Ed Basar stopped by today. Ed’s a long time Scouter from Detroit Area Council. He served on Jamboree staff this past summer in a first time position for the Scouts. He was the BSA liason to the front gate of the base. For all prior jamborees, the front gate was handled exclusively by the military and actually did not allow a BSA presence. This time though, the military thought that they needed someone with a Scouting background to help both with screening and facilitating the entrance process.

The stories Ed told would curl my hair if I had much left. Like having to close down the gate to allow all of the coming and going for ambulances after the first camp fire march or when the Chief had to apologize to all of the staff for the delay and poor food service during the pre-opening staff dinner. For an event that has run at the same place for so long, the Scouts should not have had the problems they did. Isn’t our motto – “Be prepared”? I’ll see if its ok if I post other stories from Ed.

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From time to time one experiences those little moments that actually are insights into much bigger issues. Destry had one such today that we got to talking about. He needed a pair of slacks pressed but did not have the time to leave them for overnight cleaning. He just wanted a press put on them. Well, he stopped at a local cleaners and asked if they could do it. They said no, they only provide that service with cleanings. So he went to another cleaners. The counter person was standing there. Their pants press was unused but no, they wouldn’t do a while you wait order as they had other orders ahead of his (but no one waiting). There are lots of cleaners in our town so he went on to the next one. This one said sure. Glad to do it. $5. Did a lint clean. Did a press. Had them ready for him as he waited. What was the difference between the three? The first two had anglo’s running them. The last one had an oriental owner/operator. As Destry pointed out ‘Its this attitude that will be the fall of America.’ Now I’m pretty sure the oriental owner is an American as well but that owner has the cultural attitude to help customers. The others clearly did not.

The reason I say this is an insight into a bigger issue is the problem we are facing here in Michigan that is replicated in many other states and communities. We have a very well paid but long-time union work force. These employees have become ingrained with an entitlement mentality. Jobs are owed them. Benefits are owed them. A bountiful retirement is owed them. It has gotten so bad that they easily joke about how much they’ve gamed the system. This was possible when the Michigan automakers were an oligopoly and owned the vast majority of the US market. The auto companies’ management could pass on exorbitant compensation packages and tax the rest of the country to pay for it. Not any more. (And those who want to point fingers at us and that this doesn’t go on today need to look no further than to Seattle and Microsoft. We are all paying a tax to MSFT for a bug-ridden, in-secure operating system that is often the most expensive single component in a microcomputer.)

This is not a blog on union bashing. There clearly were needs for unions but like most, if not all, bureaucracies they become self-serving. They become more concerned with their own perpetuation and the perpetuation of their own positions than they are concerned about the people they are paid to help. Ultimately, the market will shake this out. I hope. The one cleaner got Destry’s $5. The other two did not. Where will Destry think of going next time?

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