how petty are they?

stevepaa · 11-01-2006, 10:54 AM

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,226769,00.html

What would you have done? This just seems to highlight the pettiness, hyporcrisy and superior moral attitude in this admin.

mikester · 11-01-2006, 10:57 AM

He did show a poor example for the kids on the bus.

Jim Richards · 11-01-2006, 10:58 AM

As a parent, I'm not pro-bird for bus drivers with kids on board. But hey, that's just me.

notfarnow · 11-01-2006, 11:04 AM

In his own car, fine.
Driving a school bus, nay.

IMO, if he gave the finger to ANYBODY while driving a school bus, he should be fired.

Jeff Higgins · 11-01-2006, 11:06 AM

Sara Niegowski, said the gesture was "not at all appropriate modeling for students on the bus."

Sounds like Ms. Niegowski still gets it. I don't care if this asshat flipped off just another motorist; he just doesn't get to do that in front of a busload of kids.

That's the trouble with this mindset in the liberal camp. From flipping off Presidents, to shouting down invited guests speaking at colleges, and all the way up to inciting riots, they seem to feel that if their message is important enough (to them) that any and all manners and decorum can go out the window.

Flipping off another driver is actually ticketable as a "road rage" offense here in Washington. They should nail him with that as well. He would lose his ability to drive professionally, at least for awhile. There is just no excuse for this, but I think I can already see our resident liberals lining up with them... "Freedom of speach", "freedom of expression", yada yada yada...

Superman · 11-01-2006, 11:10 AM

We all work with people like Reichert and Dubya. They're the reason we keep those special cover-your-ass files. They point fingers and do their best to hang people's careers out to dry over some technical policy violation. Of all the people in the work place, I hate then the most by far. Their focus is EVERYWHERE except the business at hand. They don't lose sight of the real target because they NEVER SAW IT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

LOL! In my day the bus driver would've had all the KIDS flip him off. If not moon 'em.

And FWIW I got the chance to flip him off a couple years ago. I was on my motorcycle southbound on the 405 freeway with the motorcade going northbound (from LAX). If you stand on the pegs of a motorcycle, it makes you a LOT taller than the surrounding cars and I was in the left-hand lane already (closest to the northbound lanes) so I'm sure SOMEONE saw me.

I actually got a few "thumbs up" and approval honks from some of the cars around me stuck in traffic.

Superman · 11-01-2006, 11:15 AM

And let me be more clear. I think this is actionable. Flipping off other motorists is not okay, and doing it in front of kids is also not okay. Just like chatting on Pelican is not okay on work computers. The real question is who is enough of an ******* to go out of their way to make sure someone else is punished for the behavior. The vast majority of people will not go out of their way to avenge this. Dubya and Reichert will. Indeed, in the workplace, when you start talking about the central focus of the organization to these people, they actually get confused looks on their faces. "Make money? Build stuff? communicate? No, we're here to follow procedures and make sure everyone else follows procedures, right?" Wrong!

Jim Richards · 11-01-2006, 11:19 AM

Supe, you're reaching.

legion · 11-01-2006, 11:22 AM

Supe, I can't help but think you'd have a very different opinion if the driver's supervisor did something like this to--oh I don't know--someone like Bill Clinton.

stevepaa · 11-01-2006, 12:28 PM

I think it is petty of any admin person to follow up in getting someone fired for this. Give him a TICKET!

legion · 11-01-2006, 12:34 PM

Where does it say the admin. insisted on getting this guy fired? From what I can tell, they reported him and his employer opted to fire him. Don't let that get in the way of the irrational arguments though.

Nathans_Dad · Nathans_Dad's Garage

It's really pretty simply. A bus driver should not be flippin off ANYONE with a bus full of kids. Would you have the same excuse if he/she yelled "F*ck you President Bush!!" out the window with all the kids there? That IS what flipping someone off means, you know.

The bus driver stepped outside the bounds of what is expected in that profession. I would expect them to fire her for flipping anyone off with a bus full of kids, President or not.

You may now return to your usual partisan idiocy.

Burnin' oil · 11-01-2006, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by legion
Where does it say the admin. insisted on getting this guy fired? From what I can tell, they reported him and his employer opted to fire him. Don't let that get in the way of the irrational arguments though.

That was my question. If a school bus driver flipped me off, I'd call the school district and I sure wouldn't feel petty or hypocritical doing it.

stevepaa · 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
It's really pretty simply. A bus driver should not be flippin off ANYONE with a bus full of kids. Would you have the same excuse if he/she yelled "F*ck you President Bush!!" out the window with all the kids there? That IS what flipping someone off means, you know.

The bus driver stepped outside the bounds of what is expected in that profession. I would expect them to fire her for flipping anyone off with a bus full of kids, President or not.

You may now return to your usual partisan idiocy.

Really? Flipping someone off deserves to be fired? A coworker flipped off someone outside the gates and was called to the security office. He had flipped off the security manager and was called in by the security manager and berated.

I think the manager overstepped his bounds. What do you think?

Most of you presumed kids saw him do this and I presumed the admin forced the firing. Maybe we are both wrong?

dd74 · 11-01-2006, 01:07 PM

As said...A spokeswoman, Sara Niegowski, said the gesture was "not at all appropriate modeling for students on the bus."

Flip Bush off on your own time, and move on.

Jeff Higgins · 11-01-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by stevepaa
Really? Flipping someone off deserves to be fired? A coworker flipped off someone outside the gates and was called to the security office. He had flipped off the security manager and was called in by the security manager and berated.

I think the manager overstepped his bounds. What do you think?

Most of you presumed kids saw him do this and I presumed the admin forced the firing. Maybe we are both wrong?

Entirely appropriate response to the situation at work, stevepaa. The employer can set standards of conduct for employees and most do. Flip some one off where I work, and if it is reported (I don't think it ever has been...) and verified, some one may be fired or at least suspended.

I don't care if the kids saw this or not. That is not even relevant. This behavior is unnacceptable coming from a bus driver. Hell, if a school bus driver ever flipped me off, I would certainly file an official complaint and pursue it right up to and including the loss of their job, if at all possible.

Now if it were just me and him, my prefered course of action when flipped off (if it looks like he meant it) is to approach and confront the flipper. Ask him if he would like to back it up. Obviously, this is not possible in all situations, like this one. Yup, the Walter Mittys of the world sure feel secure in this behavior when they are sure there won't be any consequences. I'm glad that in this case there are.

stevepaa · 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
Entirely appropriate response to the situation at work, stevepaa. The employer can set standards of conduct for employees and most do. Flip some one off where I work, and if it is reported (I don't think it ever has been...) and verified, some one may be fired or at least suspended.

This happened off plant. You still think this was appropriate action by the security manager.

Flipping someone off gets one fired? Sounds pretty harsh to me.

What would sticking one's tongue out do? Or a mean sneer? Seriously!

Superman · 11-01-2006, 01:33 PM

I would hope that the driver did not allow any kids to see this gesture. Either way, discipline is appropriate here. Professional drivers should not do this, but in fact they do. Truck drivers do not generally get fired for this.

Okay, having said all that......I wonder if anyone other than Steve and I and maybe a couple more folks have any opinion about Reichert's decision to pick up the phone, call the school district after being flipped off, and said "Yeah, this is Dave Reichert, congressional representative for the xx district and candidate for United States Senator. I was riding in a limousine with PRESIDENT BUSH when we noticed the driver of Bus Number XXX displaying his middle finger out the window at us. We, PRESIDENT BUSH and I feel that you will probably want to apply a severe disciplinary action in this instance. Right?"

I hate tattle-tales. And I hate rule-watchers. Self-appointed Hall Monitors. I notice there is a HUGE difference in work product between the folks who keep their heads down and exercise their best judgement (which sometimes means bending a rule occasionally) versus the useless, waste-of-space humanoids that are more interested in rumors and the behavior of co-workers than they are interested in moving the organization forward.

If you're a tattle-tale and you live in the Seattle area, then you'll want to stay away from me. Just like they enjoy getting others into trouble, I enjoy watching them leave employment at my organization.

Racerbvd · Racerbvd's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by stevepaa
This happened off plant. You still think this was appropriate action by the security manager.

Flipping someone off gets one fired? Sounds pretty harsh to me.

What would sticking one's tongue out do? Or a mean sneer? Seriously!

Setting the example is what got him fired!! He was driving the bus, so he was representing the company and they have every right to fire them!! If some who works for me pulled a stunt like this, I would fire his ASS too!!! :finger: