Kevin's Stuff

My TV friends will appreciate this.

This is a video from the Christmas show at a church in Atlanta last year. They did the 12 days of Christmas, but they did it LIVE from 3 different churches at the SAME TIME. You have to watch the monitors and the performance together to get it.

Remember, this is a church. There's probably one guy with a switcher in a basement pulling this all together. Think about that the next time your control room screws up your live shot from the snow.

Oh, and they did this 3 times for 3 different shows.

I was saddened yesterday to hear of the deflation, relocation, then re-inflation of Mr. Pickle - the giant auto-hocking blue ape in Simi Valley. 

But after an in-depth investigation (read: google images search) our investigative unit (read: yeah, right) uncovered another eerily similar missing pickle caper.

Meet Mr. Pickle (no relation). The 5' tall mustard and mayo carrying Latin pickle who proudly represents Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop in San Francisco. Many have grown to love and adore the Northern Mr. Pickle - and some where aghast upon learning of this potential tragedy. breadxbread writes:

you barbarians! you monsters!! there is no punishment severe enough for the atrocity you have committed! this is like the time hitler killed buddy holly, richie valens and the big bopper at pearl harbor on 9/11.... TIMES A MILLION. whoever stole mr. pickle, you sicken me. i hope when the police finally corner you and lock you away for the rest of your miserable life, that your every waking moment is haunted by the look of innocent joy on mr. pickle's face. a look that you have stolen from all of us.

However this absent pickle problem shares a similar happy ending. It appears as though Other Missing Pickle was, in fact, returned to his rightful owner the day following his capture. You can read more about the happy reunion here. 

And tonight, as the sun sets over the pacific - all giant California personified pickle mascots are home safe and sound. God bless us all.

It started about a year ago.

I go to Home Depot a lot. I have to. I'm a General Contractor. It's sort of like my home-away-from home. I know exactly where the bungee cords are. The trowels are in the last isle by the cement. I can draw a map if you'd like - but that's not the point of this post.

For most people a trip to Home Depot was akin to a trip to the Proctologist. Although sometimes the Proctologist gives you a lollipop when you're done. At least mine does. But that's not the point of this post either. At Home Depot all you got was a stare-down and someone to scrutinize your receipt when you walked out the door. It was so bad that in 2006 a retail survey rated Home Depot's customer service among the worst in the nation. 

So about a year ago I noticed something. Once a week each of the four local Home Depots I frequent were deluged with employees - about one every two isles - asking me if I found everything ok. They wanted to know if I needed help. There was also a greeter - like Wal-Mart, only slightly younger.

At first I thought it was one of those hidden camera shows. I mean, seriously - this is Home Depot. If you could even find an employee you'd be lucky if he knew where the bathroom was - much less the 3/4" all-threads (that's contractor lingo for a big screw - which coincidently, is how most people felt when going to Home Depot.)

But not on this day. There were smiling, helpful people in orange smocks all over the store. And they knew stuff. And it wasn't a one-time deal. More and more the stores filled up with knowledgeable people - some even experts in the departments in which they worked. The electrical department had people who knew - get this - electrical.

As it turns out, Alan Fundt was nowhere to be found. And, as it turns out, it wasn't a one-time deal. They weren't filming a commercial and, to my knowledge, they hadn't piped anything funny into the ventilation system. Nope - this was good 'ol customer service taking shape right in front of my eyes.

So I sat down and thought - what would motivate Home Depot to not improve - completely revamp it's customer service philosophy. The answer? Lowes - and the economy.

Home Depot had record profits through 2007. Then, the economy took a spill - home improvement virtually halted - and their sales plummeted. At the same time, Home Depot had a management change. All this while Lowes announced major expansion plans. Everyone knows Lowes is much cleaner, better organized and has friendlier employees than big orange. 

What was American's Favorite Home Improvement Store to do? Close-up shop? Get a government bailout? Start selling Alpacas like the guy on TV (I hear you can make a fortune with your own Alpaca farm) Nope! The answer - figure out where you're failing and fix it. Home Depot inventoried its operation, assessed its weaknesses and implemented a program to fix what was broken. They even started a program to compensate employees with bonuses for excellent customer service.

And that IS the point of this post. See, this is the beauty of the free market. When left alone private business will do whatever it takes to compete - and to win. There will be success, there will be failures. Capitalism is not pretty, but it's the best system in the world - when it's allowed to work.

So as our unfortunate government (see "allthread" above) works to demonize the "nasty" insurance companies ask yourself these questions:

What if insurance companies were allowed to compete in a free and open marketplace like, say, a hardware store?

And what if insurance companies were held accountable by their customers and market forces - not by the government?

And what if the bad insurance companies failed - while the good insurance companies prospered?

And what if those prosperous companies had great employees - like the ones who know exactly where the drywall tape is?

Would be kinda cool, huh? And think of all the money we'd save. And we wouldn't have to rely on the government to "solve" our problems. And - as a special bonus - we'd keep our freedom and our liberty.

I'll take that plan, which unfortunately isn't available on isle 8 - next to the pipe fittings. Just ask the guy who works there - he actually knows about plumbing.

There's an over-simplified video making the rounds on You Tube that uses a crudely drawn cartoon and childish graphics to attempt to make the following point:

"Insurance companies are evil because they only care about profits."

I know - but bare with me. If you have a few minutes to waste you can watch it here: 

Never mind that the video was made by younginvincibles.org, which, on their website state they're "fiscally sponsored (read: paid for) by The Center for Community Change. Automatically, your conservative mind might see the words "Community" and "Change" in the title and go to that special place. Well, you're right. You can read about them here:  http://bit.ly/cCYfV

But astroturf-y left-wing youth groups aside, I know it's much more fun to blame the "evil, big corporate" insurance companies for lining their pockets with profits while the sick and needy lie in the street- but once in a while it's also fun to look at some facts: 

From a study done by Price Waterhouse Coopers:

1.) Health plan providers had an average profit margin of 3% - not a typo - 3% Compare that to, say, the Automobile industry that averages a 7% profit margin.

2.) When looking at margin vs. revenues, insurance companies have the lowest percentage (5%). Big Pharma - who are behind this "reform" has the highest, at 24.7%

3.) For every dollar spent by the user, $.03 goes for profit, $.10 goes for administration (including government regulation compliance), and the rest - $.87 goes to health care. (Compare that to Medicare that spends $.70 on administration and bureaucracy and $.30 on health care)

The study is here: http://bit.ly/72Cm6

It's true - things need to change. We need more competition. With more choice we will receive lower prices and better quality of service (think: cell phones and big screen TV's).

The government will not provide competition. Why? Because the government is, by nature, an unfair "competitor." The government can create laws to quash competition. The government can - like the post office - operate at a loss with artificially low prices, then expect the taxpayers to pick-up the difference. That's not competition - it's extortion.

How to we create more competition? I feel like a broken record:

1.) Reduce government regulation which will allow more competitors in the market.

2.) Provide tax incentives to those who wish to purchase their own policies - and encourage people to invest in Health Savings Accounts.

3.) Stop treating health care like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Let people use tax-free dollars to pay for minor medical costs, and have insurance kick in for high-dollar catastrophic coverage.

4.) Provide dis-incentive for trial attorneys to go after medical professionals for pure profit.

I could go on. The bottom line is this. 83% of Americans with insurance feel they're getting good service. Are there hiccups? Sure. More choice and competition among private insurers would ultimately provide even better service.

I hated Sprint, so I switched to Verizon. In contrast - this year I'm getting gouged on my city water bill. What are my other options there? There aren't any. And that's the point. Getting the government involved in the insurance business on any level is an awful idea. Blaming big-business is easy now, but I'll almost guarantee that the same people who are complaining about "huge profits" will be the first people to complain about huge lines and lack of service when Uncle Sam takes over. But, I suppose they can use that time waiting in line to make another wacky video. I can't wait.

Fellow conservatives, concerned citizens and Americans. It has become clear that we have not followed proper procedures while demonstrating our voice to our elected leaders. Therefore, I present this handy visual guide to assist you should you feel the urge to let your thoughts be known in public.

NOT ALLOWED:

Instead, please use this:

-----

IN BAD TASTE:

Acceptable Alternative:

-------

RACIST AND INHUMANE HATESPEECH:

First Amendment Protected and Acceptable Version:

Alternative non-racist version:

----

and finally...

UNACCEPTABLE POLITICAL SATIRE:

Acceptable Political Satire:

By following these guidelines we can insure that a respectable debate can continue. Thank you for your concern.

A response to an blog post that I suppose supports government-run healthcare. I imagine the original author enjoys waiting in line at the DMV. Read the original article here: http://e-ticket.livejournal.com/512768.html

This morning, the alarm clock that awoke you was originally invented by Simon Willard – a private citizen and inventor. The alarm clock is powered by electricity, which correctly stated is generated by a public power monopoly. So, if your local utility company charges too much for electricity, or provides poor service, there’s not much you can do about it.

Then you took your shower – the water provided by yet another public utility. Here in the city of Los Angeles, our public water utility just introduced water RATIONING – yes, the “R” word. We’re only allowed to water our lawn on Monday and Thursday, or face fines and possible imprisonment (though I’m not sure they’ve instituted the water police yet – maybe that’s coming soon.) Your water rationing level is set on your bill. If you use more than your allotted amount, your price for water multiplies times 5. That’s right, you get taxed for overuse. Gotta love the rationing.

Then you watched your FCC regulated channel on a television (invented by Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a private American inventor.) Originally, the FCC was created to control the limited spectrum of frequencies available for broadcast (broadcasting that is produced by private companies who lease the “right” to broadcast). Eventually, as with all government intervention – the FCC morphed into an intrusive, power-wielding agency that is now attempting to steer public discourse.

Your weather report is courtesy of the NOAA – a sub-agency of the enormous US Department of Commerce –which produces no commerce. The NOAA uses the most advanced weather data gathering equipment – made by private companies such as Automated Sciences, Dawn Engineering Laboratories and Fisher Scientific.

Then you get in your car, which the EPA decided has to be lighter, and therefore more dangerous – putting you at greater risk of being in  a fatal accident. You get on a government built road. If you’re here in California – the road most likely is filled with pot holes, because the state ran out of funds to maintain the roads long ago. But worry not, you’re paying dearly for these poorly maintained roads. Your gasoline taxes are the 2^nd highest in the nation.

You paid your gas (and taxes) using our nation’s currency – finally, we agree on something – the government IS supposed to maintain our currency. It’s right there in Article 1 of the constitution. What’s that? Why, it’s the document that LIMITS our government’s power so that we can remain a free society. I know, that pesky constitution gets in the way of a great statist debate, so we’ll leave that right there.

So, where are we –ahh, yes, you dropped your letter off at the post office. Really? How long did you wait in line? Assuming that you were lucky enough to use one of those drive-up mailboxes, did you stop to think that the federal government has a monopoly on first class mail delivery? Yup, it’s true. If you tried to establish a first-class mail delivery company to compete with the post office, you would be breaking federal law. That’s the nature of government “competition.” The government makes the rules to eliminate competition. Oh, and, by the way, the post office is facing a $6.5 billion dollar loss. But, not to worry – the federal government will pump more of our tax dollars right back into this failing business model, propping its monopoly up for another day.

So then you went home, to a home built by a private developer using technology developed by private companies. If you live in California, you spent approximately 20% more for your home (in adjusted dollars) because of California’s overly-strict Title 24 energy regulations. These are the same regulations that would be mandated across the country should the “Cap and Trade” bill survive in the Senate.

Hopefully, you were safe – thanks to a local police department, provided as one of government’s fundamental roles to protect its citizenry. However, should your burglar alarm (purchased and monitored by a private company) sound, who’s coming to the door first? The over-worked and under-staffed public police force, or your private security service, should you elect to hire one? My money’s on the private security service. (This isn’t a slam against the brave men and women who risk their lives to protect us every day. Rather, it’s another illustration that EVERY governmental agency is subject to the top-heavy burdens of large bureaucracy. Ask any police officer how much time they spend protecting you on the street compared to how much time they spend in the station filling out paperwork.)

Lastly, you logged on to the internet – which was actually the brainchild of a conglomeration of private citizens, academia, and civil defense (or Al Gore, depending on who you ask.) But what technology brought you to the internet today? For me, it’s my computer, made by HP – a private company, connected to my router made by Netgear, a private company, connected to my Motorola cable modem - private company, connected to my in-house wiring, created and installed by a private company, connected to the cable company, which is, yet again, a private company. Oh, I almost forgot – there’s a public agency involved in getting me on the internet. The cable company leases space on the power polls outside of my house. The power polls are managed by the LADWP, a public utility. The DWP was supposed to replace the poles 5 years ago – but they didn’t. Why? No money. I guess they’re rationing the new polls. In any event, the old polls are bent and they sway. So every time the wind blows we have intermittent outages.

But, that’s ok. Since I can’t switch to a different, competitive private power company, I’ll just sit back and wait for my government to take care of me. Because, yah – the government is pretty darn effectual!