm wondering if Wisconsin might have taken things just a bit too far?

I've never been to Wisconsin in the winter (and I'd like to keep it that way), but I understand there's a lot of ice and snow all over their roads.  To supplement the usual salt they spread around to aid drivers, they've now begun to also spread around "repurposed" provolone and mozzarella cheese brine, byproducts of their cheese industry.

Does this mean they'll soon change the slogan on their license plates from "Wisconsin:  America's Dairyland" to "Wisconsin: Come Smell Our Dairy Air"?  *think about it*

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Merry Christmas everyone.  I hope you have a wonderful, safe, happy holiday.  :)

S

The times, they are a changin'

I see that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has kept his job, defeating a recall election spearheaded by unions and others upset with him because he took away teachers and civil servants collective bargaining rights.  As I understand it that effectively limits their ability to get pay raises and more benefits.  What I didn't know until this morning is that there were also successful referendums in San Diego and San Jose, CA to roll back retirement benefits for civil servants there.  Will this become a nationwide trend?


I think people are just now realizing how generous civil servants pay and benefits are.  I've read that government employee's pay and benefit packages together give them about 25-33% more buying power than those in the private sector doing the same type job.  For example, it is common for them to get 3 weeks vacation their first year on the job, not after 5 years as is standard practice in the private sector.  Are they more productive?  Do they deserve more than the rest of us?  And just this morning on the local news they reported that the Dallas ISD is now paying their Communications Director $180K (+ benefits), at the same time they're laying off classroom teachers.  Hmmmm.....  


The times, they are a changin'.


S