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Daily Archives: August 16th, 2011

Lilliegate?


A high placed administrator in the Springfield Urban league has all but gutted the Head Start program. This administrator who retired from a state position in Health and Human services at a level 5 (this on the lower end of the supervisory scale). Her emergence as a third in line at the Urban League has created an air of deceit, deception and incompetence. The clients in this case are countless children who use the services of Head Start on a daily basis. Her “reign” of terror has eliminated all but the most basic, building upkeep, the inability to service the clients and their families by diluting the staffing of certified and qualified teaching staff.The advent of Unionization has brought some relief but the cloud of “Lilliegate” lies heavy over the program.The extent of this persons negative influence has spread to her own church in that she was asked to step down from a leadership role in a church program. What we have in the presence of this person is the advent of a low-level administrator moving above her capability to oversee important programs. When the real truth is brought to light there will be many threads that lead back to the Lillie’s gate.

Fast Food Is Not!


After many visits to several fast food operations locally, I have concluded that fast food is not so fast.To begin with it is a off-putting exercise in just placing your order.Initially you are assailed with a recorded message to get you buy a supersize, specialty item or a full meal. When you tell them what you want it usually takes two (2) times to get your order across correctly (hopefully). Once you accomplished that feat, you go to the pay window and there your order is verified. You then move to the window where you receive your order after answering the question verifying your order. Overall this process appears simple except in the establishments where you can “have it your way”. Once embarking on the road to “having it your way”, chances are your order will be wrong at least 1/2 the time. Once have determined that your order is wrong , you have to go into the store and get it corrected. You will then receive a multitude of pardons for the mistake while your stomach growls. The conclusion I have reached is fast food is not and the chance of having it your way is sure to create chaos in the establishments routine and increasing the chance of an error in your order. Now to discuss the workers, I have noticed that many of the workers are incompetent and zombie like.All of then save a few suffer from the ability to clearly communicate with the customer. It is like dealing with someone who would rather be elsewhere, doing some thing different.

Building What?


There has been some media coverage on the multi site housing erected by Springfield Housing. This is a wonderful development and much-needed but I am a bit disturbed that there is very little participation in the building by minorities. What ever happened to the program administered by the Springfield Urban League to train community youths in the construction trades to enable them to participate in these construction projects? The program called “Youth Build” was supposed to train eligible youths in the construction trades, then place them with local contractors for on the job training. Since the beginning of the program there it appears that no actual permanent or temporary positions were made available for those participants. Those trainees would have made a good step in raising the standards of living on the East side while removing some families above the poverty level and off the public dole.

Taxation without Effect


The latest edition of the Illinois legislature in action has appeared. The State is in dire financial straits but the “leaders” have decided to impose a tax increase to cure the problem. This tax increase is supposed to be “temporary” but given the past financial malfeasance, this no doubt will continue beyond the projected expiration date. The voters of this state (and the Nation) have been snookered, bamboozled and lied to for years but we still elect the same morons because of sound bites and innuendo (advertising). The art of politics is to put on a theatrical production before elections and perform sleight of hand actions (that would amaze David Copperfield). These machinations have created a fiscal morass that appears impossible to overcome by the current administration. The entire legislature is to blame but no more than the voters (us) who put them there. The election season (season of signs, media ads and personal appearances) brings a mass media assault equal to a military campaign but having no substantial content. These office seekers can be likened to whipped cream which goes flat when warm. The cure is to listen carefully to what these aspirants say and believe none of it especially if they have been in office for more that 2 terms. The founders intended that these positions would be part-time not permanent or perpetual. The thought was to allow various views and fresh thoughts, we certainly have not seen much of that in the past 50 years or so. This latest debacle is not an oddity, it is more an ongoing process of line their pockets and lie to the public. We as voters have too long accepted the elitist attitudes as long as we get ours, which is not as much as we need.

Twisting In The Wind


Each day as I read the various and assorted opinions by well know columnists, pundits and poorly informed readers, I am so disappointed by the ignorance of their statements. So many of the statements are so racist as to served up with a burning cross. Since the beginning of this country race has been an economic issue and secondly a color “thing”. Some Americans have not made much progress beyond the antebellum era of the United States. Our Congress has never made the leap to modern times but have made a few allowances such as allowing women and people of color to serve in their hallowed chambers while keeping the same attitude of elitism. When a member actually shows an initiative towards the real job of serving in a Congressional manner are shut down or bought off with an assist for their constituents. This leaves the majority of Americans twisting in the wind and ripe for plucking by any reasonable sounding right, left or radical sect. The envisioned America is one in which the voters can trust their representatives. We are twisting in the wind and buffeted by gale force winds of B.S.