Last Day with the VA

Wow.......15 months has passed since I started. Glad it is over, maybe I will have less chest pain and shortness of breath in a couple of days. I do know the shortness of breath episodes have decreased and no more burning sensation below my larynx with exertion. Love ya all.

$42.00 per month

Not much money. With that you get a doctor who comes to your work. Specialists who you can get same day appointments with. Massage Therapists on duty most of your work day in case a little tension builds up as you argue against common sense solutions to issues. A months worth of prescription medications at costs less than Wal Marts $4.00 for generics. And things that $42.00 a month shouldn't cover. Welcome to the United States Congress.
Then with Health Care "Reformation" they will exempt themselves from the legislation and the President will sign it as if he just does not know, who can read let alone understand a Senate bill that is over 1300 pages. 1300 pages that refer to things like USC 49 para 32 sub pare (3) of the 1949 Hardly a whisper will come from the media and we will all get what we deserve. A government that does not follow the majority of its constituents opinions. And it does not matter the political affiliation.

I UN-Quit

Last Thursday I gave my two week notice. Friday morning the primary employee travel person found out she was selected for a secretary position and pay increase. So this morning I went to my boss and asked if I could stay on, "unquit", and apply for her job. He, my boss, was thinking of asking me the same thing. More than likely I will not have to apply for the job, since we are both the same pay grade and 60% of my job is employee travel. So I will stay and continue to work and should be busy most of my work day.

I Quit

Mom and I have been married 38 years as of today. Thanks Love for all you have and continue to do.
After a few days of discussion with Mom and a few months of hating work, I gave my notice and quit today. October 9th will be my last day with the VA. Don't know what I will do though I have a couple of ideas.
I don't know how people can sit at a desk or job and do nothing for hours on end. It just wasn't my thing. My supervisor apologized and stated it had come up several times about finding more I could do. Just wasn't able to even when I asked. Some of it he blamed on AFGE and others on the job description. When the job was first conceived the transportation assistant (s) would create the travel plans for most employees. But when the director stated that all employees would complete their own travel plans via FedTraveler.com 60% of the reason I was hired almost disappeared. The other 40% of my job is not enough to keep me busy for 40 hours a week. Many a day I wanted to just walk out and never return. Guess I did it the correct way this time.

Been a while since I posted

Utes: 2 & 0 though if you compared them to a V8 engine they would only be running on 6 cylinders. The home opener was great, I did not feel like going all day but once Matthew and I got to the stadium it was great. The concession food owned by the U is a bit less tasty than MacDonald's. How can you ruin a Brat. We will have to checkout some that are not on the concourse.
Go Colts!
Our current representatives in the US Congress are truly amazing me at how stupid they think the general electorate is. Bennett and Hatch voted to confirm Cass Sunstein? They both need to go. I am on the fence about Matheson.
Will the Yankees make it to the World Series? Only time will tell but with that payroll the should end the season with 150 W's and 12 L's and go through the playoffs 12 & 0.
Work is work and I dislike it more each day. Don't know how much dislike I can really have for such a thing. Been looking but must not have the best resume to make the Army, Air Force, DHS, and the Defense Logistics Agency happy.
Mom and I are going to Disneyland on October 15th. Thanks Jet Blue. We will make our hotel/motel reservations on Saturday. The best deals I have found is on getawaytoday.com. Can't wait for the days to pass. Haven't been on a real vacation since Ride "n" the Rockies.

Heros

George E. Whalen passed away on June 5th. The VA Salt Lake City Medical Center is named after this WWII Medal Of Honor recipient. Congress passed a special one time approval for the med center to be named after a living person. Mr. Whalen received his MOH as a Navy corpsman (medic) on Iwo Jima. One article stated he saved countless lives during which he was wounded three times. He always said he did it because he did not want to let any Marines down for not doing his job. Later Mr. Whalen joined the Army and served in Korea and Vietnam and retired from the Army at the rank of Major.
I knew one other Navy corpsman, JB Thorton. JB was Ron and Steve's age. He was killed in Vietnam while on patrol with Marines. The Marine Corps does not have its own medics, they all come from the Navy. Ron was wounded twice in Vietnam and received the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf (each oak leaf means an additional award of a medal).
As you all know, I get real emotional about things military. Even now there are tears welling up as I type. I have often wondered as in Matthew's last post, where is God? I know where He is, there is just more I don't know, so much more. We often ask ourselves why things do or don't happen. Perhaps asking the question causes more problems than not asking or pondering.
It is like this job. I needed to work so each day didn't seem to last as much as two days. But as time has progessed I wonder each day why I come to work. It is like right this very minute (1217) I have had two expense reports to approve since 0948, nothing else to do. I can only read so much news. I read a little about Teddy Roosevelt, what an amazing man. A real American Hero that just happened to be a President.

Cities, States and Federal Budgets

Really this is only about Salt Lake City but I think it applies to all levels of government. When Mom and I were kids/teenagers there was a job nicknamed "Meter Maid". These mostly ladies road around the city on a three wheeled motorcycle called a Cushman checking out parking meters and no parking zones and giving out citations for expired meters etc. There was no such thing as handicap parking, expectant mother parking, sheriff or police parking spaces. Any way while on my way to work the other day I saw a Jeep Wrangler 4 door with the marking of "Traffic and Parking Enforcement" on it. Probably not an unusual siting, but just think of the cost of a Jeep Wrangler vs say a John Deere Gator. Gator's come with covers and heaters and can be used in any weather cause they have a high/low range transfer case and all wheel drive. Sure it would be hot in the summer but lots of people work out in the heat. Just a thought on how government spends like we have more money than we know what to do with.
A couple of weeks ago the city/town of Syracuse Utah had to cut their budget due to a shortfall of taxes. The mayor said he did not know where they would come up with the budget cuts, thus the problem. No one in government leadership can figure out where to cut funds because they are so accustomed to just saying "sure we can pay for that". It is the wrong attitude.
The real attitude should be "no we can't pay for that" and won't tax our constituents to pay for something that only benefits the few, in any case it should benefit the many like public safety and roads. Thats all.