Posts by Drew Johnson2

urbantinker8 said:Maybe you could just ask them while you're signing up as a volunteer why the DM never holds these things at local elementary schools.

Anyway, there’s this specific role called the exam coordinator, and there is only one assigned to each school, so it’s basically impossible for them to be in two places at once. They’re responsible for picking up, handing out, and collecting all the tests, handling all the tedious paperwork once everything wraps up, and then printing and distributing certain test questions (HJ) that arrive right before the exams actually start.
They also have to be physically present on-site for the entire duration of the testing period just in case anything weird happens or some issue pops up.
So, I really don't see how they could manage running multiple locations for a single school.
This person has these duties baked into their yearly workload, so it isn't really feasible to just appoint several people on the fly at every school, or to rely on volunteers—not that I'm trying to get ahead of anyone's suggestions here.
And, just to stay ahead of Nicholas King's complaints about how overly sophisticated or complicated everything is: I suppose that person doesn't need to be Einstein, but they probably should have the ability to be in two places at once.🤔

But what if that person happens to be on vacation the day the high school seniors take their exams? Does the entire national testing schedule just get canceled? Is there really no backup plan?

urbantinker8 said:It's absolute nonsense, really.🤦
I'm just hoping someone in her inner circle ended up giving her a lift to the testing site in a private car instead.

Let me tell you what the epidemiologist actually said to me. My niece, who lives in NYC and doesn't even own a vehicle, received the exact same instructions—just grab a taxi and go.

In my estimation, Fox seems significantly more steadfast than Divjak when it comes to these particular matters, so I am inclined to believe they might actually make it possible this year for anyone with the slightest bit of willpower to get out there...

William Nelson4 said:Go ahead, throw your name out there.
Last year, FEMA made this decision right around graduation time that they could pull people from other agencies "as needed" to help run exams—I definitely remember the local elementary schools and preschools mentioning it.

And regarding that provocation from Nicholas King: just sitting in a classroom during an exam isn't rocket science. Honestly, anyone with an average IQ- could handle it.

That sounds great, I'm in. I've got enough antibodies to last two lifetimes, so I'm not particularly worried about the risks...
I'll get in touch with the local emergency management office and let you know exactly what they have to say about it.

urbantinker8 said:God, you all are just so sweet, offering to pull proctoring duty like that.🤣🤣
Look, just send them an email to the district office, maybe they'll actually take you up on it.👍
And as for this talk about compensation, there isn't any pay involved, neither for the required staff nor for the volunteers.
It’s perfectly logical that there aren't enough rooms because, just to give you some context, besides the standard exams, schools also have to run "extended testing" for students with individualized learning plans. For instance, during a language exam, every one of those kids needs their own separate classroom. Usually, there are somewhere between 10 and 15 of them per grade level, sometimes more, which means you have to set aside 10 to 15 classrooms and assign 20 to 30 proctors just for them.😉
And when you consider there might be 150, 200, or even 300 students in a single grade, and everyone is testing at once...😁
That's how it works in every school, leaving absolutely zero room to host students from other districts—especially not in a place like Los Angeles, where half the schools are still dealing with structural issues from past disasters.
So, by all means, feel free to go ahead and organize it.🍿

And there simply aren't any elementary schools available, nor are there municipal spaces that could be repurposed for this purpose for those few days.
It seems there are nothing but problems and absolutely zero solutions... quite typical, really.

My mother was recently in touch with the CDC, and she actually took the liberty of asking one of their epidemiologists what the protocol would be if she started showing symptoms; apparently, she’d be required to travel all the way out to a remote town like 16 miles just to get tested, which presents quite a dilemma since she doesn't drive... The specialist advised her that taking a Greyhound bus might be an option, provided she wears two masks simultaneously and attempts to find a vacant corner of the bus far from any other passengers—and, of course, she must carry a doctor's note confirming the referral to ensure she isn't intercepted by authorities along the way.

If such a convoluted ordeal is considered feasible, then I suppose even passing the SATs should be a breeze...

urbantinker8 said:Well, I suppose there are a few hurdles, maybe. For one, there might not be enough "dedicated rooms," or perhaps the school doesn't even have a "separate entrance" to begin with. Then there's the matter of how many of these students there actually are—it could be a significant number. Plus, I wonder if there are even enough staff members available to supervise them across all three to nine SAT sessions, not to mention how many students fall into this category. And honestly, I can't help but wonder who is supposed to foot the bill for antibody testing for entire faculty departments across the whole country just to figure out who the lucky winners are?

Since there isn't sufficient space, does that mean they don't necessarily have to sit for the exam at that specific high school?
Let the Department of Education pick up the tab; honestly, what's the issue? Besides, if someone has recovered within a three-month window, they're generally considered immune from getting sick again. Given the supposed tidal wave of COVID sweeping through schools lately, I highly doubt they could even find a single teacher left without antibodies...
If they truly can't find anyone, I’d be more than happy to volunteer my services free of charge. I don't work in a school setting, but I do hold a teaching degree, so I imagine I could grasp the protocols quite easily...

And what exactly would be the issue with the protocol if we simply had those students use a dedicated entrance to access a separate area, where they could work under the supervision of someone who actually has antibodies and isn't at any risk...

Honestly, skipping your hair appointment is essentially the same level of catastrophe as failing your SATs...

I was out of the running for eight years, but as of January 1st, 2020, I’ve officially landed back in the beneficiary category... I think I have a handle on the whole filing process and how to report everything, but I seem to be hitting a bit of a wall because I can't find where to actually input the tax base for calculations or the specific tax amount anymore...

hollowfox3 said:So, you're telling me there’s absolutely zero paper trail from A to 6000? Let’s actually break this down...

$2.00 It’s practically mandatory if you don't want to play games with them. For instance, imagine finding an old sticker that’s been redesigned—they’ll catch you on that instantly. If you tell them you aren't paying the $6,000 right then and there, they start digging for more...
I remember one time I ended up shelling out $6,000 because my "No Underage Drinking" sign was outdated; apparently, the wording had changed to specifically include both serving and consumption, and I hadn't updated it yet...
Mind you, I wasn't even serving alcohol at that establishment...
On the very day a new regulation regarding how consumers file complaints went into effect, they showed up to check if we had the right signage. About ten of my colleagues ended up paying $6,000 each, though I managed to print and post mine just in time after they gave us a heads-up...
The bottom line is, you can't negotiate with these people: they tell you "you need this displayed starting today," and instead of saying "give us a day to get it done," they basically demand the $6,000 on the spot...

There was another occasion where I refused to pay a $12,000 fine simply because my espresso machine was being repaired; it broke down, you see, and I was waiting two days for a replacement to be delivered. Since I run a restaurant, it shouldn't have been a catastrophe—those two days wouldn't have killed us if we just served people coffee at the bar after dinner...
But, well, the inspector shows up and asks, "Where's your machine?" and I explain it's under repair. I tell him, "That's not fair, if coffee is on the menu, you must have a machine," and I even show him the receipt proving it's being fixed and a replacement is coming. He didn't care for my excuses...
Back then, since I was in a partnership, it would have cost $6,000 for each partner...
I fought it in small claims court, and I actually won...
To make matters worse, when I told him I wouldn't settle the ticket immediately and wanted a formal hearing so a judge could decide the matter, he actually threatened me, claiming I'd end up paying the judge $60,000...
So, honestly, I am not surprised by people who live in fear of these penalties; they spend their entire careers constantly intimidating us... it's practically part of their job description...

The fines leveled against small business owners here are absolutely astronomical and completely out of proportion with what we actually bring in... it's just nonsensical.
I suppose the excuse is that they don't want to penalize everyone at once, but honestly, once you’ve been targeted by the heavy hand of a state inspector during peak season, you stop being surprised by their tactics...
It’s practically an ultimatum right at your doorstep: do you want to settle for $6,000 right now, or should we start digging around until we find enough to charge you $50,000?
Because of that, I really don't see the point in trying to compare our regulatory enforcement—and I mean the inspectors, not the police—with how things work in other countries...

It isn't that we're afraid of nothing, hollowfox3, it's just that we know exactly who we're dealing with...
Now, we have actually managed to exert a bit of pressure on them over the last few months, which gives me some hope that if we stick together, we might actually win something... however, that requires absolute unity among us, and I can't say for certain if we've reached that level of solidarity yet. Then again, there are enough of us at this point who feel like we have nothing left to lose, so perhaps we might actually pull it off...

fadedranger162 said:It’s pretty wild that their max fine is only about $800, whereas over here, I think it starts at $10,000$0.00 for anyone caught without a mask. Honestly, if everyone just opened up all at once, who could actually stop them? They can't hand out fines to every single person in the country. Plus, if all the local restaurant owners teamed up and pooled their money to cover whoever gets hit with a fine, they could basically call the government's bluff. It's better to just follow the rules as best as possible—like sticking to outdoor seating or doing "coffee to go" so people can just hang out on curbs or low walls nearby.

That really is the only viable path forward, though I fear we won't see any such movement... People are simply too terrified of the penalties.
I share that anxiety, because right now, $33 facing those kinds of fines would quite literally mean bankruptcy for me.
If I were running a full corporation rather than just a small sole proprietorship, maybe I'd just be pushed into insolvency, but with my current setup, I'm personally liable for everything I own...
That being said, if a real grassroots initiative actually started moving in that direction, I’d be the first one through the door.
Well, whatever happens, happens... They’ve already stripped me of everything anyway.

Paul White9 said:And where exactly does it say you're required to isolate specifically there and nowhere else?

Well, that isn't necessarily the case... My neighbor actually used to rent out her spare room specifically for people needing to quarantine. However, one really ought to inform the local police department regarding which specific address you'll be staying at...

I’m actually suggesting we just divide up Chicago into zones—maybe roughly 1,000 people per area, so we don't go overboard... which would mean setting up about 800 different zones across the whole City just as a seven-day trial run. Then, we could finally see if anyone actually has any stomach left for this idiotic system...

Small Town on the island of Maui—just a little settlement without its own grocery stores or pharmacies... they all fall under the jurisdiction of Old Town, which is where they have their 3.7 miles. Now, Old Town doesn't even have a gas station, so people actually have to drive out to Key West or Maui itself just to fuel up. They even need a permit to get through. And yet, someone has the audacity to ask what kind of use anyone would have for fuel in Small Town... as if that were the primary concern. Honestly, how do they even manage to get to the grocery store in Old Town in the first place?

Just when you think things couldn't possibly get any more absurd, someone actually pulls you aside and asks, "What do you even need fuel for?" 😵

Gerald Kern77 said:I wasn't planning on jumping into this debate—but here we are; my husband and I actually live at different addresses. He’s retired and spends nearly the entire year by the coast due to his health—it would practically be breaking the law to keep him registered in the city where he might only spend two months during the winter. Meanwhile, I have several more years of work ahead of me, and since my job keeps me tied to Washington, D.C., it’s only logical that it remains my primary residence.

Do you really think there aren't more examples like this?

Well, I know of another case just like that. A husband who is retired on Martha's Vineyard while the wife is still working up in Miami. When the weather is nice for a weekend getaway, he heads out to Martha's Vineyard, and once he's been fully retired for about a year and a half, she'll likely move out there too...
I have no idea where they are officially registered, but if they were following the rules strictly, he should be on Martha's Vineyard and she should be in Miami.

For years, we actually kept our official residency registered at my father-in-law's place while living in an entirely different city... purely because we were renting, and honestly, it’s just how you navigate things—you convince the landlord to register you under someone else's name. I’m certain there are still plenty of people doing the exact same thing today. Of course, technically, a tenant is breaking the rules here, but let’s be real... if you finally stumble upon a decent apartment, you aren't going to pass it up just because of some paperwork technicality...

In Miami, finding a long-term rental for the whole year is practically impossible—though that might shift once the tourist season dies down—and if you even bring up the topic of a formal lease or official registration, you'll find yourself blacklisted before you can even finish your sentence...

Nicholas King said:Honestly, the Secretary of the Department of Justice shouldn't even be uttering a sentence like that—not even at a private family dinner.

It’s exactly what these bureaucrats love to do—presume they know how the penalty will land before the dust has even settled. I remember one occasion, back when I was dealing with an inspector from the Department of Commerce, she tried to pin some absolute nonsense on me regarding my Pilates setup, and since she wanted to demand a mandatory fine right then and there, I stood my ground and insisted on a full formal hearing...
And she looks down her nose at me and says, "You'd be much better off just paying the $6,000 now rather than dragging this to court, because the statutory fine ranges from $15,000 to $80,000, and trust me, the judge is going to skin you for $50,000, one hundred percent."
So I told her, "Fine, go ahead and file the paperwork..."

When I finally stood before the judge and repeated her exact words verbatim, the judge immediately bristled at the coercion and ruled that the charges were dismissed entirely...

It all really comes down to how the municipality is structured... On my island, for instance, there is one specific area that falls under a certain municipality, yet to actually drive there physically, you find yourself trekking through two other separate jurisdictions first. It is frankly absurd that islands are subdivided into multiple municipalities like this, and I suspect we are about to see exactly why that creates such a mess...