Starting Off On The Wrong Foot

Some folks start off on the wrong foot, and then just want to keep running with it. This specifically relates to HB1105 which states that if you are driving without a license, that is against the law, and as a lawbreaker the authorities are going to check your background and respond accordingly.

What is giving palpitations to some in the bleating heart community is that this will explicitly mean that if you've entered the country illegally, and you're breaking the law by driving without a license, then you'll be turned over to ICE. It is as if they think that because your first act in this country, setting foot in it illegally, is breaking the law then you should be able to disregard any laws you deem unworthy of your attention. Furthermore, when caught in violation of these laws, you should just be set free to re-offend. After all, there was no consequence for that original lawlessness so why should there ever be any consequences? 

You have to wonder if these folks think this excuses Ibarra.

GDOT Bad. PATH Good.

A recent AJC op-ed, a lament at the loss of yards and the trees on them, strikes a chord. Now this is in the faux city of Milton rather than the faux city of Dunwoody, but the similarity is the loss of property and tree cover due to outsiders. In Milton's case this is GDOT. Bad. Very Bad. Folks in Milton are protesting. Loudly. Hopefully to good effect.

In our case it is the Shining PATH Foundation. Somehow this is construed as good, without any explanation as to how Shining PATH has infiltrated and taken control of our government, previously touted as "local." There are some protests here as well, but these are summarily dismissed by city hall. Another striking similarity is the loss of property to wider beside-the-road impervious concrete, deemed "sidewalks" by GDOT, and "paths" by those shining us on. Milton wins because GDOT is only dictating 8 foot widths of concrete while our dictators demand 12. 

Maybe we can get some professional protesters to occupy city hall until "our voices are heard."

Never Send Certified Mail

Why you ask? Well, there is the distinct, non-zero probability it will never get there. Who knows why? Not the USPS. The other, perhaps more important reason is the cost. Certified mail with return receipt for a 9x12 envelope with three pages will cost almost $15. UPS ground is a little over $12.50 for the same envelope with over 30 pages. With both you will get a tracking number, and while you will not get a return receipt with UPS, you are far less likely to need it, and with USPS return receipt you have to have faith they can actually deliver. That is far from certain. There is also the issue of time. USPS delivery of regular mail between Decatur and Dunwoody can take two weeks. UPS gets it there in two days. 

So, if you think you need certified mail, reconsider. Stick with the pros. 

Sign Of Stupidity

There has been ongoing debate about putting some serious money into signs to let folks know they are in Dunwoody. Pretty much a waste of money, but city hall has gone all vain, or maybe they're just jealous that nearby faux-cities waste their money on signage. As it turns out we already have signs that clearly state "you are in Dunwoody." 

Only In Dunwoody

This sign faces west-bound traffic on Mount Vernon just before the intersection with Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. Is your favorite route to I-285 heading north on Chamblee-Dunwoody? It is if you're in this city. 

How do we know? Because this sign was recently run over, knocked down, and whoever put it back in its place failed to notice the stupidity of it all. Actually it is worse than that. Notice the "rain stains" on these signs indicating a change was recently made. 

See The Shiny Bolts?

Does this sign really serve any [legitimate] purpose? Wouldn't things be better without it? Is it the city's way of ensuring that trucks trying to avoid no truck zones are sent directly into them as they try to get to I-285? Does anyone in this city have any sense at all? Certainly not a sense of direction.

Just remember, if you see a sign this stupid, then you're in Dunwoody.

Guest Post: Postal...Going...Going...Gone

This is a tale of woe regarding the United States Postal Service, but not what you might expect. This is not about the new Palmetto facility that our grandstanding senators have been bleating about. This is far worse.

So look, I've been trying to close out an estate and as you may know, or soon will, filing a Final Report is a must-do. Cannot file the petition for Done&Dusted until the probate court gets that report. And likes it. Here's where it gets interesting. You can file lots of things online like death certificates, petitions and some forms. But they got no category for these reports, so whatcha gonna do, right? Now you could hand deliver but since the pandemic the probate court really likes keeping the public at bay so you need an appointment which is about two weeks out. And yes, I did call to see if they had a drop box, left a message and never got a call back. So then I decided to mail it. Good ole USPS. 

Now I didn't go to the post office 'cuz that is a special circle of hell. I went to one of those Mailboxes-R-Us, had them notarize the Report, print the mailing label for Certified Mail and paid for Return Receipt. This happened on April 2. Since I tracked it on Informed Delivery I'll show you what happened next.

It took three days, three whole days, for 30338 to scan it in. Keep in mind that April 2 was a Tuesday so they didn't scan it until Friday. What's up with that? Do they just let mail stack up and have a processing party on Fridays? But then, overnight, it makes a boomerang tour of North Georgia, going down to Palmetto and then back up to Decatur where it disappears. Ain't looking like Palmetto is the problem so maybe someone should share a clue with some clueless senators. And why were they whining about thirty something percent on-time delivery? Hell, what about the mail that ain't getting delivered at all. Like MINE.

So I wait a couple of days to see if it ever gets delivered and I check on the bank account to see if the enclosed check gets cashed and if so is it the proper amount. That's right, you gotta pay the probate court to do their job. It's kinda like cable TV, you know how you pay a monthly fee and then still have to watch commercials only here we pay taxes and then have to pay for ever little form we file. The very day after I put this in the mail, Carl the know-it-all tells me I should never send certified mail, especially to the court 'cuz everyone knows there is a check in there, and it will get stolen, and the check washed and cashed. So I'm waiting and watching until I figure it's time to chase this down. Then I call the Decatur post office and actually talk to a real person who says she'll look around for it and call me back. She does. She says it's not there and that someone from the courthouse comes and picks up their mail. Questions leap to mind. I asked if this means their mail doesn't get scanned as delivered? Says it should have been. Then I point out this is Certified Return Receipt and does this mean the person who picked it up didn't sign and post the receipt? Silence. Then she says she will look for it again and call me back. She doesn't. 

'Bout now I'm getting pissed. The angry kind. The wine kind comes later. I'm too old to run for the Senate and too young for the White House, but I gotta do something. After a few more days of watching, I put a payment hold on the check, for which my bank charges $23, just to make sure a lost check doesn't turn up putting money in someone else's account. But I still check in with Informed Delivery just in case the probate court finally gets the mail and gets a bum check. That is until the package disappears from Informed Delivery. So I go to USPS tracking, enter the number and click on "add to informed delivery" figuring somehow Informed Delivery had sudden amnesia. Nope. Got this:

That's right. I cannot use Informed Delivery to track a package that they have not even delivered yet. The last reported status was "Awaiting Delivery" and they have the nerve to say it's now expired and they ain't gonna say anything more about that package. It went postal and now it's just gone.