Going The Wong Way

Acronyms

Is it just me or does it seem like there are a lot more acronyms around? There are institutions for this, organizations for that, degrees in something else, and (especially) the forms and titles for all types of occupations.

Acronyms are not inherently awful things. In fact they are quite convenient. They allow us to say “PC” instead of “personal computer” or “CEO” instead of “Chief Executive Officer.” They only become a problem, though, when people use more obscure acronyms as if everyone should know them. It seems to me that people assume too much. Perhaps people never learned that it is bad practice to use an acronym (when you are writing) without spelling it out first. There are acceptable exceptions to the rule when words are integrated into the language (e.g., radar). Still, it only seems blog-worthy because their use of acronyms points to a world in which everyone knows everything that is going on in your life. In fact, it seems likely to me that your audience has no idea what you are talking about unless they are as intimate with your topic of conversation as you are. So explain all of your acronyms usage appropriately.

Really I suppose it is just a matter of society’s change in communication. It is likely that the assumption of audience understanding is indicative of a decrease in the collective communication skills of society. There is someone’s thesis topic. Have at it.

Cheap And Wonderful

They say that the best things in life are free. I don’t know if I really believe that, but some cheap stuff sure is good!

Big Government

Lately I have been reading and enjoying Big Government, which is a website created by Andrew Breitbart. It is a website that advocates a smaller government by exposing the ways that the government is improperly doing things. It is definitely enlightening because the articles attempt to show the readers ways that our very own federal government (of the United States of America) are doing things that most of us would very likely disapprove of. And boy do we! (Or at least…I do.) Compounding the problem is that many of these things do not even seem legal in light of the 10th amendment!

This isn’t a long post and really I am not adding anything to the collective knowledge or opinion of the Internet. However I have been enjoying some of the videos that I have seen there and would therefore like to share:

Getting Paid Under The Table

Lately I feel like I have been encountering people who are getting paid under the table, which means that they are being paid in a way that attempts to circumvent tax laws. Basically whoever is paying them is not reporting that payment as wages and that means that they are not liable for their share of the tax to the government. The person being paid has the benefit of also not being subject to tax for that payment amount, which effectively means that everyone is keeping more money for themselves.

Unfortunately there is a loser in this transaction. And that loser is everyone else. Everyone who does pay their taxes loses because:

1. they could be paying less
2. they could receive more benefits if everyone paid their taxes
3. the national debt (which at the time of writing stands at over $13 trillion – check it out) could be lower

Instead it is left to the taxpayers to pick up their slack. Yes, even though they (the ones involved in this nefarious transaction) are likely working members of society who do not see themselves as being a burden (they are making their own money after all), their presence on the roads, need for protection (e.g., police, fire), and receipt of other benefits are proof that they have an impact on us.

Integrity? Yeah why don’t we go for that. Or at the absolute very least acknowledge label black as black and white as white. It is not something to be proud of and neither is stealing lunch money from a child.

Crom, The One Who Cuts His Toenails At Work

Snip, snip, snip. The familiar sound can be heard at my workplace. Imagine the surprise of myself and my coworkers as we were chatting when we heard it. The sound is rather unmistakable and usually reserved for the bathroom in one’s home. However, we were actually at work on a weekday.

It came as little surprise to us that Crom would do this. He is a man of little social reservation. He is the first to (eagerly) get his food. He is the first to go back to work so that he can leave earlier (without helping to clean up of course). He talks (sometimes loudly I might add) on the phone with his girlfriend (as I understand it, it’s a long term kind of thing). Truthfully, I would not be awfully surprised if he picks his nose and eats whatever treasure he finds.

Once you hear your co-worker cutting his toenails at work, all bets are off.