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Will MARTA vote carry today?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett County voters weigh in today on whether they are willing to pay a 1-cent sales tax to extend MARTA rail into Gwinnett. The vote is not binding. It is advisory only.
When the matter was on the ballot in 1990, seven of 10 Gwinnett voters rejected a 1-cent sales tax to fund MARTA’s expansion into the county.
Supporters say higher gas prices, ever-lengthening commutes and concerns about the environment demand mass transit. Some opponents worry MARTA would not give the county full value for their tax contributions. Others say they believe such a system would be too limited to be of benefit to many commuters or that it might introduce more crime into the county. Read related story
What will happen at the polls today?
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Carlin enjoyed being critic of society
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
Sometimes in death a person gains renewed recognition. The death of comedian George Carlin, on June 22 at age 71, has evoked widespread commentary. It is widely recognized that he used wit to puncture holes in sacred beliefs and to point out societal hypocrisies. Most famously, he dared to use on stage the so-called seven offensive words (you can’t say on television). The words are commonly used throughout society but banned on our public airwaves. He didn’t advocate their usage; his point was that a free society cannot ban expressive terminology. Carlin was polarizing. Laughs were his main goal, but he wanted to offend. And, although he claimed disgust with the political process, he was profoundly political. His targets were not simply politicians and the powerful but also the general citizenry. He put the current political environment squarely in our laps: “Everybody complains about politicians. Everybody says they suck. Well, where do people think these politicians come from? They don’t fall out of the sky. They don’t pass through a membrane from another reality. They come from American parents and American families, American homes, American schools, American churches, American businesses and universities, and they are elected by American citizens. This is the best we can do, folks. This is what we have to offer. It’s what our system produces. If you have selfish, ignorant citizens, you’re going to get selfish, ignorant leaders.” In many ways, Carlin was a throwback to the early 20th century, when there was a great deal more debate about our social and economic systems. Carlin, like Eugene Debs, labor leader and socialist candidate for president, was disgusted by our growing inequality of wealth and the ramifications. Said Carlin: “… I’ll tell you what they [wealthy business interests] don’t want — they don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well-informed, well-educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That’s against their interest. …” He said wealthy corporations wanted “obedient” workers smart enough to do paperwork, but dumb enough to accept lousy jobs with long hours and low pay. Said Carlin: “And now they are coming for your Social Security money. They want your [expletive] retirement money; they want it back so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They’ll get it. They’ll get it all from you sooner or later because they own this [expletive] place. It’s a big club and you ain’t in it! You and I are not in the Big Club. …” It’s doubtful that a more politically populist statement could be found anywhere. Also, religion was constantly subjected to Carlin’s biting interpretation. The unsuspecting were often seen leaving his performances angry. What do you think of George Carlin? Did he violate a public trust to provide happy talk? Was his radicalism out of place? Or does the public benefit from the likes of George Carlin in their witty, withering commentary on our society? • Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife, Shirley, and four golden retrievers.
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Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
“Please, wait for assistance.”
Anyone using the self-checkout systems in large retail stores knows those words are coming. And though spoken in pleasant, well-modulated tones, they are irritating.
The user is subjected to a constant stream of directives from an all-knowing computer that carefully orchestrates every action and motion, yet most of us can’t get through a checkout without failure.
“Put the item in a bag.”
You do it, and the computer still complains. Of course, the computer, being an idiot savant, is completely flummoxed when your item is a case of soft drinks or a 40-pound bag of dog food.
Eventually an assistant sees that the user has come to a standstill and magically presses a few keys permitting the process to continue without any explanation whatsoever, leaving the user in a state of exasperation.
The ostensible premise of self-checkout is that the consumer is placed in control of the process of checking out - no bored clerks, no unnecessary delays, etc. But that appears to be a convenient fiction.
In the first place, the difficulties of designing and implementing customer-friendly self-checkout systems should not be minimized. These systems must be easy-to-use, accurate and comprehensive. All merchandise must be clearly marked, and there must be consistency between shelf pricing and the prices stored in the stations.
The initial demands placed on designers and the ongoing demands placed on retailers should make retailers very cautious in using these systems. Perhaps that is the case. At one time, it seemed like self-checkout stations in larger retail establishments would become commonplace, but that has not occurred.
It does appear that the prime motivation for retailers using these systems is labor savings, while customers must absorb the inadequacies and frustrations of these systems.
That is perhaps more obvious in home improvement stores where the merchandise is far more difficult to be accommodated by computer check-out. Portable scanning devices are absolutely necessary to scan large items; however, those devices are not made available to customers.
Also, the look-up capability for non-marked items, such as bolts, or items located outside the store, such as timbers or straw, is generally inadequate or difficult to use.
Yet, these stores are reluctant to open manned registers, insisting that their self-checkout stations are adequate.
Have retailers using self-checkout systems imposed a flawed or inadequate technology on consumers? Shouldn’t customers expect checking out to be a trouble-free, smooth, even pleasant, experience?
Why should customers be forced to learn the various idiosyncrasies that the systems of different retailers present and put up with the delays solvable only by an attendant.
Are retailers saving labor costs by imposing a nuisance on their customers?
What are your experiences with self-checkout systems? Do you find them convenient? Or, do you find them frustrating?
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Do colleges prepare graduates for evolving market?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
I recently read reports indicating that 89 percent of Gwinnett County Public School graduates will seek post-secondary education, although there was no breakdown of the types of institutions being contemplated.
It wasn’t very many years ago when graduating from college was almost a guarantee of a stable, rewarding job, at least financially. But is that still the case?
According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor concerning occupations with the largest projected (numerical) increases over the next eight years, very few will require a college degree.
Some do: registered nurses, post-secondary and elementary school teachers, computer specialists, accountants and perhaps executive secretaries.
But overwhelmingly, the occupations involve jobs as retail salespersons, customer service reps, fast food preparers and servers, waiters and waitresses, general office clerks, home care and home health aides, janitors and cleaners, nursing aides and orderlies, child care workers, landscaping workers, bookkeeping clerks, receptionists and information clerks.
The path toward manufacturing jobs in our country is increasingly being closed, due to increased outsourcing. But the same is true for many jobs requiring a college degree.
If work can be done primarily from a computer keyboard, it likely can be outsourced, as computer programmers, architects and radiologists have discovered. These dynamics - outsourcing and the scarcity of some jobs - are having an impact on wages, even for college graduates. Wages have been flat throughout the 2000s, despite growth of the economy.
Frequent advice given to college graduates is to find a job they “love to do.” Though well-intentioned, the advice is probably unrealistic and may add unneeded pressure. Few people really know what they would love to do and, even if they do, enjoyment is often dependent on the workplace culture in which they find themselves. Add to that the dynamics of the job marketplace, and it is easy to see why college graduates may experience difficulty in finding suitable employment.
There is always the argument that college is not intended for job training; its purpose being to produce well-rounded, knowledgeable individuals capable of being employed in any number of fields. However, most students attend college with job prospects foremost in their minds.
In many ways, colleges and universities are a business. Have they oversold their product? Should any accountability be placed on institutions for the world of work their graduates will face?
A college education requires a huge financial sacrifice. Do graduates and their families get what they pay for?
Maybe it is time to examine in detail the role of colleges and universities in today’s changing economic times.
What are your thoughts about attending college or other post-secondary institutions? How do you see the role of post-secondary education in the future job market?
Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife, Shirley, and four golden retrievers.
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Is anyone happy with the political process?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Handout
Jim Grattan
The current election cycle raises the question of who can be happy with the nature of political campaigns and the performance of government?
We have been witnessing presidential campaigns that have gone on ad nauseam, are mind-numbingly repetitious and superficial, consist mostly of barbs directed at opponents and are covered mostly as a horse race.
In looking at the federal government, very real problems, such as environmental degradation, dependence on foreign suppliers of energy, arbitrary denial of health care despite being insured, a mortgage fiasco, erosion of our manufacturing base and consequent loss of well-paying jobs and illegal immigration - to name only a few, are allowed to worsen to the detriment of most of us.
Of course, there are those who have prospered in this climate of ineffectualness, which only points to a system failure when some can so blatantly benefit from other’s misery.
Ironically, the incessant noise of campaigns provides the illusion of a vigorous process. But the superficiality of it all should be a warning. It is no wonder that elected leaders fail to address our real problems. When were they required to expound any plans or coherent philosophies?
A major factor in the ineffectiveness of government is the philosophy that has gained ascendancy in the last few decades, having been severely discredited in the Great Depression, that market forces alone will solve our problems. Under that thinking, everything is “free”: trade, markets, and enterprise. Apparently, the President and our Congressmen have adopted the position that they are “free” from the responsibility of ensuring that our economy works for the long term for all of us.
We have learned repeatedly in our history that capitalism requires regulation to not self-destruct. In other words, there is no invisible hand that aggregates all self-interests toward a sustainable end.
Just look at our current problems. We’ve known since the 1970s that dependence on foreign oil was potentially a huge problem. Any actions taken then were mere tokenism. Did big oil companies solve our problems? Obviously, no. We knew when NAFTA was signed that the exit of U.S. jobs and manufacturing would begin in earnest. We have known for years that we were in the midst of an unsustainable housing bubble fueled by risky loans, while investment firms adopted the pretense that these mortgages were sound investments. We could have, through incentives, mandates and effective regulation, been way ahead of the curve for these problems.
But now it is average Americans who are bearing the costs and the repercussions for our failure to act appropriately.
Long and loud political campaigns where such shibboleths as “change” are repeated endlessly are more than tiresome. Where is the credible evidence that any political candidate truly believes or understands that a bogus economic philosophy has gotten us to this point and is willing to make wholesale, actual changes?
Do you feel that political campaigns are effective and actually indicate future actions? Are you content with the idea that market forces alone will solve our problems?
Jim Grattan is a software engineer and avid bicyclist. He lives in the Grayson area with his wife, Shirley, and four golden retrievers.
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Self checkouts are good for buying things like condoms. Things you don’t necessarily want the cashier to see. At least, that’s why I like them.... read the full comment by Anonymous | Comment on Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance? Read Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance?
I have an original print you did of the Gators 2006 football championship. Are you still doing them. Wanted one for ‘08. Jim Williams... read the full comment by Jim Williams | Comment on Cal Warlick/On Gwinnett Read Cal Warlick/On Gwinnett
You have got to be joking me. The majority of the people blogging in this post are as uneducated as a mule. The speed of a self checkout might be the same as a normal checkout, but then again there are four self checkouts for one manned checkedout, so how... read the full comment by Chris | Comment on Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance? Read Is self-checkout a convenience or nuisance?
Cal Warlick, Personal to Cal - Remember you from AJC 1955 - 1966 when I worked there. Glad to see you are still at it. Doing a good job for sure and doing well otherwise, I hope. Best wishes, Dick Gore... read the full comment by Dick Gore | Comment on Cal Warlick/On Gwinnett Read Cal Warlick/On Gwinnett