Cautionary Tale

A week or so ago, I talked about the Great Resignation.  Now the excellent City Journal  has this to say about that:

Younger workers opting to work less or to put in only the minimum effort may pay a future price in terms of stagnation or downward mobility. Workers receive the most pay raises in their twenties and thirties. This is also when people acquire the skills and contacts that pay off for the rest of their careers. One’s early years are not an ideal time to stay away from work, even considering the challenges that today’s younger workers face. Some jobs are certainly harder than others—especially when you’re learning skills and occupy a low rung in the workplace hierarchy. But opting out early only makes it more likely that work won’t get better later on.

All true.

Long-Ago Crush

When I were a lad, I had the most appalling preteen crush on Sally Ann Howes — the actress who starred in the dreadful Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Her screen name was equally appalling, but in her case, it suited her perfectly because she was:

Truly Scrumptious

She died yesterday, age 91.

Connecting With Voters

I’m not saying I applaud the actions below.  But for some reason my Schadenfreude  button got pushed, twice:

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia

…and:

Illinois Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford (D) and her husband were victims of a carjacking Tuesday evening

I have no idea whether these two Democrat politicians are of the Leftist persuasion — although suburban Philadelphia and “Illinois Senate Majority Leader” in a liberal, near-Chicago suburban district are pretty good indicators that they are — and if they are supporters of the BLM movement and philosophy, then it’s always good to see the biters bitten, so to speak.

Like I said, I’m glad they weren’t injured;  but to see our politicians the victims of the violent crime they sometimes turn a blind eye towards or even actively support — as long as it happens to others — is not a bad outcome.

Maybe they’ll think twice about their position the next time someone talks about enabling crime.

Defunding Consequences

Aaaaaand once again, we see “well-meaning” actions having unforeseen consequences — unforeseen only by those without common sense and / or brains, that is.

Last year, Burlington, Vermont, cut its police budget by nearly 30% through attrition. Now, people are afraid to speak up because they know they’ll be called “racist.”

It’s been more than a year and a half since the city cut its police budget, and now even the city councilor who proposed the cut is unhappy with the consequences.

Oh, and what consequences would those be in sleepy little Burlington VT, home to so many hippies, academics and Lefties? [some overlap]

The move to slash the police budget, however, has led city leaders, as NBC reported, “to reckon with the unintended consequences of that decision, including problems with public safety and quality of life, police and residents say.”

The unintended consequences of the resolution apparently showed up quickly, NBC reported. The council thought attrition would take years, but it was completed in months, leaving the police department understaffed. Police officers left en masse, leaving only about five to patrol at night. The police have had to shift focus to high-priority crimes and less on quality of life issues. Burglary, vehicle theft, mental health issues, and overdoses all increased with fewer cops on patrol.

You don’t say.

Local business owner Mark Bouchett told NBC that people were afraid to speak out about the problems that have arisen due to the reduced police force.
“If you speak out against defunding the police force, you’re labeled a racist,” he told NBC. “Or at least an idiot that doesn’t understand the problem.”

Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of Lefty assholes.  It’s just too bad that the good (conservative) folks of that part of Vermont have to suffer the consequences as well.

At least they’re not unarmed…

Bypass

A comment to yesterday’s teaser about my trip to San Antonio, I got this:

That wasn’t the purpose of the trip, but on the way down, I saw signs for not one but TWO gun shows — one in Waco, the other further south in Temple — and I didn’t go to either.

The reason is quite simple, and it has nothing to do with time — I always allow plenty of it for my road trips, just so I can stop to smell the roses, so to speak, along the way.

I’ve talked before about my disillusionment with gun shows, and to a large extent this is why I didn’t turn off the beaten path to either the Waco or Temple shows.  I was in no mood to be pissed off by only seeing a surfeit of overpriced guns I wouldn’t accept as a gift (e.g. AR-15, Glock), and I had no pressing need for still-overpriced ammo either.

Besides, I know what I’m getting for Christmas, and it’s a doozy.  More on that, later.

Sauce For Goose AND Gander

So here’s this report:

Retired generals urge Pentagon to take steps to avert ‘civil war’ after 2024 election

“The Defense Department should war-game the next potential post-election insurrection or coup attempt to identify weak spots. It must then conduct a top-down debrief of its findings and begin putting in place safeguards to prevent breakdowns not just in the military, but also in any agency that works hand in hand with the military.”

I’m all over that thought.  But I should caution these old assholes that as usual, they’re preparing to fight the last war, not the next one.

You see, there will be no problems among military or even among ex-military, as they seem to be so nervous about, because the outcome of the next election is likely to be a resounding Republican victory.

But amongst all their little wargames, I hope these guys actually implement their action plans for when the Left starts an insurrection after Election 2024.  That, my old Rockjaws, is the more likely prospect.