Dear Dad...

I found the following here.  I thought you all might enjoy it.


Letter home from school...

"Dear Dad,

$chool i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard. With all my $tuff, I $imply can't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love,
Your $on."

A week later..... a letter from "home"

"Dear Son,

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love,
Dad"

Taft Fact #3

In 2005, I spent a few excruciating months working for a rural Sheriff’s Office in eastern NC.  Shortly after I began, I learned that sheriffs’ offices in North Carolina are regulated by a much different set of rules than municipal agencies.  Because sheriffs are elected officials, the requirements for becoming a sheriff or working as a deputy are much more lenient than for police officers.  For example, the sheriff for whom I worked did not complete his high school education, which was not a prerequisite for taking office during his first term. 

Fortunately, the time I spent working for that sheriff was ultimately a blessing.  I would not fully appreciate my current situation had I not experienced the alternative.  Working for an unprofessional manager with a quick temper and a slow wit makes one appreciative of positive support and trusting management.

The sheriff’s lack of formal education and abhorrent management style made for some very interesting situations. One of the worst, which now ranks among my favorite law enforcement stories, happened about two months after I was sworn in.  The sheriff received a letter from the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Standards Committee informing him that my law enforcement credentials were revoked.  According to the notice, the committee discovered that I had an undisclosed arrest record.

As a politician, the sheriff was always aware of his reputation and the potential for scandals like this to affect his political career.  He sent a supervisor to my apartment to wake me up and escort me to the sheriff’s office (I worked the previous night shift).  When I arrived at the sheriff’s office, the following conversation ensued:

Taft:  Sheriff, you called for me?

Sheriff:  Shut up!  Sit down!  Look, what the hell’s wrong wit you, son?  I wish you’da told me you was a liar when I give you a job.  ‘Least then it woulda’ saved me the trouble of firin’ ya now.

(This is probably a good time to mention that the sheriff had a strong eastern NC accent, began most of his sentences with “Look”, and had a penchant for cursing at officers…but I’ll leave that part out.)

Taft:  I don’t understand.

Sheriff:  Shut up!  Look, you know what ya’ did.  You lied on ya’ personal hist’ry foam (read: form).

Taft:  No sir, I didn’t.

Sheriff:  Shut up!  Quit lyin’!  You know what ‘ya done.  Just shut up….

(pause)

Sheriff:  Well?  Explain ya’ seff.

Taft:  Sheriff, I still don’t understand what’s going on.

Sheriff:  Shut up!  The sheriff committee up in Raleigh says you done lied.  You been arrested and you lied about it.  You’s just a sorry liar.

(As soon as he mentioned an arrest record, I understood what was going on.  I admit, a better man would have stopped the whole ordeal right here...but I didn't) 

Taft:  Sheriff, you’re wrong.

Sheriff:  Shut up!  You just lyin’ again.

Taft:  Sheriff, what details did they give you about the arrest?

Sheriff:  It says right here William T. Love was arrested in Cabarrus County for drunk and disorderly.  Why didn’t you tell me you was a no good drunk?  You drunks is all liars, so I guess it makes sense.

Taft:  Sheriff, what’s the date of arrest?

Sheriff:  It says you was arrested in nineteen and eighty eight.

Taft:  Sir, that was 17 years ago.

Sheriff:  I don’t care if it was a hundred n’ seventeen years ago.  You was arrested and you’s a liar makin’ me look bad to my constichensy.

Taft:  Sheriff, I was born in 1984.

Sheriff:  Shut up!  I don’t give a lick about…. You was fo’ years old.

(The sheriff didn’t miss a beat.  He leaned over so that he could see into the next office and address his secretary, Evelyn)

Sheriff:  Evelyn, what the hell?  How’d you miss this?

Sheriff:  Taft, you a good boy.  Get on back to bed, you need some rest to get back to all ‘at good work you been doin.

Until next time.

-Taft

Dependable

According to the Oxford Dictionary, dependable is defined as, “trustworthy and reliable.”  In a previous post, I mentioned that I consider trust to be a form of currency in the workplace.  Thanks to some excellent supervisors and two outstanding parents, I learned this lesson early in my career and applied it to my work beginning on day-one.  

As a direct result of that lesson, I have built a reputation for being a dependable colleague and employee over the past six years.  Although I take immense pride in my accomplishments as a police officer and detective, I am most proud of the fact the people around me know that they can count on me to do my job and do it right.  I believe that outstanding performance is only valuable to an organization if it is delivered consistently.

My bosses know that I will show up and that I will do whatever it takes to complete an assignment.   Since beginning work with my current agency, I have consistently delivered excellent performance.  I have never taken a sick day and never lost a case.  I have earned the privilege of handling nearly all of the politically-sensitive and time-sensitive cases that make their way to my agency’s investigations division.

If I am given the opportunity to work in a marketing or advertising department, I will bring the same dedication and dependability to work every day.  I promise to do whatever it takes to deliver the same results wherever I go.

Until next time.

-Taft

How Fixing The Economy Is Like Losing Weight

Every couple of years I decide that it's time to lose a few pounds and get back in fighting shape.  The first step is to choose a weight loss program.  Invariably I find myself reading countless books and articles on the newest and most effective ways to shed pounds.  I am always surprised by the number of "gurus" who have the figured out the secret to quick and easy weight loss.  These experts dispense advice ranging from no carbohydrates to limited food intake at night.  If I decide that cutting out carbohydrates or limiting fat intake is too much of a hassle, that's no problem - there are plenty of pills that can help me lose weight without diet or exercise.  Check it out for yourself.

I have noticed recently that a similar pattern exists within politics.  If you turn on the TV and start listening to the pundits, you'll hear an endless stream of quick and easy ways to solve our economic woes.  The right suggests tax cuts for the "top earners" and a return to trickle-down economics while the left wants the rich to pay their fair share in order to extend entitlements and inject more cash into the economy.  There are innumerable other similar solutions being touted by experts, each of which promises to drag the economy out of the gutter and return the United States to its pre-2008 debt-fueled glory.

Herein lies the problem.  In politics, as in weight loss, we are constantly searching for a magic bullet.  Everyone wants to find the next quick and easy solution to our problems.  Thanks to our need for instant gratification and our short attention span, we rally around any well-funded (read: well-advertised) politician who promises quick and effective change.  The problem with these quick fixes is that they ignore the serious, fundamental problems that led us into trouble in the first place.  Our current economic situation was not created overnight.  The bubble grew for over 25 years before it finally burst.  We must come to terms with the fact that it cannot be fixed overnight.  We are in for at least one or two decades of reparation, assuming we start right away.

The purpose of this article is not to present yet another way to fix our economy.  Rather, it is to suggest that we adjust our focus and address the systemic issues that allowed us to rack up debt for over two decades.  It is to suggest that we stop blaming China, Bush, Obama, and "corporate greed" for the problems that grew on our watch.

I would like to hear your thoughts.  What changes can we make to the system itself that will allow us to begin fixing our broken economy?

Until next time.

-Taft