When Elites Confront The Reality They Created For Others

Andrea Riccio was a shaker and mover behind "marketing" ObamaCare posing as a bit of a healthcare expert, at least from a political insider's perspective. This involved copious amounts of dis/misinformation, rampant in politics and a key ingredient of successful "marketing." One element persists to this day, unquestioned by those with a vocal opinion on the matter: the conflation of "healthcare" with  "health insurance." 

They are not the same. And now, Ms. [ed: can you say that?] Riccio realizes it due to a serious health issue with her husband. Reality struck:

"While I worked to stop efforts to 'repeal and replace' the law, I never thought I’d get a masterclass in  health coverage  or receive a letter from an insurer with limited explanation of why only half of a craniotomy was covered and half deemed cosmetic.'

It is even worse, as a Senator, who could vote up on down on the ACA, said to Vox News:

"I didn’t know that a good many health insurance plans had limits, I thought if you were insured, you were insured."

Perhaps the good Senator can be forgiven as he has Federal Government benefits so this holds true for him and he has never had to confront the issues the "little people" deal with on a daily basis. Makes it seem that he is preeminently unqualified to have anything to do with any legislation but suffer under it as everyone else does. 

Take a moment to pause and reflect. Ponder the depths of ignorance from which the ACA (and almost every other federal legislation) arises. Clearly these people swim in the Fourth Order of Ignorance, only making it to the Third Order with confronted with unavoidable circumstances forcing knowledge upon them.

Above The Noise

There have been some recent threads on social media regarding the existence of an enforceable noise ordinance in Dunwoody. The response has generally been "no," with a member of council suggesting this is difficult to enforce when the source of the noise is an automobile. Furthermore, excessive noise is left to the interpretation of the officer as in fact it is with the offended resident. A brief read of the noise ordinance indicates it is, as implied, poorly crafted.

How poorly?

Steam whistles? Really? With the example signaling quitting time like that happens in a city that is so moderne that it is undergoing "urban renewal." Where did they plagiarize this one from? It does call out "exhausts" but by neglect excludes motor vehicle exhaust specifically calling out steam engines, stationary ICEs and motorboats. Are steam engines (and whistles) that thick on the ground in Dunwoody? Who wrote this crap and when, exactly, will they be fired? With cause. 

If plagiarize you must, and that is what this city does, then why not steal from a good source? It is like this city is a cheater copying answers from the class dunce when they're sitting right beside the curve buster. And who might this curve buster be? That would be Athens Clarke County whose noise ordinance is far better. Notice how subjectivity for both the offended resident and the cop is all but eliminated. Can you measure a distance? Hope so. Can you hear the prohibited noise? Then, based on time of day and day of week this would be a violation. Cuts directly to the heart of the problem: is the noise so loud to the human ear that it constitutes a disturbance?

Another thing we might purloin: ACC has a Public Safety Civilian Oversight Board. 

Permitted?

Here are the requirements around permissible signage:

So in order for this to be "legal," it must have been permitted by the city:

Is it? Wanna bet?

Hit By A Truck

Wasn't Going To Be Enforced Anyway

Tassels? Really?

Tassel loafers are so 80's.

By "80's" we mean 80 years old.

Is Anyone Surprised?

With only one dissenting vote the city council, as expected, approved the plan to pave paradise. The discussion as was reported in the blue bag rag clearly indicated that council and presumably city bureaucrats still have no clear idea of exactly what a "plan" really is. At least not one they can articulate though this may be attributed to general inability to articulate much of anything.

Class Of 23

Never Gets Old

Never Will

A Good Sign

Or so says the City of Dunwoody. Even if it looks illegal and trashy to you, as you may have figured out when it comes to local rules, regs and ordinances, this city would have to work hard (harder than their demonstrated capability) to care less. 

And yes, this sign has remained in place for days, including business days, so assuming someone, anyone at city hall actually works business days, they have intentionally neglected their responsibilities. Honestly, someone should be fired since this is only one illegal sign desecrating the village. 

Fait Accompli

The latest edition of the Blue Bag Rag hands us this journalistic nugget:

"With the pending approval of a Trail Master Plan by PATH Foundation,"

Is the master plan written by the PATH Foundation, or is it to be approved by them, or is it both? You could read it either of these ways so let's see if there is any meaningful difference in meaning.

Start with "approved by PATH Foundation" because even if it is "just" written by them they kinda approve of the submitted plan, right? Since we know they approve it does it matter what mayor and council say? Probably not as it appears they have handed the whole matter of deciding what goes on in this city to a phalanx of bureaucrats, consultants and special interests. They have gone all Honey Badger on us. 

But let us hope. Perhaps mayor and council approval will be required, and if the above report is accurate, forthcoming. So does it even matter? After all they will approve whatever is put before them because that is the only option available. So it seems like either way your vote never counts because those you elect are completely powerless. Is this what "local control" looks like?

Speed Is NOT The Problem

Looks like someone did not play nice with one of Billy Boys toys. 

But speeding is clearly not the problem. How do we know? Because the solution is obvious: put cops on the street to enforce our speed limits. But the city manager and his top cop are NEVER going to do that and no one seems to know why. What everyone does know is that there is not nor will there ever be enforcement of our traffic laws. Not speed limits. Not no truck zones. Not...

Too busy checking in on the prostitutes and their hotel partners in Perimeter Center.