Non-Random Observations II

---"I think he is smart but willfully ignorant, and he uses his ignorance for strategic advantage, which is appalling. He substitutes belief for thought. It protects you from self-doubt."

This description is by Garry Trudeau, the Doonesbury legend, about the murderous moron in the White House. However, reread the quote and those of you unfortunate enough to know about him will see it applies just as perfectly to Pedro "Stupid" Rosselló.


---From Pay to the Order of Puerto Rico, a book written by Alexander Odishelidze and Arthur Laffer, some interesting quotes. The first describes the local tendency to keep inflating the uncontrolled cancerous bloat of Our government. (Emphasis Mine on all quotes.)

"As Dr. Lawrence A. Hunter of the Institute for Policy Innovation in Washington, D.C., describes this stance, 'It is an almost inevitable consequence of elected politicians’ not knowing how to revive economic growth and [finding] it difficult to resist using the public payroll as a means to provide voters financial support they cannot secure for themselves[.]' Big government and stagnant economy become a vicious cycle."


---This one is even more sobering:

"In fact, government of all kinds (federal, islandwide and municipal) consumes an astonishing three-fifths of the Gross Domestic Product of Puerto Rico, twice the percentage in the United States and considerably more than our poorest state."


---And one more, on making government more effective then more efficient:

"(In order to achieve) improvements in government efficiency, (Tomás) Hexner and (Glenn) Jenkins stress the need for performance-based budgeting. They cite the example of New Zealand, a locale with some similarities to Puerto Rico. New Zealand is a collection of islands, has a population of 3.95 million in 2003 (Puerto Rico’s is estimated at 3.89 million), has a colonial history that mixed a European power with a native population, and has made a recent transition from an agricultural society to a technology-services-tourism economy. New Zealand has established production targets for its government employees, and these targets are included in job descriptions and reviews and in budget requests. Diligently setting and striving to meet these targets guides agency’s decisions about necessary staffing levels. Combined with retirement incentives and limits on new hiring, Hexner and Jenkins state, these measures can reduce the size of government while improving its output."

Production targets for government employees?! How about We try something doable, like making targets of some government employees?


---Let's end this on a more philosophical note. I found this somewhere and forgot to bookmark the source. (Jeniuses are like that, but in My case, not too often.):

It is wise to aim for perfection
It is foolish to wait for perfection before you share

It is wise to make a detailed plan
It is foolish to never deviate from it if you discover a better way

It is wise to aim high for the stars and fall short
It is foolish to aim low and hit your target

It is wise to start a business by yourself
It is foolish to grow a business and not seek help


The Jenius Has Quoted.