Category: Uncategorized

Amtrak Food Service Lost $834 Million Since ’02

Despite having a captive cliental that even a Jim Carry character could have turned a profit with, it has been revealed that Amtrak’s food service has lost $834 million since 2002.

The causes are waste, employee theft and lack of proper oversight according to government auditors.
Anybody surprised?
What is the incentive for there to be oversight to stop theft and waste? The overseers have nothing to gain but aggravation by stopping the waste and theft, and they are going to get paid no matter what.  Why not be popular with the rank and file and maybe even get cut in?
Of course, if they were the ones who had put up the money to buy the stuff getting wasted and stolen it would be an entirely different story.
Here’s a question to ponder: what do those who run and work for Amtrak have to gain by increasing the number of riders other than more work for the same amount of pay? 
Now, ask yourself that regarding SEPTA. 
Hat tip TrueBlueLiberty.com

Ex-Employee Accused Of Theft

By Pattie Price

Brian Alexander, 48, of King of Prussia waived a hearing Thursday before Magisterial District Justice Lee Hunter on the charge of theft   for an incident at Barsons Deli, 3807 West Chester Pike, Newtown, Pa. that was reported at 11:15 a.m., May 11.

According to the affidavit, Newtown Officer Dean Hodges said the General Manager of the delicatessen contacted police when his manager reported someone entered the office are and removed $428 from a locked safe.

A security video revealed a former employee, Alexander entering the deli office at 4:27 p.m., May 10. 

On June 14 Alexander provided police with a written confession that he was responsible for entering the deli and stealing the money.

Alexander is scheduled for an Aug. 30 arraignment in Common Pleas Court.

Delco Times Lamely Joins Crusade Against Home Tax

The Delaware County Daily Times has joined the crusade to reform Pennsylvania’s oppressive property tax system which basically strips shelter from the widows and the out-of-luck so gym teachers and assistant-to-assistant school administrators can get six-figure-plus in annual compensation.

No kudos though. An editorial in today’s, Aug. 5, edition praised SB 1400, which would give school districts the power to add a sales or income tax to offset — not eliminate — the property tax.
In other words, it would give school districts just more feathers to pluck.
This is a significant difference from Rep. Jim Cox’s HB 1776, that died in committe, which would have prohibited school districts from using a property tax.
In other words, SB 1400 is a very bad idea.
The elimination of the property tax for homes is appropriate goal for those who believe in compassion and decency, but more effective ways of providing the desperately needed relief would be  banning teacher strikes and ending prevailing wage for public works.
Will our Republican-led state do those things?
Not as long as men like Billy Adolph don’t have their minds right.

The Beauty Of Planet Earth

Here is a time lapse photo display showing the beauty of Planet Earth captured from the International Space Station.

Hat tip Cathy Craddock

Small Bird, Bluegrass Guitar And Mordecai

Hat tip TrueBlueLiberty.com

Why The Future Might Be Bright

Tech on the horizon might make the future so bright even Obama won’t keep you from needing shades. 

PajamasMedia.Com notes that “3D Printers” exists that can “print” i.e. manufacture things ranging from plastic lampshades to titanium prosthetic limbs to some homes with concret taking the place of toner.
The article describes how algae is being developed into a bio-fuel that actually will be able to produce enough fuel to run 250 million cars.
It says that accurate medical diagnostics will soon be nearly cost free.
It says that  30-story greenhouses will eventually be able to provide enough produce for 50,000 people in a footprint the size of a city block using 70 percent less water than traditional agriculture and, obviously, a fraction of the transportation cost needed to get the food to the users.
Maybe most, remarkably, the article claims that robots capable of basic housework will be available within two decades.
Just some good news for a change.

Swedes Bomb Belarus With Bears

A couple of Swedes put on teddy bear masks, last month, got in a small plane and flew to Minsk where they parachuted onto the city hundreds of teddy bears carrying human rights messages such as “free speech now”.

Minsk is the capital of Belarus, which is considered to be one of the most repressive countries in Europe. 
Belarus has fired the generals in charge of air defense and border security. It also arrested a student who put a video of the bombardment on YouTube and a real estate agent who gave the Swedes, who were working on behalf of an advertising agency, a place to stay.

Inquirer Propaganda Of The Day

Today’s dose of partisan propaganda from the Democrat-owned and controlled Philadelphia Inquirer includes this sob story regarding how poor people are going to have trouble getting photo identification because photo centers are too far away.

Why the concern now about poor people not having photo identification?  Why weren’t they demanding that supermarkets be prohibited from asking for photo identification from poor people when they attempted to buy food with a check? Don’t they think poor people have the right to eat?
Now someone might respond by pointing out that dead people don’t need food.
And I think I’d have to concede the point.

Off The Internet: Congressional Reform Act

This Off The Internet is courtesy of Judy McGrane

“I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass  a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.”

— Warren Buffett

This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2012 

1. No Tenure / No Pension.  A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they’re out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.  All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security  system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 12/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women.  Congress made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Observation Of The Day

The lid on a can of Chock Full o’ Nuts coffee says “No Nuts, 100 Percent Pure Coffee”.

Soooo, do you believe the lid or the label?
Why not just change the name to Not Full o’ Nuts coffe and save valuable lid space?