Collusion as a collision of spirits
The transit system is starting to stabilize. Two days in a row; home in reasonable time. The police (that wave their arms) are improving their technique, and the the new “terminus” on the university campus is starting to herd the stampede. Or something like that. I’m glad, because spending the winter waiting for late transit would not be a “fun activity”.
Here in the city, the new word of the day is collusion. In which greed enters into collision with the funds of the taxpayer and transforms into a new way to get rich on the backs of your neighbours. Specifically, the engineering firms that take great pride in posting their corporate logo on mega-projects have been caught with their hands in the proverbial sack. Price fixing. Kickbacks. Percentage of the big number, to a small number of people. The mayor is (as usual) beside himself, and wants immediate payback. Ain’t gonna happen!
Think about it. If you ask for tenders on a project, where you know the market value beforehand, and the bids are always a) equal among the competition and b) higher than they should be… see what I mean. The fraud required a giver and a taker, and the giver was paid a salary to avoid just such things. If the companies have to return ill-gotten gains, so do the administrators. And that doesn’t happen. Everyone will claim their innocence and it will be business as usual.
But enough complaining (for today). I think I’ll curl up with a good book and a loaner dog. Read a little, scratch a little, smile.
