Otis the Drunk......

The other day I needed a snap-ring for a project I was working on at home. No problem, I thought; I have a huge snap-ring assortment of my own at work, I'll just run fetch it up. When I got there to pick it up, I discovered that someone had dropped the assortment box and contents and not bothered to tell me. Nice. Just dumped everything back inside and squeezed the lid shut. Bastiges.

So now I'm sitting, sorting through a thousand snap-rings, by size, shape, type of use, etc., and I have some time to think. Once I have settled on the type of slow lingering torture I shall visit upon whoever did this, I still have some time left over. So I start wondering....

Why is it that Altru has to admit every drunken slob the PD brings in for de-tox? Whatever happened to the drunk tank in jail? Did somebody choke on their puke and die in jail, and their relatives sue? What is behind this? They can't be left to sleep it off and get tossed out the next day? Now, they get a nice soft bed, meals delivered, all the finest care, and if they're there first on days when the hospital is full, priority over people with legitimate, urgent needs. Do you see anything wrong with this picture?

These people seldom can pay for their care, so Altru gets hit for their care. Which means I get hit, through my insurance, and if I have to go there for some legitimate purpose, I have to hope Ol' Otis the Drunk isn't taking up a bed I need.

I'm not talking about some teen being admitted for alcohol poisoning here, by the way. There are legitimate needs to be met, to be sure. But the overwhelming number of admits are repeat offenders, some on a first name basis with staff by virtue of their frequent-flyer status. When society undertakes to tax itself for the means of providing law enforcement, then offenses against the peace and dignity of society like public drunkenness should be a part of that formula. The kind of low-urgency care needed (deserved?) by drunks could, I think, be more affordably provided for by an institution of public incarceration than of public health.

What do our City Fathers and County Comissioners have to say on this? It would be interesting to hear their reasons for this situation having developed.

Bonanza Farms?

In a viewpoint article in Sunday's Herald, Kevin Hall of Hoople gushes on about the mega-farms he saw on a trip to Brazil, then proceeds to lament the fact that Ramsey County officials want to regulate hog farms. He gets a comeuppance today in the Heralds Mailbag from a Ramsey County development official, who makes some good points.

A glaring inconsistency I had noticed in Hall's article was something I see a lot in farmers' attitude. He at one point wants government off the farmer's back, then in the next breath says we need more government incentives like tax breaks, programs, etc. So, which is it- do you want government in your business, or not?

Boys and their Hogs

A thought while drivng in traffic: Why do middle-age guys on full-dress Hogs run straight pipes? I mean, what's your point? You're not driving a drag bike, carrying around that extra 400 pounds of fairings and bags, are you? Why not stick to a mellow set of duals, and enjoy the ride? It reminds me of what my wife said about the way a gal was dressed one time- "I don't know what look she was going for, but she missed it"

If you're running a stripped-down machine, OK. I can see that, even though its kind of obnoxious to folks in your residential area. I ran straight pipes on my old bob-job Flattie for years, but I lived out in the country and didn't cruise around town much. No one would ride on the right side of me, they didn't care for the noise and the flames all the time. The bike was so old, that was all I could find/ afford.

My current bike, a 73 Shovel, has a nice set of pipes with mufflers- a little louder than original, maybe, but not totally obnoxious. I don't like drawing attention to myself in that way anymore.

Maybe I'm gettting old?

And a warm thank you goes to....

Dakota Huseby, who graciously asked me to blog here. I am a fan of her radio show, and appreciate her pursuit of stories and people that actually matter. Although I am much too shy to call in to the show, I have assailed the comments section of her blog to the point she probably felt she should get me out of there. Smart woman.

Keep doing what you do, Dakota. You have entertained the people who listen more than you can know. I hope I can post something intelligent from time to time. Thank you again!

Mexican conservatives

A Reuters News article says that conservative candidate Felipe Calderon is leading in the polls 38 percent to 33 over his opponent Andres Obredor. Both are running to take the place of President Vincente Fox, who cannot run again.

No clear word on their views on illegal immigration. Hmm. Maybe it just didn't come up? Maybe Mexican politics are the anti-matter of American politics- a strange world where everything is backwards and nothing is as it seems. Where a conservative candidate for president is actually in favor of immigration, though his party generally isn't. And if the two collide, everything blows up.

Oh, wait a minute.