arts-attic.com

When you live on public benefits you spend a lot of time maintaining those close relationships with government officials so you can prove that you’re not cheating the system. It was time to prove that we are still eligible for SNAP benefits, and part of that means providing documents proving our major assets haven’t changed. We live in a motorhome, and even though its our home it’s counted against us as an asset, we each have a motorcycle and even though they are our only means of transportation outside of the motorhome, the motorcycles aren’t counted as vehicles so they are counted as assets. We could live in a subsidized apartment at greater public expense and that’s o-kay. We could own a car and not ride motorcycles in the rain and that would be okay. But we don’t so we had to e-mail copies of our current vehicle registrations.

So I went to Staples in Manchester with three NH vehicle registration slips and a thumb drive in my hand. In my mind was a mental image of walking up to the counter, maybe waiting in line, asking politely, and then waiting while my documents were scanned an copied to my thumb drive. At the time I didn’t think this was unreasonable. Still don’t.

So Michelle, the Staples “that was easy” Certified Print Pro in the Staples Copy and Print hears my request and responds with “I can’t do that until tomorrow.” So I thank her and walk out to our home. I use the Staples wifi connection to search for another copy center and they’re all gone it seems. Small copy shops really can’t compete against a national chain like Staples and the small shops have suffered the creative destruction so essential to change. Which doesn’t help me right now because my next option is driving over to Bedford, NH and the FedEx-Kinkos copy center. So I walked back inside Staples just to be sure I didn’t miss anything in our previous exchange.

“I’m sorry but we’re in a production run and all of our machines are busy.”
“So you don’t take walk in customers anymore?”
“We still do walk ins but we need to assign your job a production number and then we can do it tomorrow.”

You get the idea. I drove over to Kinkos.

I sent a complaint to Staples and received a reply”

February 27, 2015

Re: Case # 00486549

Dear Art Joly:

Thank-you for taking the time to write Staples concerning your attempt to have printing done in our 1189 – Manchester,NH. Please accept our sincere apologies for any inconvenience we may have caused you.

Whenever possible our Copy and Print staff will try to accommodate on demand requests. However, due to our completing orders in the manner in which we receive them, our stores may not be able to complete you order while you wait.

For your convenience our stores offer a number of self-serve printing options such as color and black and white printing/copying, and a self-serve design kiosk. Additionally we encourage our customers to submit their orders at www.staples.com/copyandprint. You can elect to have the order printed at your local store and arrange for a convenient pick up so that you can avoid a wasted trip to the store.

Your comments are greatly appreciated as they allow us to improve upon our current and future policies and procedures. We hope that you will remain a valued Staples customer.

Sincerely,

Kayla Barber
Office of the President
Staples, Inc.
kayla.barber@staples.com

Kayla? Clueless Kayla? If I could have self-serve scanned my documents and been on my way I would have been happy. But I can’t and it wasn’t offered. But I see that you have managed to assign a task number to me!

If I were wealthier than Lydian King Croseus, the US government or at least the people’s representatives would have been falling over themselves to help me out. But I’m not. Workplace rules are feel good rules that can’t be applied in the real world and my last business wasn’t too big to fail. It was o-kay for unregulated banks to crash the entire world economy, and it was necessary for the US taxpayer to bail out companies that had been allowed to grow to be to big to be

allowed

to fail. And in a true free market economy that’s wrong too.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell smiles after he ceremonially swore-in, in the Old Senate Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington January 6, 2015.
Credit: Reuters/Larry Downing

(Reuters) House of Representatives rule change that could prompt a steep cut to Social Security disability benefits next year, congressional aides said on Monday.

The new legislative rule, pushed through with little notice last week, would prohibit a routine transfer to the Social Security Disability Trust Fund, which is expected to be depleted by late 2016.

Republicans say they passed the rule change to force reforms to the disability program, which they claim is rife with fraud and mismanagement.

Republican Representative Sam Johnson, of Texas, who authored the rule change, said it was meant to protect Social Security retirement benefits from being “raided” by the “fraud-plagued disability program” and to encourage reforms.

(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by John Whitesides and Leslie Adler)

After removing the Glass-Steagall Act and now removing any teeth that the Dodd-Frank legislation might have had, it’s time to attack the poorest among us once again.

The Waste and Fraud argument reached it’s peak of foolishness under Our Lord and Saviour, Ronald Reagan with the Cadillac driving, Fur wearing welfare queen. Linda Taylor, Reagan’s Welfare Queen, was anything but. In reality Miss Taylor was a sophisticated con artist under investigation by the police, the police who repeatedly asked the government to leave her alone so the police could gather evidence and obtain a conviction.

But we’re still at it. Trust me folks, if there’s waste and fraud it ain’t much. I use the system. I believe that I earned the right by working so hard I can’t work anymore. Believe you me, it ain’t Champagne and Caviar.

Well, I was on Ars Technica and there was a link to this story on Gawker by Hudson Hongo about the response the Nashville, TN police chief gave to a concerned citizen, a concerned citizen who thinks that the police in Nashville are too soft on protester.

Nashville, TN Police Chief Steve Anderson

Mr. _____________

While I certainly appreciate your offer to intercede on my behalf with our Mayor, you should know that the Mayor has not issued any order, directive or instruction on the matter with which you take issue. All decisions concerning the police department’s reaction to the recent demonstrations have been made within the police department and approved by me. Therefore, any reasons or rationale supporting your proposal as what would be the best approach for all of Nashville, and not just a method of utilizing the police department to enforce a personal agenda, should be directed to me.

In that your thoughts deserve consideration, I will attempt to address some of the issues you have raised:

Has consideration been given as to whether the response of the police department “help or hurt the community.”

It is our view that every decision made within the police department should be made with the community in mind. Obviously, there are some matters in which we have no discretion. On matters in which we do have discretion, careful consideration is given as to the best course of action, always with the welfare of the general public in mind.

That has been the consideration on this issue. Certainly, in comparing the outcome here in Nashville with what has occurred in some other cities, the results speak for themselves. I stand on the decisions that have been made.

“These actions are putting the department at disharmony from the majority of the citizens.”

While I don’t doubt that you sincerely believe that your thoughts represent the majority of citizens, I would ask you to consider the following before you chisel those thoughts in stone.

As imperfect humans, we have a tendency to limit our association with other persons to those persons who are most like us. Unfortunately, there is even more of a human tendency to stay within our comfort zone by further narrowing those associations to those persons who share our thoughts and opinions. By doing this we can avoid giving consideration to thoughts and ideas different than our own. This would make us uncomfortable. By considering only the thoughts and ideas we are in agreement with, we stay in our comfort zone. Our own biases get reinforced and reflected back at us leaving no room for any opinion but our own. By doing this, we often convince ourselves that the majority of the world shares opinion and that anyone with another opinion is, obviously, wrong.

It is only when we go outside that comfort zone, and subject ourselves to the discomfort of considering thoughts we don’t agree with, that we can make an informed judgment on any matter. We can still disagree and maintain our opinions, but we can now do so knowing that the issue has been given consideration from all four sides. Or, if we truly give fair consideration to all points of view, we may need to swallow our pride and amend our original thoughts.

And, it is only by giving consideration to the thoughts of all persons, even those that disagree with us, that we can have an understanding as to what constitutes a majority.

“I just want myself and my family to feel that our city is safe, and right now we don’t feel that way.”

I have to admit, I am somewhat puzzled by this announcement. None of the demonstrators in this city have in any way exhibited any propensity for violence or indicated, even verbally, that they would harm anyone. I can understand how you may feel that your ideologies have been questioned but I am not aware of any occurrence that would give reason for someone to feel physically threatened.

“I have a son who I have raised to respect police officers and other authority figures, but if he comes to me today and asks “Why are the police allowing this?” I wouldn’t have a good answer.”

It is somewhat perplexing when children are injected into the conversation as an attempt to bolster a position or as an attempt to thwart the position of another. While this is not the type of conversation I ordinarily engage in, here are some thoughts you may find useful as you talk with your son.

First, it is laudable that you are teaching your son respect for the police and other authority figures. However, a better lesson might be that it is the government the police serve that should be respected. The police are merely a representative of a government formed by the people for the people—for all people. Being respectful of the government would mean being respectful of all persons, no matter what their views.

Later, it might be good to point out that the government needs to be, and is, somewhat flexible, especially in situations where there are minor violations of law. A government that had zero tolerance for even minor infractions would prove unworkable in short order.

Although this is unlikely, given your zero tolerance stance, suppose that, by accident or perhaps inattention, you found yourself going 40 miles per hour in a 30 miles per hour zone and that you were stopped by a police officer. Then, after making assurances that licenses were in order and that there were no outstanding warrants, the officer asked you not to speed again and did not issue a citation, but merely sent you on your way.

As you have suggested, a question may come to you from the back seat, “How can I respect the police if they will not enforce the law?” In the event this does occur, here are some facts that might help you answer that question.

In the year 2013, our officers made over four hundred thousand vehicle stops, mostly for traffic violations. A citation was issued in only about one in six of those stops. Five of the six received warnings. This is the police exercising discretion for minor violations of the law. Few, if any, persons would argue that the police should have no discretion.

This is an explanation you might give your son. Take into account, however, that the innocence of children can produce the most profound and probing questions. They often see the world in a very clear and precise manner, their eyes unclouded by the biases life gives us. This could produce the next question. “If you believe that the police should enforce the law at all times, why didn’t you insist that the officer write you a ticket?”

I don’t have a suggestion as to how that should be answered.

I do know, however, that this is a very diverse city. Nashville, and all of America, will be even more diverse when your son becomes an adult. Certainly, tolerance, respect and consideration for the views of all persons would be valuable attributes for him to take into adulthood.

Mr. ______, thank you for taking the time to express your position on this matter. I assure that your thoughts will be given all due consideration. We will continue, however, to make decisions, on this and all matters, that take into account what is best for all of Nashville.

Steve Anderson

Chief of Police

[ Image via WKRN-TV]

And this is the e-mail Chief Anderson received from a concerned citizen:

[Email Received]

Chief Anderson,

I wanted to send you this email to express my frustration and outrage at how the situation of these protesters is being handled in Nashville. The first night protesters marched here after the incidents in Ferguson they never should have been allowed to shut down the interstate. Instead of at least threatening to arrest them, they were served coffee and hot chocolate. I don’t feel that is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. It sends a message that they can do whatever they want and will be rewarded. Then, this past week, more protesters march around downtown for 3 or more hours and once again, no arrests, and it took THP to keep them from getting on the interstate again. Saturday night, marching and “die ins” at Opry Mills mall. How long are we going to allow these people to disrupt our city?

I have a son who I have raised to respect police officers and other authority figures, but if he comes to me today and asks “Why are the police allowing this?” I wouldn’t have a good answer. If any other group of people wanted to march around the streets they would have to get a permit weeks or months in advance, and I know it’s not possible to get a permit to obstruct traffic and walk on the interstate.

Please understand I am not trying to disrespect you or your department, I just want myself and my family to feel that our city is safe, and right now we don’t feel that way. Is this going to be allowed to continue until someone gets hurt? Protection of the city should be coming from MNPD, not THP. I also understand that you get direction from the mayor’s office, but these actions are putting the department at disharmony from the majority of the citizens. At some point you are going to have to answer this question to yourself – “Am I following or giving orders that help or hurt the community?” In closing, if these recent actions have been due to pressure from the mayor’s office, please reach out to the people of Nashville, there are many who will gladly contact the mayor’s office as well.

Sincerely, ________ __________

And furthermore Chief Anderson did all of this:

Metro Nashville Police Chief Steve Anderson says his officers set an example for the nation when they chose to take a cooperative approach to local Ferguson protests, a stark contrast to the militarized crackdowns employed by other departments. As a result, no violence, looting, or vandalism took place.

And then there is the NYPD:

http://youtu.be/f_RSPauuhNs

And more NYPD: