Category: History

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Preemptive Outrage – Wilson’s Sandwich Shop may close

During the day I like to check out my hometown newspaper the Findlay Courier. This afternoon there was a breaking news item that Wilson’s Sandwich Shop might be closing down. For those not from the area Wilson’s is a Findlay institution having been around since the Great Depression. The unique part of the place is they make their own hamburger patties fresh every day and sell them as cheap as possible. It was one of the hamburger shops Dave Thomas visited when developing his Wendy’s chain of fast food restaurants.

Needless to say the closing if it happens would be sad indeed.

So I am reading the article posted online – the full article and more details will be published Wednesday in the print edition – and the writer brings out two points.

The restaurant has been having bad times due to the economy and lack of business. The manager is quoted as saying the business has lost money at least for the last five years.

The second point the article makes is:

Perhaps the last straw will be $2,100 in proposed fines it faces from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Employees have been exposed to several risks involving a hamburger patty molding machine, the federal agency reported: potential finger and hand pinches; electrical shock; and increased risk of electrocution.

Fenbert has referred the allegations to an attorney, and is “doing away with the (patty-making) machines,” he said. He said he cannot afford to take the equipment precautions and offer the training the safety administration would require.

“I am going to buy patties until we close down,” he said. “That is not the way we have done it for 50 years. We made our own hamburgers.”

http://www.thecourier.com/

I know Findlay so well that I can tell you the online comments and letters to the editor won’t talk about the down economy and lack of business it will rant about how the government is forcing them to close with the ridiculous regulations by OSHA as if that will really help them stay in business.

If they can’t afford to protect their employees from what looks like old equipment then how will that help them stay in business to get rid of the regulation. Could Wilson’s survive a lawsuit if an employee gets hurt because they can’t afford to update their equipment?

If it weren’t for OSHA and employee safety regulation we still might have children working coal mines for just one example.

*Update*

Since I wrote the text of this post earlier today, the situation at Wilson’s doesn’t seem as dire. The business is owned by 3 families and the manager, Mike Fenbert, represents only one third of the ownership. The other 2 families were not aware of the OSHA fine and told the Courier they plan to do what they can to keep the business open.

I also should note that OSHA just doesn’t pop-in for a visit at a work place. Usually they are responding to a complaint phoned in my a worker or investigating after an injury has been reported.

I still believe the public reaction will be to complain about the government rather than taking responsibility for the business trouble themselves – ie. lack of business and loss of income.

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We need to leave Afghanistan now

With the debris of the collapsed World Trade Center towers fresh in my mind back in October 2001, I was very happy when the United States and allies helped remove the Taliban from governing Afghanistan. One reason was they refused to turn over Osama bin Laden and the others responsible for planning the attacks on the towers on 9/11. The Taliban also had been very nasty to the women of Afghanistan and I was getting tired of hearing all the other horror stories from there. But common of the bad thinking of the former Bush administration, the war in Afghanistan went left of center and needs to be ended.

The blatant jingoism of the neo-cons blinded them to the fact that Afghanistan had historically chewed up the British and Soviets, they didn’t capture bin Laden and his gang, and then thought they could impose “democracy” on the country.

Bush and company sent too few resources then cut back more as they fought a stupid war in Iraq that was only about settling past scores and for oil.

Once out of power the Taliban melted into the mountains and into Pakistan. Was there any doubt it would happen because they never fought a set piece battle back 2001. They withdrew from each city as the Northern Alliance and the US drew near.

Until recently Pakistan had been a supporter of the Taliban. That changed when it the Taliban started putting the Pakistan government in danger as it built strongholds in the Swat valley. But the support was there and didn’t help the US in capturing bin Laden in 2001.

The Karzai government, put into place by the US, is corrupt and after the last election, seen now as fraudulent, will never bring Afghanistan into a modern democracy. Once US troops leave Karzai will not be around for long. The Taliban have infiltrated the police and army and with the war lords still around, nothing really has changed.

It seems to me that Afghanistan is a lost cause and the US should leave as soon as possible.

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Health care reform passes House but it’s bittersweet

The massive overhaul of our broken health care insurance system started late Saturday night when the US House of Representatives passed H R 3962 by a vote of 220 to 215. While this was a historic day, the victory was bittersweet as an unneeded amendment banning paying for abortion for anyone who buys insurance from the public option or the exchange was added at the last minute. Some believe that amendment will be removed when the House and Senate meet to combine their bills but one never knows.

The “Stupak of Michigan Amendment” showed up in the last few weeks of debate on the bill and, at least to me, was being seriously considered late Friday night when the frame work of debate was agreed on by the House leadership. The fear was the overall bill would fail unless Rep Stupak had his amendment voted on.

64 Democrats, including some women, like Rep. Marcy Kaptur (Ohio 9th District), voted to restrict paying for abortion – effectively restricting a legal right women enjoy at this time.

What is ironic is the current bill includes allowing insurance to pay for “pray healing”.

So freaky religious people who believe praying can heal were more important than women’s rights.

And funny, in a WTF? way, 26 of those Democrats who voted to restrict paying for abortion voted NO on the final bill.

Here is the list of 26 Democrats who voted “Aye” on Stupak but “Nay” on the final bill:

Altmire, Barrow, Boccieri, Boren, Bright, Chandler, Childers, Davis (AL), Davis (TN), Gordon (TN), Griffith, Holden, Marshall, Matheson, McIntyre, Melancon, Peterson, Ross, Shuler, Skelton, Tanner, Taylor, Teague

64 Democrats on the Wrong Side of Stupak-Pitts

There is still work to be done as the reform debate moves to the Senate. Hopefully a final bill can be introduced and voted on before the end of the year.

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A very special Little House

While on break from work, I was flipping through the channels and came up on one of my favorite episodes of the TV show “Little House on the Prairie”. In a special 2 part episode, first shown in 1981, Albert falls in love with a girl named Sylvia. I do have to admit that the reason I loved the episode is that at the time I had a crush on the girl playing Sylvia so it is a bit creepy because of the plot of the episode is about a pretty girl who triggers the hormones of the local boys and gets undue attention from an older man who ends up raping her.

Here is a 30 sec recap of the entire episode for those who need a reminder:

The 30-Second Little House: Sylvia

A quick text recap is Sylvia is a pretty girl who has “developed” a bit more than the other girls in Walnut Grove. That sets off the hormones of the local boys and also an older man who attacks the girl while she walks home from school. We then find out that Sylvia is with child from the attack and Albert tries to “save” her by saying he was the father. The girl’s over protective father forbids the kids from being together so they decide to run away. At an old barn the attacker returns and tries to attack Sylvia again. It is then his identity is revealed which is a shock plot twist. Albert then shows up to fight the guy. Sylvia falls off a broken ladder and the girl’s father with Mr. Ingalls in tow, shoots the bad guy with a shot gun. Sylvia doesn’t survive her injuries leaving Albert devastated.

It was one of the best episodes of the show because it had a memorable actress playing Sylvia, the plot was not something the show usually had on, and if I remember right there was some controversy about it because of the theme of the rape of a child on a usually family show. It did introduce the topic for families to talk about it.

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Spending time off the net – Part 2

I was without Internet access for about 10 days and I didn’t realize how much its tentacles reached into my life. I had 10 days to kill and this is the second part of what I did to kill the time.

4. There was a faded celebrity with a new book accusing her now dead celebrity father of incest when she was a drugged up teenager in the late 1970’s early 1980’s. She was interviewed on Oprah which is like the President being on all channels for a speech. I understand that her ordeal is major and it may have had an influence on her later substance abuse and she should get treatment for it- but I can’t understand why she would need to be on Oprah and discuss it. People have said that by her being so public that some regular people who suffered the same trauma might finally come forward to deal with it … I guess that is one way of looking at it but I just don’t get someone wanting to be so public about whatever trauma they have suffered.

5. Got to watch some shows from the season DVDs of “Due South” that I missed the first time they were on back in the 1990’s. The problem with the season set is there isn’t any extras – just 6 episodes on each disk. Still funny after all these years – Thank you kindly. Just before I lost my Internet I got word that fans of the show will be meeting in Toronto in 2010 for a convention.

6. Finished up a screen writing workshop I had on DVD and that got me warmed up to write again. In one day I wrote 20 pages of a new script…. whooo hooo. Although I really wish I could write comedy. Got to really read one of my writing magazines I paid for but hardly read.

7. Kept up on my house cleaning and laundry…. wow – didn’t take long at all.

8. Really got to thinking why am I charged cell phone minutes to hear my voicemail. Shouldn’t voicemail be free for me to hear it? Yet another scam – just like paying $9 a month for Netflix even if you don’t use it very often and if you do then they charge you more.

9. Edited and converted some digital video files I made from some old VHS tapes including some guest starring turns in 2000 from an acting favorite of mine. They appeared on several shows that season and I had video taped the shows. Also converted some old footage from the day of the 9/11 attacks. I had put in a tape and just pressed record during the wall to wall news coverage. Also had a bit of the first Letterman, Leno, and Saturday Night Live back after the attacks.

10. Listened to some of the commentary tracks on some of the DVD movies I have. A good one was the technical commentary on Clerks II with Director Kevin Smith and Dave Klein who was the Director of Photography. Another good one was the one to the 2000 reissue of “Superman the Movie” (1978) with Director Richard Donner and writer Tom Mankiewicz. The one thing I didn’t know was that Chris Reeves flew in 7 different ways for the movie all without any CGI (since they didn’t have CGI yet). Well I did know CGI didn’t exist but didn’t know they used 7 different ways to make him fly. That film still holds up. I also have “Superman Returns” and it is cool to compare the two movies and see so much was the same in theme and tone. I really love when both Supermen say “Well, I hope this experience hasn’t put you off flying. Statistically speaking, it’s still the safest way to travel.” Cracks me up every time.

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