Category: Richard’s Rants

Three contractors were touring the white house on the same day. One was from New York, another from Missouri, and the third from Florida. At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what they did for a living.

When they each replied that they were contractors the guard said “Hey, we need one of the rear fences redone. Why don’t you guys look at it and give me a bid.”

So to the back fence they went. First up was the Florida contractor. He took out his tape measure and pencil, did some measuring and said, “Well I figure the job will run about $900. $400 for materials, $400 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.”

Next was the Missouri contractor. He also took out his tape measure and pencil, did some quick figuring and said, “Looks like I can do this Job for $700. $300 for materials, $300 for my crew, and $100 profit for me.”

Then the guard asks the New York contractor how much. Without so much as moving the contractor says, $2700.”

The guard, incredulous, looks at him and says “You didn’t even measure like the guys! How did you come up with such a high figure?”

“Easy” says the contractor from New York, “$1,000 for me, $1,000 for you and we hire the guy from Missouri.”

FORT LAUDERDALE (FOX 13) –

A family in Fort Lauderdale was shocked when they finally learned what was clogging their toilet over the weekend.

The Lindquist family needed to call a plumber Sunday after discovering that their pipe was stopped up, and no amount of plunging or flushing would resolve the issue, WSVN in Miami reports.

The plumber arrived and after some searching, the problem looked her right in the face…literally.

“I was in the living room and we heard a scream, and I came in to see what was causing the screaming,” the resident, Marian Lindquist, told WSVN.

And there it was, an iguana about one-and-a-half-feet long, sitting in the ceramic bowl.

Lindquist went on to say the tool the plumber was using actually got stuck in the iguana, so it did not survive the incident.

As for how the iguana got there to begin with, the Lindquists said it’s likely it entered through the roof, and then couldn’t find its way out.

After a five-year court battle, a federal judge ruled that the District of Columbia’s ban on the carry of firearms was unconstitutional. This is another big win for the Second Amendment six years after DC’s total handgun ban was likewise overturned.

Workplace gossip is a serious issue. While many of us participate in the gossip pipeline (often without really thinking about it), workplace gossip can be exceedingly damaging both to individuals and the company in general. Here are some of the destructive results of gossip in the workplace:

• Wasted time and productivity as a result of excessive time exchanging “gossip  information.”
• Circulation of false rumors and either heightened fear or false raised expectations.
• Severe erosion of trust of others in the workplace.
• Severe erosion of staff morale.
• Hurt feelings and the possibility of reprisals.
• Creation of a “toxic” work environment.

These are serious outcomes. Gossip can and should be dealt with from at least two “angles.”  Management staff can play a role in facing down workplace gossip, as can individual employees.  When both management and employees actively try to cut down the gossip, the results can be surprisingly positive.

“TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Governor Rick Scott and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s (DBPR) Division of Certified Public Accounting today announced it awarded nearly $200,000 in scholarships to minority students studying to become certified public accountants at colleges and universities throughout Florida.”

Now you could have given the scholarships to the MOST deserving students huh? Let’s discriminate and give it to certain individuals that MAY deserve it less than others. Please tell me I’ll have another chance of NOT voting for you? You’re a republican and have been screwing minorities forever…oh… wait… election is coming up. That always explains so much.

Additional authority has been recommended for $925,000 from trust funds to cover the Florida Building Code Compliance and Mitigation Program in the Florida Building Commission, which focuses on education for contractors and builders about mitigation of hurricane and storm-related damage.

This is the biggest joke there is. – except it’s not funny!

Lastly, the Governor’s budget proposals include the Department’s only general revenue request, which is approximately $515,824 to support the Florida State Boxing Commission. The Commission ensures that all professional boxing, kick boxing and mixed martial arts matches are conducted in accordance with provisions of state laws and rules, keeping Florida a competitive destination for this industry.

WHY? Why are Florida taxpayers paying 1/2 million dollars for this.

Congress was able to pass legislation to keep broader middle class income taxes from rising. But workers will still have to pay at least 2% more in payroll taxes.

That’s because the government had temporarily lowered the social security payroll tax rate in 2011 to 4.2% from 6.2%, in an effort to keep more cash in the pockets of Americans and provide a boost to the economy. The tax cut, which applies on the first $113,700 in annual earnings, expired on Monday.

Now most of the country’s 160 million workers will see smaller paychecks. No one is expecting the payroll tax cut to be extended.

Monthly paychecks will have $50 less for those earning $30,000 annually, and will shave off $189.50 for those with incomes totaling $113,700.

The amounts could be large enough to deal a blow to middle class Americans’ spending budgets, especially at a time when the economic recovery is still struggling to gain a foothold.