A Critique of the Televised "2009 National Engineers Week" Television
Program, Videotaped at the State Capitol Building Complex in Annapolis, Maryland
by Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E.
1. Historical Background
The televised "2009 National Engineers Week" program was produced to be televised on the "International Definition" television program. The "International Definition" television program is regularly aired on television station Access Montgomery (Channels 19 and 21). The television station Access Montgomery is located in the city of Rockville, Maryland. The show airs throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. "International Definition" is also regularly scheduled on television station Fairfax Public Access (Channel 10) in the city of Fairfax, Virginia. The show airs throughout Fairfax County, Virginia. The host and producer of "International Definition" is Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E. In addition to being the name of the television program, "International Definition" is also the name of an academic discipline which was established by the statement of the First and Second Laws of International Definition. During the year 2009, "International Definition", the television program, will become fifteen (15) years old. The first broadcasts of "International Definition" took place at television station DCTV in Washington, D.C. during 1994.
2. Location of the Event
The location of the videotaping was the legislative capitol of Maryland. The capitol building complex is located in Annapolis, Maryland.
3. The Delegate Who Hosted the "2009 National Engineers Week" television videotaping in Maryland's Capitol
The delegate who hosted the "2009 National Engineers Week" television videotaping event in Maryland’s capitol was Delegate Justin Ross of Maryland's 22nd District.
4. An Assessment of the Event
This event would have been much more relevant to the engineering profession if Delegate Justin Ross had prepared himself more adequately. His references to topics which would be of interest to engineers were minimal. I sent him a set of the questions which I planned to ask him several weeks prior to the event. My initial contacts were with Delegate Justin Ross, and then I began to have more frequent contacts with his staff, including Mr. Patrick Armstrong. Working through Mr. Armstrong, I invited Delegate Ross to review the questions and to suggest additional questions which Delegate Ross would care to answer during the interview. In addition, I invited them to remove any questions with answers which Delegate would not care to discuss. I explained to Delegate Ross, and to his staff, that each one of my shows lasts for approximately 28 minutes. This is the same strategy which I used with Robert Miller, P.E., of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers and Past President of the National Society of Professional Engineers. The engineering societies handled the interview situation very well. Unfortunately, Delegate Justin Ross did not seem to be as well prepared as Robert Miller, P.E. was. When I invited Mr. Ross, through Mr. Armstrong, to include “additional topics”, one of the topics which I had in mind was infrastructure facilities, but I did not know whether Delegate Ross preferred to discuss the infrastructure on a local, state, national, or international basis. Another topic which I had in mind was the Bay Bridge (U.S. 50/301). Because this bridge is operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority, I thought that it should be of interest to the Maryland legislature. Perhaps next year's program might include a speaker from the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Besides the Bay Bridge (U.S. 50/301), Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S.A. While an estuary cannot be regarded as a part of the infrastructure, the bay itself has been the recipient of an enormous amount of environmental engineering, and I thought to myself, “Perhaps Delegate Ross might like to talk about that.” I was not sure, so I left it up to Delegate Ross. He never said anything about either the Chesapeake Bay or the Bay
Bridge (U.S. 50/301), but they are both excellent topics for discussion.
5. International, National, and Local Examples of Infrastructure Problems
I will now provide readers with three (3) examples of infrastructure problems in the public sector. I will label these examples as being international, national, and local, respectively.
5-1. An International Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
Hurricane Katrina made people around the entire world aware of the dangers which can be associated with the practice of ignoring infrastructure weaknesses. Today, the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers are still working on a solution to the infrastructure problems in the city of New Orleans. One of the reasons for regarding this example as being international is the fact that rescue workers from Mexico became heavily involved in the emergency operations. Some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina are still displaced. The hurricane struck in 2005.
5-2. A National Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
At this point, it important to keep certain information in mind about our national infrastructure. The American infrastructure is aging, and many of its components are in a state of deterioration. A perfect example of the consequences of this situation can be found by examining our American bridges. The kind of situation which I wanted Delegate Ross to address can be found by making reference to the Interstate-35W Mississippi River bridge. The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known simply as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bridge was completed in 1967, and its maintenance was performed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The bridge was Minnesota's fifth–busiest, and it carried 140,000 vehicles daily.
The bridge catastrophically failed during the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, collapsing into the river and riverbanks below. Thirteen people were killed and 145 were injured. Help came immediately (after the collapse) from mutual aid workers in the seven-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Rescue operations were carried out by emergency response personnel, charities, and volunteers. City and county employees managed the rescue using modern techniques and technology which probably saved numerous lives.
Oversight for the planning and construction of the interstate highway system comes from the federal and state levels. Notice that federal, state, county and city employees were all involved in this emergency operation. They are all public sector employees, and many of our infrastructure facilities are the responsibility of government leaders who are in the public sector.
5-3. A Local Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
Closer to home, within the last few months, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, also called the W.S.S.C., has experienced major water-piping problems which were caused by infrastructure weaknesses and deficiencies. Some of the W.S.S.C.‘s operations are located within Delegate Justin Ross’s own district, so he should be familiar with them.
At this time, I would like to point out the fact that Councilmember Tony Knotts used to work as a full time employee at the W.S.S.C. before he became a member of the Prince George’s County Council. His telephone number is (301) 952- 3860, and he will be glad to point Delegate Justine Ross in the right direction so that Delegate Ross will be able to present some meaningful facts about the W.S.S.C. during the videotaping of next year’s National Engineers Week Program. Councilmember Knotts can be reached by email at
tknotts@co.pg.md.us
and I have discussed this matter with him very recently. He told me, “The legislation for the W.S.S.C. has been written in such a way that both Prince George’s County and Montgomery County have to work together to develop a budget which they can both agree upon. Very often, that can be quite a difficult challenge.”
6. The Possibility of Confusion
I should point out the fact that a very understandable possibility of confusion exists. Because I did not specify a reference to terms such as “infrastructure”, “capital budgeting”, “capital assets”, and/or “engineering economics”, it is entirely possible that Delegate Ross might not have been clear on what I wanted and needed for the show and for the interview. Robert Miller, P.E., of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, and a former president of the National Society of Professional Engineers, knew exactly what to say, as a television guest. However, Mr. Miller is another engineer, and very often, engineers tend to think alike.
7. Editing Out, or Removing, Material Which is Not Suitable for Airing vs. Not Creating Such Material in the First Place
I could simply edit out Delegate Ross’s inappropriate comments, and in fact, that is one of the steps which I chose to take. Consequently, viewers who watch the show will not see or hear inappropriate remarks being made. However, if I only “clean up the videotape”, without making an effort to educate Mr. Ross, then I will have failed to educate an elected official in an area where education is very sorely needed.
8. This Critique is Not Intended to Excoriate, Chastise, Stigmatize, or Unfairly Criticize Delegate Justin Ross
This critique is not intended to excoriate, chastise, stigmatize or unfairly criticize Delegate Justin Ross. In fact, I definitely compliment him for sponsoring the interview and for reserving the space there in Maryland’s capitol. However, I feel obligated to inform Delegate Ross about the fact that engineering is a profession, and elected officials should adapt their presentations to the professionalism of the people in the environment in which they are delivering their presentations. A speaker should not discuss unscientific ideas in an engineering environment, because engineers are trained to utilize both science and technology. The speaker who communicates unscientific ideas to engineers will insult the intelligence of their audience, and that is a bad practice, regardless of whether you are discussing the fields of commercial real estate, engineering, or politics.
The fact that I am not “talking about Delegate Ross behind his back” is confirmed by the fact that I am sending a copy of this email to Delegate Justin Ross, for his consumption, education, and enlightenment.
I hope that Delegate Ross (or some other Delegate, Senator, sub-committee, or committee) will sponsor another National Engineers Week program again, next year, and that when the 2010 National Engineers Week program has come to an end, I, like the other engineers in attendance, can tell Delegate Ross (or whoever the sponsor is), “Congratulations for sponsoring such a very fine program!”. They certainly could not make such a statement this year !
I also hope that the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and other organizations will provide Mr. Ross with appropriate written materials, coaching, and advice so that he will be better prepared. If he has a resource which he can depend upon, then he can deliver a better performance in his job. He could even invite other speakers who could be a part of a panel discussion. The engineering societies can help him, or whoever he assigns to this task, to identify suitable speakers. I will also be happy to help him, of course.
9. Recommendations for the Future
I would like to suggest that the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and other organizations should prepare information packet(s) to be used by elected officials so that they will have access to some basic facts and general information. Such an information resource can provide elected officials with adequate preparation for public events and presentations in the future. Electric power systems, mechanical pumping stations, and other physical facilities involve the services of engineers of all of the various disciplines.
10. The "Nero Analogy"
I would like to draw an analogy which compares ancient Rome, in flames, to our modern-day infrastructure. It has been said that Nero played his fiddle while Rome was being consumed by fire. In this analogy, we can compare Nero to our modern day government officials who choose to discuss inappropriate and/or irrelevant subjects while our American infrastructure deteriorates.
These people need to be reminded of the importance of leaving personal preferences at home, while bringing an objective professional attitude of service to work, and that leads us into the subject of “the missing omission”.
11. The “Missing Omission”
The term “Missing Omission” refers to a statement which was missing from Delegate Justin Ross’s presentation. He said something which amounted to, “I meet and work with people with whom I agree 100% in politics, but I still do not want them to meet my family!”.
What I wish that he had added is what is called the “Missing Omission” in this critique, and I wish that it had gone something like this.
“We all have our personal preferences, and I know that I certainly do have mine. My family matters are personal, and I know how to distinguish between personal matters and professional business. Consequently, on a professional basis, I try not to let my personal preferences interfere with the professional level of representation which I know that I owe to all of my constituents.”
Let me make it clear that Delegate Justin Ross is not the only elected official who needs to apply the “Missing Omission”. This same concept is sorely lacking in the United States Congress, where our Congressional representatives frequently fail to function on a professional basis. Big banks and wealthy automobile manufacturers can go to Congress and demand “bail out money”, and then they receive that money. By “bail out money”, I mean public sector money which is used to pay private sector salaries and expenses. Yet, if you or I went to Congress as the “little people”, they could chase you away, and threaten to extinguish your life if they ever see you in Congress again. I know because that is exactly what happened to me, precisely.
My point here is that Delegate Justin Ross is not the only person…….and Maryland’s legislature is not the only place…..where the “Missing Omission” is sorely needed. Every person has their own personal likes and dislikes, but on a professional basis, it is undemocratic to inject personal preferences into professional politics. Such subjective partiality is not consistent with democracy, or with democratic goals and ideals.
12. The Position of Chief Deputy Majority Whip
As the Chief Deputy Majority Whip, Delegate Justin Ross has demonstrated managerial talents. Consequently, I have faith in his ability to deliver a better presentation than the one which he delivered during the 2009 National Engineers Week.
It is possible that Delegate Ross could decide that another Delegate, Senator, or even a committee or sub-committee, is in a better position to interact with engineering, science, and technology than he is. He might reach such a decision as a result of the line of work in which someone is engaged, because of someone's educational background, or for some other reason. Whatever he decides, I will cheerfully abide by his decision. I am very agreeable, and quite easy to please.
13. “Thank you” to the Members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers Who Attended
At this point, I will express a special word of gratitude to the members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers who attended the event.
Mr. Fred Ateto, P.E. and Mr. Bruce Cranford, P.E. both graced the event with their presence.
Mr. Fred Ateto, P.E. is the President of the Annapolis Chapter of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers.
Mr. Bruce Cranford, P.E. serves as one of the Vice - Presidents of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers. He is also the Past President of the Potomac Chapter of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers.
14. Conclusions
Serving as an elected official can be both difficult and time consuming. Yet, once a person runs for, and wins, a seat in the legislature, they should understand that when they appear on television, they are not simply representing themselves as individuals. Every elected official should understand that, by taking office, they have become responsible for the public property, including infrastructure facilities, which can be found in the public sector.
Engineers attend to the many technical details which are related to the infrastructure. There are certain infrastructure facilities, including, but not limited to, buildings, dams, highways, bridges, locks and canals, levees and dikes, airports, water lines, etc. which are managed and operated by government officials who are in the public sector.
It is interesting to notice that Delegate Ross is involved in commercial real estate, because in both commercial real estate and engineering economics, the value of buildings is often amortized. Amortizing is a practice which is common to both disciplines.
Elected officials, such as Delegate Justin Ross, should be able to present intelligent and meaningful discussions about these subjects because elected officials have been entrusted with the responsibility for these physical facilities. Although the specific technical expertise falls within the scope of the engineering profession, the elected public official is responsible for sensible managerial oversight.
During the course of our discussion, Delegate Justin Ross did not mention the national, or even Maryland's, infrastructure even one time. His work in Maryland's capitol should expose him to the entire state of Maryland, and not just the 22nd District which he has been elected to represent.
In addition, Delegate Justin Ross did not seem to understand the fact that there is a certain professional atmosphere which surrounds all legitimate engineering discussions. Several times, Delegate Ross raised a discussion topic which does not belong in any meaningful engineering discussion, but Delegate Ross brought it up anyway. There were members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers in attendance, as was Mr. Robert Mattia who provided technical television expertise. They all heard the discussion, and they know who said what. They were all witnesses. We need to hold our elected officials
accountable for their shortcomings, and to educate them about appropriate behavior during engineering discussions, engineering programs, and engineering presentations. If Delegate Ross, as well as many other public officials, were more diligent about looking after our American infrastructure, and less attentive to non-professional topics (which have no legitimate place in an engineering discussion), the infrastructure of this country would be in better condition.
In closing, I will invite anyone who has an interest in this subject, or in "International Definition",
to call Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E. at the following telephone number.
Telephone: (301) 891 - 0496
Thank you for your interest in this matter of engineering importance.
Respectfully yours,
Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E.
Telephone: (301) 891 - 0496
Program, Videotaped at the State Capitol Building Complex in Annapolis, Maryland
by Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E.
1. Historical Background
The televised "2009 National Engineers Week" program was produced to be televised on the "International Definition" television program. The "International Definition" television program is regularly aired on television station Access Montgomery (Channels 19 and 21). The television station Access Montgomery is located in the city of Rockville, Maryland. The show airs throughout Montgomery County, Maryland. "International Definition" is also regularly scheduled on television station Fairfax Public Access (Channel 10) in the city of Fairfax, Virginia. The show airs throughout Fairfax County, Virginia. The host and producer of "International Definition" is Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E. In addition to being the name of the television program, "International Definition" is also the name of an academic discipline which was established by the statement of the First and Second Laws of International Definition. During the year 2009, "International Definition", the television program, will become fifteen (15) years old. The first broadcasts of "International Definition" took place at television station DCTV in Washington, D.C. during 1994.
2. Location of the Event
The location of the videotaping was the legislative capitol of Maryland. The capitol building complex is located in Annapolis, Maryland.
3. The Delegate Who Hosted the "2009 National Engineers Week" television videotaping in Maryland's Capitol
The delegate who hosted the "2009 National Engineers Week" television videotaping event in Maryland’s capitol was Delegate Justin Ross of Maryland's 22nd District.
4. An Assessment of the Event
This event would have been much more relevant to the engineering profession if Delegate Justin Ross had prepared himself more adequately. His references to topics which would be of interest to engineers were minimal. I sent him a set of the questions which I planned to ask him several weeks prior to the event. My initial contacts were with Delegate Justin Ross, and then I began to have more frequent contacts with his staff, including Mr. Patrick Armstrong. Working through Mr. Armstrong, I invited Delegate Ross to review the questions and to suggest additional questions which Delegate Ross would care to answer during the interview. In addition, I invited them to remove any questions with answers which Delegate would not care to discuss. I explained to Delegate Ross, and to his staff, that each one of my shows lasts for approximately 28 minutes. This is the same strategy which I used with Robert Miller, P.E., of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers and Past President of the National Society of Professional Engineers. The engineering societies handled the interview situation very well. Unfortunately, Delegate Justin Ross did not seem to be as well prepared as Robert Miller, P.E. was. When I invited Mr. Ross, through Mr. Armstrong, to include “additional topics”, one of the topics which I had in mind was infrastructure facilities, but I did not know whether Delegate Ross preferred to discuss the infrastructure on a local, state, national, or international basis. Another topic which I had in mind was the Bay Bridge (U.S. 50/301). Because this bridge is operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority, I thought that it should be of interest to the Maryland legislature. Perhaps next year's program might include a speaker from the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Besides the Bay Bridge (U.S. 50/301), Maryland has the Chesapeake Bay, and the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the U.S.A. While an estuary cannot be regarded as a part of the infrastructure, the bay itself has been the recipient of an enormous amount of environmental engineering, and I thought to myself, “Perhaps Delegate Ross might like to talk about that.” I was not sure, so I left it up to Delegate Ross. He never said anything about either the Chesapeake Bay or the Bay
Bridge (U.S. 50/301), but they are both excellent topics for discussion.
5. International, National, and Local Examples of Infrastructure Problems
I will now provide readers with three (3) examples of infrastructure problems in the public sector. I will label these examples as being international, national, and local, respectively.
5-1. An International Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
Hurricane Katrina made people around the entire world aware of the dangers which can be associated with the practice of ignoring infrastructure weaknesses. Today, the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the American Society of Civil Engineers are still working on a solution to the infrastructure problems in the city of New Orleans. One of the reasons for regarding this example as being international is the fact that rescue workers from Mexico became heavily involved in the emergency operations. Some of the victims of Hurricane Katrina are still displaced. The hurricane struck in 2005.
5-2. A National Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
At this point, it important to keep certain information in mind about our national infrastructure. The American infrastructure is aging, and many of its components are in a state of deterioration. A perfect example of the consequences of this situation can be found by examining our American bridges. The kind of situation which I wanted Delegate Ross to address can be found by making reference to the Interstate-35W Mississippi River bridge. The I-35W Mississippi River bridge (officially known simply as Bridge 9340) was an eight-lane steel truss arch bridge that carried Interstate 35W across the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bridge was completed in 1967, and its maintenance was performed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The bridge was Minnesota's fifth–busiest, and it carried 140,000 vehicles daily.
The bridge catastrophically failed during the evening rush hour on August 1, 2007, collapsing into the river and riverbanks below. Thirteen people were killed and 145 were injured. Help came immediately (after the collapse) from mutual aid workers in the seven-county Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. Rescue operations were carried out by emergency response personnel, charities, and volunteers. City and county employees managed the rescue using modern techniques and technology which probably saved numerous lives.
Oversight for the planning and construction of the interstate highway system comes from the federal and state levels. Notice that federal, state, county and city employees were all involved in this emergency operation. They are all public sector employees, and many of our infrastructure facilities are the responsibility of government leaders who are in the public sector.
5-3. A Local Example of a Public Sector Infrastructure Problem
Closer to home, within the last few months, the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, also called the W.S.S.C., has experienced major water-piping problems which were caused by infrastructure weaknesses and deficiencies. Some of the W.S.S.C.‘s operations are located within Delegate Justin Ross’s own district, so he should be familiar with them.
At this time, I would like to point out the fact that Councilmember Tony Knotts used to work as a full time employee at the W.S.S.C. before he became a member of the Prince George’s County Council. His telephone number is (301) 952- 3860, and he will be glad to point Delegate Justine Ross in the right direction so that Delegate Ross will be able to present some meaningful facts about the W.S.S.C. during the videotaping of next year’s National Engineers Week Program. Councilmember Knotts can be reached by email at
tknotts@co.pg.md.us
and I have discussed this matter with him very recently. He told me, “The legislation for the W.S.S.C. has been written in such a way that both Prince George’s County and Montgomery County have to work together to develop a budget which they can both agree upon. Very often, that can be quite a difficult challenge.”
6. The Possibility of Confusion
I should point out the fact that a very understandable possibility of confusion exists. Because I did not specify a reference to terms such as “infrastructure”, “capital budgeting”, “capital assets”, and/or “engineering economics”, it is entirely possible that Delegate Ross might not have been clear on what I wanted and needed for the show and for the interview. Robert Miller, P.E., of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, and a former president of the National Society of Professional Engineers, knew exactly what to say, as a television guest. However, Mr. Miller is another engineer, and very often, engineers tend to think alike.
7. Editing Out, or Removing, Material Which is Not Suitable for Airing vs. Not Creating Such Material in the First Place
I could simply edit out Delegate Ross’s inappropriate comments, and in fact, that is one of the steps which I chose to take. Consequently, viewers who watch the show will not see or hear inappropriate remarks being made. However, if I only “clean up the videotape”, without making an effort to educate Mr. Ross, then I will have failed to educate an elected official in an area where education is very sorely needed.
8. This Critique is Not Intended to Excoriate, Chastise, Stigmatize, or Unfairly Criticize Delegate Justin Ross
This critique is not intended to excoriate, chastise, stigmatize or unfairly criticize Delegate Justin Ross. In fact, I definitely compliment him for sponsoring the interview and for reserving the space there in Maryland’s capitol. However, I feel obligated to inform Delegate Ross about the fact that engineering is a profession, and elected officials should adapt their presentations to the professionalism of the people in the environment in which they are delivering their presentations. A speaker should not discuss unscientific ideas in an engineering environment, because engineers are trained to utilize both science and technology. The speaker who communicates unscientific ideas to engineers will insult the intelligence of their audience, and that is a bad practice, regardless of whether you are discussing the fields of commercial real estate, engineering, or politics.
The fact that I am not “talking about Delegate Ross behind his back” is confirmed by the fact that I am sending a copy of this email to Delegate Justin Ross, for his consumption, education, and enlightenment.
I hope that Delegate Ross (or some other Delegate, Senator, sub-committee, or committee) will sponsor another National Engineers Week program again, next year, and that when the 2010 National Engineers Week program has come to an end, I, like the other engineers in attendance, can tell Delegate Ross (or whoever the sponsor is), “Congratulations for sponsoring such a very fine program!”. They certainly could not make such a statement this year !
I also hope that the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and other organizations will provide Mr. Ross with appropriate written materials, coaching, and advice so that he will be better prepared. If he has a resource which he can depend upon, then he can deliver a better performance in his job. He could even invite other speakers who could be a part of a panel discussion. The engineering societies can help him, or whoever he assigns to this task, to identify suitable speakers. I will also be happy to help him, of course.
9. Recommendations for the Future
I would like to suggest that the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and other organizations should prepare information packet(s) to be used by elected officials so that they will have access to some basic facts and general information. Such an information resource can provide elected officials with adequate preparation for public events and presentations in the future. Electric power systems, mechanical pumping stations, and other physical facilities involve the services of engineers of all of the various disciplines.
10. The "Nero Analogy"
I would like to draw an analogy which compares ancient Rome, in flames, to our modern-day infrastructure. It has been said that Nero played his fiddle while Rome was being consumed by fire. In this analogy, we can compare Nero to our modern day government officials who choose to discuss inappropriate and/or irrelevant subjects while our American infrastructure deteriorates.
These people need to be reminded of the importance of leaving personal preferences at home, while bringing an objective professional attitude of service to work, and that leads us into the subject of “the missing omission”.
11. The “Missing Omission”
The term “Missing Omission” refers to a statement which was missing from Delegate Justin Ross’s presentation. He said something which amounted to, “I meet and work with people with whom I agree 100% in politics, but I still do not want them to meet my family!”.
What I wish that he had added is what is called the “Missing Omission” in this critique, and I wish that it had gone something like this.
“We all have our personal preferences, and I know that I certainly do have mine. My family matters are personal, and I know how to distinguish between personal matters and professional business. Consequently, on a professional basis, I try not to let my personal preferences interfere with the professional level of representation which I know that I owe to all of my constituents.”
Let me make it clear that Delegate Justin Ross is not the only elected official who needs to apply the “Missing Omission”. This same concept is sorely lacking in the United States Congress, where our Congressional representatives frequently fail to function on a professional basis. Big banks and wealthy automobile manufacturers can go to Congress and demand “bail out money”, and then they receive that money. By “bail out money”, I mean public sector money which is used to pay private sector salaries and expenses. Yet, if you or I went to Congress as the “little people”, they could chase you away, and threaten to extinguish your life if they ever see you in Congress again. I know because that is exactly what happened to me, precisely.
My point here is that Delegate Justin Ross is not the only person…….and Maryland’s legislature is not the only place…..where the “Missing Omission” is sorely needed. Every person has their own personal likes and dislikes, but on a professional basis, it is undemocratic to inject personal preferences into professional politics. Such subjective partiality is not consistent with democracy, or with democratic goals and ideals.
12. The Position of Chief Deputy Majority Whip
As the Chief Deputy Majority Whip, Delegate Justin Ross has demonstrated managerial talents. Consequently, I have faith in his ability to deliver a better presentation than the one which he delivered during the 2009 National Engineers Week.
It is possible that Delegate Ross could decide that another Delegate, Senator, or even a committee or sub-committee, is in a better position to interact with engineering, science, and technology than he is. He might reach such a decision as a result of the line of work in which someone is engaged, because of someone's educational background, or for some other reason. Whatever he decides, I will cheerfully abide by his decision. I am very agreeable, and quite easy to please.
13. “Thank you” to the Members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers Who Attended
At this point, I will express a special word of gratitude to the members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers who attended the event.
Mr. Fred Ateto, P.E. and Mr. Bruce Cranford, P.E. both graced the event with their presence.
Mr. Fred Ateto, P.E. is the President of the Annapolis Chapter of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers.
Mr. Bruce Cranford, P.E. serves as one of the Vice - Presidents of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers. He is also the Past President of the Potomac Chapter of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers.
14. Conclusions
Serving as an elected official can be both difficult and time consuming. Yet, once a person runs for, and wins, a seat in the legislature, they should understand that when they appear on television, they are not simply representing themselves as individuals. Every elected official should understand that, by taking office, they have become responsible for the public property, including infrastructure facilities, which can be found in the public sector.
Engineers attend to the many technical details which are related to the infrastructure. There are certain infrastructure facilities, including, but not limited to, buildings, dams, highways, bridges, locks and canals, levees and dikes, airports, water lines, etc. which are managed and operated by government officials who are in the public sector.
It is interesting to notice that Delegate Ross is involved in commercial real estate, because in both commercial real estate and engineering economics, the value of buildings is often amortized. Amortizing is a practice which is common to both disciplines.
Elected officials, such as Delegate Justin Ross, should be able to present intelligent and meaningful discussions about these subjects because elected officials have been entrusted with the responsibility for these physical facilities. Although the specific technical expertise falls within the scope of the engineering profession, the elected public official is responsible for sensible managerial oversight.
During the course of our discussion, Delegate Justin Ross did not mention the national, or even Maryland's, infrastructure even one time. His work in Maryland's capitol should expose him to the entire state of Maryland, and not just the 22nd District which he has been elected to represent.
In addition, Delegate Justin Ross did not seem to understand the fact that there is a certain professional atmosphere which surrounds all legitimate engineering discussions. Several times, Delegate Ross raised a discussion topic which does not belong in any meaningful engineering discussion, but Delegate Ross brought it up anyway. There were members of the Maryland Society of Professional Engineers in attendance, as was Mr. Robert Mattia who provided technical television expertise. They all heard the discussion, and they know who said what. They were all witnesses. We need to hold our elected officials
accountable for their shortcomings, and to educate them about appropriate behavior during engineering discussions, engineering programs, and engineering presentations. If Delegate Ross, as well as many other public officials, were more diligent about looking after our American infrastructure, and less attentive to non-professional topics (which have no legitimate place in an engineering discussion), the infrastructure of this country would be in better condition.
In closing, I will invite anyone who has an interest in this subject, or in "International Definition",
to call Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E. at the following telephone number.
Telephone: (301) 891 - 0496
Thank you for your interest in this matter of engineering importance.
Respectfully yours,
Kenneth W. Freelain, P.E.
Telephone: (301) 891 - 0496
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information. Thank you for posting the
information above & good fortune on your
future endeavors & work.
Respectfully yours,
Gladiator Zero "0"