* You are viewing the archive for March, 2009

The 90-10 Principle

I have a friend in Bangladesh who occasionally sends me e-mail messages that he finds inspirational, funny, or interesting. My general reaction to these is about the same as my response to my very conservative aunt in Ohio who routinely forwards an eclectic collection of right-wing diatribes (the President wasn’t really born in the U.S.), Christian epigrams, and somehow discordant risqué jokes. Nonetheless, I almost always read my South Asian friend’s messages; and this week I was rewarded with one I felt obligated to share.

If I’ve done my work correctly, the following link should allow readers to see a brief … Continue Reading

A Dog’s Tale

 The City Council deliberations on dogs scheduled for Monday’s work session reminded me of a column I wrote about a dog when I was working in Iraq.  The story is completely true. 

 

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Not a Business

Government is often justly accused of waste and inefficiency, usually after some particularly outrageous example of extravagance comes to light.  Hammers that cost the Department of Defense more than $300 seems to be the story ingrained in people’s memories.  When government waste is exposed, there is almost always a corresponding demand that government should be run like a business.

 

I believe it is a

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Regulating is Disagreeable Work

Nearly every day, I find myself involved in a regulatory issue.  This week, a citizen in North Albany is upset about signs that violate the Municipal Code, while last week another North Albany resident complained about the condition of his neighbor’s property.  Yesterday, I had a discussion with Chief Bradner about weed abatement and, shortly after, wrote to the Council about collecting assessments from property owners who haven’t paid for abatements done last summer.  On March 23, the Council will return to a

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