Fun at the old water cooler

Team, (sorry couldn't resist),

So Madame ITA is gloating after Proposition S (S as in "Sham") passed on Tuesday. The gullible City voters, either in love with their very lovable Mayor Villar or scared by the misleading ads with Police Chief Bratton decrying chaos in the city, didn't do their homework. Reminds one of the Twilight Zone "To Serve Man" episode in which the clueless earthlings think the alien invaders are there to help them.

It's a cookbook, people !!!

Here's Randi's missive: "Team, I am happy to announce that Prop S, the Telephone Users Tax, has passed. This is a great thing for the city as well as for the community. The city maintains this revenue stream and the community gets a reduced tax from 10 to 9 %. Unfortunately we still have significant revenue shortfalls in the city and will still be managing costs very aggressively citywide. All your help and suggestions are welcome. I appreciate all your support.
Sincerely, Randi"

So the voters bought into a reduction in their phone bill (10% to 9%), right? Reality is the 10% tax was ruled illegal in 2005 and reduced to ZERO! What the fine constituents were sold was an increase from 0% to 9%. Nice.

Way to go Madame GM, not exactly electioneering, since the vote was already cast, but her email certainly smacks of ugly politics after the fact. I guess she thinks ITA staffers are just as clueless as the city voters. Good thing most of ITA lives elsewhere or maybe she'd be right.

In the next water cooler rumbling the "timing" of the proposed "voluntary" work furlough program memo will be a subject. Then again now that Prop S (as in Sheep) has passed, maybe this was just another scare tactic? But Rumblings must wonder (out loud), do they get to keep their vehicles now?

Rumblings did receive an interesting email snippet from a "friend":

"Hi there, Sorry I missed you. I ran into [name deleted] today and we were talking about ITA. Apparently, in the last Exec Mtg Randi asked everyone there if they knew about Rumblings @ ITA. No one said a peep. Then she asked about morale and I guess only Mark had the nerve to tell her it was down. She's been there 10 months and can't figure what morale is like?? She's so clueless."

Yes, staff is frustrated. Yes, morale is at an all time low. Yes, it's sad she hasn't a clue. It's also sad that other managers in that room didn't say anything, because they know. Some are the cause department morose. Thank you to Mark for his honesty. Maybe he will be tasked with charting staff morale in a presentation at the next "All Hands" soiree.

Speaking of presentations, maybe Randi can play her Power Point presentation as well, that will help morale. For those ITA staffers that have seen it, the contempt is palpable.

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=dc26827d_0dkn3nmf3

To the friends of Rumblings, both new and old, it's nice to have a following. It's also nice that Rumblings is everywhere. As Jerry Dunphy used to say, "from the desert to the sea to all over Southern California". Numerous e-mails have flowed in, whether from ITA or from other departments, they have washed upon the shore here.