The below post is an excerpt from a weekly column written by Gregg Easterbrook. Gregg is a phenominal writer. I agree with a lot of his opinions, and you should to.
Here's another small, comprehensible example. The subsidized public transportation authority of the Washington, D.C., area is taking eight months and $12 million merely to replace two escalators.
The project specifications include two months of full staffing for "adjustment" of the escalators. Two months to adjust two escalators! The agency involved isn't even embarrassed by this -- from appearances, could not care less how much taxpayer money is wasted, so long as cushy government-guaranteed jobs continue.
I'm just one man, and I share this opinion with Mr. Easterbrook.
Thanks for reading
Dustin Dominiak
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Government spending going bad
The below is an excerpt from a weekly article written by Gregg Easterbrook. Gregg is a terrific writer, and I tend to agree with his thoughts, so I'm sharing them here.
Economic growth has slowed while the national debt has risen: Reckless borrowing has been the rule under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Yet hardly anything new is getting built. Government-funded construction projects continue to take too long and cost too much. Corruption in government contracting appears to be rampant, as does the desire of local politicians to drag their feet in order to keep money flowing. In May, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that cost-effectiveness of subway spending is not as important as "social equity," by which he seemed to mean channeling handouts to party interest groups. If the people in charge of large government spending projects -- whether those people are Republicans or Democrats -- think cost-effective use of taxpayers' money does not matter, that is a formula for reckless borrowing combined with little progress. Exactly what the country's getting.
A year ago your columnist offered numerous big-picture examples on Reuters. Sometimes the little picture is easier to understand, so consider the reflecting pool between the Washington and Lincoln monuments. Recently there was a federally funded project to renovate the reflecting pool. The renovation took two years -- longer than was required to build the pool 90 years ago when machinery was much less efficient -- and cost $34 million. Two years and $34 million to rebuild a pool of water.
The super-slow, super-expensive project -- perhaps overseen by dozens of senior-grade managers with few if any actual duties -- is now finished, and the new pool has immediately filled with algae.
The National Park Service, which supervised the renovation, "said the project was an overall success," The Washington Post reported. Of course the project was a success -- Park Service officials and contractors received millions of dollars for doing very little. That was the whole point all along! At any private business that botched an overpriced project, heads would roll. The Park Service knows that as with all government initiatives, there will never be any accountability. When government botches an overpriced project, everyone gets a raise. Excuse me, a "step increase."
I'm just one man, and I agree with Gregg's opinion.
Thanks for reading
Dustin Dominiak
Economic growth has slowed while the national debt has risen: Reckless borrowing has been the rule under both George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Yet hardly anything new is getting built. Government-funded construction projects continue to take too long and cost too much. Corruption in government contracting appears to be rampant, as does the desire of local politicians to drag their feet in order to keep money flowing. In May, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that cost-effectiveness of subway spending is not as important as "social equity," by which he seemed to mean channeling handouts to party interest groups. If the people in charge of large government spending projects -- whether those people are Republicans or Democrats -- think cost-effective use of taxpayers' money does not matter, that is a formula for reckless borrowing combined with little progress. Exactly what the country's getting.
A year ago your columnist offered numerous big-picture examples on Reuters. Sometimes the little picture is easier to understand, so consider the reflecting pool between the Washington and Lincoln monuments. Recently there was a federally funded project to renovate the reflecting pool. The renovation took two years -- longer than was required to build the pool 90 years ago when machinery was much less efficient -- and cost $34 million. Two years and $34 million to rebuild a pool of water.
The super-slow, super-expensive project -- perhaps overseen by dozens of senior-grade managers with few if any actual duties -- is now finished, and the new pool has immediately filled with algae.
The National Park Service, which supervised the renovation, "said the project was an overall success," The Washington Post reported. Of course the project was a success -- Park Service officials and contractors received millions of dollars for doing very little. That was the whole point all along! At any private business that botched an overpriced project, heads would roll. The Park Service knows that as with all government initiatives, there will never be any accountability. When government botches an overpriced project, everyone gets a raise. Excuse me, a "step increase."
I'm just one man, and I agree with Gregg's opinion.
Thanks for reading
Dustin Dominiak
Monday, October 1, 2012
Apple panorama pictures
Lately I've been seeing commercials for the new iPhone 5 and the panoramic picture capabilities that it has. What's the big deal? Is this something that is new to the iPhone camera? If it is then apple should be embarrassed that it is promoting this aspect of the phone on national commercials. The panoramic picture capabilities of meshing multiple pictures together to form one long picture is not new.
I have a Samsung galaxy sII, it's a handy phone. One of the capabilities of the camera on my phone is the panoramic captures that apple is now boasting about in its commercials. The galaxy sII was unveiled at the mobile world congress in February 2011. As you turn the camera or walk parallel to what your shooting, the Samsung camera takes up to 8 pictures and combines them together. The pictures are taking during an auto snap as the camera moves. It's a fun way to take pictures.
To me it seems that apple is a little behind on the picture taking capabilities of the iPhone. But maybe the marketing department deserves some credit for this, as I have yet to see any other company Promote this function in their phones. I just hope people don't believe apple was the first to offer this camera function.
I'm just one man and that is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
I have a Samsung galaxy sII, it's a handy phone. One of the capabilities of the camera on my phone is the panoramic captures that apple is now boasting about in its commercials. The galaxy sII was unveiled at the mobile world congress in February 2011. As you turn the camera or walk parallel to what your shooting, the Samsung camera takes up to 8 pictures and combines them together. The pictures are taking during an auto snap as the camera moves. It's a fun way to take pictures.
To me it seems that apple is a little behind on the picture taking capabilities of the iPhone. But maybe the marketing department deserves some credit for this, as I have yet to see any other company Promote this function in their phones. I just hope people don't believe apple was the first to offer this camera function.
I'm just one man and that is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Parenting gone bad
What's up with fathers these days? Over the past couple of weeks I have witnessed unfortunate interactions between fathers and their kids. That's witnessed not saw in the news or on the internet.
Went out for the Cowboys vs Giants game 2 weeks ago, and the father at the table next to me refused to talk to his son. That is actually an understatement, he wanted nothing to do with his son. All he cared about was something on his phone. Every time his son spoke to him he responded with "shut up". At the end of the meal the father actually went on a rant repeatedly say "shut up", and "how many times did I tell you to shut up". I think at one time I heard him say something like "I don't want to talk to you shut up". It was hard for me to keep quiet and mind my own business, and the rant at the end had me so stressed out that I had to walk away and go smoke a cigarette. I could only imagine how the kid felt.
Last week was a little different. I was walking around center city Philadelphia when I came across a father and his daughter walking down the street. The girl was shaken up about something and was crying, I thought she was being punished for something and throwing a fit. But after walking behind them a couple of blocks I realized what was going on, she was pleading with her father not to leave. I don't know where he was going or why she didn't want him to go, but you could tell it was the only thing in the world that she wanted. He just ignored her and kept walking. He even stepped around her a few times because she stood in front of him, just completely dismissing her. I finally couldn't watch anymore and made the next left to get some distance.
What did these 2 kids do to deserve to be treated that way? I thought fathers were supposed to love and protect there kids. I'm not sure which father above is worse, to me they are both dicks, but I'm sure there are a lot more saddening situations than these in the world. Then again what do I know.......
I'm just one man and this is my opinion
Thanks for reading
Dustin Dominiak
Went out for the Cowboys vs Giants game 2 weeks ago, and the father at the table next to me refused to talk to his son. That is actually an understatement, he wanted nothing to do with his son. All he cared about was something on his phone. Every time his son spoke to him he responded with "shut up". At the end of the meal the father actually went on a rant repeatedly say "shut up", and "how many times did I tell you to shut up". I think at one time I heard him say something like "I don't want to talk to you shut up". It was hard for me to keep quiet and mind my own business, and the rant at the end had me so stressed out that I had to walk away and go smoke a cigarette. I could only imagine how the kid felt.
Last week was a little different. I was walking around center city Philadelphia when I came across a father and his daughter walking down the street. The girl was shaken up about something and was crying, I thought she was being punished for something and throwing a fit. But after walking behind them a couple of blocks I realized what was going on, she was pleading with her father not to leave. I don't know where he was going or why she didn't want him to go, but you could tell it was the only thing in the world that she wanted. He just ignored her and kept walking. He even stepped around her a few times because she stood in front of him, just completely dismissing her. I finally couldn't watch anymore and made the next left to get some distance.
What did these 2 kids do to deserve to be treated that way? I thought fathers were supposed to love and protect there kids. I'm not sure which father above is worse, to me they are both dicks, but I'm sure there are a lot more saddening situations than these in the world. Then again what do I know.......
I'm just one man and this is my opinion
Thanks for reading
Dustin Dominiak
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Congressional spending problems
The aircraft carrier the Enterprise, commissioned 1961, oldest active ship in the fleet. In 2008, the Navy wanted to retire her. Congress instead voted out a $662 million refurbishment, as a giveaway to the congressional delegation of Virginia, where her home port is located. In 2010, the refitted Enterprise went back to sea; she will be decommissioned at a December ceremony in Newport News.
That's $662 million to keep an obsolete boat afloat three extra years, when the Navy already has 10 times as many carriers as the rest of the world combined and faces no blue-water threat. Wonder why the national debt is skyrocketing? Congress keeps throwing money out the window, or in this case, overboard. The appropriation was supported by now-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who constantly denounces federal spending, unless the money goes to his state.
I'm just one man and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
**editors note** this is an excerpt from Gregg Easterbrooks TMQ column published weekly on ESPN.
That's $662 million to keep an obsolete boat afloat three extra years, when the Navy already has 10 times as many carriers as the rest of the world combined and faces no blue-water threat. Wonder why the national debt is skyrocketing? Congress keeps throwing money out the window, or in this case, overboard. The appropriation was supported by now-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, who constantly denounces federal spending, unless the money goes to his state.
I'm just one man and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
**editors note** this is an excerpt from Gregg Easterbrooks TMQ column published weekly on ESPN.
Monday, August 1, 2011
I can say I tried
Those that know me, would say that I'm not afraid to take chances. However there are some things in life I like to be a little more certain about before I pull the trigger and jump in with both feet. You know, because you shouldn't always jump in the water, sometimes you have to just stick your toe in for a little bit to test the temperature and make sure that everything is kosher before proceeding. Well I took the toe test, and quite honestly I left the toes in longer than I normally do, because this was a more delicate situation than most and I wanted to be 100% certain before getting fully submerged in the water.
Then one night, I found myself all the way in the water. I wasn't quite certain how it happened, but it had happened. The good thing is that I was right. I was taking the right chance. I was happy that I went out on the limb and took the chance, even if it took a little prodding from Mr. Jameson.
Unfortunately, that is not where the story ends, and even worse it doesn't have a happy ending. A little while after jumping in the water, I found myself back on the side, and this time I didn't even have a toe in the water. I was left out to dry, and it sucked. I found myself confused and saddended by what had happened. They say everything happens for a reason, I just wish I knew what the reason was behind this.
I'm an extremely logical person. This time though, I let my emotions over ride logic. The logic was telling me to wait, but my feelings were saying get in the water. I know that hindsight is 20/20, but I should've listened to logic. The writing was on the wall, but I started running with blinders on. Seeing/hearing things the way that I wanted to, and not necessarily the way they were meant to be heard.
In the end though I'm glad that I took the risk, even though it didn't work out the way that I had hoped. Like in sports, where you learn more from a loss than you do a victory, I've learned a few things from this experience. So I'm happy that I took the chance, even though it didn't work out. I was able to gather some valuable insight, that I can use in the future. Don't get me wrong, I still wish this situation would've turned out differently, but I'm not giving up on it completely. I think I'm going to stay on the outside for a little while, but pay closer attention. What I want hasn't changed, but the way of getting to the end result has. Maybe I failed for a reason, and maybe that reason was that I needed a better perspective on this whole situation. Well I got a better perspective on it now. I'm still confused by a few things, but I'm sure with time, like everything else in life, it will all work out.
I'm ready for the next challenge. Bring it on life, you might be able to win a few battles every now and then, but I'm going to win this war.
I'm just one man and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
Then one night, I found myself all the way in the water. I wasn't quite certain how it happened, but it had happened. The good thing is that I was right. I was taking the right chance. I was happy that I went out on the limb and took the chance, even if it took a little prodding from Mr. Jameson.
Unfortunately, that is not where the story ends, and even worse it doesn't have a happy ending. A little while after jumping in the water, I found myself back on the side, and this time I didn't even have a toe in the water. I was left out to dry, and it sucked. I found myself confused and saddended by what had happened. They say everything happens for a reason, I just wish I knew what the reason was behind this.
I'm an extremely logical person. This time though, I let my emotions over ride logic. The logic was telling me to wait, but my feelings were saying get in the water. I know that hindsight is 20/20, but I should've listened to logic. The writing was on the wall, but I started running with blinders on. Seeing/hearing things the way that I wanted to, and not necessarily the way they were meant to be heard.
In the end though I'm glad that I took the risk, even though it didn't work out the way that I had hoped. Like in sports, where you learn more from a loss than you do a victory, I've learned a few things from this experience. So I'm happy that I took the chance, even though it didn't work out. I was able to gather some valuable insight, that I can use in the future. Don't get me wrong, I still wish this situation would've turned out differently, but I'm not giving up on it completely. I think I'm going to stay on the outside for a little while, but pay closer attention. What I want hasn't changed, but the way of getting to the end result has. Maybe I failed for a reason, and maybe that reason was that I needed a better perspective on this whole situation. Well I got a better perspective on it now. I'm still confused by a few things, but I'm sure with time, like everything else in life, it will all work out.
I'm ready for the next challenge. Bring it on life, you might be able to win a few battles every now and then, but I'm going to win this war.
I'm just one man and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
Sunday, July 24, 2011
song story
Last Friday I took an over night trip to Pittsburgh. It was one of the more interesting days I've had in a while, not just because of the trip, but because life has been anything but boring the last 2 months for me. More about all that later.
So last Friday I met my boy from Detroit half way in Pittsburgh to get away from it all for a night. Well more like to get all fucked up in a different town away from the people that annoy the shit out of us. No matter how you want to describe it, the trip was epic, everything a guy could ask for. While we were hanging out in the room my boy was DJ'ing, and he played some Big Sean. I loved the album, so I got it for myself this week, and it's quickly moved it's way into the regular rotation.
In one of the songs, Big Sean says "what's the point of a perfect girl if it ain't the perfect time". I really dig this line because it's so true. To me it really speaks of the complexity of finding the perfect person. Everything has to be right, or it won't work. If it's not the right time, do you even notice that they could be the perfect one for you? Or are you to distracted by everything else that's going on in your life that you just let them keep on going?
Maybe the better question is if there really is such a thing as the perfect girl. This can obviously be answered differently by everybody. I feel that there is a perfect person for everyone out there, but if there is only 1 then they would be just about impossible to find. Something along the lines of having a soul mate. With over 6 billion people in the world, what are the chances you find the one that is perfect for you? Maybe that's why the divorce rate is so high, people get tired of waiting/searching for their soul mate, and they settle for the person they are with.
I don't think someone should ever settle. It does no good in the long run. Settling is a short term fix that increases complications in the long run. Perhaps that is why I'm still single, because I don't want a short term fix, I want the real thing.
But back to the perfect girl/perfect time dilemma. What do you do if you found the perfect person for you but the timing is wrong? Timing can be wrong for many reasons, to name a few; job complications, moving, lingering feelings from past relationships. Can you let the wrong time keep you from your perfect person? Can you push through it and make it work? I suppose if you want something bad enough you should never give up on it. You can't be afraid to chase your desires. It's easier to do nothing than it is to go after something. When you say no or do nothing life doesn't change, it all stays the same. When you say yes, or go after something, the outcome is unknown, and that can be terrifying. My advice, don't give up. If you think they are perfect for you, then don't let everything else that's happening in your life keep you away from them. The outcome is usually worth the wait.
I'm just one man, and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
So last Friday I met my boy from Detroit half way in Pittsburgh to get away from it all for a night. Well more like to get all fucked up in a different town away from the people that annoy the shit out of us. No matter how you want to describe it, the trip was epic, everything a guy could ask for. While we were hanging out in the room my boy was DJ'ing, and he played some Big Sean. I loved the album, so I got it for myself this week, and it's quickly moved it's way into the regular rotation.
In one of the songs, Big Sean says "what's the point of a perfect girl if it ain't the perfect time". I really dig this line because it's so true. To me it really speaks of the complexity of finding the perfect person. Everything has to be right, or it won't work. If it's not the right time, do you even notice that they could be the perfect one for you? Or are you to distracted by everything else that's going on in your life that you just let them keep on going?
Maybe the better question is if there really is such a thing as the perfect girl. This can obviously be answered differently by everybody. I feel that there is a perfect person for everyone out there, but if there is only 1 then they would be just about impossible to find. Something along the lines of having a soul mate. With over 6 billion people in the world, what are the chances you find the one that is perfect for you? Maybe that's why the divorce rate is so high, people get tired of waiting/searching for their soul mate, and they settle for the person they are with.
I don't think someone should ever settle. It does no good in the long run. Settling is a short term fix that increases complications in the long run. Perhaps that is why I'm still single, because I don't want a short term fix, I want the real thing.
But back to the perfect girl/perfect time dilemma. What do you do if you found the perfect person for you but the timing is wrong? Timing can be wrong for many reasons, to name a few; job complications, moving, lingering feelings from past relationships. Can you let the wrong time keep you from your perfect person? Can you push through it and make it work? I suppose if you want something bad enough you should never give up on it. You can't be afraid to chase your desires. It's easier to do nothing than it is to go after something. When you say no or do nothing life doesn't change, it all stays the same. When you say yes, or go after something, the outcome is unknown, and that can be terrifying. My advice, don't give up. If you think they are perfect for you, then don't let everything else that's happening in your life keep you away from them. The outcome is usually worth the wait.
I'm just one man, and this is my opinion.
Thanks for reading,
Dustin Dominiak
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