Shall we use some common sense here?

[SeaCat]

This afternoon I had a guy nosing about the place. When he went around back I got a bit curious and followed him. When I caught up with him he was removing the tops from my water barrels and dumping them so I asked him what he was up to.

This guy informed me he was from the County and was looking for breeding areas for Mosquitos. (A big fear here now that Fay dumped all over us and we have standing water.) (Yes he did show an I.D.)

I asked him why he thought my barrels were a threat. They are securely closed with screw down lids.

According to him this didn't matter. They held standing water and were therefore a breeding area. He then went on to inform me that if he came by later and saw them filled with water again he would cite me.

Well I didn't like this, nor did I like his attitude. I had after all bought the barrels from the county for the purpose of storing rain water. I wrote down his name and badge number then called the County.

After a bit of waiting and several inter-office transfers I was finally connected to the correct office. They explained that yes they were checking the county for breeding areas. When I told this guy about the Rain Barrels, where I had bought them and their inspectors comments and actions he got truly confused. He asked for the guys name and badge number which I passed along. He promised to talk with the guy and told me not to worry about getting fined for having water in the barrels.

A short while later the guy in the office called me back to appologise. He had talked with the inspector and informed him that rain barrels were allowed. He also told me that if the guy came back and said anything to give him a call. (He gave me his direct line number.)

Cat

 

[Zeb_Carter]

Don't you just hate when a county employee misses that day of training?

 

[TE999]

He's not supposed to think or use common sense, he's told to follow directions.

Mosquitos bad. Barrels of water breed mosquitos. Water barrels bad. Dump water barrels. Threaten citizen with fine.

Whoops, time for lunch.

 

[Boxlicker101]

He's not supposed to think or use common sense, he's told to follow directions.

Mosquitos bad. Barrels of water breed mosquitos. Water barrels bad. Dump water barrels. Threaten citizen with fine.

Whoops, time for lunch.

He's a bureaucrat. Among bureaucrats, thinking or common sense are ruthlessly suppressed.

 

[sutherngent985]

He's a bureaucrat. Among bureaucrats, thinking or common sense are ruthlessly suppressed.

AMEN

 

[Guest]

Well, Cat, you need to be careful about those giant mosquitos, yannow.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b318/sweetsubsarahh/mosquito.jpg

 

[Weird Harold]

Did you ask him to show a warrant for searching your property? I'd have have detained him and called the cops -- ID or not.

 

[redpaint]

The scary thing is they live amonst us.

 

[freshface]

Did you ask him to show a warrant for searching your property? I'd have have detained him and called the cops -- ID or not.

In some places, county or city law permits health inspectors to enter properties to look for mosquito breeding sites. Some of those laws date back to the days when yellow fever and malaria were still causing outbreaks in the US.

He's a bureaucrat. Among bureaucrats, thinking or common sense are ruthlessly suppressed.

The good news here is that SeaCat was able to find a bureaucrat with common sense and good people skills. You have to be impressed that the guy listened to SeaCat, investigated further, educated the inspector, called SeaCat back with more information, and gave him his contact information in case there were future problems. That's how government is supposed to work.

 

[oggbashan]

Bureaucrats and county employees have to enforce legislation passed by politicians - you know, those people who can believe two or more contradictory things at once and appear to be sane.

A recent newspaper investigation in the UK found that there are more than 2000 government or semi-goverment agencies that have the right to enter your home to inspect for whatever.

It isn't surprising that some of them contradict each other.

I thought that large parts of Florida are covered with standing water - far more than a couple of rainwater barrels-full. Or have all the swamps been sold as prime real estate?

Og

 

[Liar]

In some places, county or city law permits health inspectors to enter properties to look for mosquito breeding sites. Some of those laws date back to the days when yellow fever and malaria were still causing outbreaks in the US.

Yeah, but shouldn't he have at least knocked and said "Hi, I'm here to check for bugs" before snooping around in soemeone's back yard? For his own good, I mean. People get brained with baseball bats or in some places shot for less.

 

[freshface]

I thought that large parts of Florida are covered with standing water - far more than a couple of rainwater barrels-full. Or have all the swamps been sold as prime real estate?

Og

Large parts of Florida are covered with standing water and mosquitoes, but the health authorities are concerned with the ones where people live. The average mosquito can only fly about half a mile (1 km) in its lifetime without a good tail wind. Controlling the breeding sites is the best way to control them, so we have to hope that they're also putting larvicide in the ditches and other places that can't be drained.

 

[freshface]

Yeah, but shouldn't he have at least knocked and said "Hi, I'm here to check for bugs" before snooping around in soemeone's back yard? For his own good, I mean. People get brained with baseball bats or in some places shot for less.

Of course he should have, but he doesn't sound like the sharpest tack in the box. One can hope that he learns with experience, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Government attracts people incapable of commonsense or simple decisions. Commonsense gets you in trouble quickly, so commonsensical people dont stay around very long.

I recall an occasion where 2 teens made an abuse complaint about a jail guard. The jail held oh! 100 teen felons. A corproral from the police department demanded I empty the jail and place 100 teen felons in fostercare. I said 'no.' I sent the jail guard home pending an investigation. The kiddies remained in jail.

Holy Cow! The shit hit the fan. Police sergeants and captains started raining from the sky. How dare I keep felons in jail!!!! But in the end none of them had a better idea for what to do with a herd of teen criminals.

 

[emap]

James, there are times I really wish you were actually blowing smoke out your butt and calling it real experiences. This is one of those and darnit I am pretty sure you don't blow smoke out your butt.

I bet you light farts with matches though.

 

[colddiesel]

just askin'

Government attracts people incapable of commonsense or simple decisions. Commonsense gets you in trouble quickly, so commonsensical people dont stay around very long.
.

Didn't I see you say somewhere that you had been employed in government for many years?!!

 

[Le Jacquelope]

He's a bureaucrat. Among bureaucrats, thinking or common sense are ruthlessly suppressed.

Oh boy, it's the evil Government thing again.

If you're a working class grunt and you fail to follow instructions to the letter in a private corporation, you're gonna get fired.

This county guy in question would have been fired from a private corporation for causing bad public relations if he did what he was told, or fired for not doing his job if he came by SeaCat's house and ignored the sealed water barrels and his supervisor happened to be watching.

 

[Le Jacquelope]

Large parts of Florida are covered with standing water and mosquitoes, but the health authorities are concerned with the ones where people live. The average mosquito can only fly about half a mile (1 km) in its lifetime without a good tail wind. Controlling the breeding sites is the best way to control them, so we have to hope that they're also putting larvicide in the ditches and other places that can't be drained.

Why don't they unleash a horde of dragonflies into their midst?

I mean, srsly, dragonflies eat tons of mosquitoes.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

EMAP

True story.

I have better stories than this one. The best tales I use in my fiction. People think I make this shit up.

COLD DIESEL

I started working for the state in 1986 and left in 2005. My first gig was playing LETS MAKE A DEAL at the kiddie jail. I assessed the referrals when they were brought in, then did a conference call with the assistant state attorney and judge, to book them or send them home.

 

[R. Richard]

I thought that large parts of Florida are covered with standing water - far more than a couple of rainwater barrels-full. Or have all the swamps been sold as prime real estate?

Og

Well, quite a few of them. But only at low tide you understand.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Oh boy, it's the evil Government thing again.

If you're a working class grunt and you fail to follow instructions to the letter in a private corporation, you're gonna get fired.

This county guy in question would have been fired from a private corporation for causing bad public relations if he did what he was told, or fired for not doing his job if he came by SeaCat's house and ignored the sealed water barrels and his supervisor happened to be watching.

Not evil, just stupid.

Large corporations can have bureaucrats, the same as government agencies have. However, if you decline to follow instructions because they are not a good idea in a specific situation, you will not be fired, and might be rewarded.

I agree the county guy would have been fired, and should have been fired for being stupid. However, civil service employees can get away with stupidity because it is usually so hard to fire them.

 

[freshface]

Why don't they unleash a horde of dragonflies into their midst?

I mean, srsly, dragonflies eat tons of mosquitoes.

Because from a vector control standpoint, we want the adults gone before they start snacking on people and animals. Bats eat tons of mosquitoes too, but after flooding like this, the mosquitoes still win because of the shear volume of attractive larval habitat.

Besides, hordes of dragonflies don't grow on trees.

 

[Le Jacquelope]

Not evil, just stupid.

Large corporations can have bureaucrats, the same as government agencies have. However, if you decline to follow instructions because they are not a good idea in a specific situation, you will not be fired, and might be rewarded.

I agree the county guy would have been fired, and should have been fired for being stupid. However, civil service employees can get away with stupidity because it is usually so hard to fire them.

Oh boy. I can throw up a simple example of tech support calls where people are commanded to follow scripts and when they don't, well, that's called turnover. Insurance underwriting is rife with people who have to follow the rules at all costs. Doing the right thing has gotten a LOT of people fired - enough probably to populate a major US city, over the past few decades. This is why customer service has taken such a super gigantic nosedive over the years.

And speaking of being immune from being fired, how about those CEOs being compensated with multi million dollar bonuses while their companies are going under?

Because from a vector control standpoint, we want the adults gone before they start snacking on people and animals. Bats eat tons of mosquitoes too, but after flooding like this, the mosquitoes still win because of the shear volume of attractive larval habitat.

Besides, hordes of dragonflies don't grow on trees.

Naw, but they breed. And their habitat is wetlands. And lakes, ponds, streams, etc. - right where mosquitoes live and breed.

It's not that they don't use dragonflies as the sole measure of dealing with mosquitoes, that bugs me - it's that I've seen no strategic use of them at all.

 

[freshface]

It's not that they don't use dragonflies as the sole measure of dealing with mosquitoes, that bugs me - it's that I've seen no strategic use of them at all.

Dragonflies can certainly be part of a mosquito control program and some people add larvae to their ponds hoping they will help. Unfortunately, dragonflies feed during the day and rest at night. The Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes, which are most likely to spread disease in the US, are night feeders and rest during the day. There's a lot of debate about whether dragonflies have any effect at all. For more information than you probably want, read this.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Dragonflies can certainly be part of a mosquito control program and some people add larvae to their ponds hoping they will help. Unfortunately, dragonflies feed during the day and rest at night. The Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes, which are most likely to spread disease in the US, are night feeders and rest during the day. There's a lot of debate about whether dragonflies have any effect at all. For more information than you probably want, read this.

The dragonfly larvae feed on the mosquito larvae, whether night or day wouldn't matter. This certainly helps a lot. The adult dragonflies probably don't help much, but they do breed, and produce more mosquito larvae killers. Of course, if you spray insecticide onto the water, it kills the dragonflies too, which is an inintended consequence.