Another random bullet list in a lifetime of random bullet lists:

• Exercise - Assertion: Exercise makes you feel better physically. My question: If you have sore muscles 2-3 days after you take an exercise class and you take that class twice a week (on Monday and Friday) you have approximately 1/2 a day where you could possibly “feel better.” On a good week. (This is not a “good” week for that) Is it really worth it?

 

• 3 years ago tomorrow I served X the divorce papers. It took almost a full twelve months to navigate the entire process. How long will I mark these crappy anniversaries?

 

• Halloween plans - I learned today that the boys will be going with X tomorrow directly after school (part of the marrital termination agreement was to share Halloween) so I’m thinking about going out after the trick-or-treaters are done. I’ve already asked some friends over to the house but they are busy.

 

• Value position forum - led last evening by a former political science professor and former mayor of a small town in Minnesota. It was a great turn-out and I was so grateful at the way he set up the conversation. He even mentioned the part of the Lutheran baptismal service where parents, sponsors and congregation promise to teach and help the newly baptised to “…work for social justice and peace.” Other people are making the connection and it makes me feel happy.

 

• McCain’s health plan - I was listening to public radio on Monday and one of the things that McCain’s spokesperson said was that under their plan families would get a $5000 tax credit (for a family. as a single wage earner I think I would only get $2500) and that people who had a health insurance benefit from their employer would get (on average) a $7000 increase in salary because the employer would have reserved that amount for the benefit which they wouldn’t have to pay for and so that savings would “be added back into salaries.” But he couldn’t (wouldn’t?) confirm that there is anything in the plan to ensure that employers actually pass that savings to the employee.
  Given Alan Greenspan’s admission that he had neglected to factor in the human nature of greed, why does the McCain camp actually think any worker at any level of an organization would actually see any of that money?

 

• Corporate taxes - People keep spewing about how the US has the “highest corporate tax rate of developing nations.” They think they sound so smart. If they were smart, they would know that we actually have the LOWEST EFFECTIVE corporate tax rate, due to write-offs and tax breaks most corporations pay very little to nothing into the public funds. And get great benefit from the public infrastructure like roads, fire and police, hospitals for their employees, schools to edjamacate their work-force, etc.

 

• There are three sectors of money in the US: Private, Public (governmental) and Non-profit (what the rest of the world calls NGOs.) Over the last 28 years there has been a shift of which sector is responsible for things. In Hennepin County (Minneapolis and suburbs) in the last 3 years, 60% of all human services were provided by NON-PROFIT sector organizations. So in other words, we are using our pooled resources (tax dollars) to out-source to organizations who are typically employing people at lower wages (because they are non union) and not required to comply with state and federal hiring practices (see here).

 

• My boss and friend LN is leaving The Corporate Hell Hole tomorrow. He’s taking a week in Mexico (missing election day. I reminded him to vote, even though I’m pretty sure he’s voting for the “wrong” candidate. Maybe it will be too much trouble?). I’m going to miss having him around here. Mostly because it’s pretty much all falling on me with no word of an actual promotion or raise to go with it.On the other hand, I’m still employed and probably won’t be laid off now until they close down the Minneapolis corporate offices. (My guess is that it will be during Q209)

 

• I had Zach the Plumber out to the house yesterday to look at the radiator in SrB’s room. That radiator hadn’t really been pumping out heat since YM was there (and she left in 2006!) Turns out the radiator and pipes to it were just fine. But there was a small leak in another main pipe that was releasing the pressure in the system. That radiator was the last on the line so was the first to not get hot water when the pressure dropped low enough. 3.5 hours and $586 later, we have a new pressure gauge, a new coupling and and a new overflow valve. Maybe 62 degrees won’t seem so cold this winter if every room is at 62?
  We did not talk politics.

— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

melting all over again 2007
OK! I get it! 2005

— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

melting all over again 2007
OK! I get it! 2005

— — —
A year ago (or longer) on This Journey…

melting all over again 2007
OK! I get it! 2005

Posted on October 30th, 2008 under randomness. RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback.