A couple of things...

Because it is an election year, there are the ubiquitous TV ads that both build up and tear down candidates. The tear-down ads are done with soft money from both sides of the political fence. We still do not know how to run a 'clean' campaign, or we just don't care. It is this type of mud-slinging that makes Americans think the political system is a choice of "the lesser of two evils".

But, my original though here is about financial contributors to candidates.

Where do you draw the line about contributions. In one ad I saw it says that this candidate accepted contributions from employees for a certain company (a power-providing company). So what? If this candidate agrees with, or supports the views of these people, then they should contribute. At what point is a candidate bought? If I say that I am pro-oil, I would expect to get money from oil companies. But which came first (the chicken or the egg)?

Like the poultry reference, this issue could be argued ad infinitum. The only way to really find a smoking gun in this situation is to look at the history of the candidate and see if said candidate changed their opinion on or about the time the contributions were made. Otherwise we are dealing with innuendo and conspiracy theories.

My second point for this post is the company coffee machine.

Why do some people take the last, full cup of coffee and leave a smidgen in the pot? They walk off thinking to themselves that there is coffee left, so they don't need to make another pot. They are too important and too busy to make coffee (or they are too ignorant to know how). This says much about the culture of the company that they are in.

After many years as a consultant in many different companies, I have found that the coffee machine is a reflection of the company's personality. If employees do not take the time to make coffee or clean up after themselves, they are usually selfish and ego-centric and it reflects in other aspects of their work.

On the other hand, I have worked at companies where there is cooperation and caring and an ethic to do the right thing. At these places, everyone makes coffee if they take the last of the pot. The general area is clean and maintained, and not by the janitor crew.

So, how is it at your place of work?

The Growth Curve

I recently read a post about babies and how they grow. It seems that smaller, leaner babies grow up faster in later years and end up healthier for it.

So, maybe the obesity in America is not from over-indulgent parents as it is from the AMA's mis-conception that fat babies are health babies. After WWII, and the years of rationing, our nation became a juggernaut of manufacturing and agriculture. Suddenly the technology that was developed during the war was applied to the fields of grain, and we had more food that we could consume or give away. We became the best fed nation in the world, and our children shared in that wealth.

When my children were growing up, it was good news to know that they were at the top of the growth curve. Yes, as an over-achiever, I was proud that my kids were better than 90% of the rest of the pack! Now, I am told that it may not be a good thing to be better than the rest, that the other children may end up bigger and/or better than my offspring.

In the end, it doesn't really matter. I have learned that making everything competitive only leads to more aggravation and a wasting of energy. That is real growth in my mind.

May 1 - afterglow

So, instead of watching the Soviets parade in the snow, showing off their quasi-strength, we had Mexican illegals parade across our country to demonstrate their impact on the US economy. Well, other than going to a different place for lunch (Tai), I did notice that there was a lot less traffic going to work.

It indicates that 40% of the gas used in San Diego is purchased by people making the least amount of money. So gasoline is probably the largest contributor to inflation at lower incomes. I also imagine that this group of people do more carpooling that the rest of the commuters, in order to minimize the impact of gasoline prices.

Of course, all this is speculation and innuendo on my part. I certainly do not have any numbers to back this up.

But now it is May 2nd. So on I trod.