We frequently hear about the need for governments—local, county, state, and federal—to get competing bids, and too often we learn after the fact that contracts were let without getting bids. But many people ask, “Does getting competing bids really make any difference?” I have the evidence for a definitive answer to that question.
Before telling you of a personal experience I had this week, let me point out that probably every reader of this blog gets bids for themselves. For example, when we are in need of an expensive item (such as a new or used car, a new stove or refrigerator, a new washing machine and drier, or a new computer or printer), most of us will shop around, looking at different models and going to at least a couple of stores or dealers before deciding what to buy. Although we do not usually ask the salesperson for a formal bid, we are, by shopping around, exercising our own process of bid taking.
But sometimes we find it helpful to get formal bids. That happened to me this week. Read more…
Categories: Air Conditioners, Bids, Education, Furances, Government, HVAC, Politics, The Big Ten of Grammar, William B. Bradshaw Tags: Competing bids, Getting bids, HVAC, Saving money, Second opinions
Birthdays are fun to celebrate, and this week the United States as a nation will be celebrating what is officially named U.S. Independence Day.
It was 238 years ago—July 4, 1776—that the Second Continental Congress, comprised of representatives from the thirteen North American British colonies, passed the Declaration of Independence, declaring that “these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.” (Quoted from last paragraph of the Declaration) Read more…
Categories: Independence Day, July 4th, Taxes, Tea, The Big Ten of Grammar, William B. Bradshaw Tags: 13 Colonies, American Indians, Benjamin Franklin, Boston Tea Party, British Crown, British Parliament, Coercive Act, Continental Congress, French and Indian War, Intolerable Act, John Adams, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania Sstate House, Philadelphia, Richard Henry Lee, Roger Sherman, Seven Years War, Stamp Act, Thomas Jefferson, Townshend Act, Virginia
IRIf I were the CEO of a company and was employed six years ago to clean up the problems attributed to my predecessor, how would the Board of Directors react if the company was still having problems and I was blaming my predecessor for them? Would the directors say, “Oh, yes, the problems were so great that we could not expect you to have fixed them in six years”? Or would they say, “We hired you to fix things, and you should have had them fixed by now or at least be well on your way to having them resolved”?
With the companies I am acquainted with, the board and the stockholders would not put up with a CEO who was blaming his predecessor of six years ago for the continued loss of money and the value of the stock still going down.
It bothers me that President Obama and his administration so frequently blame others for problems and the bad news coverage that go along with them. For example, Read more…
Categories: Benghazi, Libya, President Obama, Responsibility, The Big Ten of Grammar, William B. Bradshaw, Winston Churchill Tags: Benghazi, Blame, Board of Direcctors, CEOs, Computers, Dick Cheney, George W. Bush, Hard-drives, IRS, Libya, President Bush, President Obama, Responsibility, Scotland, Secretary of Defense, Winston Churchill, World War II
Last week when my wife and I were in the car, I was zigzagging down the road, having difficulty dodging all the potholes left over from winter, not yet repaired. It was impossible to miss all of them, jarring the car each time we hit one. My wife commented, “This is like trying to dodge the potholes of life. You just can’t miss them all no matter how hard you try.”
How right she was! Life has many potholes, and when you hit them, you are jarred, the wheels of life are knocked out of line, and sometimes your tires blowout and you have to come to a complete stop. Of course, I am speaking metaphorically. But you know what I mean by the potholes of life, and unless you are a very unusual person, you have experienced many of them yourself.
Just how does one cope with the potholes of life? Read more…
Categories: Business, Education, Problems, Religion, success, The Big Ten of Grammar, William B. Bradshaw Tags: Athletes, Baseball, Book of Job, Football, God's Kingdom, Golf, Gospel of Matthew, Gospels, Henry Ward Beecher, Isaiah, Jesus, Job, John Ruskin, Jonah and the Whale, Mountains, Mustard seed, New Testament, Old Testament, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Potholes, Quarterbacks, Religon, Sahara Desert
What would you think if the owner of a Ford dealership always purchased General Motors cars for his family to drive? Or, what would be your reaction if the owner of a McDonald’s franchise always took her family to eat at a Wendy’s? Although there is no written law that people have to be loyal to the products they are selling, we naturally expect them to be.
It seems to me that we as taxpayers have a right to expect this same type of loyalty from people who are employed to conduct the business of the federal government. But according to statistical reports published by USA Today, as of last September 3.9% percent of all federal employees owed back taxes, and the percentage is on the rise. Read more…
Categories: Ford, General Motors, Loyalty, McDonalds, Responsibility, The Big Ten of Grammar, Wendy's, William B. Bradshaw Tags: Accountability, Federal government, Federal laws, Financial bonuses, Ford, Franchises, General Motors, House of Representatives, Income tax, IRS, Loyalty, McDonalds, Merriam-Websster's Collegiate Dictionary, President of the United States, Responsibility, Separation Agreements, Tax deliquency, Treasury Department, U. S. Congress, U.S. Senate, USA Today, VA, Veterans Affiars Department, Wendy's
As the school year ends for all levels of education, I want to put forward one final quiz especially for our high school and college students to answer. If you do not know the answer to a question, just move quickly to the next one.
1. Name the last three recipients of the Noble Prize in Literature.
2. Name the last three persons to be the General Secretary of the United Nations.
3. Name the three wealthiest individuals in the world.
4. Name the last three winners of the Academy Award for Best Actor.
5. Name the last three Heisman Trophy winners.
Now try these. Read more…
Categories: graduates, graduation, graduation speakers, love, success, The Big Ten of Grammar, William B. Bradshaw Tags: Aacademy awards, business associates, General Secretary, Heisman Trophy, neighbors, Noble Prise, success, United Nations, wealth