*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: It is not a fishing trip until you break something or lose something
Just came back from a long business trip to Asia. I had to go through immigration and customs in 5 countries, the final one being the US.
In China, Malaysia, and Japan (twice) everything was quick and extremely efficient. 5 Minutes max at any of these entry points.
Then I arrive in Chicago, the good old US. Landed at 8:50am and was one of the first off the plane. Walk through to immigration and was about 15th in line. The rest of the Jumbo filed in behind. Then another Jumbo arrived. There were about 300 people in the US passport or green card holder's line, and just as many in the foreign line.
There were two immigration booths working. Count them - two. All of the other booths were empty. This was at 9am on a weekday morning handling scheduled flights. Needless to say by the time I got through I missed my connection and American couldn't find me another connection until their 3:15pm flight, which eventually left at 5pm. A 7 hour layover. Making my travel time back from Malaysia a total of 38 hours door to door.
Yes, I was pizzed. But quite frankly as I stood in that line and looked back at all those people I was also very embarrassed. there was a supervisor walking back and forth and he was asked why there only two officers working. His answer - "we have a training session going on right now!"
The guys around me were steaming - but they agreed with me when I said that you can't even complain these days because they scream national security and give you a freaking hard time.
How the hell do we fix the issues with civil servants?
Actually, You DON'T disagree with me. You THINK you disagree with me, but you're mistaken. You're simply experiencing an illusion caused by the limits of your comprehension. -Dilbert
Just came back from a long business trip to Asia. I had to go through immigration and customs in 5 countries, the final one being the US.
In China, Malaysia, and Japan (twice) everything was quick and extremely efficient. 5 Minutes max at any of these entry points.
Then I arrive in Chicago, the good old US. Landed at 8:50am and was one of the first off the plane. Walk through to immigration and was about 15th in line. The rest of the Jumbo filed in behind. Then another Jumbo arrived. There were about 300 people in the US passport or green card holder's line, and just as many in the foreign line.
There were two immigration booths working. Count them - two. All of the other booths were empty. This was at 9am on a weekday morning handling scheduled flights. Needless to say by the time I got through I missed my connection and American couldn't find me another connection until their 3:15pm flight, which eventually left at 5pm. A 7 hour layover. Making my travel time back from Malaysia a total of 38 hours door to door.
Yes, I was pizzed. But quite frankly as I stood in that line and looked back at all those people I was also very embarrassed. there was a supervisor walking back and forth and he was asked why there only two officers working. His answer - "we have a training session going on right now!"
The guys around me were steaming - but they agreed with me when I said that you can't even complain these days because they scream national security and give you a freaking hard time.
How the hell do we fix the issues with civil servants?
It ain't going to get fixed. Service in the USA sucks unless you pay $$$ for it. I travel as well and I have never seen service so bad in the US in all of my life. The Airports are horrible for service and they don't care so don't even bother complaining it will do no good. Sorry but no one cares.
I am a retired civil servant. All I can say is that to me, it was very frustrating trying to change anything. Civil service and common sense in the same sentence is about as likely as an intelligent discussion of politics or religion on the internet......it "aint" happening.
Too bad Lee is almost 80. He might make a good president.
Lee Iacocca Says:
"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening?
Where the heck is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder.
We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over
a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't
even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But
instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when
the politicians say, "Stay the course"
Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the
damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and
maybe I have. But someone has to speak up.
I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in
handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and
nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms'
instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the
"America" my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had
enough. How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not
outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have.
The Biggest "C" is Crisis !
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis.
It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or
send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield
yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001,
we needed a strong leader more than any other time
in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A
Hell of a Mess. So here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for
leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the
country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our
once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas
prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy
policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The
middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that
cry out for leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders
gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the
people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense?
I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina.
Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the
hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made
in the crucial hours after the storm.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen
again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a
plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can
restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed
that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem.
The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away
at our country and milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your
asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being
hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is
everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break.
Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?
Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying
to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America.
In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's
greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: the
"Great Depression", "World War II", the "Korean War", the "Kennedy
Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the 1970s oil crisis, and the
struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one
thing, it's this: "You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines
waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better
car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to
play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to
"Action" for people who, like me, believe in America . It's not too
late, but it's getting pretty close.
So let's shake off the crap and go to work.
Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."
Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?".
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.
*****************
__________________ Life is short.....Eat dessert first!
Yankee HI-TECH Redneck, 2001 Four Winns 260, 8.1 liter
Just move to Asia if its so great, if I remember none of there largest buildings were knocked down by fanatic terrorists. Quit your whining and have some respect for 9/11. Everybody forgets so quickly we did not screw up this country, terrorist devils did.
What the he** does his comment have to do with showing respect for 9/11?It is the piss poor service that most of us receive when dealing with any situation the goverment is involved in.
What in the heck does a Ford Pinto catching fire have to do with US Customs?
Sept 11, 2001--- 6+ years ago, seems like we have had time to get things straight.
Menzies; In my limited experience with world travel, it's like the old saying. Some times you eat the bear, sometimes the bear he eats you. Surely if you are a frequent world traveller you have had trouble on more than just this one occassion.
__________________ Cape Horn 17, Yamaha F115
with
Elmo the Boat Dog
Yea this only applies to civili service... TRy getting much in the way of customer service at most private businesses these days. Customer service anywhere govt, private or corporate is tough anywhere...It aint right but it iswhat it is...
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
I have been traveling extensively for the past 12 years. My goal is to not be doing it at all 10 years from now. You can't change it and it is worthless to get angry about. Nearly everytrip has its problems. Funny thing is, I normally try to enter the US through Ohare because I have had much better luck there then most places. My advice is to either find a new job where you don't travel, or relax and go with the flow. Drinking alot helps too.
Travelling isn't really that glamorous. I could write a book with stories like yours. How was KL?
C'mon Surfie, the Pinto stuff is the same as The Corvair and that idiot lawyer Nader. I've road raced Pintos and Formula Vees, which had identical rear suspensions as the Corvair. Neither was inherently dangerous. Most Corvair problems stemmed from improper tire pressures. The Pinto wasn't the best design, but no worse than pickups with the gas tank behind the seat, or rigid steering columns that impailled people. Yes, none of the designs are around today. Neither are mechanical brakes, real bumpers, and myriad other improvements that evolve over time. Frankly, I'm fed up with government intervention into automobile design. Whatever happened to personal responsibility? Become a better driver.
Iaccoca was a free thinker in a narrow minded industry. Few people rise to the top by bucking the system..Lee did, and succeeded. Unfortunately, he's also smart enough not to get involved in politics. A shame.
One day while driving down the road I see another Corvair on the side of the road with the "hood" up. I stopped to ask the woman if she needed any help. She said yes she did her car stopped and when she rised the hood she found that she had no engine! Do, I told her - well, that's OK, your lucky, I have a spare engine in my trunk.
__________________ 1st Cav Div Air Assault Infantry RVN
-Can Do........ and .......Carry On -
One day while driving down the road I see another Corvair on the side of the road with the "hood" up. I stopped to ask the woman if she needed any help. She said yes she did her car stopped and when she rised the hood she found that she had no engine! Do, I told her - well, that's OK, your lucky, I have a spare engine in my trunk.
SG, have you had your meds yet? WTF does the Ford Pinto have to do with the NSA and Customs?
As not to further de-rail this thread, I am glad I rarely have to travel abroad. Traveling within the country is a real PITA as it is now. If I can drive there, I will.
Yea this only applies to civili service... TRy getting much in the way of customer service at most private businesses these days. Customer service anywhere govt, private or corporate is tough anywhere...It aint right but it iswhat it is...
Its a whole new world out there. Corporations are having to hire people to teach their new employees how to interact with the public, because most are clueless nowadays after having their mommies tell them their wonderful, and whatever they do and however they act its okay because their fine, its the rest of the world thats messed up.
Most people under 30, are so self absorbed, that the thought, "they may be the problem", is the furthest thing from their mind.
The new age of computers and text messaging has pretty much wiped out social skills.
.......................as far as government inspectors(baggage, passports, etc.) of whatever stripe, being accountable for their lack of productivity, and or poor judgement???........ its real tough to can someone in government, because they could be doing a better job.
When the vote came to federalize baggage inspectors etc. and give them almost "Carte Blanche" when it comes to behavior and production, not only did it end the interest of productivity and help send the deficit through the roof, but it encouraged workers to adopt a CYA big government attitude. Everyone and his brother is trying to prove they can slip something past them.
This last item, will always cause a reduction in performance, not an improvement.
"Corporations are having to hire people to teach their new employees how to interact with the public, because most are clueless nowadays after having their mommies tell them their wonderful, and whatever they do and however they act its okay because their fine, its the rest of the world thats messed up.
Most people under 30, are so self absorbed, that the thought, "they may be the problem", is the furthest thing from their mind.
The new age of computers and text messaging has pretty much wiped out social skills. "
Amen to that, I suggest to the youngsters at work that they pick up the phone and get an interactive discussion going with one of our clients to get to the bottom of a problem we are having. No they say to the phone call, an email is quicker they say. 4 or 5 email exchanges over the next 2 days later and they still haven't solved a problem that a 15 minute interactive discussion would have solved.
Frustrated and Embarressed 
WTF
1st Cav Div Air Assault Infantry RVN
