There’s a whole lot of belt-tightening going on in Michigan government as we face a $968,000,000 deficit. Each state department is scrambling for ways to cut the fat, or trim the waistline, or justify their existence. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, The Dept. of Technology (DIT) has decided to gouge The schools in The Dept. of Corrections (MDOC) with a $200 increase in service fees per computer. The MDOC school director in turn issued a memorandum with a computer reduction solution—academic classrooms (1 teacher & 4 student computers) and vocational classrooms (2 computers). No more, no less.Today, after dragging my feet for two weeks, I cancelled my morning classes and added 5 perfectly functional computers to the storage room bone-yard. The other academic teacher (“other” meaning there are only 2 of us left due to attrition) added 4 perfectly functional computers from the Level I housing unit and 4 more from his classroom. The computers are piling up in the bone-yard.
You’ve got to love all this belt-tightening. I’ve also been given a new copier password delivered with the following message from the business office: school staff is making way too many copies. This so-called fact came from a lady upset about not being able to pilfer a printer from our school building.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has taken belt-tightening to a whole new level. He’s decided they need a gym in his office building, preferably on the 7th floor so he won’t have to walk very far. He’s willing to spend $58,000 on exercise equipment. Hey, got to watch that waistline, you just never know when you’re going to have another extra marital affair.
Then there are all those Michigan judges. It’s nice to know they’re buckling up in their state issued cars. Call it: Seat-Belt Tightening. Speaking of vehicles, I was able to fix the tail light on my van with a small strip of duct tape. Total cost: 2 cents. Out of my own damn pocket.
16 comments:
Hi, thanks for commenting on my blog,. I'm just starting to work my way through yours, not always easy when english is a foreign language but challenging. I guess I found another interesting blog.
Jim, You didn't "say" where you got that nice silver colored duck tape did you??? Yes, we also have a lot of belt tightening going on in the Automotive Industry. As long as I have a job, I'll go with the flow and try to make ends meet. You could save a few pennies by making copies at home?? Well, ok, using your own printer/copier ink which costs $'s. You should show the Prison senior management how you could save on printer/copier costs by having MORE computers! :) Well, looks like the inmates have to cuddle up closer together to work on the limited computers. I guess it's about 5 inmates to 1 computer?? --Bro, Ron
p.s. Does the state want to sell those computers for a little cash??
Hi JR
Hope you had a nice easter weekend
question- who is your photographer that humors your blogging obsession and takes all your pics of you? I piss a lot of friends off with my need to capture moments " for the blog" LOL
lol- freaking gov't. Here in town there's a utilities scandal because while there's not enough money for more cops, services, teachers, there is enough money to let about 300 pages or more full of names who get preferential services (free electric, gas and water) while others get shut off notices if they are late...lovely eh?It's a sad, sad world.
On other news guess what? the sellers changed their minds they said they'd allow the extension- now i'm not so sure i want it.
I'll take one of the computers sitting there collecting dust!
Perfectly functional computers in the bone-yard? How do they figure that is efficient. Bureaucrats amaze me. As per the "Peter Principle" all bureaucrats have risen to their level of incompetence.
Hey, duct tape rules! Did you ever watch Red Green?
Josie
Jim, your two cents' worth are priceless. Sounds as currupt and senseless, the way things are done with the State, as almost everywhere these days. Does the Atty Gen'l have a dacha on the Black Sea, as well? p.s. Didn't the Smithsonian head get away with all sorts of extravagances for years before getting "asked to leave"?
repair on taillight: $0.02
gym for attorney general: $58,000
DIT gouging THE SCHOOLS in MDOC: Priceless
I don't have much to say about this. Only that in the poor schools in South Africa it is not funny for 5 people to share a computer.
In the rich private schools different story.
I don't think the big people at the top realise that if you build a dumb nation, you will have dumb leaders when they die.
Jim,
You always make me laugh. Good to have that gym for the affairs, yes? HA! It is strange about the similarities between our posts-- it's that old Jungian synchronicity!
If you can't Duct it Fuck it :)
It's nice how the "belt tightening" always seems to extend to "others" when it comes to the politicians. We've got so much crap going on with the rebuilding of New Orleans that they are constantly talking about belt tightening. But the freaking local big wigs aren't doing any of it.
It will be interesting to see how long this repair lasts. Enjoyed the post. MW
E I finding that only for it had here of these things.
Beijus
Man, I hear all these Michigan horror stories and I realize I got out just in time.
But how do you fix something as screwed up as the state is? It seems to me that nobody in politics wants to fix it. Right and Left have become so polarized that its more about blaming than fixing.
Like I said, glad I got out.
Interesting blog. Thanks for the visit to mine.
And, I have a good friend who recently moved to Ypsilanti. (She works for the Michigan Press in Ann Arbor but couldn't afford to live there.)
She was distraught over snow removal. She hails from my neck of the woods (Nebraska) and said that the snow removal sucks and the sun never shines. I told her that she is just homesick for the Cornhuskers.....
But, Detroit...she and her boyfriend are just about NUTS over your city.
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