Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for November 18, 2016

Looks like things are functioning as they should…..

looks like a typical shakedown. look for more shakedowns in the next four years, maybe eight.

I’m from the govt and I’m here to help

In small towns and rural areas, government is often more reasonable. Not always, by any stretch. (Some are even worse than big cities.)

I knew there would be a bribe in there somewhere. (Grin)Seriously, where’s the gag in this weeks strip?

Demonstrates well the worthlessness of regulators.

Hi, I’m from the government and I’m here to help. NOT!!!

I don’t think China has a lot of OSHA-type regulations. Of course, they have polluted rivers and toxic air, plus they ship toys with lead paint and dog food with metal shavings to the United States so our kids and pets can get sick and die, but, hey, laissez faire and caveat emptor, right?

Many regulations are not inherently bad. The problem is often with the regulators. The get a little power and they quickly learn how to abuse it. As an example I offer the NYC Parking Enforcement Bureau or most any state’s department of motor vehicles.

Wow! I wish that our health inspector was like that when I managed restaurants for 17 years. They were power hungry little tyrants whom you could not fight back against. This man is doing his job, but working with the kids, not against them!

Around here, the city health inspector is a vet. Makes you think.

Of course it smells great. It was cooked in a commercial equipped kitcken that had been inspected and approved, by people that run a clean kitchen, then transported in hot food “warmers” to the storefront where it was held at over 170 F until served. Perfectly safe to eat and the inspector knows it! Food at Gene and MaryLu’s was always perfectly safe to eat. Regulations do NOT always make sense. How much will it cost Gene and MaryLu to do USELESS work to get into compliance? It could be enough to put then out of business. Hopefully, not.

Take a look at the FDA’s warning letters here: http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/default.htm. It certainly makes me appreciate the work they do.

Two words — FOOD TRUCK

Where are they going to find the space to put in a ‘approved’ kitchen, they can fit only a couple of tables as is? Is this a precursor for them to expand their restaurant?

LOL……

Had an electrical inspector who drug me over the regulatory coals a few years back when I put an addition on my house. This puffed up little twerp pretty much was in the way for me and my contractor. Later learned he was an inspector because he was a failure as an electrician. The rest of the inspectors were helpful and reasonable. It depends on the inspector….

When I was doing boxer rescue there was a problem with the state. The law didn’t mention anything about “foster homes,” which most breed-specific rescues can’t operate without. Someone from the appropriate agency came (I’m thinking it was Fish and Wildlife) and suggested that we get a license as a “shelter” but to keep quiet about “foster homes.” He was nice about it, and agreed it was stupid to ignore something just because it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the legal code but his boss was …. well, maybe I’ll think of something appropriate to describe his boss.

Kids, you’re gonna be blown away by the cost.

Apikoros

As oppose to the worst minds of the 1590s possessed by anarchists wanting to exploit people without restraint.

Hmmmm… If he thought the food prep was hazardous to public health why would he eat it himself? Hunh?

Typical government bureaucratic hypocrite! Can President Elect Trump take office soon enough?

jbmlaw, an inspector wasn’t doing his job and signed off on a project at our house without looking or caring or who knows. And that is how we got carbon monoxide in the house.

Eons ago, I loved to read the comic strip “Gasoline Alley”. One of the things I enjoyed about it was, unlike “Dennis the Menace”, time flowed. characters grew up, grew old, and, sadly, died.

“Arlo and Janis” is one of my favorite strips for pretty much the same reasons. I’m really enjoying the stories about Gene and his family. He was such a cute kid.

I’m liking this story line better than A & J latelySpin off I say

Well, his parents apparently do nothing but sit on a couch and talk to a cat, so they have some labor resources there…

I know one food truck owner who gets along just fine with their inspectors. As he explained it, they’re all in the same business: don’t kill the clients, it’s bad for business.

Sadly, some inspectors are just in it for the paycheque. The same food truck owner failed EVERY inspection when he first got the food truck (health, gas, fire, etc.), because the previous owners had managed to get along a little too well with THEIR inspectors. Every sticker was there, but it didn’t actually meet the standards.Unfortunately, the previous owners also get along very well with the local justice system members, making complaints counter-productive.

Inspectors perform an important function. Unfortunately, some have lost the plot, and the system tends to be deficient in allowing corrections when that happens.

For 18 years I worked for a chain restaurant. At annual meetings. The loneliest people at the meeting/convention meals breakfast, lunch and dinner… were the corporate food safety personnel. They lived the ‘potential’ horrors of mishandled food daily. They became paranoid and would barely eat any of the prepared meals served to hundreds of attendees. They knew the dangers and it showed. We specifically avoided them so we could eat in peace and enjoy our meals.