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Lefty Economics and Paper Towels
The government, always keen to save some of your tax dollars, has done something intriguing at my workplace. Recently, the janitorial contractors have been busy replacing the old paper towel dispensers in bathrooms with new fancy dispensers that magically spit out dead trees at the wave of a hand. Unlike the old dispensers – where people would just grab a wad of towels, dry their hands, and throw away many unused pieces – the new ones provide only what is needed. Or so it would seem.
These technological marvels of dispensation can be set to produce a specific amount of paper per wave of hand. In one building where I work, the janitor did the smart thing and set the length to an adequate level, about 12 inches. This was all fine and dandy until some manager came along and determined that the machine functioned too efficiently, so he limited the distribution by a couple of inches. Now the paper dispensed is inadequate to perform the job, so everyone waves their hand a second time in front of the sensor for a second towel. In the hope of saving two inches of paper per use, this ignoramus managed to raise the average use to 20 inches.
This is, to me, a perfect example of the left’s view of economics: intentions matter, results be damned.
Published in General
Well put in regard to paper towels KP!
A few years back in California I first encountered another nonsense that parallels the automated paper towel rationing machine — the urinal that doesn’t flush. It is a disgusting innovation that takes me back to the outhouses of my Oklahoma roots. Rather than a quick flush that tidies up and eliminates odor this restroom innovation depends on the force of gravity to move urine down the drain path. This innovation appears to have now swept the country.
Please, oh, please Lord. Can we again have the freedom to be blessed with modern hygeine and to dry our hands in peace?!?!?!!!!
I hate the bathrooms that have only a hot air dryer cuz sometimes I have to blow my nose and I have to retreat to a stall to grab some TP. I like having both options.
I usually wear black pants, so I have the option of shake then pat dry on my pants with nobody noticing.
Once, I was stupidly waving at the paper towel dispenser to no effect. Then I realized it wasn’t an automatic one.
Actual conversation I just made up:
Tree-Hugging Do-Gooder: We need to save the trees!
Low-Level Bureaucrat: OK, we’ll install automatic paper towel dispensers so people won’t take two or three sheets.
The Commissar: Give them shorter sheets – it’s part of the five-year plan.
We The People: Shine that! We’ll just wave our hands around like Bob Fosse doing the Jazz Hands thing and get what we need.
Voice Of Reason: Maybe we should just make the sheets longer.
Hillary Clinton: WE WILL NOT GO BACK TO THE FAILED POLICIES OF THE PAST WHICH GOT US INTO THIS MESS!
Why do you think at coal powered hot air dryer is better for the environment than using a renewable resource to dry your hands?
I like coal.
Actually, both of my posts on this subject were meant to be tongue in cheek. See #36. I guess I need to ramp up the absurdity to make my tone clearer.
She did indeed. I don’t see why the paper towel optical sensors couldn’t be used for toilet paper, too…..
Well they weren’t right. I was just going to post this same thing till I read yours. We built a new house in 2001. Our builder installed the new “water conservation” toilets in all our bathrooms. I already knew they were inefficient, and I told him to give me normal ones, but he said they weren’t allowed to install anything but the new ones anymore. It is completely absurd. Not to mention what it does to your water bill, and did I mention Texas is in a years-long drought and we have water restrictions. They should change it to Leftwing Stupid Ideas Restrictions.
I heard a Democrat give a speech. Does that count?