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Only in America — Or Maybe Just Connecticut
By Ben Davidson, Winsted
Only here would you find managers who had mismanaged a company giving themselves raises, rewarding themselves for the mismanagement, firing people who actually may do work, and then passing the costs of the mismanagement on to the captive public. Yes, I'm talking about Connecticut’s current state budget problems. What is fascinating is that none of the managers were apparently on top of things enough that they mentioned this little fiscal problem during their campaigning for the November elections. All our representatives were silent either from willful ignorance or ineptitude. Could it have been a dishonest self-interest?
Only here would you find managers who see businesses leaving the state because overhead is too high—yes, taxes are a major factor—and then suggesting an increase in taxes to solve the problem caused in great part by the existing taxes.
Lastly: Only here would you hear night after night on the "news" reports of a traffic accident where somebody hit a motionless object on the highway, and endlessly hear people trying to find something or someone to blame for the accident other than the driver who was obviously driving faster than visibility and conditions warranted. Simple fact: You should drive at a speed that allows you to control the vehicle in whatever your field of vision, taking expected conditions into account. If something jumps in front of you, you may not be at fault, but to hit something that has been sitting in the highway for over five minutes—I’m sorry, but nobody is to blame but the driver of the moving car. I’m sure that there will be people who will try to misplace the blame on everybody available in an attempt to make money and muddy the issue of real responsibility, but it breaks down to:
(1) The driver who jumped the median is responsible for the damage to median, cleanup, and anybody he hit or jumped in front of at that time.
(2) The people responsible for the highway lights being out are responsible for nothing but causing people to (maybe) drive more slowly.
(3) The driver of the car that is the focus of the media attention is responsible for the deaths of those involved in the crash. It's sad, it may be tragic, but the driver of that car screwed up.
It's winter. There can be ice on the road. Other vehicles can have accidents. Drive accordingly.
Every driver should have to spend time on a motorcycle to learn how to pay attention to what might happen in the world they drive through. Those who don't learn to drive "smart" do not have a long life expectancy. The survivors have learned to take responsibility for themselves and for every idiot they don’t run into on the road.
Do all of the above—politics and driving—have some common theme? Yes! The "news" media is looking at events with funhouse glasses and think that we are so stupid that we will accept their reports as meaningful and tune in tomorrow for more of the same. They don't "look" to see and report real causes. The state has been mismanaged in a time when we can’t afford mismanagement. The managers should take responsibility and take significant pay cuts to help offset the damage. All those who work for that company (the State of Connecticut) should expect pay cuts until the company Is solvent again and not expect the innocent (the taxpayer) to foot the bill with increased taxes that will cause the state’s economy to be degraded even further. What caused the mismanagement? Must have been black ice.
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