A Disappointing Taste of Season Tickets...

The other night I had a chance to view the DVD that the Los Angeles Kings had sent me for purchasing a 10 game ticket pack. Los Angeles Kings announcer Bob Miller had one word to describe the Kings season....disappointing. I could not agree more. Not only had I been disappointed with the number of injuries that came up during the season, but I have now been disappointed by the DVD entitled, "We Are The Kings."

The DVD started out more like an apology instead of being the season highlight promo video that it should have been. Yes, the team had not accomplished anything during the 2002-2003 season. But why in the world would you want to start off your promo video talking about the injuries that their superstars went through? Sure it's frustrating, but why not show some of the highlights of the season?

Now, the team has to look forward to the 2003-2004 season. The first major move that the team made was the acquisition of Roman Cechmanek. Traditionally, this has been one position where the Kings have historically been weak at. The front office believes that Cechmanek is the goalie to solve the teams problems. Well, let's just hope that the number he has chosen (#32) is not a sign of things to come. If you recall, the last goalie to wear that number for the Kings was Kelly Hrudey. While he was the goalie on the Stanley Cup finals team, he stunk.

With Adam Deadmarsh, Jason Allison, and Ziggy Palffy all healthy, there is a chance that the Kings will be able to produce some offense. It seemed like no matter who the Kings played against, they were always outshot first. This only increased the pressure on the goalie, as he would soon find himself having twice as many shots made against him then what his team was doing to the other team.

In my humble opinion, I believe what the Kings really need is a bonafide enforcer. A player whose sole job is to go out there and protect the superstars on the team. The last player that they had to fill this role was Marty McSorley.

Overdoing it at Outback

The parent company of Outback Steakhouses was ordered to pay $39 million for a drunken driving accident that resulted at the grand opening of one of their restaurants in Indiana. While I am still trying to find out what is going on with the driver who drove into the couple on the motorcycle who sued Outback, I am a little worried about the precedent that this case is setting.

It has been speculated that Outback had been serving free drinks that night. Whether or not that is the case, the question I would like to raise is: how responsible is Outback for the driver's actions or behavior? Outback did not force the alcohol down the throat of the driver, but at the same time, they do have the power to turn off the tap to any of their customers. Do you give the responsibility and choice to the consumer or to the distributor?

The reason why I am worried is because this can open up a Pandora's box for restaurants and bars. People have different tolerance levels. While it may only take 2 beers for one person to get buzzed, it may only take half a beer for others. Will people who get involved in drunken driving accidents now be able to sue the restaurant or bar from where the drunk driver got their alcohol from? Will this happen even though fault lies with the behavior or choice of the person who drank?

I'm still here...

I apologize for not updating my site in two days, but work has truly been overwhelming. I will continue my blogging this weekend (or even later today...just depends...).

But until then, I will leave you with this article off of CNN.com. A burglar up in New York was literally caught in the chimney. It goes to show that neither crime, nor extra helpings at a buffet, doesn't pay...

Officer Testimonial

An anonymous LAPD officer (who simply writes using the name Jack Dunphy) has submitted this post to the National Review Online. Please take the time to read this post, as he states his case from the point of view of the front line officer.

Thanks to both the NRO and LA Observed for the link.

Monday Morning Quarterback: LAPD Shooting Policy

The LA Times contends in this extremely one sidedarticle that the officer involved shooting discipline policy is in need of a makeover. It states that the LAPD is ignoring the discipline recommendations of its civilian Police Commission board and is handing out their own exonerations. While I am not, nor do I claim to be, an expert in police administration, I do believe a balance needs to be struck between the department and the commission in order for a FAIR discipline decision to be drawn.

Any time a police officer draws and fires their weapon, they are automatically subjected to the Monday Morning Quarterback (the "experts" who will criticize the officer's actions). Such was the case with Margaret Mitchell. The presentation of the case by the LA Times was extremely biased against the officer's reactions.

Here's the scenario from what I have read: two officers on bike patrol encountered a homeless woman with a shopping cart. The woman, who turned out to be mentally ill, felt threatened by the officers to the point that she grabbed a screwdriver and was standing approximately six feet away from the officer. The woman then started to come towards the officer. The officer fired his weapon killing Margaret Mitchell. What then resulted from the shooting came questions about LAPD training towards dealing with mentally ill individuals to alternatives toward using deadly force.

What is never addressed in this and other shootings is what was going on in the mind of the officer at the time. The responsibility of a police officer is to ensure the safety and protection of not only himself and his partner, but also to the general public. There are a number of questions the officer has to run through his/her mind. The officer has to be aware of the level of danger this person is posing towards the officer and the public. Did the officer feel that the suspect is capable of injuring someone? Lastly, this decision must be made in 2 seconds. This is not the easiest thing to do, yet we ask ALL of our police officers to do this day in and day out.

Unfortunately, the officer does not have the luxury of being able to sit and ponder the situation for the weekend before acting. He/She has a matter of seconds to act in the way they see fit. Whether or not that requires them to fire their gun is one option. In the case of Mitchell, the determing factor for the officer was the fact she had lunged at the officer.

By the time that the Police Commission and command staff of the department get wind of the situation, the ordeal has already come to a conclusion. I do think that the Commission should have a say in the discipline process as officers are ultimately public servants. The Commission is a political body with an agenda. Their job is to set the department in the course of their agenda. But I ask is it fair to discipline an officer when they fired their gun when he/she truly feared for their life or the lives of others?

I am not calling for an end to the disciplinary system in its entirety, but rather an approach that takes the whole picture into context, and simply does not react from the news headlines.

The Model Minority

Okay, this is something that I have had to get off my chest. Asian Americans have long been refered to as the "model minority." This is such a deceiving and misleading label. First off, yes...34% of the 8,000 student class that the University of California admited was Asian American.

Statistics can be used to either fluff things up or pad things down. For example, let's just say you notice that a high school is sending 50% of their senior class to an Ivy League school. 50% sounds good right? Well, upon second review, you find out that there are only 10 students. So in reality, only 5 students are going to an Ivy League. That is still fairly strong, but what sounds more convincing? 50% or 5 students? To put this in prospective, let's just say you have two kids. Both of them go off to collegeand graduate which then leaves you the parent with a 100% college completion rate for your children.

So when someone states that Asian Americans have one of the highest college graduation rates when compared to other minority groups, it is important to remember that the Asian American group is smaller than the individuals of Hspanic origin or African Americans. Success by statistics is easier to prove with a smaller group.

Secondly, many of the Asian American students who have immigrated to the US after already going to school in their home country will begin their American education generally in a grade below their abilities because of their lack of English proficiency. Their skills in other areas such as math and science will already be advanced for their grade level. Basically, their skills set will not be challenged until they reach college. This makes it extremely hard to measure "success" when one group may have a tendency to enter over educated in any given grade.

There are a number of other factors, but if you simply take these issues that I have just listed you will see that the model minority label is misleading.

The Asian American Block

Like what Robert had to say in his post, many of the groups that fall under the Asian American label do not necessarily share the same characteristics and cultural values. When people generally think of the term Asian Americans, it is associated with Chinese and Japanese people primarily. What's problematic is that many of these groups have been categorized under the Asian American umbrella simply because of the region where the homeland is. This approach is too simplistic. One group that has not gotten support from affirmative action policies are the Vietnamese.

The Vietnamese, like the Filipinos, have a culture that has been influenced by several cultures due to continued colonization. Their culture has traces of Chinese, French, and some Japanese (I believe). There are multiple religions in the country, ranging from Confucianism to Christianity. Their history is one of constant invasions and battles due to their location is Southeast Asia.

The reason why I have stated that they have not gotten support from affirmative action policies is because they are a group in the new wave of Asian immigrants. Many of the immigrants who have come to the United States have arrived as refugees who have fled their homeland after the Vietnam War. They have not had the history of immigration that the Chinese had stemming from the mid 1800's, which by now makes over 3 generations. Many of the Vietnamese students that are applying will be the first generation to get a college degree.

So, my question to you now is why is a first generation Latino student a much more desirable candidate for outreach than a first generation Vietnamese student? Why shouldn't the Vietnamese student get the same treatment as the Latino student seeing that both are minorities? Like Robert's illustration in his post, this is a frustrating policy cycle.

With that being said, it is extremely hard for me to endorse or support a strictly color blind policy. We live in a race concious society and diversity is needed on college campuses. I say it is needed because it helps students develop to live in the real world. The following is a quote from a Washington Post article regarding summer interns from Mississippi in D.C.:

"Where we are from, you only see African Americans and European Americans. Here, I see Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, every other race...This gives me an opportunity to meet with people with whom I would not normally have contact. I also get to see other people who know that education is important, who have the perception of life that I want to have."

Ideally, one day, diversity will be the norm instead of the exception. Affirmative action is not perfect by any means, but it is an attempt to correct the the imbalance that racism has caused in our society.

The Complexities of Affirmative Action

Please take the time to refer to this post on Priorities and Frivolities. It is one of the better essays I have read about the complexities of the issue. Affirmative action is more than simply a black and white issue. Its implications are far reaching and will only become more complex in today's society.

License to Parent

Well, if you thought watching people drive while talking on their cell phone was bad, wait till you get a load of this. Catherine Donkers was given a ticket for breast feeding her child while driving her car. Yes, you read correctly, breast feeding her child while driving. I don't think that I will need to comment any further on this incident.

I am, by no means, trying to tell people how to raise their child. Sometimes, I just have to wonder what in the world is going through the mind of your common individual and ask where is common sense.

The Blair Page

After reviewing my Site Meter report, I have found that I owe a great deal of my visits/hits to the one and only Blair Hornstine. While I have realized that there is a lot of interest in her story, I was just surprised to see that 12 of my last 20 visits since yesterday have all been the result of searches about this girl.

It's okay, I don't mind riding the coattails of a high profile personality...=)

Charting a New Course

The number of charter schools in this nation is growing. Charter schools are schools that receive public funding, but are considered and act as independent entities. While charter schools were established to help provide alternatives for parents and students, they were also to be used as a leverage tool to help force the general public school district to improve their performance. But according to a Washington Post article, this has failed to occur. Students are leaving DC Public Schools, and administrators are doing little to try to retain them.

In essence, charter schools were to create a market type atmosphere where competition between the charter schools and the traditional schools. It was believed that competition would improve the quality of both types of schools. School administrators would want to maintain a high level of enrollment to keep their funding. This has not happened.

There is little concern on the drop off partly due to the way that enrollment funding works. As stated in the article, a charter school's budget can fluctuate throughout the year depending on enrollment. A traditional school does not have to worry about that as their funding is determined based on the previous year's enrollment. A drop off in enrollment can "benefit" a school by allowing them to spend their funds on a smaller number of students. This can lead to long term problems, but in the short term, it has helped to alleviate overcrowding issues at some schools in DC and high Stanford 9 test scores. Go figure.

Talk about the law of unintended consequences...

Underpaid or Overpaid Teachers???

In posts off of Matthew Yglesias and Priorities and Frivolities, arguments are being made in regards to the salary of public education teachers. These posts were made in response to Megan Keene's discussion on teacher compensation. Some have argued the contention that public school teachers are underpaid and that an increase (determined by a free market system) would be needed to attract and maintain top notch teachers.

Yglesia's view is off. It is an extremely limited argument that is based solely on the belief that money is the driving force for the interest in teaching. Yes, while I am sure the number of applicants would increase if the salary of teachers were to increase, one would have to now question the motives of the applicants. Is an applicant now applying to become a teacher because the pay is better and they will have a guaranteed vacation at the end of the year? Or is the applicant truly interested in teaching students? It is my belief that the first group mentioned would do much more damage than good, because they are in it for the money opposed to the opportunity.

Secondly, and in a sense a followup to the first point, more money does NOT guarantee that high caliber teacher candidates will be attracted to the profession. Many of these types of candidates will be drawn away from teaching because of social treatment and the lack of institutional support that they may encounter. Public education has been under scrutiny for years and teachers have been the primary focus. Teachers and the teaching profession no longer has the respect that it once had.

Lastly, as I have stated in a previous post, there is a need to invest in the institutional systems before we can even think about teacher pay. If a teacher lacks a support network and supplies, it only makes their job that much harder. Their dollar, over the long run, will be worth only that much less given the fact that they will have to work twice as hard to overcome the obstacle of not having enough books for students to take home and the like. A serious reinvestment needs to be made in order to fix the school system.

Two weeks ago, I went to the retirement party for a friend of my mom. She has retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District. She has taught at the same inner city elementary school for the past 37 years. It was remarkable to think that she was at the same school since the 1960's in one of the roughest areas in LA. She truly cared about the students of the entire school and helped to improve the school library, which may I add, was one of the nicest elementary libraries I have been to. But was the library under her prescribed duties as a teacher? Not really, but she worked to double the size of the library nonetheless. Why did she do it? "Because it was for the kids," as she had said.

Will a higher salary guarantee you that you will get teaching candidates with that kind of work ethic, interest, and most importantly, heart?

Returning to the Nest

A CNN Money article found that more students are returning home after earning their degrees. This is attributed to the lack of jobs out there for the Class of 2003, but also the high cost of actually moving out on their own.

Salary Employment...

Greetings folks...unfortunately, I will have to seriously limit my time to blog. Being a salaried employee has it's perks such as getting paid the same amount of cash even if there is no work. On that same note, I get overworked when we get busy without overtime pay. As you can probably tell, I am a bit busy right about now...so blogging will be limited...

I'm Off to the Big Ed...

Okay folks, I am off to Edison Field to watch the Angels and Mets. My dad is an Angels fan, so this is his late bday gift and partial Father's Day gift. The NY show will lack much of its star power with Mo Vaughn and Mike Piazza on the DL...not like it really matters. Vaughn has left his power days back in Boston. Piazza's numbers have dropped over the past couple years.

Lance is warming up....

In an effort to help boost the marketing of international cycling, ESPN has decided that they were going to write about Lance Armstrong's victory in Spain in their Boxing section of their website.

After reading Lance Armstrong's autobiography, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life, I have developed a respect for the sport of cycling. It is more than just riding up and down a hill. It involves the strategy of chess, the endurance of the Iron Man contest, the negotiating skills of a polished politician, and lastly a respect for the sport. It is unlike any other competition.

American rider, Lance Armstrong will be going for his fifth consecutive win in the Tour de France. What is remarkable about his journey is the fact that he is a cancer survivor. Cancer truly changed his life, in mind and in spirit. Instead of giving up his athletic career, he has found a way to make this is driving force. Now, he is the force on the Tour.

Advice from the Dean

Please take the time to to read this column from Dean Carol Holden off of the NBC 4.tv website. If my post about degrees weren't convincing enough, listen to this expert. If you are going to go through school and earn a bachelor's degree, do it because you want to....not because you feel you have to. It will be that much more rewarding.

Where's Blair?

After all of the fuss caused by her lawsuit against the Moorestown School District, Blair Hornstine has decided against showing up for her graduation. Yes, that is correct. After her fight to be the SOLE valedictorian, Hornstine has decided to skip her graduation, in fear of getting booed by her fellow classmates. According to the article, "the hostile environment at the school has traumatized Blair both physically and emotionally, to the point that she cannot and will not attend the graduation ceremonies."

So instead of being remembered for the fun and life long memories, the Moorestown Class of 2003 will be remembered as the year of controversy and the lawsuit valedictorian.

Well, it looks like the Blair Hornstine saga has come to a close...

Thanks to Joanne Jacobs for the link.

Los Angeles Police pay

The LAPD, which polices the second largest city in the US, has one a small police force when one thinks about the officer to population ratio. While I was in college, I interned for the Arlington County Police Department. One question that was raised by one of the police officers was why was the LAPD paid so much in comparison to other departments. At that time, I didn;t think much of it. But after reading a few articles and conducting a little research on the salary of police officers, I found some interesting results. Below you will find the starting salaries for police officers in the major cities across the country. These numbers were taken directly from the recruitment pages of each respective police department. The base salary listed does not include any of the bonus incentives that are available to officers (such as bilingual pay and for having a degree).

LAPD - $46,771

NYPD- $34,514 (increases to $54,048 after 5 years)

Metropolitan Police Department (DC)-$37,756 (increases to $43,374 after 18 months)

Miami PD (FL) - $34,783

Tucson PD - $37,225

Portland Police Bureau$34,861 ($42,536 after 6 months)

Chicago PD- $36,984 (increases to $47,808 after one year, $50,538 after 18 months)

Philadelphia PD- $34,986

Dallas PD- $37,805

On the national level, the LAPD is at the top of the pay scale. So one would wonder why the LAPD is struggling to hire new officers? The picture becomes interesting and more complex when you look at the pay for officers in the Los Angeles region.

Glendale PD - $54,396

Burbank PD- $46,620

Santa Monica PD - $52,128

Within the LA region, the LAPD is one of the lowest paid. This fact is more important than the national picture because departments compete for candidates locally, not nationally. During the past 5 years or so, the number of LAPD sworn officers has shrank, partly due to retirements, partly due to lack of interest, and partly due to transfers to other departments. The smaller departments are able to offer better pay, benefits, and work environment than LA. Let's face it, the City of LA is a tough environment to be a police officer in.

There are benefits to working with the LAPD. One is the size. With a big organization such as this, an officer's opportunities are limitless. You do not have to wait for someone's retirement or transfer before you can promote. Another reason is the City itself. One thing you will never be is bored as an LAPD officer. I know this is beginning to sound like a recruitment brochure, but stick with me. In a City where there are something like one officer for every 2,000 residents, you are going to be busy...in most cases...too busy. Policing in a smaller city can get boring to some because there is simply not enough activity.

So now, when you think of reasons why the LAPD is such a relatively small department, you can now think of salary. Regionally, the LAPD is one of the lowest paid departments, considering the risk involved. When it comes down to recruitment, for every 100 applicants, a department will be lucky to get 1 or 2 officers from that pool (statistic from the Glendale PD).

The Bachelor's and Post-Graduate Degree Pt. II

This post in a follow up to my post yesterday discussing bachelor's and post graduate degrees.

Graduate school, much like an undergraduate program in relation to high school, is increasingly being viewed simply as an extension to their undergraduate experience. This is the wrong reason to go on to grad school. Graduate school is a focused program which will help your understanding of an area of study where presumably you already have some kind of background. But yet, an increasing number of students are entering grad programs immediately after completing their bachelor's. Now, I am by no means criticizing students who choose this route to getting their education, but what I am saying is that there is a growing number of students are entering master's/professional programs who should not be there.

Before I get too far in the post, I do not want to sound hypocritical. Yes, I am planning on going back to school to get my master's next year. I am doing so only after working for a government consulting firm for two years and looking for a way to mend my interests of law enforcement and government administration into one. So my decision is based on areas in which I have experience in working and studying in.

With that being said, the number of students applying for post graduate studies is increasing. There is no shortage of law school applicants, just a shortage of law school openings. I have spoken and reviewed the resumes of students who have made that decision of applying out to law school right out of undergrad. Today's student is amazingly active, given their time constraints. What's problematic is that their only real exposure to law is through internships. While internships are great, it doesn't give you the full exposure to the field of law, it only provides a glimpse. You don't get to see if this field is truly for you. Some students are focused and have done the research and know that this is for them. Others are unfocused and are only going to law school because they feel it is what they need to do to get ahead. It is this latter group that I am particularly worried about. They will either sink or swim in a program. If they complete the program and are awarded a JD or master's, they now have to figure out how to use it. I just don't want to see students enter and complete programs without truly being educated. This will only make their degree worth that much less as they will not have the skill set associated with the degree.

I am particularly grateful to two mentors I had during my undergraduate experience. I was so convinced that I wanted to go to a master's program immediately after I graduated. Instead of encouraging me to follow that path, they encouraged me to take time off to work and gain some experience. It was at that point when I started working did I realize how much I didn't know about the field. At this point, government administration is much more clearer than it would ever have been two years ago. I would not have had the insight and understanding of agency relations as I do now.

So there you go...that's my take on graduate school...

Brown's Still Got It!!!

I hate doing this so early in the season, but Kevin Brown is still one of the best pitchers in the MLB. Brownie, who has started 14 games (the most since 2001), has thus far posted a 9-1 record, with a nasty 2.00 ERA. He leads the NL in wins and is second only to Jamie Moyer of Seattle (with 10 wins) in the entire Majors. His 2000 season still is something to remember with his 216 strikeouts and 47 walks.

The question that remains, of course, is how will the Dodgers respond to his dominance? Thus far, the offense still struggles. Kevin Brown has done his part, now it's time for the bats to start swinging....

If Only I Had Taken Auto Shop...

In this article off of the LA Times, Jeanne Wright talks about the growing need for new age auto mechanics. Today's cars are becoming so sophisticated that computer whiz kids are being looked at becoming future mechanics. The industry is having a hard time finding people because of the social bias against occupations like this. If we have kids who are interested in this kind of thing, we need to encourage them to pursue their heart, opposed to what society "wants."

Think about it, this is a much more stable area than the dot com industry that tanked a few years ago. Cars are here to stay, whether they are your traditional gas powered cars or if they are the new generation alternative power cars. Cars are not going anywhere, and we will always need people to fix them.

At the rate that repair costs are going, I am now HOPING that when I have kids, I will have one who wants to be a mechanic.

The Bachelor's and Post-Graduate Degree

I will forewarn you now, this will be one post that may ruffle your feathers...

Michael Lopez brings up a very good point in a number of his blogs that basically success is being based on the possession of a bachelor's and post-grad degree (notice my selection of the word possession, rather than earning). There are a number of issues that are brought up in his blogs about this subject, including grade inflation, degree devaluation, and most importantly, the change in attitude towards blue collar jobs.

First off, more students are getting college degrees than before in previous generation. This can mean two things. One, this can be a sign of an evolving society where the quality of education of each generation continues to improve. This is an ideal situation in any civilization. Educated people equal an educated workforce.

On the other hand, it can mean that college degrees are on the brink of becoming the minimum for social acceptance. This is a tricky point. On the one hand, you want people to strive forward. But on the other hand, you do not want to raise social pressure on education so that it forces students that do not have college level skills onto the next level. The California State University system is a prime example of this.

The number of students entering the CSU system with remedial skills is increasing. In a Los Angeles Times article dated back to January of this year (entitled "CSU Ousts 8.2% Over Weak Skills; 1/29/03), the CSU's had to expel 8.2% of their freshmen over weak English and Math skills. This can be interpretted in a couple ways. One is that the California education system is breaking down to the point that the students that it turns out are not up to par with college standards. The other is that social pressure is pushing students into the college system who may not want to be there. I would like to focus on the second point.

As hard as it may be for me to write, college is not for everyone. This is not to say that I do not think that everyone is entitled to a top notch education. I believe with my whole heart that everyone is capable and entitled of getting the best education possible because this is the one thing that no one can take away from you. But we cannot limit ourselves to linking the word education with college, when education can be expanded into technical/trade training as well. In fact, it is my belief, that we should encourage people to go into labor occupations, just as much as we encourage people to go to college.

Many students go to college simply as an extension to high school. It has been engrained in their young minds that they HAVE to go to college, or they are an utter failure. This is by far, the wrong reason to go. Students who go out of obligation are only doing a disservice to themselves, as they are likely to take the easy road out with the BA. Having a degree without the expected knowledge or skill set will lead to grade inflation and lowering the value of the bachelor's degree. Lowering the value of the degree will have an across the board effect that can cause serious problems for the American university system.

Let's face it, there is only so many opportunities for lawyers, doctors, and business execs. We also need good construction workers, plumbers, auto mechanics, and other workers for shop type jobs. The latter are jobs that are always going to be in demand. People will always have a need for repairmen because most of us do not have the knowledge to do the work ourselves. To be honest, when I have a kids, I am hoping I will have one who wants to be an electrician, plumber, or mechanic (can you imagine how much I could save on house renovations or car repairs?).

I know that one argument is all about the earning potential of people with degrees. The answer is relative to what people describe as success. A degree does not guarantee you higher salary or happiness. Heck, I have a degree and I can tell you firsthand that I hate my job. In fact, I know a lot of people with degrees who are broke and unhappy, while I know of electricians and plumbers who make a lot of money and love life. The first group mentioned are so focused on their job and success, while the latter are able to make their own schedule and know what happiness is.

There is nothing wrong with looking at techinical/trade type careers. Shop class is often viewed as a class of last resort in high school. We have to come to the realization that the students that come out of shop classes are the students we will need for their technical training in the future. Students who excel in shop class may in the end have more job security than those of us with college degrees.

The Death of the 40 Hour Workweek

I am beginning to realize that the Sunday Opinion section is one of my favorite sections. In this article by Joe Robinson, he talks about the fact that Americans are working more hours at anytime since the 1920's. According to the article, "One study found that someone who works seven 50-hour weeks in a row will get no more done than someone who works seven 40-hour weeks."

So before you commit yourself to the extra hours at the office, think about the last sentence...

Well, looks like the work I brought home isn't going to get done....

Strengthening the Thin Blue Line

This is an opinion piece from the June 8th LA Times. Jervey Tervalon discusses the need for additional police officers in the City of Los Angeles. This is an insightful account and a story which occurs all too often, but gets lost in the grand scheme of things.

While I do not wish to argue or dismiss anything presented by Tervalon, I just want to bring up one point. Is street violence the result of an overall social breakdown or is it a result of lack of law enforcement?

Passing the Buck

Sometimes I wonder...I sit here and just wonder about the society that we live in. On Sunday, a 78 year old retiree was killed in an accident in Los Angeles. What brought this accident to the headlines was the fact that it has been linked to the new movie "2 Fast 2 Furious" because the guy driving the car that hit the retiree had just gotten out of watching that movie.

What bothers me is that this story shows individuals unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions. This falls in line with the numbers of people who have filed lawsuits against fast food chains who blame the chains for their unhealthy eating habits and those who blame video games for violent behavior. I am aware of the scores of studies that are out there that have made links between games and violence and fast food and bad eating habits. But that in no way removes the responsibility from the individual.

Parents who are blaming these types of things for their children's behavior are off the mark. It is high time that individuals take responsibility for their actions, which include the responsibilities of being a parent. Parents are looked up to as lifelong educators. They set the example for their kids. It makes sense. If your kid is doing something that could lead them down the wrong path, don't sit back and blame it on a movie. It is your JOB to step up and set them in the right direction.

My condolences go out to the family of the retiree. I would also like to send my condolences to the 23 year old driver, who will have to explain at each and every job interview he goes to why there is a felony on his criminal record.

Almost, but No Cigar....

While they have fought valiantly, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim fell to the New Jersey Devils in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. To be totally honest, I never expected the Ducks to get this far in the Playoffs. Heck, I never imagined them to get into the Playoffs, period.

But I will say this: The Ducks got here on the shoulders of J.S. Giguere. He is the future of the NHL. It goes to show how important the goalie is in this game of hockey. The Ducks went no where on the shoulders of their first goalie, Guy Hebert. The Kings, in 1993, lost to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Finals because Kelley Hrudey (the Kings goalie) was no match for Patrick Roy (BTW - I am still bitter at that whole series. The Kings should have never placed Hrudey between the pipes. Yeah, I said it...)

This year, the Finals came down to a dynamic youngster versus the seasoned champion. In the end, the Devils won the series, but J.S. won the respect and admiration of many including his opponent. While the fans in NJ booed when he was given the Conn Smythe Trophy for the MVP of the playoffs, the Devils players applauded. That was one sight I had not seen in my lifetime.

J.S. will return to the playoffs and the Finals one day. And when that day comes, he will hoist Lord Stanley's Cup over his head.

NY Politics: The Victors Write the Times

During my late night reading, I came across an article off of the NY Times. This article talks about the recent drop in crime under current Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly. While I have not yet had an opportunity to sit and analyze the statistics given, I did find one aspect fairly interesting, only half of the story is told.

During the 1990's, the crime rate in NYC had also dropped. Credit, at the time, was given to Mayor Rudy Giuliani AND Police Commissioner William Bratton. Bratton, who in the area of criminal justice, is considered one of the premiere police leaders in the nation. He only led the Department for a total of about 2 years, but his policing strategies were credited with making most of the impact. According to his bio off of the LAPD website, he initiated most of the quality of life policing strategies and most importantly he started the COMPSTAT computer analysis system. He would leave the NYPD in 1996 after he had a falling out with the Mayor. Both Bratton and Giuliani have huge egos and their relationship came to a point where the Mayor did not like not having the spotlight. Bratton has since taken the position of Chief of Police for the LAPD.

What is extremely interesting about the NY Times article being discussed is Bratton's name is never mentioned. Not once. All of the credit for the policing of NY was given to Giuliani, Bloomberg, and Kelly. This to me, is amazing. How can he not be mentioned for policing and computer programs which were started under his watch? I realize that there is no love loss between Giuliani and Bratton, but how could there be no mention of one of the key players in the game?

This brings me to another question: how can the crime rate in New York be going down, while the crime rate in LA is going up? The jury is still out on this question. There are a number of factors that go into this answer, such as political support, manpower, and department structure. First off, the political structures are different in NY and LA. In New York, the Mayor has the most power in the government, while in LA, the Mayor is struggling to get a City Council majority. In fact, the Mayor of LA has lost his fight to increase the size of the LAPD and had his veto overridden.

Second, the NYPD is over 3 times larger than the LAPD. Yes, it is not a typo, the NYPD is over 3 times the size of the LAPD. The NYPD has approximately 39,000 officers, while the LAPD is just over 9,000. This makes a tremendous difference in the success or lack of success in crime suppression. Policing in general takes a lot of manpower. The fewer you have, the harder your job gets, as it becomes harder and harder to enforce laws in large populous areas.

Lastly, it can be argued that the reason why NY is watching it's crime rate go down is because of the structure that was developed by Bratton for the NYPD. He went in there and reorganized the NYPD into much of what it is today. While I am sure there have been changes since he left, the general structure is still there.

But it still amazes me how the NY Times left William Bratton off of the list of public officials responsible for the current NYPD.

The Lost Art of Handwriting

Oh, the good ole third grade days....the days when you were introduced to a new way of expressing yourself...cursive handwriting. But as a CNN.com article has found, there is a decline in the amount of handwriting that students have to do nowadays. Thanks to advanced technology, students are finding themselves using computer keyboards more than a traditional pen. While things, admittedly, are easier to do on a computer, writing things down are still a necessity. We better make sure that we don't brush hand writing skills to the wayside.

Miss Not So Perfect Afterall

Please refer to this post on Joanne Jacob's website. It follows and explains Blair Hornstine's new dilemma...plagarism. Blair, as I am sure you all may remember, is the college senior from Moorestown, New Jersey who successfully sued to be the SOLE valedictorian.

OH, which reminds me...with graduation coming up soon (June 19th at 6:30 pm for Moorestown), Blair will have to make her valedictorian speech. Do you think she will talk about the challenges of this year, how she overcame them and how she is a survivor? Or will she say something about being different, but not letting that stop her. Either way, I hope that it is something written in her own words....

Yikes....

In my continued effort to bring you news on the criminal justice front, I came across this article from the NY Times. This article discusses the financial crisis that is taking its toll on the criminal justice arena across the U.S. Governments are running out of money and budgets are getting slashed left and right. While this may sound like nothing new at all, it is going to become extremely problematic for the criminal justice departments, thanks in great part to the War on Terror.

Police departments are being cut to the point where they will not have the money to hire new officers for those that are either retiring or leaving for other reasons. Departments have had to scale back their budgets which may even include having to lay off officers. Overtime budgets are running out so that if there are critical emergencies which require additional police support, officers will be inclined to leave at the end of their shift to risk from working without getting paid. Many of the strategies that we employed by departments in the 1990s when the nation experienced a drop in the crime rate have been abandoned because of the lack of manpower.

What is extremely troublesome is the fact that this is all occuring in a time of economic crisis. Any time there is a downward turn in the economy, the crime rate rises. It makes sense because in bad economies, more people are unemployed and are more hard up. What makes this a bad situation is that law enforcement is being spread extremely thin. We have asked them to take an extremely proactive role in homeland security, without increasing what they need most...money.

This is a time when police and political leaders need to ask the community for help. When I say this, I am not talking about votes or muffin baskets. I am talking about neighbors becoming aware of what in the world is going on next door. No, I am not advocating that you start snooping on your neighbors, but neighborhoods have to start becoming more proactive in their surroundings. By empowering the community to police themselves, it will help the police deal with situations much more efficiently. In this time and age, a community should not expect the police to do the job all by themselves.

Oh Mario...how you disappoint me....

Okay, I have finally found an article that is getting me all worked up. Although, I hold a great deal of respect for NHL Hall of Fame bound Mario Lemieux, his latest action disappoints me. In an article off of ESPN.com, Lemieux (who is both an owner and player for the Pittsburgh Penguins) stated that if a new arena wasn't built for the team, the team would move to another city. This statement comes after the mayor said that there are no public dollars available for the financing and construction. But Lemieux insists that something must be done within 30-60 days or else the city risks losing the team to "free agency."

While I will admit that the Penguins are one of the most storied franchises in the NHL, this was still a move that required a lot of nerve and gall. But to be totally honest, if I were the mayor of Pittsburgh, I would have one reaction and one reaction only....I would be offended. This remark is coming from a team that finished second to last in the Eastern Conference and has not even gotten to the Stanley Cup finals in over 10 years. Who are they to be making demands on the City?

This does raise some serious government/team ownership issues. The Mellon Arena, where the Penguins play now, is 42 years old with a seating capacity of 17,800 is the second smallest venue in the NHL. Does this fact have an impact on the revenue for the City and the Penguins? Sure it does. But you also have to be very aware of one fact...higher revenue is not guaranteed if you move into a larger venue. A bigger and newer arena will not be the sole solution to the teams who are struggling financially.

A great example of this would be the Los Angeles Kings. They have made it to the Stanley Cup only once while owned by Bruce McNall. He was forced to sell the team after he ran into legal and financial issues of his own. According to a report by an independent financial consultant, it found that the current owners have lost $108 million since they bought the team four or so years prior. This comes as the Kings have played all four years in the Staples Center with a sell out capacity for hocket at about 18,000. The amount of revenue that they have been generating have not been able to offset the increasing operations and payroll costs.

But issue that I am most concerned about is the role of government in sports. Is it necessarily a city's job to attract and keep professional sports using tax payer dollars? Sure, a professional team brings in a large amount of tourism and business cash, but this too is open to debate. But in a time when governments are struggling with budgets to provide basic public services, I would say that government should not add this to their plate.

But what I can't believe is how Lemieux says he has felt "betrayed" by the City. Well, all I have to say is this: Mario, now you realize what Canadian fans have been feeling the past 10 years. What began as a Canadian sport has left the nation with a total of 6 teams. Teams have left Canada for the fancy, new arenas here in the US. Talk about a feeling of betrayal.....

Dysfunctional Police Department

I found this article on CNN.com. I found it to be both interesting and scary...at the same time. It kind of ties into my post yesterday about government and it's structure. This is a true, worst case scenario on how politics and "favors" can just destroy a department from the top down.

Fernando Returns...

The former Dodger pitcher who used to look to the heavens in his pitching windup is coming back to the organization. Fernando Valenzuela will return as a color commentator for the Spanish language radio broadcast.

Viva Los Dodgers!!!

Much thanks to Priorities and Frivolities for the link.

Seniors Wary of Govt Jobs

In an article off of CNN, college seniors, while interested in helping the public, are wary of seeking government employment (according to the Brookings Institute study cited). Many students have felt that they would better serve the public through non profits. It also stated that many students were confused on how to apply for government positions. The survey concluded "that major changes are needed in the way that governments hire, train and use workers in today's mobile world in order to give managers flexibility and make them more accountable for results."

At the news conference, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Fed Chairman Paul Volkner stated that "rules governing federal personnel were drawn up for the industrial age rather than the computer age."

It's actually more complicated than that. The way that government runs cannot and should not be compared to that of private sector businesses. The private sector is market driven, while ideally, the government is mission driven. There is a HUGE difference between the two.

The standard private sector business is concerned about one thing...the bottom line. I don't care which firm or company that you work for, the bottom line will always reign supreme. If you can't prove yourself to be billable, then you are out of a job. If your office can't bring in any profit, then you are out of a job. In a project, you are encouraged to utilize your budget wisely so perhaps in the end, you will have earned additional profit. Hiring and firings can come on a whim. Everything is based on the profit and growth of the firm.

On the other hand, you have government agencies. Prior to the 1880's, the U.S. bureaucracy was practically run by people who had made it through the ranks through the spoils system. Basically, the elected officials chose and appointed staff to run departments. The turnover rate in government jobs was at an all time high simply because each time an elected official changed, many workers would be let go. Generally, positions were given as a reward for political support. This placed your average government worker under a tremendous amount of political influence. If you think that the government is inefficient now...can you imagine how bad things were back then? This problem continually got worse as the size of the government continued to grow.

Things changed once the Pendleton Act of 1883 was passed. This act set up the Civil Service system as we know it. People were no longer given regular government jobs because of who they supported. Now these very workers had to pass exams to prove their competency. Government workers did not have to fear come election time because they are given civil service protection, where firing becomes extremely difficult, to minimize the amount of political influence and corruption. You want teachers that will be able to give fair grades, without fear of retaliation. You want police officers who will enforce the laws no matter what time of year or who is in office. You want and need people who do vital services in the government to be able to do their job without fear of losing their job because of corruption and politics.

In dealing with budgets, I would say that agencies are encouraged to spend all of the money they can within their budget. To most, it makes no logical sense. But here's the scenario: You are a department head. You are given a set budget for a fiscal year. In order to keep your budget at it's current size, you have to be able to show you NEED it. In this case, as you will find in most city departments, they will be extremely conservative in regards to spending money at the beginning of the FY. Come June when the FY is nearing an end, departments will try to spend all of the money they can or risk losing any encumbered money and/or risk having their budget cut. So yes, in a sense, government punishes departments for being efficient. But this in itself can become the topic of yet another post which we will leave for another time.

Now, do I think that the government model, as it stands, is perfect and does not need any change? No not at all. If any company or organization believes they don't need any type of evolution or change is dysfunctional. I do not think that the government should begin hiring and firing people like private sector firms because people will then be too vulnerable to other interests. At the same time, I do not think that people should be so insulated that the only way we can get them out off the job is to wait for them to retire.

Departments should be rewarded for getting results in efficient ways. They should not have to fear losing budget cash if they do a job right and under budget. Yet, we cannot make department profit oriented because the services that they provide (public safety, public works, etc.) are those which cannot be market driven because the community depends on them too much. A good example of market forces devastating a public service is the California energy crisis, where citizens had to pay high prices for power because companies ran short of power.

This is a seriously complex issue that cannot be simply addressed by trying to make governments more like businesses. If changes are indeed made, it must be a compromise between the two models.

Lack of posts....

Greetings to my 5 loyal readers (give or take 2). Just wanted to let you all know that my lack of blogging activity can all be attributed to work. Can you believe that? But then again, it is because I work that I can actually afford to live...so, I guess it's fair...=)

Uneven Distribution of Quality Teachers

In a blog on Joanne Jacob's website, she refers to a study conducted by the University of Washington. The study found that teachers with seniority (and higher pay) are moving out to the suburbs, thus leaving the inner city with the rookie and unexperienced teachers. Joanne argues in her post that "Tough schools should be able to pay a premium to attract the best teachers instead of being stuck with no-seniority novices."

I too believe that this is true, but more needs to be done. There needs to be an effort made to give teachers the support supplies and networks that they need. Inner city schools have constant book problems, where the texts they are forced to use are old and out of date. Book shortages are common. (Heck, when I was in high school, we were not allowed to take a number of English books home and sharing in class was not out of the ordinary.) This would only add to the workload of the teacher. Teaching is hard enough...but to teach with limited supplies of materials makes it only that much harder.

I am not sure if higher pay alone would be enough to attract experienced teachers. Their increased salary teaching in difficult assignments, in the long run, would be worth about the same amount (if not less) as a lower paying salary out in the 'burbs where the support is there for them.

How's this for foresight....

This quote came from the May 22, 2003 page of "The 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said Calendar."

"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1977.

Now that I think about it...to a point, he is right. Why would someone want one in their home when we are strapped to the ones at work, can get to the internet with our cell phones and PDA's, and can carry laptops around??? LOL.

I am just thankful he is not my stockbroker....

I am the One....

Despite the fact that I fell asleep in the middle of the Matrix, I decided to post this anyways....

Thank you to Joanne Jacobs for the link.

When will the US get a Royal Flush???

I encourage you to visit Priorities and Frivolities. The blogger is a coworker of mine who not only first introduced me to the concept of blogging, but also has kept an ongoing tab on which Iraqi operatives have been captured using the infamous Iraqi's Most Wanted deck of cards. More importantly, he has been keeping tabs on what poker hands the US has pulled.

While you're there, you can check out his Dodger baseball stats and general politics talk too...

Disappointment Lawsuit III

Make that "Over 1,999,999 Served." McDonald's is suing a food critic in Italy because they felt as if the criticisms that he had made were defamatory and offensive.

While some may argue that what McDonald's serves can be offensive, I do not see a basis for this lawsuit. Raspelli is a top food critic in Italy, and he was simply doing his job...being critical. So what if he said that the burgers tasted like rubber and the fries were like cardboard? It happens all of the time.

What makes me laugh is the fact that this is all taking place in Italy. Italy is a country that takes great pride in great food. In my opinion, how in the world can McDonald's think that a Big Mac could measure up with a good bowl of pasta with meatsauce, or alfredo sauce, or my personal favorite....clam sauce. This is probably the main reason why I can't go to Italy...I would never come out of the restaurants...=)

Story was found on cnn.com

Overpaid State Employees????

In an article in the Los Angeles Daily News today, the AP brought up an interesting point by stating that California Governor Gray Davis is the 177th highest paid California State employee. The article was critical of the fact that a number of state medical personnel were paid nearly $150,000 to $200,000 in annual salary and overtime combined. In this post, I shall specifically address the pay of physicians.

The article stated that "On top of their base salaries, three doctors at Corcoran State Prison, for example, made $114,289, $99,857 and $99,392, respectively. In total, more than three dozen prison doctors and state psychiatrists made more than $50,000 apiece in extra-shift pay." This would bring the total income of the top physician listed to $164,289. The physician would only be making a little less than $800 than the governor.

Is this disturbing? How can this happen? Why should the State of California have to pay such an outrageous price for a prison physician? Well, my answer is....California has to and has an obligation to.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median base salary of physicians across the US after expenses is about $160,000. All three physicians at Corcoran State Prison are making below the median base salary for physicians in the US. The statistics which were used by the Bureau are dated back to 1998, so the numbers and median salaries have surely risen over time. In a salary survey that I had conducted through Salary.com, the median base salary in the City of Corcoran is $128,001 (with a high of $150,500). The base salaries for all three Corcoran State Prison doctors are lower than that of the US and those in private practice in their immediate surrounding areas.

The article then goes on to state that the doctors are able to make over $50,000 in overtime pay. Okay, but that again is overtime in a prison environment. How many of us would be willing to jump at the opportunity to work OT at a state prison??? (Let's not all rush up at once.) I don't know if you want to necessarily want to call that extra pay.

One of the explanations as to why public sector agencies have had to increase their salaries for their employees is because they are having a tough time to recruit and retain talent when being compared to the private sector. Government salaries are nothing when you compare them to their counterparts in the private industry. The base salaries make a government job competitive. The question then becomes, how do you attract and keep top talent when the private sector is willing and able to pay them top dollar? During times of financial crises, the answer is clear as unemployment increases and civil service protection is desired. But during times of a bull market, what's keeping a physician interested in working for the government when they can go out to the private sector and make more money in less stressful conditions, and perhaps less hours?

If you are one of those who believe that the salaries stated in the article are too high and seek to cut them, let me paint you this scenario. How many doctors or psychiatrist do you know who would be willing to work for less than $90,000? Then when you add work locations (prisons, state hospitals, etc.) and hours into the mix, both the numbers of candidates will go down, but also the quality. If you were able to convince someone to take the position, they would most likely be junior and jump towards another opportunity in a heartbeat. In general, you do not want the State of California run by a staff of third tier candidates or junior staffers only using their government experience to leapfrog to bigger and better things.

You need to have top talent, despite the bad rap that government employees take, in order to run states, counties, and cities. The number of services that we depend on are too important to let them just fall to the wayside. Governments in general are obligated to us, their customers, to provide the best employees to serve our needs.

Maybe it's me...

The Dodgers, who went on a 10 game winning streak when I was in Florida, have since lost 4 of their last 5 games. Maybe I need to stay in Florida until the end of the baseball season for the sake of the Dodgers. This is really sad and depressing.