Hey Vic, speaking of the Post Office...

I read an article a couple of weeks ago about how the Feds are going to stop mailing checks for SS, Welfare, etc. Instead they will send out debit cards or something.

Anyhow, the article pointed out that the hardest hit will be the P.O., since it won't be handeling millions of pieces of mail from the Feds.

I thought that was hilarious...

The article stated that the cards are mailed out, but I guess you get your monthly allotment through an ATM or something. So the cards are not mailed out monthly, which reduces the mailings by millions.

Dang, I should have copied that article.

"The guy at the UPS store goes nuts trying to deal with some of the stuff the post office does. We were talking the other day and he said he didn't understand why they didn't have a packing service, where people could bring something in and for a fee the post office would pack it in a box for them prior to shipping. The UPS store makes a lot of money from doing that. "

-----------------------------

Unions probably prevent them from doing anything 'extra'...wouldn't want the poor dears to strain themselves.

So when this change totally kicks in, it will be the Feds who cripple the Post Office.

Oh man, my Irony Needle just broke...

Posted by: CoolCzech at April 27, 2012 07:32 AM (niZvt)

Geez, the poor young lady can't lift her head up all the way.

Posted by: Daybrother at April 27, 2012 08:01 AM (g1fN1)

----------------

That sounds about right, but that isn't the purview of the courts to decide whether or not the test is needed.  The supremes ruled long ago that employers could do random drug testing as a condition for employment. Evidently the ACLU went judge shopping here and the State will now have to take it to higher courts.

Good morning, friends.

Pet peeve:  Playing chess against someone online who takes a long time to make an elementary move, in hopes that I'll quit.

Thank goodness for chess clocks, or else I'd sit here all day.

@73 " I can't believe Jones actually did something intelligent."  Posted by Blacksheep.  

That's what bothers me.  Claiborne hasn't done anything for them yet.  If he comes up with turf-toe that keeps him sidelined for 3 years after he signs a multi-million dollar contract, I wouldn't be surprised.  The curse of Jerry.

Posted by: Vic at April 27, 2012 06:53 AM (YdQQY)

Probing for weakness.

Posted by: Tami at April 27, 2012 08:17 AM (X6akg)

-----------------

Thanks Tami.  I've come to realize that the most important thing I will ever do in life is to teach and guide and grow these young ones.  Everything else pales in comparison.  When you're a mom, you're so busy doing daily life stuff that it's easy to forget you're molding minds and spirits, because what you're mostly trying to do is laundry, dishes, meals, work, etc.  The luxury of being a grandparent is that you can skip all that and get down to brass tacks.  I live for this.

Posted by: mama winger at April 27, 2012 08:25 AM (P6QsQ)

You're lucky you live close enough to do that and they're lucky to have you.

Posted by: GnuBreed at April 27, 2012 07:47 AM (cHZB7)

It's waaay past time for a flat tax. Do away with the current system FIRST and then a VAT. Oh, and a budget would be nice.

Posted by: CoolCzech at April 27, 2012 08:28 AM (niZvt)

----------------

The programs I am familiar with ALL employees were part of the testing requirements, including management all the way up to the CEO.

Posted by: Cicero Kid at April 27, 2012 08:32 AM (R5kqg)

----------------\\

Flat tax of 10% yes, VAT no.

Irsay treats the Colts fans worse than he does anybody.  To lose games on purpose just to get the number one pick because his all-everything QB is old and hurt and needs to be replaced is just disgusting.

I believe itÂ’s rare when a postal employee retires with just their pension.  With the rules as they stand now, itÂ’s much more profitable for them to get disability payments claiming back problems or “mood and anxiety disorders”.

1Q GDP only at 2.2% when mcuh better was expected due to the warm weather.

The VAWA legislation wasn't only about "protecting" women.  This bill also expanded protection to include undocumented immigrant, LGBT, and Native American victims of abuse.  Senate RINOs whined about it but failed to get the expanded provisions removed. 

Pussies.

Posted by: Hayabusa at April 27, 2012 08:33 AM (NSitI)

To paraphrase General Patton - Barry, you non-magnificent bastard, it's in your book!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Economic growth cooled in the first quarter as businesses cut back on investment and restocked shelves at a moderate pace, but stronger demand for automobiles softened the blow.

While that was below economists' expectations for a 2.5 percent pace, a surge in consumer spending took some of the sting from the report. However, growth was still stronger than analysts' predictions early in the quarter for an expansion below 1.5 percent.

Spin Reuters, spin. Polish that turd until it shines comrades

I've got a buddy who has all sorts of anxiety problems and aches and pains. He doesn't get stoned while working and pot helps him better than any of the meds he's prescribed<<<<

Uh-huh.

"btw: I know of employers now that totally black list the entire Internet to avoid this problem. Employees have to make written request to get a site on the 'white list'."

The company I work for has Intranet, but no access (that I'm aware of) to the Internet through their computers.

So that eliminates a LOT of problems...

On the subject of pot...

If smoking dope is so much better than Marinol, then why is it that when we have minor pain, we don't go scrape bark off a tree, boil it down, and drink the sludge that's left?  I mean, based on the medical pot argument, that has to be better than taking an aspirin.

Get a load this freakin nonsense

http://tinyurl.com/7oodsjj

**

Morn ya'll

Posted by: CoolCzech at April 27, 2012 09:12 AM (niZvt)

California...You can't smoke a cigarette on your balcony in some apt buildings, but you can smoke pot.

Oddly enough, pot is still illegal, right?

A picture of me treating my carpal tunnel syndrome like a BOSS:

http://tinyurl.com/7dwopfz

"I've got a buddy who has all sorts of anxiety problems and aches and pains"

**

**

Maybe if he didn't smoke pot he wouldn't be so anxious, weed can/does make you paranoid. As for aches, try Advil. If he has pain, then he sould see a doctor.

Oh, and that was different from the funny thing he said, without realizing it, at Treacher's.

Bullet, dodged, Palin.

Posted by: BlackOrchid at April 27, 2012 09:20 AM (SB0V2)

------------------

I quit in 2005 and every now and then I will get hit with a hard urge to light up a cig. I read a site one time that said quitting cigarettes was like quitting an alcohol addiction.  You had to treat it like being an alcoholic.  Everyday was a recovering smoker day.

Posted by: The Chicken at

At least you lived to ask a question.

A judge in Florida has blocked Gov. Scott's order that state workers get drug tested. The judge found that there was no evidence of a drug problem at state agencies and so no basis for the testing.

------

Good for the judge. Itys stupid shit like this, the total disregard for the constitution that gives conservatives a bad name. Not that the dumbocrats are any better, but why act as dumb as they do?

The manufacturing facility I work in had to do a 100% drug test for insurance purposes...we have an older, more stable workforce, so we didn't expect to snare anyone...in the end, we did get one hot test--the deputy plant manager.  In retrospect, he was spacing out and nearly ran us out of raw material, so with him out of the picture we've actually improved our performance.  I don't know what you could do in state government to improve it aside from nuking the state capitol, but I suspect that someone high up in the administration (NPI) didn't want to get his ass nailed and peddled influence on this judge.    

I hate drugs and I hate the human weakness that causes people to abuse drugs--I had zero sympathy for the assholes we kicked out of the military for this, and as taxpayers, we have every right to ensure the public workforce is operated by coherent, law-abiding individuals.    

Vic,

Did you notice in your link about the illegal hit and run that she posted a $50,000 cash bond! Where the hell did that come from?

Posted by: Vic at April 27, 2012 09:28 AM (YdQQY)

---

It sounds to me like it does. Haven't read the opinion, but it sounds like he's basing his decision on it.

A federal judge has ruled that Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) violated the Constitution last year when he ordered drug testing for state government workers.

U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro ruled on Wednesday that suspicionless drug testing testing for state workers violated the Constitution's Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable search and seizure.

The reason employers make it a condition of employment that they can drug-test employees at any time is so they can do it if they have a suspicion of drug use.  No employer is going to do random tests if they don't have to because they cost money.  Truckers, et al have to participate in random drug-testing programs because of safety issues; the rest of us have to actually act stupid before your average employer is going to do anything.

WRT the Egyptian necrophilia issue, does the body have to be wearing hijab before it can be screwed within 6 hours of death?  Or is naked still OK?

Posted by: Jimmah at April 27, 2012 09:30 AM (UpwlP)

----------------

Oh yes he "claimed" it was unconstitutional.  The problem is that he is in conflict with a previous Supreme Court ruling which local judges can NOT do.

SCOTUS ruled long ago that employers can do drug tests of employees as a condition of employment. What the constitution protects you against is "unreasonable search and seizure" by the government on private citizens. 

So police can not stop you and do random drug and alcohol checks (although many States are still doing that) but they can require their employees to get random drug and alcohol checks.

It's like, hey, lets have state workers be subject to the terms and conditions of a murder convict out on parole. Stop and search, house search, questioning neighbors, daily.... & whatever else they can come up with....

Hey, they're STATE workers, they have no right to privacy.

Posted by: Lord Monochromicorn at April 27, 2012 09:30 AM (ztIQE)

**

Driving and drinking are my triggers when it comes to smoking. Otherwise I can go a whole day w/o a smoke esp. if I'm busy at work or around the house. 

Benzodiazepines are for ACUTE anxiety, meaning you only take them when needed.  They're fast-acting relief for panic or anxiety that sneaks past the antidepressant goalie.

As for pain, it is either debilitating enough to effect your work or it isn't.  If he is able to "tough it out" for eight hours without medication, and without ANY degradation of his job performance, then perhaps his pain isn't that bad.

Or maybe he just likes to get drunk and stoned.

" I always thought that would be the hardest."

You are a very, very  rare exception. Every person I know who has tried to quit smoking almost always starts up again when they drink.

The two just seem to go hand in hand.

Oh yes he "claimed" it was unconstitutional. The problem is that he is in conflict with a previous Supreme Court ruling which local judges can NOT do.

SCOTUS ruled long ago that employers can do drug tests of employees as a condition of employment. What the constitution protects you against is "unreasonable search and seizure" by the government on private citizens.
So police can not stop you and do random drug and alcohol checks (although many States are still doing that) but they can require their employees to get random drug and alcohol checks.
--------

That is exactly what it is. "unreasonable search by the government on private citizens". Thats why private companies get away with it, because they aren't the state, like the state is.

Posted by: nevergiveup at April 27, 2012 08:29 AM (i6RpT)

----

Hey look, Barack checked in from the 11th tee

Posted by: Nevergiveup at April 27, 2012 09:38 AM (i6RpT)

What vacation destination is it taking the Obama family to?

Posted by: Tonestaple at April 27, 2012 09:34 AM (VS9kC)

**

can't answer the corpse attire question, but will say that the Egyptian necro rule adds credence to the theory that Islam extremists are nothing but a death cult.

I'm waiting for one of the bloggers to talk about the House Democrats introducing a Constitutional amendment to ban freedom of speech.

Link in my sig.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at April 27, 2012 09:38 AM (i6RpT)

The whole fucking space program has been pretty incoherent for quite a while, serving mainly as a jobs corps for some otherwise unemployable engineers.  That the JEF could come up with something as braindead as that moooooslim outreach garbage wouldn't have happened if it was doing something that everybody was on board with instead of sucking the Rooskis cocks by helping to maintain that orbiting vodka swillery those commie shitheads launched.

Hm.  Eric Erickson and Mitch McConnell in a war of words.

Link in sig.

Exit question:  Which one of them is punching down?

I remember the first time I went out drinking after I quit, and being surprised at how much I did not want a smoke. I was a heavy smoker as well, 2 packs a day for 20+ years. The very idea of smoking again makes me kinda ill.<<<

My brother and I were both heavy smokers and we both quit at roughly the same time.  Out drinking a year later, I tried a paper dick, and inhaling it, I thought someone ran a sword through my lungs, it hurt so bad.  Couldn't do it if I WANTED to.

Well, a few months later, my brother's getting divorced and took up smoking again.  I was surprised and told him about my trying to inhale and how much it hurt.

"Yeah, that happened to me, too. You just have to fight through that shit."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah!  You gotta WANT it, pussy!"

The Space Shuttle Enterprise is flying up here to
NYC on the back of a NASA 747. This is what passes for a space program
under obama
---------------

They're still flying that thing around? Now that I think about it, its a good metaphor for the democrat economic philosophy. An airplane with a huge anchor strapped to the top.

Posted by: Hrothgar at April 27, 2012 09:50 AM (i3+c5)

**

I don't know, wouldn't surprise me. Adult males are allowed to have sex with baby girls if they do it the "right" way. Don't know why these mofos are so uptight about homosexuality when they allow sex with every other creature, alive or dead.

Posted by: Schrödinger's cat at April 27, 2012 09:46 AM (phlKA)

--------------------

There probably isn't a plant in the country that has not had people sleeping on backshifts. But more than likely none of them were control room operators. Most often it is the equipment operators.

I caught one myself one night.  It was his second offense.  He was fired the next morning. It is not tolerated at all.

Posted by: Count de Monet at April 27, 2012 08:45 AM (4q5tP)

In other words this "law" protects everyone but white heterosexual men. I wonder if it covers white Hispanics or old ladies who are raped and beaten to death

As I [Gov. Walker] have repeatedly explained, I believe that drug testing state employees is a common sense means of ensuring a safe, efficient and productive workforce ...

------

"Common sense?" No, political scoring says to do it, not common sense. Common sense would say the government should get out of the business of "services and productivity", and give the money back.

Posted by: willow at April 27, 2012 09:35 AM (TomZ9)

FWIW, I've always wondered if this is just fall out from the fact that we don't have a good test for "currently high" for most drugs, the best we can do is "drugs in system within the last X hours" (or in the case of hair "X days/months.")

Consider that for Alcohol tests they just make you blow and see what your current EtOH level is, there's no equivalent for most other drugs.

(Blood tests for other commonly used drugs are far less accurate than EtOH tests from my understanding due to route of adminstration among other things.)

That is exactly what it is. "unreasonable search by the government on private citizens".

They aren't private citizens Jimmah, they are employee's of the entity giving the test.

----

Yes, but that entity is the state, and the state is subject to the constitution. Just because private companies get away with something, doesn't mean the state does.

BTW - when I worked for someone else I was all for drug testing. The more the better. It just moved people above me out of my way.

Posted by: Lord Monochromicorn at April 27, 2012 09:47 AM (ztIQE)

Interesting. Did you use anything to help you stop smoking?

The reason I ask, is when I was first in college and away from home I gained a lot of weight, for all the wrong reasons.

So I went on a strict diet, did away with carbs and sugar, using Sweet and Low instead.  It worked, and I lost the pounds.

Weird thing is, I  also  lost all craving or want for sugar. To this day I don't want sweets. Cake, candy, you name it. It's kind of like my brain was re-wired. So I'm just wondering if you had any kind of substitute for smokes.

Are you an M.D.?<<<

End user.  And based on that you seem to find nothing wrong with your friend combining alcohol, benzodiazepines and Percocets as a sleep aid, I think it's safe to say a more knowledgeable one.

Posted by: toby928© at April 27, 2012 10:12 AM (NG097)

You are wise.  That's probably one of curious ghey pron sites.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at April 27, 2012 10:01 AM (gPDxp)

Exactly.  Like CoolCzech stated it's served mainly as a platform for senile fuck John Glenn who should be rocketed directly into the Sun unless he pays off all the vendors that got shafted by that deadbeat's quixotic Presidential run that had all the chances of success that the other Ohio lunatic Kucinich's did.  First of all, they need a coherent direction and it's probably not manned travel unless it's to mine asteroids.  Second, they need to put the simpletons that came up with mooooslim outreach on the same Sun-bound rocket as Glenn, along with that fossilized dogshit in Mecca that the rock worshipers hold in such high regard.

In fact, Sky Blu says Romney drew first blood. Well, he said Romney grabbed him after angrily telling him to move his seat up.

"He grabs my shoulder .. and I just react BOOM get off me!" Blu told the video camera. "He put a condor grip on me. What am I supposed to do?"

"That's like a Vulcan grip," offered his bandmate Redfoo.

"Like a Vulcan grip," Blu concurred. "I'm not your prey. I'm not a salmon going upstream. You're not going to grip me up."

Posted by: Vic at April 27, 2012 06:51 AM (YdQQY)

Yes, and THIS is why I consider him the greatest President Evah!  And want to emulate him!... but I want to do one better... Lincoln only destroyed the South's economy and he is remember as the Shiznitz!  Think of how I will be remembered when I destroy the WHOLE countried economy.

Posted by: Mandy P., long-time lurker at April 27, 2012 10:25 AM (qFpRI)

That's just...Weird.

How can you get a disease from a drug?

Abusing prescription drugs in combination with alcohol is not "perfectly legal."

Posted by: phoenixgirl at April 27, 2012 10:22 AM (Ho2rs)

She just wants to shop till she drops ,or something.

Actually I could understand not having privacy to do as you want. alone. Still it's part of the job when wanting fame  and accolades. reminds me of  hollywood stars  punching the camera man  they wanted focused on them prior to becoming famous.

Posted by: Ian S. at April 27, 2012 10:33 AM (tqwMN)

If your ever out in the California Central Valley... may I suggest the Castle Aerospace Museum... near Merced CA.

Its on the old Castle SAC Base... and is a great place, that no one knows about.. all run by the Air Force retirees who homesteaded here when the base was open.

Posted by: Jimmah at April 27, 2012 10:38 AM (UpwlP)

We pretty much already have those out here in California.... Pot shops...

Posted by: Romeo13 at April 27, 2012 10:40 AM (lZBBB)

----

LOL, got popped on the drug test down at the dispensary.

Oh?

Yeah, I tested negative.

Posted by: Nevergiveup at April 27, 2012 10:32 AM (i6RpT)

**

Any White Hispanics whose last name sounds Jewish play for NY?

Behold, our friends on the tolerant left

link in sig

Posted by: Mandy P., long-time lurker at April 27, 2012 10:43 AM (qFpRI)

Well, if that's the case, then I'll keep on smoking.

Cancer vs. MS.

Hmmm...

 "I still think it was bullshit"

Jesus had to die. That is why he existed. Doesn't matter who killed him.

I've thought that if dru testing ever came to my company i'd refuse to give them a sample, but i'd be happy to sell them one for $50.

I'd even throw in a sperm sample for an extra $.07

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