November’s Dirty Dozen
We’re 90-days from the November 4, 2008 General Election. Three months. Who knows, maybe California will have a budget by then.
As the Governor and Legislators debate the right mix of tax increases and spending cuts, the overwhelming majority of voters have no idea about what or whom – aside from Obama versus McCain – will appear on the November ballot.
Voters need to begin educating themselves about the 12 – yep, a full dozen – ballot measures that have already qualified for the General Election ballot. There are some usual suspects – repeater initiatives that appear every year – which also means that they fail every year. And, there are some truly creative ones…the one about the treatment of farm animals being my favorite. Here’s a quick analysis.
Success and Failure Are a Part of Life
The other day, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1709 authored by State Senator Elaine Alquist. Had he signed it, school districts would have been allowed and in fact encouraged to give nonmonetary incentives to middle and high school students for getting good scores on the state’s standardized tests. Prizes might include coupons for movies and restaurants and tickets to concerts or sporting events. Sounds like a game show– answer some questions and win prizes!
In his veto message, the Governor didn’t say he opposed the measure, instead saying it was unnecessary since there is nothing in current law prohibiting the practice. How about the laws of common sense?
Not only is it unnecessary, it is a symptom of a larger problem when it comes to education and preparing kids not just academically but also psychologically for life. The idea that we need to bribe children to excel should give us all pause. They can call it a reward or incentive but that’s just semantics. Let’s be honest, it’s a bribe.
Why are the grownups today constantly looking for ways to materially reward desired behavior? Why does almost everything nowadays with regard to children appear to be a negotiation over what the reward will be for doing what you are supposed to do?
Consumer spending is down, but what’s really to blame?
A new report last week said that consumer spending was down again. It said consumers are skittish about the economy and inflation. Although I’m just one consumer, I know my spending is down. But it’s not because of the economy. I’m fed up with retail clerks.
For one thing, they’re an endangered species. You can count more condors in the sky than clerks on the floor at Macy’s. And when you do find one, it’s obvious they’re on the sales floor by mistake because they’re clearly not there to help you. The last time I asked a clerk at Home Depot to look for something in the back because it wasn’t on the sales floor, he snickered, “Sure, dude,” and sauntered off, never to be seen again.
How long would it take a manager to tell all incoming clerks they must smile at customers, ask if they can help, say “thank you”? Would it take a minute to give that little speech? Thirty seconds even? I mean, we went to the moon and everything. You’d think a little speech like that could be told to all clerks before the end of the decade.
Honestly, I’m curious. Retail managers, please tell me, why can’t you hire a few more clerks and give them that little “be helpful” speech? What am I missing here? If enough explain, I’ll include some of the responses in a future column.