Monthly Archives: March 2010

Comedy of Idiots

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You just can’t write this stuff as fiction. Nobody would believe it.

[Metro VP] Skabowski said there was nothing glaring in the driver’s record to indicate she was a bad driver. Out of five accidents she’s had, Metro said she had only been at fault for one, though her record shows she has been disciplined for speeding, as well as turning right on red where it wasn’t allowed.

“Really she’s got a very good record. Metro makes it look worse than it is. But then they charge their drivers for every little thing whether it’s their fault or not,” said David Gollinger, president of the Transport Workers Union of America Local 260.

Golinger argues Metro may, in fact, be too strict with its drivers.

Clearly, my distaste for the modern-day equivalent of a monopolistic medieval trade guild, a.k.a. public sector unions, is too narrowly focused. Equally, I need to start advocating the banning of management.

I’m Sure it Was Unintentional (Not)

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As we’ve all been told time and again, red light cameras are ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL about the safety, right? Well, KHOU reports that citizen Byron Schrimbeck found an odd safety violation near one camera, located at FM 518 and I-45 South, and decided to document it:

Texas law requires a light be yellow a certain length of time to safely give drivers time to react and stop.

Schirmbeck then called League City Police Chief Michael Jez and Jez asked The Texas Department of Transportation to investigate. TxDot found Schirmbeck was right about the yellow lights being short.

The eight-tenths of a second made a difference in more than 1,700 citations issued between October of last year and March.

Let’s read that again: The eight-tenths of a second made a difference in more than 1,700 citations. Now, this light was apparently supposed to be under the control of TxDOT. I guess that, since the article doesn’t tell us so. Nor does it tell us what the required minimum time is. But the important question is, who made out like bandits from this money-machine, for six months? Note that the article says refunds are being issued — but doesn’t say by whom. Follow the money, KHOU, follow the money. Doesn’t the state get a cut of it, these days? I’m sure League City gets the lion’s share.

One wonders if some bureaucratic tangle will “delay” the checks. Not that I have anything but total faith in the sincerity of our elected and unelected masters when they say “the check is in the mail.”

Rats, They Leave Sinking Ships…

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Spotted on KHOU:

Shortly before KHOU broke the initial reports of document-shredding, Metro fired its general counsel, Pauline Higgins, as well as another staff attorney, Jakki Hansen. Another staff attorney voluntarily left the agency the same day KHOU’s first story aired. Metro said no other employees from the legal department have left the agency since February 1, 2010.

However, the exodus from the agency continues. A Metro spokesperson confirmed yet another senior manager has left the agency, just two days after it disclosed shredding had taken place. George Smalley confirmed in a written statement that David Feeley, the Senior Vice President of Operations at Metro, left the agency last Friday.

This is in an article, telling us that, surprise! Metro has never been in compliance with state law on recordkeeping.

Let me make this perfectly clear: Metro has NO excuse. All the information you need to know on how to comply with the requirements is available on the state’s websites. It took me a few hours research, and a half-day class on the city’s software and how to fill out the paperwork. To devise the program for Metro, which is far smaller than the city, should not have taken more than a week of work by a lawyer and any reasonable competent bureaucrat assigned to the work. I mean, hell, use the salary they’re wasting on Mary Sit’n’Spin’s blog to hire someone with some experience in the work — I’m available.

Fair warning, though: if you try to shred anything on my watch, you get fed to the shredder first.