Category Archives: Government
QUICK, WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR CONGRESSMAN?
BRYCE ON GOVERNMENT
– And how about your other government officials?
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To use this segment in a Radio broadcast or Podcast, send TIM a request.
Let’s take a little quiz. See if you can name the following government officials (answer only those positions applicable to your area):
MUNICIPAL LEVEL
- Your Mayor
- Your City Manager
- Your Chief of Police
- Your City Clerk
COUNTY LEVEL
- Your Commissioners
- Your Superintendent of Schools
- Your Sheriff
- Your Tax Collector
- Your Property Appraiser
STATE LEVEL
- Your Governor
- Your Lieutenant Governor
- Your Attorney General
- Your State Senator
- Your House Representative
FEDERAL LEVEL
- Your President
- Your Vice President
- Your Secretary of State
- Your Chief of the Supreme Court
- Your Speaker of the House
- Your President of the Senate
- The Senators from your state
- Your House Representative
Okay, maybe you got a handful right, and maybe you cheated by looking them up on the Internet, but surprisingly many people do not know who their duly elected officials are, be it at the federal, state, county, or municipal level. Then again, maybe it’s not surprising as most people are rather apathetic about their officials thereby allowing them to have their way with the public. If you have a question or want to voice a criticism, it would make sense to at least know who your officials are. Whether you voted for the person or not, or of your party or not, your officials have a responsibility to represent you. After all, they were elected to work for you, not the other way around (which is why I listed the officials as “Your”).
Fortunately, there are some good Internet addresses available to you to track down your officials:
U.S. House of Representatives – you must supply your zip code, assuming you know it.
U.S. Senators – again you have to know that pesky zip code.
My favorite site though is “Contacting the Congress” which is a comprehensive listing of all of your representatives in one place.
You might also want to have your children take the same quiz and test their knowledge about their government officials. Better yet, check your basic knowledge of the world around you is the Pew Research Center – The News IQ Quiz.
Check it out. If you didn’t score well, perhaps it’s time for you to either brush up on your general knowledge of “Your” Government or burn your voter registration card.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2013 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: ALL I ASK ABOUT RUNNING A MEETING – The fundamentals are not as complicated as you might think.
Listen to Tim on WJTN-AM (News Talk 1240) “The Town Square” with host John Siggins (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 12:30-3:00pm ET), and KGAB-AM 650 “The Morning Zone” with host Dave Chaffin (weekdays. 6:00-10:00am MST). Or tune-in to Tim’s channel on YouTube.
Also look for Tim’s postings in the Palm Harbor Patch, The Gentlemen’s Association, and throughout the Internet.
POST OFFICE INEFFICIENCIES
BRYCE ON POLITICS & MANAGEMENT
- How far behind is the USPS operating behind its competitors?
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To use this segment in a Radio broadcast or Podcast, send TIM a request.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently announced it is going to suspend Saturday deliveries of mail. Actually, we shouldn’t be too surprised as paper based mail has been diminishing over the years, thanks to e-mail, electronic banking, and rising postal costs. I know many businesses who avoid the USPS as much as possible and prefer the service of other carriers instead. All of this adds up to a decline in revenues and an increase in expenses for the USPS who is now scrambling to reorganize themselves in order to survive.
One of the key lessons I preach when working with young people is, “Everything begins with a sale.” Business functions such as administration, engineering, research and development, and customer service are nice, but all employees should be cognizant of the fact that everything begins with a sale. Consequently, employees should be mindful that everything should be geared towards producing income and minimizing costs. In the case of the USPS, either the product isn’t priced properly, or they’re running an unproductive operation.
One clear indicator is the amount of profit associated with each employee. To illustrate, let’s consider a commercial enterprise, such as the Ford Motor Company, who in 2012 had 164,000 employees. The company had $136.26B in revenues and $128.632B in expenses, leaving an operating profit of $7.628B. If we divide the profit by the total number of employees we find each employee is responsible for incurring $46,512 of the profit. Think of this as a performance measure. It is an important figure which every employee should be cognizant of, yet few companies publicize.
Let’s next compare the USPS and its shipping rivals in the same light:
| EMPLOYEES | REVENUES | EXPENSES | PROFIT | PROFIT/EMPLOYEE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | 546,000 (2012) | $ 65.223 billion (2012) | $80.964 billion (2012) | $-15.741B | $-28,830/employee |
| DHL | 423,348 (2011) | $ 71.169 billion (2011) | $70.693 billion (2011) | $ .476B | $ 1,124/employee |
| UPS | 398,000 (2012) | $ 54.127 billion (2012) | $52.784 billion (2012) | $ 1.343B | $ 3,374/employee |
| FedEx | 300,000 (2012) | $ 42.7 billion (2012) | $39.494 billion (2012) | $ 3.206B | $ 10,686/employee |
NOTE: Latest available data, courtesy of the corporate web sites and Wikipedia.
Thanks to a considerable operating loss in 2012, USPS employees are operating in the hole. Also notice in the comparison, even though the USPS has the most employees, it has the worst profit performance. Not all of its shipping competitors topped the revenues of the USPS, but all were considerably less in terms of expenses. This may be indicative of the difference between running a commercial enterprise and one operated by the government.
There are actually many variables affecting a company’s performance, such as economic issues, changing government regulations, and business decisions, but making each employee mindful of their individual contribution raises their consciousness as to what should be best for the company overall.
Suspension of Saturday deliveries may be a good idea to reduce costs, but I suspect it is another example of a bloated government bureaucracy running amok and needs more serious cuts as opposed to minimizing service. I am reminded of the Bryce’s Law, “Do not try to apply a band-aid when a tourniquet is required to stop the bleeding.”
Perhaps it’s time for a little Enterprise Engineering to flatten this government behemoth. Otherwise, the taxpayers will be asked to once again bail out this model of inefficiency. If it was a commercial enterprise, it would have likely perished by now and its shipping competitors would have taken over (and we wouldn’t be discussing the suspension of Saturday service).
If the government is having this much trouble running a monopoly like the post office, imagine what they’ll do with Obamacare.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2013 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: MY “CROWNING” ACHIEVEMENT – Why my visit to the dentist was like digging the English Chunnel.
Listen to Tim on WJTN-AM (News Talk 1240) “The Town Square” with host John Siggins (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 12:30-3:00pm ET), and KGAB-AM 650 “The Morning Zone” with host Dave Chaffin (weekdays. 6:00-10:00am MST). Or tune-in to Tim’s channel on YouTube.
Also look for Tim’s postings in the Palm Harbor Patch, The Gentlemen’s Association, and throughout the Internet.
BUREAUCRATS
BRYCE ON GOVERNMENT
- Impediments to progress or necessary evils?
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To use this segment in a Radio broadcast or Podcast, send TIM a request.
Some time ago we built our office building down here in Florida. We also built one up in Ohio and this gave us an opportunity to watch bureaucrats up close and personal, but I cannot really say there are substantial differences between the north and the south in this regards. In both instances we had to deal with government regulators who issued permits, inspectors and others who supervised construction. I think it’s good that we have such checks and balances, but I’m disturbed by the inordinate amount of red tape they create. I also find such bureaucrats to be a temperamental lot who changes their minds at the drop of a hat. One minute our water and sewer lines were fine, the next minute they weren’t. Most of the time you get the feeling that the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing. Frankly, I believe bureaucrats add at least 33% to the cost and time for such projects, but perhaps I’m being too conservative in my estimate.
Obviously bureaucrats are not limited to the construction field. We find them in post offices, drivers license bureaus, and just about anywhere we have to interact with the government. I’m certainly not suggesting all civil servants are bureaucrats, but it sure seems like they’ve got the lion’s share of them. These are people who like to create little fiefdoms and thrive on power plays over the people they are supposed to be serving.
You’ve got to wonder about the effect such people have on productivity. For example, I’ve been reading about companies who are privatizing the prison system. Instead of the government constructing and operating the prisons, private companies have gotten into the business and are building and operating first class facilities at a fraction of the cost than governments do. Some people are alarmed by this. Frankly, I think its a no-brainer and smart business.
I guess the point is, bureaucrats impede progress and productivity. They may like to create their little fiefdoms and drive us all crazy on detail, but I see them more as a barrier than anything else. These are the types of people who see the glass as half empty; they can dream up more reasons why something can’t be done as opposed to accomplishing anything. I guess they have forgotten the meaning of the expression “civil servant” which is supposed to serve the public as opposed to the other way around.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2013 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: FIXING TOILETS – Not a fun job to do, but something most of us have to face sooner or later.
Listen to Tim on WJTN-AM (News Talk 1240) “The Town Square” with host John Siggins (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, (12:30-3:00pm).
Also look for Tim’s postings in the Palm Harbor Patch, The Gentlemen’s Association, and throughout the Internet.
TODAY’S SLAVE MENTALITY
BRYCE ON SOCIETY
- An interesting theory of how people behave in this country.
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Slavery in the United States was abolished with Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation which took effect in 1863, but I’m not sure it has completely gone away. Slavery flourished in North America throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries where it was an important part of the country’s economic system. Under the legendary Sugar-Rum-Slave triad; sugar was shipped from the Caribbean to Europe where it was distilled into rum, profits from this was then used to ship merchandise to West Africa where it was traded for slaves, which were sent to the Caribbean where they were sold as field hands for the sugar plantations, others were used as indoor servants.
The tortuous life of the slaves involved such things as picking cotton, heavy labor, and just about every menial task imaginable. Some would try to escape, others would resist slavery and rebel, such as the famous Nat Turner rebellion in 1831. Runaways would be recaptured and returned to their master where they were brutally punished, primarily using the whip. Rebels were executed quickly and publicly. Aside from this, most of the slaves were resigned to their fate and adhered to the rules and regulations of their master thereby becoming dependent on him for food, clothing, and shelter. Consequently, they learned to live modestly, avoid responsibility, and be happy allowing someone else to take care of them. So much so, they would defend the master in perilous times knowing their livelihood depended on him.
Slave codes were introduced to prohibit slaves from learning to read and write, carry firearms, attend religious gatherings, and many other activities, all aimed at controlling their behavior. This was all done to dissuade slaves from running away or rebelling, and frankly, proved to be very effective for this purpose.
When the slaves were freed, some thrived under their new found freedom, but many others were lost and became wards of the state. They may have been freed from their masters, but were lost without someone telling them what to do.
The slave mentality is still very much among us. A class of people have emerged in this country who put forth minimal effort knowing the master will take care of them (the government). As more and more people become addicted to entitlements, they become more apathetic and less likely to work. As an example, let’s consider the American Indian where we have been spending in excess of $2.6 billion annually (1) over the last few years for such things as health care, education, public safety, housing, and rural development. Despite this huge cash infusion over an extended period of time, only 25% are employed, and they suffer from the highest poverty rate and lowest life expectancy in the country. The point is, when you become a ward of the state and such amenities are guaranteed to you, there is a natural inclination for apathy to run rampant.
Those imbued with the slave mentality do not simply want something for nothing, they expect it. Whereas they are content to perform simple labor, they expect their master, the federal government, to provide for their housing, welfare, health care, and other amenities. This explains why entitlements have grown at an alarming rate in recent years and why such people have no problem with a massive government. They are mindful of the rules and regulations of the master, but have no true understanding of the concept of freedom which is nothing more than a catch-phrase of the government.
In contrast, those opposed to big government and actively work to sustain themselves relish freedom and truly understand the price of it in blood and sweat. They realize freedom encourages personal initiative to invent, innovate, discover, write, and create. They may either be successful or a failure, but they relish the opportunity to at least try. They are allowed to believe what they want, say what they want, go where they want, but most importantly they are allowed to be an entrepreneur with all of the risks and responsibilities involved. The slave mentality class doesn’t grasp this and shirks risk and responsibility, preferring the safety of the master instead.
The slave codes of today are implemented by the media who cleverly manipulates the people’s sense of right and wrong, thereby defining how they should think and act. As George Orwell correctly observed, “The people will believe what the media tells them they believe.” Political correctness is an obvious example of how the media influences the perceptions of people. In reality, the media is controlled by the government who orchestrates the messages to the masses. From this, the slaves steadfastly protect their master by savagely attacking his detractors, either physically or verbally. Such slaves are simple people who can be easily manipulated by the media.
For the slave mentality to flourish, government needs to grow and become more invasive in the lives of the people. Entitlements are the hallmark of the slaves, something they believe they deserve as opposed to earn; something the master will provide. To grasp the size of the people possessing the slave mentality, consider how the country’s Welfare has escalated since 1960:
So what exactly is the slave mentality? A person who is willing to become subservient to the government in exchange for basic creature comforts as opposed to earning it themselves. The slave unknowingly remains a prisoner and is not truly free. In reality, he/she does not understand freedom, nor do they want it for freedom requires hard work, risk, and responsibility, elements which they have been conditioned to avoid. Knowing this, the government master controls the people through simple bribery and uses the media to manipulate the perceptions of the masses.
The initial reaction to this theory is to dismiss it out of hand, that wards of the state can hardly be considered slaves. However, if they think like slaves, behave like slaves, then in all likelihood they are slaves. It is important to recognize this mentality is certainly not unique to the United States; it has also become prevalent in the United Kingdom as well as other European countries. One thing we cannot overlook is that if the master’s source of money evaporates, he will be unable to take care of his slaves, and then they will have to settle for less. They may resist austerity measures initially, but they will inevitably have to fall in line. Just remember, if the slaves get out of line, the master still has the whip which he is unafraid of using.
Keep the Faith!
1 – U.S. Department of the Interior Budget Justifications and Performance Information, FY 2013
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: SO WHAT DID I LEARN IN 2012? – Tim’s year-end wrap-up.
Listen to Tim on WJTN-AM (News Talk 1240) “The Town Square” with host John Siggins (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, (12:30-3:00pm).
Also look for Tim’s postings in the Palm Harbor Patch, The Gentlemen’s Association, and throughout the Internet.
DO PINELLAS VOTERS FEEL ANY SAFER?
BRYCE ON GOVERNMENT
- With a tremendous backlog of outstanding warrants, taxpayers should be wondering.
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To use this segment in a Radio broadcast or Podcast, send TIM a request.
The mantra for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) is “Leading The Way For A Safer Pinellas,” but in lieu of some recent facts, you have to wonder.
There seems to be some confusion as to the number of outstanding arrest warrants in Pinellas County. Evidently, it is a subject the PCSO and the “Times” does not care to address. In researching warrants, I received a tip the County not only has a tremendous backlog, but very few are actually processed. For example, consider the number of warrants processed by the PCSO last month:
| WARRANTS | As of
7/5/2012 |
As of
8/8/2012 |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felony | 14,823 | 14,807 | -16 |
| Traffic Felony | 49 | 49 | 0 |
| Misdemeanors | 32,256 | 32,206 | -50 |
| Misdemeanor Traffic | 4,753 | 4,740 | -13 |
| Juvenile | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| Local Ordinance | 4,647 | 4,669 | +22 |
| TOTAL | 56,540 | 56,483 | -57 |
Actually, I would like to have someone from the PCSO verify these numbers, for if this is true, it should be of grave concern to the taxpayers. It is my understanding that not long ago there was a “No Warrants Squad” consisting of fourteen people charged with making such arrests, but was disbanded for some reason or other. Now, criminals are picked up only if law enforcement personnel happen to stop them by chance, such as for a traffic violation. No wonder the number of arrests last month are so low. Something doesn’t add up.
WHERE IS DUSTIN SHAWN ZIRBES?
According to PCSO records, on July 3rd, Largo Police arrested Dustin Shawn Zirbes of Clearwater on one count of Grand Theft and three counts of Forged Bills, Checks, Drafts, Notes. He was processed throuugh the PCSO jail and was released on August 6th on his own recognizance (aka “ROR”), unsupervised. According to the Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court, Zirbes has a rather lengthy rap sheet with thirteen felonies including domestic battery, robbery, sale of cocaine, grand theft, forgeries, not to mention serving time in Santa Rosa.
One can only wonder why such a person was released ROR unsupervised. Should he fail to appear at trial, a warrant will be issued for his arrest which will be added to the queue of warrants mentioned above. It is entirely conceivable he could walk away from all of this scot-free. Actually, Zirbes is not alone, there are many such cases in Pinellas County where people arrested on felonious charges and a lengthy rap sheet are being released on their own recognizance. This is indicative of a serious problem in the Pretrial System in this county, and something the “Times” conveniently overlooks.
When you take into consideration the large number of outstanding warrants in Pinellas County, the number of felons being released on their own recognizance, and that there are thirteen Internal Affairs investigations going on in the PCSO, the taxpayer should be wondering what is going on.
Everett Rice is challenging the current sheriff in the upcoming GOP primary. His critics claim police work has changed too much for Rice to assimilate. It’s true technology changes at a rapid pace, but the principles of effective management does not. Micromanaging a department as large as the PCSO does not work. As Ronald Reagan said, “Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere.” The problems being experienced in PCSO is of a management nature, not a technical one, something Rice is well versed in.
Vote in the Primary on Tuesday, August 14th. It’s time for a change.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see: timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
Also look for Tim’s postings in the Palm Harbor Patch and throughout the Internet.
INDEPENDENCE DAY
- When was the last time you read the Declaration?
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We’re celebrating Independence Day again and to commemorate the event, I went back and reread the Declaration of Independence.
I first read it when I was in elementary school in Connecticut, along with the U.S. Constitution. However, due to the convoluted political times we now live in, I thought it might be wise to revisit this important American landmark.
A lot of the verbiage in the Declaration always seemed rather prosaic to me: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” In other words, I was always impressed with the choice of words, sentence structure and the overall organization of the document. Simply beautiful.
Even though war had broken out one year earlier, the Declaration is still a bold document in that it was an attempt to publicly rationalize the necessity of independence not only to the people of our fledgling country but the world as well. To draft the document, Congress appointed a “Committee of Five,” consisting of the best minds of the day including John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. Jefferson, of course, is best remembered as the principal author.
To justify independence, the authors built a strong case against the King of England and enumerated the various offenses he allegedly committed against the colonies and why such acts were intolerable. The document is truly “revolutionary” as it totally dismissed the current form of government as provided by the English; that something better was needed than an aristocracy based on a monarchy. The specific charges brought against the King also paints a grim picture and gives an interesting historical perspective of life during this period of time. If you read it carefully, you will doubtless conclude that England left us no other alternative but to revolt against the current system.
After you have read and digested its contents, you come to the realization that the signers of the Declaration were men of true resolve and determination for if independence failed, they most certainly would have lost everything, including their lives. This aspect alone is inspirational to me; to be among such men of character would be priceless.
Interesting, one of the charges brought against the King read:
“He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle over this one as I’m sure someone could use it to describe our own government today.
Happy Birthday America; 236 years young!
(Originally Published: July 2, 2010)
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: LOSING IT – And the private hell you go through “finding it.”
THE PRETRIAL SYSTEM: A TALE OF TWO COUNTIES
- How two neighboring Tampa Bay counties offer distinctly different approaches for processing accused criminals.
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To use this segment in a Radio broadcast or Podcast, send TIM a request.
Whenever there is a controversial government program that could possibly be construed as politically charged, there is a tendency by the powers that be to either camouflage it from view or portray it as an innocuous issue, something having no direct impact on the public. Such is the case with the pretrial system as implemented by law enforcement departments throughout the country. The intent of the system is to reduce the jail population, thereby saving the taxpayer money without creating an adverse effect on the crime rate. The only problem is, it hasn’t quite worked out that way.
In the past, whenever a person was arrested, the accused is either incarcerated in jail or, depending on the situation, released under his own recognizance (aka “ROR”, free) or allowed to post bail. There are essentially two aspects for a judge to consider when setting bail: a person’s flight risk, and whether he/she presents a threat to the community. Bail bondsmen can be contracted by the accused to post bail, monitor their whereabouts, and assure they return to court. Such an arrangement costs the taxpayer virtually nothing. However, under the new pretrial system, government workers evaluate the accused and make arrangements to have them released ROR, thereby saving money by minimizing the jail population. Under this scenario, taxpayers pay for workers who, unlike the bail bondsmen, do not keep tabs on the accused, nor assures they return for their court appearance. Not surprising, under the pretrial system, there is a rise of cases where the accused fails to return to court. As a result, the backlog of warrants is growing at an alarming rate. Not surprising, bail bondsmen have a better success rate in terms of returning the accused to court on time and keeping them out of trouble.
The real test of the pretrial system can probably best be measured by comparing two neighboring counties in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area of Florida, Pinellas and Pasco. Whereas Pinellas has embraced a form of the pretrial system, Pasco created somewhat of a controversy in 2009 when they spurned conventional wisdom and abandoned their program altogether. Pasco may be geographically larger than Pinellas, but Pinellas is more than double its size in terms of population. Not surprising, Pinellas has a budget approximately 2.5 times that of Pasco’s, and twice as many arrests. While Pinellas’ population has plateaued shy of one million people, Pasco’s has increased sharply and is now in excess of 425,000 people.
Pasco supported the pretrial system for over fourteen years before budget cuts forced them to re-examine the program and conclude they could no longer afford it. This allowed them to preserve jobs by re-assigning deputies from the pretrial system to the streets. Without such a program in place, this should have theoretically caused the jail population to grow dramatically. In fact, it didn’t, and it remains flat much to the surprise of pretrial proponents. To illustrate:
Average Daily Pasco County Jail Population(1)
2010 – 1362 inmates
2011 – 1359 inmates
2012 – 1365 inmates
In Florida, 35 county Sheriff offices (out of 67) have accredited pretrial systems. Unfortunately, this does not include Pinellas County. Interestingly, the Police Departments in Clearwater, Largo, and St. Petersburg, all of which reside within Pinellas, are accredited(2). This means the Pinellas program does not follow standard procedures as found elsewhere in the state (and county). With an active pretrial system in place though, the jail population should be in decline. In fact, it isn’t, and is actually growing instead. To illustrate:
Average Daily Pinellas County Jail Population(3+4)
2010 – 3187 inmates
2011 – 3169 inmates
2012 – 3502 inmates
The pretrial system should also not contribute to the crime rate, and although it is difficult to find data pertaining to ROR cases specifically, arrests in Pinellas County dropped from 50.9K to 45.8K (-10.1%) over the last two years. Not to be outdone, Pasco County’s arrests have also declined from 14.8K to 13.5K (-8.8%) over the last couple of years, not bad for a county where the population is growing sharply(5). Further, there are approximately 20,000 outstanding warrants in Pasco County(1), at least three times less than Pinellas (60K-70K).
Although reducing the county jail population may save the taxpayer money, it still costs money to run such programs. A pretrial system for a large county such at Pinellas can cost upwards of two million dollars or more(6). In contrast, since Pasco County cancelled their pretrial system, with no apparent adverse effects, they have saved budget money which has been applied to other endeavors. In terms of Pinellas County though, the taxpayer should question the amount of money being spent on their unaccredited pretrial program. Is the pretrial money in the budget being properly allocated? Again, it costs the taxpayers virtually nothing to use bail bondsmen who assume all of the risk and assure the accused appears in court on time.
Between the Pasco and Pinellas examples, the evidence would suggest the pretrial system doesn’t work. When Pasco dropped their pretrial system, people worried their jail population would mushroom and the crime rate would escalate. The reality is that neither materialized, and they saved money to boot. Pinellas cannot claim the same as they followed a different path.
Critics argue pretrial represents another instance of government invasiveness, creating another layer of bureaucratic red tape at the expense of bail bondsmen who normally perform this function. In addition, the effectiveness of such programs is questionable when you consider those released on their own recognizance are failing to appear to court, and are are getting into additional trouble while awaiting trial.
The reality though is that it is not a matter of choosing one approach over another, pretrial versus bail bondsmen. There is actually room for both if the county is so inclined and can define the parameters properly. Counties could possibly use volunteers to perform pretrial functions, thereby saving additional costs to the taxpayer. If pretrial programs are to continue, they should certainly be accredited in order to bring uniformity to the process thereby opening the door for effective statistical analysis.
The pretrial system is one of those gray areas the public is generally unfamiliar with, which is probably how proponents like it. Ignorance is bliss. But if the public really understood the problem, they would question the motives of the people supporting it, and ask why they cannot implement a program similar to Pasco County’s. Those who ridicule the Pasco decision to abandon the pretrial system either do not understand the facts or are trying a political sleight of hand to divert attention away from their success. Whatever reason, the general public and media would be wise to become conversant in pretrial release.
Keep the Faith!
1-Pasco County Sheriff’s office
5-FDLE – Florida County Profiles
6-There are no budget figures available to substantiate the exact cost of Pinellas’ pretrial system.
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
timbryce.com
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: THINNING THE HERD – Are accidents truly accidental or a matter of “natural selection”?
TEN THINGS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES WELL
- I had trouble thinking of just one.
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Quick, name ten things the federal government does well. Let me be clear, not the state or local governments, only our federal government. And I’m not concerned if it is right or wrong, but how proficiently they are able to perform a given task. Go ahead, try it. I’ll wait.
It’s not too easy, is it? I was recently asked this by an old friend from up north and I have to admit it stopped me in my tracks. I had to do some real soul searching to dream up a list, and frankly, it took me some time to do. Nonetheless, here is what I came up with (in no particular order):
1. Pay entitlements – we do not seem to have a problem paying out unemployment, food stamps, or whatever. I suspect we’re probably too efficient in this regard.
2. Collect taxes – beyond income taxes, it’s amazing how the federal government picks our pocket, be it at the gas pump, tobacco, etc. Even business taxes are ultimately passed on to consumers through increased prices.
3. Enforce taxes – The IRS is certainly a force to be reckoned with. I’m told even the smallest IRS agent can rip a telephone book in two with his bare hands.
4. Operate our park system – I don’t think I have been in a federal park that wasn’t well maintained with courteous rangers.
5. Strong military – the smartest, best trained, and best equipped in the world.
6. Strong intelligence services – the NSA, FBI, CIA, et al. may not get it right all of the time, but thank God we’ve got them.
7. Print money – they may not know how to earn it or budget it, but they do a superlative job of printing it.
8. Pay foreign aid – I tend to believe we’re charitable to a fault, including those countries who undermine us.
9. Assemble statistics – just about every department knows how to crunch numbers to justify their existence.
10. Take care of themselves – the salaries and benefits for government workers is probably the best in the world.
The fact we cannot enumerate this list off the top of our heads is indicative of the problem we have with our government; that we perceive it as a bloated inefficient albatross hanging around our necks. In contrast, I’m sure we could quickly name ten things the government does poorly, such as policing themselves over spending, preparing and adhering to budgets, protecting our borders, delivering the mail, utilizing our natural resources, combating drugs, maintaining our infrastructure, performing medical research, etc. There is probably dozens of inefficiencies we could name with ease.
If we honestly believe the federal government is the poster child for inefficiency, no wonder taxpayers think they are being fleeced. It’s one thing to give money to support your government, quite another if it is a system desperately in need of repair. One last question for you; as a taxpayer, do you truly believe you’re getting your money’s worth out of the federal government? I thought so.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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timbryce.com
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Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: THE JOYS OF SHAVING – The burden of grooming one’s face repetitively.
TURNING EVERYONE INTO DATA ENTRY CLERKS
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Last year you may recall me discussing the current effort by the government to create electronic medical records by physicians, hospitals, and other health care providers (see “My Dinner with the Doctor”). In a nutshell, the government is blackmailing doctors into automating all of their medical records. As a follow-up, I recently discussed this effort with my doctor friend to see how he was progressing, and a senior hospital administrator I also happen to know. Both claimed the effort was a nightmare and their time was being monopolized converting old records into an electronic format.
In theory, such an effort means a patient who travels away from home will be able to easily access his medical records which can greatly facility him/her receiving the proper treatment in the event of an emergency. Sounds good, right? Not so fast. I was horrified to discover the government never issued any standards by which data should be captured, stored, and shared in a secure manner. The only requirement was that the medical records were converted to electronic format, regardless of what that might be. As I was to learn, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of vendors selling computer software packages designed to manage patient records. Not surprising, each vendor took their own unique approach to designing their software which means there is an alarming number of incompatibilities between the different products. How one company stores patient data in a computer file is incompatible with another vendor. This means doctors and hospitals cannot share data as easily as was hoped. In other words, the government took a noble idea and botched it by failing to define any standards. Just because your primary physician has your medical records recorded one way, doesn’t mean another doctor can read it (unless, of course, the doctor happens to have the same medical records software). Despite the government’s initiative, doctors will still be dependent on faxes as opposed to a modern and secured data exchange. As an aside, my doctor friend received 18K faxes last year representing 50K pieces of paper (and that is just one doctor). The government’s new program does nothing to curtail this problem.
In order to meet government deadlines, doctors, nurses and other health care workers are swamped inputting data into their computers, a talent for which they are not necessarily suited. As a result, doctors are spending less time practicing medicine and more time as data entry clerks. Likewise, nurses are spending the lion’s share of their time inputting data and allowing their assistants to care for patients instead. As an old systems man, I asked the obvious question, “Although you are inputting a considerable amount of data, what are you getting OUT of the system in return? How is this helping you with patient care?”
Remarkably, the doctors didn’t see the system as a valuable tool, but more as a hindrance to serving their patients. This caused me to ask, “So who is going to use all of this data you are entering?” It was their guess it was intended for attorneys and government bureaucrats, certainly not for the patient or medical community. Only then did it occur to me the medical community was not alone in this regard. To illustrate, government regulations are becoming overbearing on educators who are having to spend more and more time inputting data and less time teaching. In other words, the medical and education professions are two prime examples of obnoxious government regulations having an adverse effect on the sheer nature of their work. There are likely many more examples, particularly in the law enforcement, military, and financial industries, institutions who are being greatly inhibited by obnoxious government red tape. It is one thing to insist on certain regulations, quite another to devise rational systems that enhances the volume and quality of work. My concern is we are turning our society into nothing but data entry clerks solely to feed the government’s insatiable hunger for superfluous data.
My doctor friend also happened to mention that in a few weeks his hospital will be going “paperless” with a new system that will also conform to the government electronic medical records initiative. So far, training for the new system has been abysmal, documentation is non-existent, and nobody trusts the new system. Yet, hospital officials are determined to switch to the new system all at once on a Sunday, not carefully implemented in planned stages. I asked my friend how he planned to participate in the system’s implementation. “Two things,” he said, “First, I plan on releasing all of my patients from the hospital on the day before the system is to go live.”
“And Second?” I asked.
“I plan to be on vacation that week. I don’t want to be anywhere near that hospital when it melts down.”
It kind of gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling of confidence, doesn’t it?
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
Like the article? TELL A FRIEND.
Copyright © 2012 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP OATH
If you have been following my columns, you know I consider citizenship to be an important responsibility which shouldn’t be taken for granted. I make an effort to stay abreast of current events and what is going on in our government. I have voted in every national election since I was eligible to do so in 1972. This is why I become rather disturbed when people do not vote, nor care about what is going on in their country, particularly young people who I consider a generation of naive sheep in the offing. It’s a sad state of affairs when immigrants know more about what is going on in this country than native born citizens.
In the 2008 presidential elections, only 56.8% of the American populace voted, which is a pitiful figure when you compare it to other democracies like Australia, India, and the Scandinavian countries. Surprisingly, this was the highest voting percentage in the United States since 1968 (60.8%). The highest in recent history was in 1960 (63.1%) for the Kennedy/Nixon election.
Since 1778, immigrants coming to this country have had to pass a test and take an oath swearing their allegiance to the United States. The current oath is as follows:
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Not surprisingly, immigrants coming through this program tend to appreciate this country and are more loyal than native born Americans. Another cause for this could be because there is less emphasis on teaching American government and history in the schools than in years past. In other words, the importance of being a citizen has not been impressed upon them.
So, as a proposal, how about administering a modified version of the immigration oath to all native born Americans on January 1st? Parents could give it to their children, thereby turning it into a family tradition; civic organizations and local governments could administer it in public group settings, or perhaps some other venue. Maybe even the media could get involved and administer it over the airwaves or Internet. It should be administered in some solemn way with a right hand raised and the left hand placed on either a copy of the U.S. Constitution or perhaps a holy book such as a Bible, Torah, or Koran.
All that is necessary is to simply modify the first sentence of the Immigration Oath; to wit:
AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP OATH
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Ideally, this should be followed by voter registration for those who haven’t done so.
This oath is certainly not the same as the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, this is instead a reaffirmation of our commitment to our country and would help promote citizenship and voting. Maybe this is something that should be given routinely as opposed to just one time; to remind people of their allegiance to this country. I cannot help but believe this simple gesture would have nothing but beneficial effects.
I can dream can’t I?
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim’s columns, see:
http://www.phmainstreet.com/timbryce.htm
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Copyright © 2011 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
