Cheap v. Quality

I've been pondering all the jobs that I've done over the last 18 plus years and I've come to the conclusion that this current job I'm on is most likely the most dangerous one yet. I have bruses and cuts and sore muscles which is pare for the course, but like going into a snake pit you just wonder when you'll really get bit. I can only take solace in the fact that workers some 80 years ago actually took great pride in putting up a building that, by todays standards, was overbuilt. It seems that back then they spared no expense in terms of labor or materials to build a quality product. Today it's all about the bottom line. Can we use one less bolt or less manpower and shave the expense to make more profit to look like heros to the stockholders? The problem with this new idology is that like making lemonade for a profit, you can only squeeze the lemon so much then you get into the bitter peel and the lemonade is no good.
The other issue in all of this is maintenance. As old as this structure is most of it's parts are still intact because workers maintained it, repairing worn parts when necessary. That idology seems to have gone by the wayside as well. If it's worn out we throw it away tear it down and build a new cheaper model only to have to replace the new model in 20 years instead of 50. And in the budget for what we build is there money for maintenance? At the beginning maybe, but as money becomes tight what's the first item to be cut from the budget? You can run your car for a long time without doing an oil change, but then the engine siezes and what do you have? You have one expensive bill or the cost of another car.
We are obsessed with "new" and it doesn't matter if "new" is better. We're also obsessed with appearance. "We need to get rid of this or that because it looks outdated. It's old, antiquated or retro.
Will we see more bridges and buildings going down? Without question. Will the rethuglicans do anything about it? Oh yes, they'll promise millions of dollars that will be stolen by their criminal contractor friends if those dollars even make it that far.
Remember Katrina. Need I say more?

My take

This may be anecdotal but I see a trend at least in my profession that is quite disturbing. It used to be that a large job would require between 20 to 30 people to complete. Such a job would take two to three months and sometimes require two shifts. On very rare occasions there would be a shortage of workers because there were too many jobs happening all at once. These days large jobs are done with 10 to 15 people and supervisors are lucky if everybody shows up for any given shift. Also jobs run four to six weeks.
Then there are the safety issues and environmental laws. When you are told to do a job a certain way even though you know it does not conform to standard safety practices. Then of course there is the bending of environmental rules. Granted there are some rules that actually go beyond the relm of common sense for no other reason than to cover ones one rear legally speaking. There is now an attitude of " whatever you can get away with" and we all know where that example has been set.
Management isn't what it used to be either. There is now the attitude of " get the job done" even if there are no supplies or the right tools to do the job.
I can only hope that the political climate shifts, environmental and safety laws are enforced and management can actually get back to manageing effectively.

Tough week

It was a physical week for me with much demolition work. Watched as another contractor fall through the roof. Luckily he came out of it without a scratch. Said he might need to change his underwear.
The Dems have gotten my ire. If they don't stand up and get (what do you call it) "bolas" I'm going to start looking for another party to support.
Still working on a whiz bang Memorial Day post. I just hope my media skills and e blogger are up to it. Stay tuned we'll see what happens.

Bush Cheney blasts Iraqi gay minister over canibal pedephile bomb deaths leaves 200 dead in carnage.

Now that I have your attention. I was just surfing the various news sites the other day and it dawned on me that certain words just jump out at you. I know that the various search engines use a formula for gathering the days' events to automatically post articles on a news sites front page. I also know that news writers use the first twenty five or so words to try and be caught by the hungry web search spiders. To find any positive news you have to dig deep into a web site or be searching for your favorite hobby. Or you could go through some of the millions of blogs out there. Now I'm starting to wonder what the overall effect of seeing negative news over and over and over again will be. This maybe the reason antidepressants seem to be the in thing. In the fifties it was Ellaville (sp). In the sixties and seventies it was Vallium. Now it's Zanax? I don't really know I'm not up on that. It also makes me wonder what the long term effect will be from taking these drugs. I realize that in reality only a very small portion of the population really needs to be on these medications and they are a necessary aid to people with servere mental problems. It makes me wonder what new methods will be developed in the future like implants or mood altering energy rays. (No I don't own a tin foil hat)
After seeing all of the death and destruction over the last five years I've come to the conclusion that it's time to change our focus. Iraq can be rebuilt, but, like the occupants of a house that are trashing it, not until the fighting stops. And yes they are perfectly able of doing the job themselves. We need to start focusing on the problems here at home before going out to help the rest of the world. Our infrustructure is slowly falling apart. Our educational, health care, retirement, power grids, military, treasury, emergency management etc have been gutted. It is time to develop a plan to change all this. I'll throw out some ideas here as they come to me in later posts. Thanks for listening to my random thoughts.