Author: William

Hill’s Health

Here is a syllogism that should be in play in public discourse now and the fact that it’s not should worry some folks.

Given #1: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the most transformative President of the 20th Century. He expanded government more than any President in history. He is the modern idol of Liberal Democrats and Socialists in America.

Given #2: FDR was a man who suffered a debilitating disease and persevered to lead America thru the Great Depression and The Big War. Liberals often hold him up as a role model for handicapped people—except folks with Downs Syndrome which they universally wish to abort as soon as the amniocentesis test results are in.

Given #3: Hillary Clinton has some sort of disease that is making people think she can’t be President.

Given these three facts, why don’t we hear: Roosevelt was the greatest president and was battling the ravages of disease and Hillary is battling a ravaging disease and can be a great president too.

FDR from Wikipedia

Oh, wait. Nobody is making this claim.

Given the Democrat’s universal reverence for FDR and his legacy, why isn’t Clinton embracing her health issues and claiming that she is the female Roosevelt?

Why doesn’t she come clean about her health issues and say that despite her challenges she can lead America into eight more years of socialist paradise?

Instead we have the usual Clinton spin, misdirection, and disinformation. Anything but the truth seems to be their credo.

My conclusion is “be afraid, be very afraid”.

California’s Pending Computer Mandate

Many years ago, Bill Bright wrote the gospel tract, The Four Spiritual Laws. In this booklet he states “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.”

The secular version of this is “Government owns you and has a plan to run every aspect of your life.”

The interesting thing about the ruling Elites, is that they seem to find a way to exempt themselves from the rules they impose on everyone else or at the very least, refuse to lead by example.

Here’s another case in point. The California Energy Commission is trying to roll-out energy efficiency standards on computers. Why, because of the myth of Global Warming.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – California regulators moved a step closer on Friday to the first mandatory U.S. energy efficiency standards for computers and monitors, gadgets that account for 3 percent of home electric bills and 7 percent of commercial power costs in the state.

The latest draft standards issued by the California Energy Commission, marking the second revision of rules first proposed in March 2015, would save consumers an estimated $373 million annually when fully implemented, the agency said.
Link: California Energy saving rules on Computers

The practical effect California enacting these regulations is that it will impose a national energy standard on the entire United States. So what happened to the beloved Interstate Commerce Clause of the US Constitution?

The latest rules could set a new standard for computer manufacturers everywhere by virtue of California’s size as a consumer market.

Here is another unelected body making law with no accountability to the people. I find it ironic that government wants to tell everyone else what to do when they are doing the exact opposite.

Please note that at the agency where I work—the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation—that we are instructed to leave our computers on during nights and weekends in case the IT department wishes to push out updates to our PCs. Also, please note that this rarely happens and the only thing keeping our network secure is an extensive array of firewalls because the desktop machines here rarely get security patches. For example, many users are running Internet Explorer 9, Java 6, and Adobe Acrobat 9. None of these programs is supported by their software companies because they are too old. All are riddled with known security flaws that could allow people to gain complete access to individual computers and possibly our network as well.

Just once it would be nice if government would lead by example instead of have one rule for themselves and a different one for everybody else.

97 Reasons to Like Chick-fil-A

As happens about every two years, the drain in the kitchen sink is plugged-up. As a result, cooking and washing dishes is all but impossible at the moment. The plumber can’t be here until tomorrow.

Please note that this is a good thing. If you need a guy to do work on your house and he can start immediately you should not employ them. Those with skills are in demand and those without are anxious to start now. Hiring second tier people in construction trades usually ends badly. They have your money and you have a partially completed project.

Since the kitchen is out of order, Mrs. ReallyRight said, I don’t want to cook so let’s go out. I agreed and suggested Chick-fil-A. Four of us trekked over to our local Chick-fil-A.

Here was our dine-in order:
• Chick-fil-A Sandwich
• Deluxe Chick-fil-A Sandwich
• Harvest Kale Salad
• Spicy Southwestern Salad
• Three large waffle fries
• Large Diet Coke
• Large Sprite
• Large Dr. Pepper
• Medium Diet Lemonade

Total Price $0.97

Yeah ninety-seven cents.

Every few months we get a cheap date by “going to see the cow”.

So how did I do it? Simple
• Three Calendar cards –this month is free large waffle fries and large drink
• Two Chick-fil-A customer surveys—each good for free entrée
• One free entrée card due to slow service on a previous visit
• Plus $1.29 remaining on my McAfee rebate card

This company rewards their regular customers and I’m glad they can help a family on a budget.

Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?

Link: IMDB

This movie title from the 1970’s is what I think of when I keep reading the nonsense spewing out of the Service Employees International Union concerning their threatened strike of state workers.

Does anybody think nonessential state workers deserve a 22 percent across the board pay increase over four years?  Especially in this economy?

Yet look at this week’s missive from their Grand Poobah.

And as we show our strength and pledge our support to take all Local 1000 authorized actions, management will threaten and try to intimidate us in an effort to weaken our cause. We’re not falling for it.

Standing up for a strong contract is our right. We won’t be intimidated for participating in actions or using our voice to stand up for what we believe in.

This is our Union. This is our Contract. This is our Future.
Link: our hard earned contract rights still in force

This strike idea makes no sense in the present economy. Furthermore, what is the compelling reason for the strike? Does the Union want to fully fund the woefully underfunded pension plans? (Speaking of which, who in the private sector even has any hope of a retirement anymore?) Heck no, they want the taxpayers on the hook for even more loot when this is all over with.

They still haven’t even called for a strike vote yet. Perhaps the outcome is predetermined so why let folks vote?

Unfortunately for the SEIU, I can’t find a state worker yet that feels the need to strike. Yes, people would like more pay but many are realists and know that state employment is one of the last bastions of benefits and pensions.

Worse for SEIU is that many state workers don’t even know a strike is being contemplated by the union until I ask them how they feel about it.

If I was SEIU, I would make a two year contract with Governor Brown and take my chances for a better deal with the next guy in the corner office at the capitol. Instead, SEIU wants state workers to get in Lemming Mode and charge off the cliff when the order is given.

Hey SEIU, if the order is coming then just give it already.  Quit posturing like a rooster in the barnyard. Enough crowing, if you really believe all this bluster then get going. What are you’ll waiting for?

A glance at the calendar shows that there is no good time for this to happen this year.
• October voting begins
• November is election and Thanksgiving
• December is Christmas
• January is Governor’s first draft of the next budget (2017-18)

So back to my original question, Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
• The membership doesn’t want it.
• The general public won’t support it.
• The politicians don’t want it to happen.

One way to be outstanding in your field is to be the only one in it but the concept of a union is a group of people banded together for a common purpose. The disconnect of the SEIU leadership from the rest of the world is breathtaking.

Credit Theft: A Victimless Crime?

I recently got a new bank card because my bank said I had purchased something from a store that had a security breach. In this case I think it was Wendy’s. I was told that the card I was using would stop working on August 25th and needed to activate the new card before then. So I dutifully activated the new card on August 24th.  The new card had a different account number and expiration date than my previous card.

On Labor Day morning (September 5th ), my wife comes into the bedroom saying the bank is calling with a fraud alert. Every few months I get a call like this because my purchasing habits go outside their normal parameters but I did nothing that would trigger such a call. I went on the Internet and sure enough several fraudulent charges had been made using my brand new bank card.

The second attempt at Rite Aid is likely what triggered the fraud alert.

Being that Labor Day is a bank holiday, all I could do was cancel my bank card. I had to wait until the next day to dispute the charges.

After the payments posted on the first three transactions, the declined withdrawal dropped-off the bank record and only the pending Walmart.com remained. The transaction said it would not post until September 7th. (I could only dispute the charges that successfully removed money from my account and not the pending Walmart charge.)

On September 6th, I contacted Walmart and my bank, hoping to thwart the last remaining transaction by these thieves. Even with the date, approximate time of the fraudulent purchase, and confirmation number of the purchase, neither was able (or willing) to help me.

Walmart said that without the actual order number that they could not stop the transaction. My bank said that they not only couldn’t block it but they couldn’t even tell me how much the final transaction would be until it posted. The lady at the bank couldn’t even see the pending charge until I pulled up my account on my cell phone and showed it to her.

Furthermore, they told me not to take money out of my account because they couldn’t promise me that any of my pending transactions would go thru if I did that. In short, I was told to take it in the shorts and just let the fraudulent charge happen and then I would get the money reimbursed from the bank in about ten days.

Being that my mortgage payment and other large transactions had not yet cleared the bank, this charge at Walmart.com could have been very substantial and depleted my bank account to the point that everything would bounce anyways. Faced with this nightmare scenario, what would you do?

The more I thought about it, the more violated I felt. As often happens in our country, you are first violated by the criminal and then a second time by the system.

I left the minimum amount necessary to cover all the outstanding checks that I had already mailed in my account and transferred the rest of the money to my wife’s account. Early this morning, I awakened to find that all pending transactions except Walmart had posted. At that point, I further reduced my bank balance to $75. When I got up to go to work, I decided I needed to transfer an additional $200 to my checking account. My bank separately posted one check later in the morning. They did ding me for a fee to cover the check but as of this writing, Walmart has dropped off my account.

I’m hoping that the worst is behind me now. It appears that the Walmart purchase was aborted; probably overnight. If the thieves had spent a small sum on my card, the transaction likely would have gone thru but I have the feeling that they “went for broke” or more literally tried to make me broke.

Of interest to me is the fact that two of the fraudulent orders that they charged to my account were intended for delivery at a physical address. The food order and Walmart order both had to go somewhere. A reasonable person would think this would make it easier to catch these guys but neither my bank nor Walmart indicated that law enforcement be notified of the fraud.

It reminds me of the time we got robbed and the policeman asked if we had insurance and as soon as we said yes, they were done looking for the crooks.

It really bothers me that such fraud is tolerated and so commonplace that nobody even seems interested in pursuing the thieves. For my bank, it is just an allocation in their general ledger and a cost for doing business.

My final thought on this is that God is watching and our family has asked Him to mete out a little justice now on these thieves and not let it wait until the next life. And yes I do believe that divine intervention prevented this from being as harmful to us as it could have been.

SEIU Rattling Sabers

This week, the SEIU is again pushing for members to be prepared for battle. However, I have still heard nothing about asking members to vote to authorize a strike.

Is this their “October Surprise” or do they want folks out of work in time for the holidays?

If they do pull the trigger on a strike then just wait ‘til the media starts talking about “non-essential” government workers striking. I think calling SEIU members “non-essential” government workers will bring a swift end to this folly.

City Fathers Tell Us to Vote Early and Right

I get bombarded with a plethora of junk mail each week. The other day I spotted a slick, glossy publication from the City of Elk Grove in amongst my pile of mail. On the cover are two items that together make what can only be an underhanded “in kind contribution” to the YES on Measure B campaign.

First was an article that claims that California now has early voting. Really? Until recently, I have been involved with various political groups that claim to be the guardians of public good—at least from a Conservative point of view—and I have never heard a peep out of anyone that California was adopting early voting. I know that in two years, we will have same day registration but early voting too? This is a bombshell announcement; however, the usual suspects are mute on this.

California seems to want more voter fraud to be committed more easily—at least as long as it benefits the party in power.

Next to this voter news on the newsletter was a plug for the Measure B campaign.

So we are told where to vote and what to vote for, seems like a plug for Measure B in my book.

UPDATE 08-31-2016

Sith Lord says that this is not a Texas style, full blown Early Voting System. Instead, Sacramento County Elections is trying voting at three locations in the county during week-ends. Voters will get one-time absentee ballot. They can then either vote on the spot or take ballot and return via snail mail or drop at a polling location later. Sith Lord was concerned about ballot security and county elections was not forthcoming about any chain-of-custody issues.

This is reportedly a trial program that will be evaluated later to decide if it should be continued.

Purple People Prepping

Just when you thought it was safe…

Or in this case, too quiet; the SEIU has begun saber rattling again.

My last post, pondering if SEIU was opting for a political settlement via the November elections prior to pursuing contract negotiations, seems to have been nullified by the weekly newsletter that they released this morning.

BARGAINING UPDATE: TAKE THE PLEDGE & GET READY!

We are expressing our commitment to stand up and fight for a strong contract by taking a pledge to participate in all Local 1000 authorized actions.

Contract negotiations came to a halt when state negotiators made their position clear: Even in a time of budget surpluses – and California being the sixth largest economy in the world – they will not make a real, meaningful investment in the people who make California a great place to live.

The message we delivered at town halls was also clear: The state’s offer simply does not value our work or the sacrifices we’ve made. And we’re ready and willing to let them know they must do better.

Your participation makes all the difference. Take the pledge as we gear up for our next actions. Together we are unstoppable.

SEIU Letter August 24 2016

Oh, and the pledge

My question is this, what if people realize that these “non-essential government workers” really are non-essential?

Being this IS California, there’s not much likelihood of that happening.

SEIU and Crickets

Crickets…

This sound is often associated with silence, white noise, or just meaningless background. In the movies as in real life, when the crickets are silent, something very wrong is being foreshadowed.

In like manner, since the SEIU Board of Directors unanimously authorizing a strike vote, all that they have been saying publicly is nothing; just crickets. Nothing distributed to members via public channels even hints to their next move.  Their silence over last few weeks is deafening.

I thought they would jump to calling a strike vote almost immediately. Instead, I’m starting to wonder if they are shopping legislative campaigns in search of sympathetic candidates who will sell their souls for campaign cash from this powerful labor union. Now that California is officially a one party state, it is a possibility worth considering.

I think it is clear that Governor Brown is not supportive of their cry for a 22 percent pay increase over four years for 95,000 state employees. Perhaps they are trying to shore-up their support in the Legislature before entering into further negotiations with the State.

As a recovering Republican, I’m not used to people playing chess in an arena where my side can’t even play checkers. The SEIU playing the long game is something I hadn’t considered until now but if August goes out like a lamb, then it’s likely they are banking on November 8th to improve their fortunes…literally.