Randman's World

This is a composite picture I've been meaning to do for years.

Dad was a prison guard on Alcatraz in his younger days. The photo above is him in the guard house in the kitchen on Alcatraz. It's been published in several books about Alcatraz, and I'm lucky enough to have an original copy of it.

Several years ago, after Dad's passing, Kim and I went to San Francisco on vacation. We got a tour of Alcatraz, and I talked to the park rangers there. I told them I was a guard's son, and that I would love to recreate a photo of him. They had one of the books there in the library, and I showed them the photo. They were nice enough to open up the kitchen area (which is closed to visitors), and let me go in there to take the photo. They then asked if there were any other areas I would like to see. I really got the royal treatment.

It's amazing how little that area has changed. Except for the addition of an exit sign, and moving some file cabinets out of the room, 40+ years hasn't changed it much. And I'm amazed how accurately we recreated the shot.

Today would be Dad's 81st birthday. My son Charlie told me that he wanted to put on his jetpack and fly up into the clouds so he could sing his Grandpa Charlie Happy Birthday.

Me too.

With the debate on government health care heating up, I tried to think of one program that the government has run well. I classify "well" as providing the service required without extreme cost overruns.

Couldn't come up with one. The first couple that popped in my mind didn't do so well.

Nasa - gets the job done, but never for what they say it will. And, we are still flying with 70's technology. And they can't even get us a ship that will go back to the moon, something we did in the 60's.

Military - a model of inefficieny. Sure, they can kick butt and take names, but the disaster with equipment during the beginning of the Gulf War, plus the huge costs involved ($50,000 for a toliet?!?!) makes this a financial problem.

Government Housing - nuff said. Cabrini Green, anyone?

Medicare - Frought with fraud, it's almost a joke how much money goes out each year.

Education - Since the Department of Education was founded in 1980, can anyone truly say our education of the youth has gotten better?

I just don't see how anyone can hope that a government that couldn't run a "Cash for Clunkers" program correctly could handle every citizen's health care.