Roundup

Not the grass assassin. Some juicy tidbits have flowed in over the last couple of weeks while I was out goofing off.


Idle Hands
In the great state of Vermont, it is now illegal to let your car idle for more than five minutes during any one-hour period, thanks to a law that went into effect last week. Violators will receive a $10 ticket for the first offense, $50 for the second, and $100 for the third.

Police, fire, and other emergency vehicles don’t have to obey that law so when the cops write you that first, second, or third ticket because your car is “idling” in a Shelburne Road traffic jam next January, you can bet the police car will be running the entire time.

Sheesh.


Garbologists
Socrates TeachingAn “educational technology specialist wants students to connect with the land, and to grow with it. Literally.” So sayeth the newspaper about a man who teaches at a local elementary school. Students spent a day outside with him as they planted blueberry bushes, apple trees, and blue spruce trees in a field behind the school nature center.

“Educational technology specialist”?

We used to have “educators.” Probably then “educationalists.” Now “educational technology specialists.” What is wrong with calling someone who goes hands on with classroom students a “teacher”?

Sheesh.


A Fatal Wait
Speaking of gummint, veterans have languished and died on the VA’s secret list.

VA hospitals are killing people by not getting around to caring for them. At least 40 vets have died waiting for appointments at the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care system alone, all while VA managers there tried to hide that some 1,400-1,600 sick veterans were forced to wait months to see a doctor.

Just a foretelling of what to expect as the Unaffordable Care Act (like HealthCanada) looks for ways to cut the cost of affordable care.

Sheesh.


Apologists
Some Liberal apologist will come along and remind us that the idle law will increase health benefits, cut down on carbon emissions, and save fuel.

No. Vermonters don’t need a nanny law for that but it will certainly help the ticket nazis raise revenue.

Some Liberal apologist will come along and remind us that teachers are professionals and the descriptors help lay people to understand what educators and educationalists and educational technology specialists do.

No. Vermonters know what teachers do. Teachers need to act professional, not make up multi-syllabic titles and print business cards.

Some Liberal apologist will come along and remind us that the Veteran’s Administration and the Health and Human Services (which runs the ACA) are completely different departments.

No. VA is funded by Congress. Obamacare is funded by Congress. That’s a CF. As funding declines and managing-the-finger-pointing increases (the usual route for any government program), we’re gonna die.

Fortunately, two apples a day reduces the risk of stroke by 32%.

 

11 thoughts on “Roundup

  1. For the record, my spell checker didn’t like “educationalists.” It recommended replacing the word with “coconut tree engineers.” That’s an actual job title given to the guy who shakes palm trees to retrieve ripe coconuts before they bean the unsuspecting tourists. My spell checker doesn’t have a sense of humor; it really suggested “educationalist” (singular).

    Sheesh.

  2. There are so many exceptions – there may as well not be a law (K is my favorite). Trust me, very few “ticket nazis” will be acting on this violation – however, it gives officers another piece of PC to stop you and check for other nefarious violations!
    (2) Exceptions. The five-minute limitation of subdivision (1) of this subsection shall not apply when:
    (A) a military vehicle; an ambulance; a police, fire, or rescue vehicle; or another vehicle used in a public safety or emergency capacity idles as necessary for the conduct of official operations;
    (B) an armored vehicle idles while a person remains inside the vehicle to guard the contents or while the vehicle is being loaded or unloaded;
    (C) a motor vehicle idles because of highway traffic conditions, at the direction of an official traffic control device or signal, or at the direction of a law enforcement official;
    (D) the health or safety of a vehicle occupant requires idling, or when a passenger bus idles as necessary to maintain passenger comfort while nondriver passengers are on board;
    (E) idling is necessary to operate safety equipment such as windshield defrosters, and operation of the equipment is needed to address specific safety concerns;
    (F) idling of the primary propulsion engine is needed to power work-related mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical operations other than propulsion, such as mixing or processing cargo or straight truck refrigeration, and the motor vehicle is idled to power such work-related operations;
    (G) a motor vehicle of a model year prior to 2018 with an occupied sleeper berth compartment is idled for purposes of air-conditioning or heating during a rest or sleep period;
    (H) a motor vehicle idles as necessary for maintenance, service, repair, or diagnostic purposes or as part of a State or federal inspection;
    (I) a school bus idles on school grounds in compliance with rules adopted pursuant to the provisions of subsection 1282(f) of this title;
    (J) the idling of vehicles at the place of business of a registered motor vehicle dealer is necessary to maintain the premises of the place of business; or
    (K) a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less idles on a driveway or parking area on private property.

    • Truth be told, I know of only one “ticket nazi” in Vermont; yer mom is probably safe if she stays out of his Town. And I don’t mind adding another nefarious violations check tool although I’d prefer we call it that.

      (K) is indeed a goodie, especially since 23 V.S.A. § 1111 appears to prohibit running the engine while you run back in to the house from the driveway. And, of course, in Burlington where “no person shall leave idling for more than three (3) minutes any motor vehicle in any area of the city” driveway or parking area on private property apparently notwithstanding.

  3. Maybe he’s a “educational technology specialist” because he’s not legally (or otherwise) qualified to be a “teacher.”

  4. Yo, “Daughter!”

    <>

    Does that mean momma can “idle” to keep the AC on while waiting to pick up the kids at school?

    (What a load of crap.)

  5. Membership cards for AMVETS, VFW and American Legion molder in a drawer because they have not convinced me that they have anything of value for me that I can’t get elsewhere at better value.The local VA hospital is one under the spotlight here for good reason. Many horror stories over the years.

    • I’ve done that with all the AARP enticements over the years, too.

      I keep seeing the horror stories but my own personal VA hospital experiences have been very good. The VA kept my father-in-law alive for years — years, I tell you (maybe decades) — past his sell-by date. A different VA hospital has given our son’s former father-in-law excellent care over the years. And the Legion here has a great bar.

      Shows to go you why we don’t trust just one or two data points to tell a story.

  6. (The following comment was written and posted with great difficulty…seeing as how I no longer have a personal (working) e-mail account.) Speaking of membership…and we were, weren’t we?….Let’s talk about AARP.

    My problem with the Aged Americans Reclamation Project is that once you make an online or postal request for their alleged benefits, they grab your data and automatically enroll you as a member for the sake of fattening their roster. And each time you write or phone to get yourself removed, they update your nonexistant affirmation.

    Truth be known, AARP’s membership numbers are as wacky-wacky cooked as the Obama Adminstration’s unemployment/inflation rates.

    Anything to look good on paper — and, of course — media pick it up and run with it like dog with a bone.

    — George

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