WHY is it???

Why is it that the older and 'wiser' (wink wink) you get, the more you realize that everything is so messed up & it's all in some crappy state of chaos?

When you're 'young', people have it together. Professionals are truly professionals. Then...

BAM

WTF?

What am I referring to? Well, just about anything. Let's take a look:
1. Toy manufacturing & the lead paint issue out of China.
This really shouldn't have been an issue. But millions of children were needlessly put in harms way by playing with a tainted toy. We can track, to the exact farm & cow, tainted hamburger, but we couldn't have manufacturing tests in place on toys? Really?

2. Bernie Madoff & his financial scheme
Didn't you hear your mother say 'If you hear something that is too good to be true, it usually IS?' And these people didn't have a clue? Here's my guess - they've lived their lives finding bazillions of loopholes in the U.S. tax code, so this really wasn't a surprising enterprise after all. Well, can't say I feel too sorry for them anyway.

3. Recycling programs
Oh they're everywhere now - but have you read the 'fine print' on yours lately? WHY IS IT that certain recycling programs only take the 1s and 2s in the cool little arrow-triangle dealey? If it has an arrow-triangle dealey with a number, it is recyclable. So take it, and here's a novel concept... RECYCLE the darned thing. It is too much to ask to do a little coordination with those who DO take 3s, 4s, 5s and more to handle what you are either too lazy or inefficient to do yourselves? I guess so. But this would require going against your company 'policy', a few extra phone calls, going out of your way, and doing the right thing. GASP! Oh the horror!

4. Organizational skills - in almost any profession... take your pick.
My example will be of a bank. I know that you know that I hate banks. But we're at it again. Here's a month extension to handle paperwork. OK. 3 weeks later, new bill, no new paperwork completed, and oh, here's a few more questions we need answered by 'corporate' to process your application. Oh, but what about this bill? I don't know. Blame 'corporate' all you want - it spells crappy service and even crappier business practices. And people wonder why banks needed a bailout? How would households do if they functioned the way banks do? Actually - only bankers wonder this. Us 'regular' Janes and Joes already know the reasons why. But there they go - still acting stupidly because 'Hey - they'll bail us out again.' Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Not again. (But then again, I didn't want them bailed out this time... and I have proof!)

5. Medicine #1
Western medicine is truly miraculous in many ways. I've used it my whole life. But still I wonder where I'd be if I'd been a bit holistic in approach. But let's look at the way the system is set up. Treatment based on reimbursement per procedure. Even though X, Y & Z aren't the best for you, you need to do those first before the sure-fire way to treat this, M, is tried. Oh, and X, Y & Z are each done by different doctors so all your prep tests need to be re-done EACH time you switch Docs because we don't want to be sued. AHHHHHHH. OK, this one has too many issues in it to be just 1, but it is. Deal with it.

6. Medicine #2
Children's cold medicine. Oh, we sold this for years, but in 2009 it was deemed to not be effective on children under 2 without a Dr. consent. But we will still sell this now, but with new warnings on it. REALLY? As IF it won't be used on children under 2 anyway. Jeez.

7. Medicine #3
Back & neck injuries. Presently these are treated with muscle relaxers fit for a horse. And people wonder why addiction to pain meds is on the rise? Holy hannah. And when push comes to shove, will the muscle relaxers treat the problem? No. They cover it up. I am relieved to see health insurance covering chiropractor fees better now, but there's a long way to go there. And you want to dicuss over medicating? I am allergic to ibuprofen. When I had K3, they gave me percocet. My, that was nice. BUT, they were going to have me take 2 pills for a dose. Didn't even ask my reaction to pain meds. Let's just say Benadryl knocks me on my a$. I refused to take the 2 because I KNOW this. These poor nurses thought I was the crazy one. Think again ladies. 1 pill was MORE than enough to put the pain at bay. Really and truly. I shiver to think what I would have been like on 2 of those things - a puddle of goo not even able to hold my new baby. But I was the crazy one. Yeah.... right.

8. Building stadiums for professional teams
I've lived in MN for 99.9% of my life. The dome was finished in the 1980s. When entering for the 1st time, and being completely overwhelmed, I remember asking if the roof could be pulled back. No. No? No. Well why not? That's silly - baseball & football should be outside WHEN it's nice out. But no. A kid got this. Here we are - just finishing building a new Twins stadium - all outdoors. Won't that be nice in April when its still snowing. And if we'd be so lucky to hit the World Series again, it'd be snowing then too. But according to all the hype I've heard "Baseball belongs outside". Yeah, we shall see buddy. So why wasn't there a retractable roof on this one? Did we NOT learn our lesson from the dome? Evidently not. Let me say again - KIDS see this. WHY can't adults? My true point is funding these stadiums - sorry for the tangent. In the NFL, the League pays the owner(s) of the teams $$ from the television contracts. That huge amount of cashola COMPLETELY funds the salaries for the entire team. ALL OF IT. So here's the question of the day - WHY should we, the ordinary Joe & Jane Taxpayer, pay for a stadium for an NFL team? Do taxpayers build office buildings for Target Corp., 3M, or any other MN based business? No. If so, can I have my business apply for this program? How can I do that? How silly is this?

9. Tax incentives for companies who send jobs overseas
I really want to know the name of the dumb-a$$ who 1st thought this up. #2 I want to meet him because I think he could sell ice to an Eskimo - and that's talent. #3, then I'd like to kick his/her rear for completely being an idiot for selling out American jobs for tax breaks. Now - let's get this sucker repealed - and then reversed completely. All those tax 'benefits' claimed need to get paid in full plus interest - retroactively of course. THAT can help pay for the stimulus package.

Don't stop me now... I think I may be on a roll! :-)

After reading just 9 items, and I didn't even hit on a smidgen of the industries out there - that's some pretty STUPID stuff we've got going on. And really, the only things I can link it to are: #1 - CYA (Cover Your A$$ - I need my job so I'll do all I can to keep it as well as make more work for myself even though it is really not needed). and #2 - Greed. Down & dirty. How sad is this? What a waste. This is severe waste when added all together. And it's completely through every section of our society. Another 'kicker' is that even when your job is to streamline and to help - it's not taken well. There's kicking & screaming the entire way. That's the CYA. Even if without taking the help, you'd be shortly extinct anyway. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Risk a little people. Change a little people. It's not that scary - truly it's not. Try it. You may like it - GASP - and then what?

So get off your rear today and get rid of the stupid waste around you. It can be as simple as de-cluttering your 'to do' pile (of which I am notorious for). It could be as large as streamlining community projects between organizations seeking to accomplish the same thing.

We gotta start somewhere, and I guess the best place to start - is with me.