The Bookkeeper and Santa Reed...You decide

[Clipper]

Written by someone who has written on blogs in the past, and has posted on several discussion forums in the past. Even an "official letter" when coming from a "lay person" should be given a little latitude. Like I said in MY post. I wrote a lot of what you might define as "official letters" and they got the point across, and were "on point" without being professionally written. Possible one might have a "legal authority" read them for content, but even so, I don't see the big deal on a local, small town stage. If the point is made with no legal ramifications, the mission is accomplished.

Just one of those "'agree to disagree" on the importance of the point made. No offense meant. I guess I am not able to multi task to the point of reading something, trying to digest the meaning and content, and at the same time dissect the technical writing of the piece.

I used to get pissed at my college educated, school teacher brother and sister when they picked at, or corrected my Dad's grammatical errors. I used to tell them, "yep, that big dummy was damn sure smart enough to earn the money to put your pompous asses through college, haha."

[dgriffin]

I'm at a loss here to understand why education keeps coming up. After "begs the question," which we've discussed here before, we were having a little fun with fussy phrasing and convoluted syntax, not necessarily broken grammar. The writer seems to pump up his or her complaint with phrasing that would be more appropriate in a collection notice. "Effect a payment" is a bit over the top.

[Clipper]

I think Clarence explained his position, as well as what "bugged me" about it, with the realization that he was possibly in an "overly pendantic" mood. I guess I am "sensitive" to the word "pendantic" and just have a thing about people utilizing their EDUCATION and knowledge, to criticize someone that obviously is not as well versed.

Having listened to my brother and sister correct my Dad's English grammar for several years, I found that they were not ostentatious in their criticism, they were just plain obnoxious. I apologize for being a overly sensitive in that area.

Education should not be a stone to hurl at others, and that is what I have seen many times over the years. Education is a wonderful thing. I only chose to get a two year degree, and I have never worked in the accounting field since acquiring it. I quit college and served my country because I CHOSE to do so. I have never regretted it, and have gained more knowledge from life's experience than I ever would have gleaned from schooling.

My siblings are both great people, great teachers with over 25 years in the classroom, and great moms, dads, husbands and wives. I do sympathize with them however, because if they EVER lost their jobs, neither one of them is capable of doing much else. They might possibly find a job stocking shelves in a bookstore. That is how restricted their "education" has left them.

I apologize to you guys for lumping you in with the limited experience and particular personal resentment concerning the correcting of someone's use of the language. I just see red rats when someone is making a "heartfelt" statement, with the language skills that they possess, however extensive or limited they may be, and someone distracts folks from the subject of the statement, while adding nothing to the discussion at hand.

To me the education factor IS a factor Dave. I don't resent anyone having one. I don't resent not having a more in depth "formal" education of my own. I simply watched two snot nosed kids, stone my "hero" with their "newfound" knowledge one time too many, and I get a bad taste in my mouth when subjected to unsolicited grammar lessons.

I truly DO apologize for stoning you guys, (YOU EDUCATED guys, haha) with my personal angst, brought about by incidents of many years ago. (Hell, I don't know why I even try to apologize. Everyone knows that I am an opinionated pain in the ass, and that won't change any time soon, LOL)

[dgriffin]

Yeah, me too.

[swampfox]

Clipper,

I am a PhD and believe me, grammar is the least of one's worries. For Dave and other writers who appear to be anal retentive on grammar and thought processes; perhaps, they should [first] look at one of the attachments, specifically, that of Michael Sciotti, Esq., labor litigator and and expert in the labor field. Mr. Sciotti's "advisory" opinion to the Honorable Earle Reed was not fact based nor were there legal decisions incorporated into his letter to Town Supervisor Reed.

It does beg the question, "Did Dave and others take time to read Cathy's blog and attachments?" I beg to differ, if they had.

By the way: The term "begs the question" is a colloquial term and is accepted in many venues. If one has to be anal retentive...then that becomes their problem. Anal retentive individuals are a breed unto themselves.

I wish to applaud Catherine Lawrence on her websites and the true passion in which she writes. Concerned Citizens, I am sure is proud to have her entertain blog readers both far and wide.

Lastly, editorial license is a good thing and injects humor into one's writings. Dave and others should try it sometime. It could help one's anal retentive moods.

[dgriffin]

I think I counted "anal rententive" four times in the last post.

Wiki: "Freud theorized that children who experience conflicts during this period of time may develop "anal" personality traits, namely those associated with a child's efforts at excretory control: orderliness, stubbornness, a compulsion for control, as well as a generalized interest in collecting, possessing, and retaining objects. Those whose anal characteristics continue into later life are said to be "anal retentive", or conversely, those who reject anal characteristics are said to have "anal expulsive" personality types. Some believe this to be a mild expression of obsessive-compulsive disorder or obsessive-compulsive personality disorder."

Can't be me. I always carry toilet paper in the trunk.

Not to say everyone likes my opinions....

[Clipper]

Oh dear, let us just agree to disagree and let this one go by the wayside. There is nothing to be gained by further discourse but ill feelings for each other. Agreed? I think we have all made our points and we are ALL detracting from the original purpose of the thread. The subject has become obscure in all of my babbling and the resulting replies.

[frankcor]

I disagree.

[Clipper]

Hmmm where is that one fingered salute when I am looking for it. Are you using the wooden spoon frank, or has this one rated the canoe paddle?

[dgriffin]

I can't remember what we were talking about.

Frank, I'm still waiting for your response to my post in the joke section.

[clarencebunsen]

Personally, I get a lot of fiber.
If I disagree with frank's disagreement, do I need to state with what I do agree?

Education is a tough thing to quantify. Dave & I were educated in entirely different venue's but by Kindred spirits (my 8th grade arithmetic teacher made me do 10 lines of penmanship practice on every homework assignment).

From grade 6 through 11, I was educated in North Dakota, a state which ranks near the bottom in dollars spent per pupil but near the top in achievement on standardized tests. It was one of the last states to require that public school teachers have at least some college education and when I lived there, the school district did not provide text books, parents were expected to buy them.

The only way that this could work was that education was considered important. North Dakota has produced no scholars or authors of note, but does have a well educated and well read populace. Would it surprise anyone that Jamestown, ND, (a dot on the prairie) has a library larger than New Hartford's.

All of this as a preface to why sloppy usage bugs me. Whether it is confusion between hominyms, confusion between words like less or fewer or misuse of a phrase like "begs the question", to me all indicate a lack of respect for the reader; no effort to try to get it right.

Sorry if I sound like someone stuck in the 20th century.

[Clipper]

LOL. Stuck in the 20th century? I think we all have that problem Clarence. North Dakota. Does it stop snowing there, and warm up long enough to go to school. I drove a truck based in Duluth Mn for a while, and used to pass through the arctic wasteland that was North Dakota in winter quite often. Minnesota was cold enough, but at least we had trees to stop the wind. I think we used to get all the snow that simply blew across N Dakota and on into Minnesota. LOL.

When I worked for the Air Force, we used to kid around, and say that if the Air Force ever needed an enema, Minot AFB ND. is where they would stick the hose.

[dgriffin]

[frankcor]

I'm on it, Dave.