October 26, 2012
Dear Everyone:
Yes, I know. I’ve been
through this train wreck before.
But what I have to remember is:
It’s not my job to try to stop the train!
What am I talking about?
Lord knows, it could be the
election.
But it’s actually work.
Once again we’re putting the proverbial cart before the proverbial
horse. Nothing new in that.
I am currently writing “requirements” based on what the developers have
already done to the system, instead of the developers changing the
system to meet the requirements.
So the requirement reads something like, “There will be two new
Radio Buttons for (fill in blank.)”
Because the developer has already added the new Radio Buttons.
Based on what the developers THINK the requirements will be.
So instead of deciding what you want the system to do, you let
the developers decide what they want to program, then make the
requirements fit whatever they’ve decided.
In other words: Train
Wreck on Aisle Five.
Meanwhile, there is the election.
It’s not just
Obama, the Orator versus
Twit, the Rich Guy.
There are these little things called “Propositions”.
Also known as “Initiatives”.
The idea is: When the
legislature (and the governor) can’t agree on anything, the people can
intervene with their own Initiatives.
Propose a change to the law, or something, get enough people to
agree with you and sign a petition, fill out some forms and pay some
fees and presto! You have a
Proposition on the Ballot for everyone in the state to vote on.
Every now and again, some Chucklehead tries to get an Initiative on the
state ballot to rename
Mount Diablo.
Why? Because said
Chucklehead doesn’t like the name.
You see, “Diablo” is Spanish for “devil”; that smacks of “Devil
Worship” and he’s against it.
Never mind the fact that millions of official documents would
have to be revised, including most of the title deeds in Northern
California. He’s afraid of
the word, “devil”.
This year we have just short of an even dozen measures on the ballot.
State-wide, not including local ones.
Everything from
union-busting
(Number 32) to picking on
prostitutes (Number 35) to abolishing the
Death Penalty (Number 34.)
Toss in a few attempts to revise the Tax Structure (Numbers
30,
38 and
39), “Franken-food” Hysteria
(Number 37) and
change-all-the-rules-for-Insurance-Companies (Number 33) and the only
thing really missing is renaming a major landmark and redefining
What-Is-A-Native-American.
And just who, exactly, is behind all these Propositions?
Molly, for one. Molly
is a rich lady who decided that
she should determine what happens with taxes (Proposition #38, for
those playing the home game.)
So Molly paid a bunch of people to collect the signatures, etc.
to get her Proposition on the Ballot.
Then there’s George, who just happens to be Molly’s brother.
George owns an insurance company.
Guess which Proposition George is bankrolling.
With his own bank.
The official Voter Information Guide is 144 pages long.
And that’s just the English version.
I could spend a great deal of time studying all the issues and
researching the whys and wherefores.
But then the solution became blindingly simple:
Vote No on Everything.
The legislators, and the governor, were elected (hired) to do a job.
They’re not doing it.
They’d rather let the Proposition Game do their work for them.
If everyone votes No on Everything, the Proposition Game will
end.
Plus, it dovetails nicely with my other “when-in-doubt” rule for
elections: Always vote
against the incumbent.
Unless that would be worse.
Love, as always,
Pete
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