Ballistic Stupidity · 12:54am Nov 29th, 2017
WARNING: RANT INBOUND. GRAB A BEVERAGE NOW.
Today at work I was balancing a tire and noticed that our tire supplies guy (who I happen to think is useless, by the way) had left us a box of lead wheel weights, when we only use steel and zinc. I mentioned this, and my brilliant manager started going off about how there's nothing wrong with lead wheel weights. (As an aside, I'm sure I ate lots of tasty paint chips as a child and I turned out pancakes.)
And if the conversation had ended there . . . .
But of course it didn't.
My manger is clueless sometimes. Other times, I think he's trying to bait me, and I'm not always able to tell which is which. For example, he somehow thinks that calling me Canadian is an insult.
Anyway, he then mentioned that that he'd heard that the lead in Flint's water supply wasn't really a problem at all.
I've got to step back to say two things here before we continue on. First, there are more appropriate forums than this one to discuss the Flint water crisis, and I don't want this to turn into some sort of rambling political blog; instead, I'd rather keep it to just what an idiot my boss is. I suppose that some of that is going to happen regardless, but at least try to keep it respectful, y'all.
Second, for those of you who aren't familiar with the Flint water crisis, the nutshell version is that our Governor (with some help) managed to do what no cartoon villain ever has: poisoned a whole city's water supply.
Well, it turns out that he didn't remember exactly what the problem in Flint had been (and still is, to an extent). So I had to give him a history of what had happened, and how. And of course while I think I'm reasonably smart, I don't have all the facts at hand, so I had to give him the condensed version with a few “I don't knows” thrown in there.
Had he been telling the story, I'm sure he would have just made stuff up to cover what he didn't know . . . I'll give you a sneak preview of that at the very end (why yes, I do plan a blog post on that subject at some point).
I also had to explain to him how lead isn't all that bad for adults . . . yes, of course adults can get lead poisoning, but it takes a lot. It doesn't take all that much to mess up a kid, though. I can't remember all the different symptoms, but I do know that it can cause developmental disabilities.
At the end of my explanation, he said that it was the fault of the people who lived in Flint, because they hadn't had their own water tested.
I explained how it's the responsibility of a public utility—like the public water company—to test their own water, and that it has to meet standards.
[Once it gets to the customer's house it's the customer's problem. The water company is responsible for the pipes up to the shutoff valve or the water meter (I'm sure that varies with location) and after that it's the customer's problem. So yes, if I put pipes in my own house that were made of lead with a protective coating of arsenic and dioxin on them, that wouldn't be their problem, any more than it's the electrical company's fault that you tried to warm up the bath with the toaster. But that wasn't the issue; the point was that the water coming from the water treatment plant was toxic. They didn't treat it properly.]
He said that that didn't matter. The water company does not have to deliver a drinkable product.
I asked if he was actually that ignorant.
Then he went on to explain that the county wasn't responsible for his water.
I reminded him that he had a well.
He said that the county owns all that water in the aquifer.
Before I get to his last point, if you've still got any of your beverage left, now's the time to take a stiff drink.
Source Unknown
If you ask my boss, he's not racist. Usually, though, when you ask someone if they're racist, they don't say yes. Maybe David Duke would, but most people wouldn't. Generally, though, you can figure it out pretty quickly, and while I can't remember exactly which conversation of ours clued me in, I think I had it figured out by his “India Indians” rant.
And here's what makes that particular rant of his tragically memorable: I answered a call from a gentleman in India who wanted to inform me that our computer had a virus, so I hung up on him and when my manager asked who'd called, I told him.
“I hate all India Indians,” he said, and then noticed that I had a somewhat disgusted look on my face.
“You know my sister-in-law is Indian, right?”
I'd like to say that he got a slightly embarrassed look on his face, or even better apologized and kept his racist opinions to himself, but of course he didn't.
The real problem with Flint, he told me, is that everyone there cares more about having 22” rims on their cars than drinkable water.
If there was ever anybody who deserved to be smacked in the face with a trout—repeatedly—it's my manager.
Once you've finished facepalming and/or having a good little cry, here's something at least a little bit humorous to end with. We also got to talking about Catholic priests (I'm not honestly sure how that conversation began). He said that he didn't think it was right that there were Catholic priests in LA who were making half a million dollars a year.
I asked him which parish that was.
He said he didn't know, it was just an example.
So I told him that an example was saying that some mammals laid eggs, and offering the platypus as an example. Saying that dinosaurs could talk and offering Barney as evidence was not an example.
He didn't have a reply to that.
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You know special people, Biscuit.
Other than lead being bad for the environment and such, is there anything wrong with lead wheelweights? From the title it sounded like they would come off at speed and put holes in things.
The trouble is that such types cannot be reasoned with. They form their tiny-minded world views and then search out sources that reinforce it. They cherry-pick or outright invent "evidence" to shore up their position, no matter how idiotic. No real evidence, no matter how overwhelming or clear, will sway them. Junk science, fake news, propaganda... they have several handy catch-phrases to immediately dismiss anything that might prove them wrong.
Of course nobody will admit to being a racist. Racists are "bad"... but people who can see the "obvious inferiority" of other races aren't racist... they're just realistic!
Biscuit, is your boss named Bob? I ask because, from my own experience, only Bobs can be that moronic and yet, at same time, smart enough to own a business.
4737087
The funny thing is that I work on the weekends with developmentally disabled adults, and some of them make more sense than my manager.
4737088
In cities, it can be problematic because when wheel weights fall off, they get pulverized into lead dust. Not so much of a problem in the country, so long as your kids aren't picking them up and chewing on them, or animals don't eat them.
4737099
I agree, unfortunately.
Sometimes I expect better, though . . . since we work as automotive technicians, we have to apply logic and reasoning to repairs, not wishful thinking.
Maybe he can't make the connection, though.
I still need to write a blog post about that.
4737104
I'm not saying that I named the antagonist in Derpy Accidentally A Portal Gun IV after my manager.
I'm not saying I didn't either.
This is a guy, where given that near me theres an on ramp that does a near 270 degree uphill spiral with a posted speed limit of 30mph, and I calculate at a 1g radial force approx 55 mph break speed, he would complain about his car sliding when trying to take it at 60 plus when of course with a 70 limit it means you can cruise at 80. just like everyone else.
4737111
I used to do that kind of thing a lot in my dad's station wagon. Learned how to four wheel drift that station wagon, in fact.
What finally slowed me down was when I was blasting down country roads at well over the speed limit (and somewhat over a sane speed) and I wondered what would happen if I met me coming the other way.
I am so sorry.
From what little I understand of the Flint lead 'crisis' and bits I've gathered, the Flint water that came out of the treatment facility was within tolerance for lead and other such nasties, *EXCEPT* since they switched from expensive aquifer water to cheaper treated river water, the acidity (whichever way the PH level goes to get more acid, because it always confused me in school) went UP. Then all of the lead pipes in the water system, which used to not be a problem because the water was more base, now began to leach lead into the water and it flowed through the system, until it was *slightly* above the limit at *some* outlets.
At which point, the nuts came out of the woodwork, and the whole thing exploded into wacky-land.
So instead of saying "Gee, these lead pipes are a problem. Let's raise the rates so we can switch back to expensive aquifer water and begin the process to get them replaced" we had endless screaming and carrying on from every political party and environmentalist who could talk.
4737108
From some of your other posts, I get the impression your manager will sometimes do a snap diagnosis and then stick to it in the face of contrary evidence. A snap diagnosis isn't necessarily a bad thing, particularly when the diagnostician has a lot of experience, but holding on to it when things prove to be atypical is a sign of that kind of "magical" thinking.
I hear that same type of racist comment where I live, as well. My favorite is, "oh , them folks are alright. As long as they stay on their side of town."
Oh, so we are separate but equal. Nice choice.
A cultural Mecca it isn't.
Just remember Biscuit, there are two kinds of people in life... those that need their hand held all the time, and those that are unlucky enough to be holding the hand.
One of these days, when you won't get in trouble, slap the shit out of your boss.
should have heeded your warning, had to grab a shot before I could finish reading.
Hang on guys, I'm buying this round!
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Jesus Christ on a bike, this is top-tier Not Always Right material. Seriously, consider crossposting over there.
As for the Flint situation, I'm just glad he never brought up the drought here in southern California. Can't say what's worse -- lead-poisoned water, or no water at all.
I'm pretty sure he just contradicted himself. And if I may add, he may be exhibiting signs of lead poisoning himself.
4737099
As the proverb goes, "You can't fix stupid."
4737120
That is the essence of it.
Without going back and re-reading all the information, the gist of what happened is this:
--They used to get properly treated water from Detroit, but it was expensive.
--They wanted to switch to a new pipeline that connected to Lake Huron, but that wasn't built yet.
--As an iterim measure, they switched to Flint River water
--Something that they were supposed to use to treat that water didn't get used
--Coating came off lead pipes
--Flint hospitals started reporting cases of lead poisoning in children
--GM Truck and Bus stopped using Flint water because it was corroding engines
--City/state of Michigan said everything's okay
--Over a year passed
--Somebody out of state (Virginia, I think) started doing water tests
--High lead levels found in parts of the water system, some of them far over federal limits
--Michigan EPA apparently covered this up
--Governor Snyder budgeted $10 million in taxpayer money for his legal defense
Somewhere in this mess, there was also an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease which might have been related to the water or might not have been. Quick scan of Wikipedia suggests that 6,000-12,000 children might have been affected, and if the Legionnaires' disease is related, ten deaths.
Also (from the same quick scan):
Apparently 40% of homes were above the EPA legal limit. How much above, I don't know, but Wikipedia says that
Including our Republican Attorney General indicting five officials on charges of involuntary manslaughter.
Well, yes, there was a lot of screaming, but nearly everyone in Michigan agrees that the emergency managers in Flint screwed up big time. And then they added fuel to the fire by sending out shutoff notices for people who weren't paying for the water that they couldn't safely drink.
Who's ultimately responsible is still very much in the air (did Snyder twirl his mustache as his lackeys told him what was happening, or did they just lie to him and say everything is fine?), but it's a fact that somebody (or several somebodies) f
ed up big time.
4737121
Yeah, and that would have been the subject of the next work-related blog post, but I kinda got sidetracked by this . . .
. . . I don't know if there's actually a word to describe this.
4737118
Somebody once suggested that ponies kicking bigots ought to be an genre on Fimfiction, and I'm thinking that maybe that's so. It'd be cathartic.
4737124
Yeah, I hear that a lot too. Well, not staying on their side of town, more of moving back where they came from. . . .
Also, a couple of local farmers said something about "our Mexican" a couple of days ago. . . .
4737125
And those that need to be smacked upside the head with a trout.
It's not exactly epic level trolling, but I do sometimes do what he tells me even when I know it won't work.
4737130
I even put it in red and all caps.
Christ on a bike my dude.
4737134
I have considered it. I need to be less verbose before I do, though.
Yeah, that's a tough call. Both'll kill you.
We don't talk too much about California. He is one of those people who hopes it will fall off into the ocean so all those "libtards" will drown.
Now that his daughter lives there, he might change his opinion a bit, but I doubt it.
Probably no lead poisoning, just good old hillbilly ignorance.
Actually, I shouldn't say that; I know some pretty smart hillbillies.
You can't make it idiotproof, because they'll build a better idiot.
4737154
That's a pretty good summary.
I don't totally follow why you still work for this place as opposed to hunting up a new spot...
You boss is special.
4737158
--It's close (about 2 miles).
--I get paid very well
--My next closest options that would have a similar pay scale are 40 or more miles away
--I'll probably outlast him--he's already talking about moving when his son graduates high school, in a year and a half
--He sometimes makes for good blog material
4737163
He is that.
I agree with all of those but the last one. I feel like you generate plenty of good blog material without assistance from morons ^^;
4737155
BUT MUH SIXTY-TWO GENDERS!!!1!
That aside, not all of us are that idiotic -- just a very vocal minority that hogs all the media attention unfairly. Don't let the few bad apples spoil the lot.
. . . he's going to, isn't he?
Damn.
4737168
I mean, California is the land of the fruits and nuts; everybody knows that.
Then again, we've got our own special people here, generally on the other side of issues, so. . . .
I figure the really wacko ones are the ones that make it into the news, and the other 90% of people (give or take) are fairly normal.
4737167
Okay, that's probably a good point.
But if I ever do collect a bunch of mechanic blogs all together into a book, he's going to be responsible for about a third of the material.
4737165
Damn, he's already bred. Well, there goes my suggestion.
Geez. The more I learn about your manager, the more impressed I am... and not in a good way.
Anyway, as far as I recall, lead itself is not a big problem, it's lead in sediment (like in the water) that can be toxic. I only know basics about toxicity in general and heavy metals in particular, but I do remember that lead and mercury usually get stuck in the organism at all the wrong place and can cause damage.
4737187
He's got a grandkid, too.
4737195
I know, right?
I'm not sure if it's like mercury, where the various environmental compounds are much worse than the base material (theoretically, you can inject pure mercury into your bloodstream and it won't hurt anything, but tiny amounts of some mercury salts will kill you in months), or if it's just a matter of it being hard to get a significant exposure from handling blocks of lead vs. breathing in lead dust . . . I do know that it's bio-accumulative, which is a problem with lead pellets in shotguns and so forth. And yeah, like most heavy metals, it doesn't do your body any good.
At least with colloidal silver, you'll turn blue before you die.
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4737207
May god have mercy on that kid.
4737207
Courtesy of the not-yet-graduate?
Man, you really are out in the boonies.
4737237
Heh, no, it's an older kid. Not sure if it's his, or his wife's, though.
4737140 "Well, yes, there was a lot of screaming, but nearly everyone in Michigan agrees that the emergency managers in Flint screwed up big time. And then they added fuel to the fire by sending out shutoff notices for people who weren't paying for the water that they couldn't safely drink."
Generous Translation: 99.99% of the people who were not emergency managers in Flint agreed that the people who were emergency managers in Flint should take the blame. And admittedly, they screwed up, but in a way that any chemistry student does about twice a day. They measured the water plant's output with great intensity, not realizing that the lead was coming into the system *after* it left the plant. In fact, both sides were perfectly correct: The plant was producing water within EPA guidelines and lead levels in excess of EPA guidelines were being detected in homes. (And I do tend to discount some of the more extreme cases of lead poisoning, because they are (of course) suing, and want to present as extreme a case as possible)
Second note (which you hit above): Many of the people suing simply have never paid for a drop of water. A lot of Flint homes illegally tap the water mains or rig the meters, which are ancient. The $100 million dollar grant that the EPA awarded them in March is supposed to replace them all, and hopefully get rid of a few hundred tons of lead pipes too.
Third: We all know the reason why you work where you work. The hidden camera shows all.
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But lead is what the children want.
Your boss sounds kinda like my older brother. My brother's not really on that level of stupid, but he is one of those people that will pull facts out of his ass (or more likely, his bible) to support a losing argument.
4737261
One of the fun things in Michigan is if a public entity (city, school district, whatever) is in financial trouble, the state can appoint unelected people to 'fix' the problem (which is why Detroit almost liquidated the Detroit Institute of Arts, until they got pushback from the people who had donated the exhibits, among others). They don't have to answer to anyone, just make the balance sheet green. Apparently, the entire elected Flint city council wanted to change back to Detroit water, but the emergency manager overrode it.
I don't know if he's one of the ones that the Attorney General filed charges against.
Well, IIRC they forgot to put in a treatment chemical that their consultants told them they'd need to protect the water system.
Right, but the city is not only responsible for the water as it leaves the plant, but also as it goes through their pipelines, or at least that's my understanding of it. They can't say "Well, the water was good when it left our water treatment plant, so it's not our fault that it went bad when it went through our poison application system" any more than our local power company can say that the power was good when it left their plant, and it's not their problem that the transmission wires are sitting on the ground killing people. They own the whole infrastructure, up to the meters or shutoffs (not sure which it is for water), and they're responsible for making sure that whole system is safe.
(Having said that, I don't know how many lead lines were residential distribution lines, and how many were service lines. But I think the same principle applies; you can't have a public utility say that it's not their fault that all your PEX plumbing dissolved because they put a plasticizer in the water to save money.)
That I will admit I don't have statistics for. I'm sure that there are households in Flint that steal their water one way or another, but I couldn't say how many. I vaguely recall hearing that some landlords saved money by not paying the bills and the residents only found out when they got evicted by the city, although of course that isn't the city's fault.
More to the point, though, there are people who are paying for water which they assumed was safe and drinkable, and it wasn't. GM, for example, had to switch water supplies, due to engine damage in their factory . . . GM's got deep pockets and can afford to do that. Joe Average can't.
It's actually not because I get swagger when I get something right; it's because I'm allowed to throw wrenches.
4737267
I've actually got a bit more sympathy (and only a bit) for people that base their worldview on a religious book. It feels more honest than basing it on conspiracy websites and 'facts' your racist grandpa shared at the dinner table.
Plants love electrolytes.
4737227
The kid is sort of smart, so there's some hope. He's also a bit of a punk-ass bitch, but that's because he's a teenager, and he might grow out of it.
It's too early to tell for sure.
Your boss continues to impress me.
If I saw him, I'd have to ask him this:
this is a 3 beer rant witch i find vary interesting.
and it also gave me a good reason to drink more beer.
The bottom line was: Flint's original water supply was slightly alkaline, and built up a layer of protective carbonates inside the lead pipes.
There was a recession, and the jobs went away.
The wealthier people left, and the poor people stayed because they couldn't afford to leave.
The poor people of Flint Michigan refused to pay for their water, and for political reasons the city didn't want to shut people's water off.
The city made a stupid choice to provide water from a cheaper source, instead of enforcing the payment of water bills.
The water from the flint river wasn't as alkaline, and the carbonate deposits began dissolving.
The dissolving deposits carried lead from the lead pipes.
Who was at fault? Just about everyone in the city.
It was basically slow suicide at a societal level.
4737284 Religious book or invented facts... is there a difference?