S04.E29: Economic development incentives

[Athena]

The penultimate episode of this season.

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Other segments: 2017 Special Counsel investigation, The Inspectors (TV series)

 

[Annber03]

Oh, I didn't know we're nearing the end of this season already ;(. That's a shame.

That whole segment on "The Inspectors" had me CRYING with laughter. Oh, my god. I have got to see what time that show comes on in my area :D. That is hysterical. Kudos to the people from various TV shows getting involved in the skits for that segment as well.

"They're there to FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK" cracked me up, too. The restrictions on who can work at that ark museum are hideously creepy and messed up, but then again, I imagine most of the people they don't want to work at the museum have no interest in working there in the first place anyway, so it all balances out, I suppose. 

And speaking of WTF moments...everything with Trump and his memory, or lack thereof. I just...I can't. I don't even know where the hell you go with that. All that whole segment did is make me want to repeatedly bang my head against the nearest wall until I could forget all this madness. Good lord. 

Thank goodness for the humorous moments tonight, though, given the shit in the news today. Sigh. Be interesting to see if, and how, they might touch further on that topic next week. 

[dcalley]

Dammit, I had never seen one second of Entourage before. Gross.

[Lantern7]

On 10/30/2017 at 8:53 PM, Athena said:

The penultimate episode of this season.

I thought so, because LWT wrapped up after . . . that day . . . in 2016, where John proclaimed it to be the worst year ever. You think he might reconsider, and we'd get a five-minute bit where everybody craps on 2017?

"The Inspectors: Because We Wanted To Make the 'Mathnet' Bits From Square One Look Badass By Comparison." Holy crap, I might need to DVR that.

ETA: Best visual? A zebra drowning in shit because it was at the bottom of Noah's Ark, below defecating animals listed A-Y.

[biakbiak]

Everytime I see that dude from The Inspectors on an episode of Law and Order Criminal Intent I think it's Anthony Michael Hall.

[wknt3]

9 hours ago, Annber03 said:

That whole segment on "The Inspectors" had me CRYING with laughter. Oh, my god. I have got to see what time that show comes on in my area :D. That is hysterical. Kudos to the people from various TV shows getting involved in the skits for that segment as well.

Yeah that was great! It was so well written, John was having such a good time with it, and it's nice to see some ordinary absurdity and stupidity instead of the apocalyptic variety that takes up so much time in topical shows these days. Better check out the show now if you're interested as I'm sure it won't be too long before some congressman cuts the funding to show off how fiscally conservative they are (while leaving the much much bigger piles of money the Department of Defense spends on "product placement" untouched I'm sure.) Sadly CSI: Mailbox wouldn't be the worst CSI as this show still looks much better than CSI: Cyber...
 

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"They're there to FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK" cracked me up, too. The restrictions on who can work at that ark museum are hideously creepy and messed up, but then again, I imagine most of the people they don't want to work at the museum have no interest in working there in the first place anyway, so it all balances out, I suppose. 

Agree on the line being hilarious. It was the "No Tostitos" of this week's show. Disagree about it balancing out - many of us have worked jobs that we no have interest in, or actively hate and oppose morally and politically and especially in an area like that where there isn't a lot of economic opportunity I'd imagine there are a number of "undesirables" who would take the job.

[attica]

6 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Everytime I see that dude from The Inspectors on an episode of Law and Order Criminal Intent I think it's Anthony Michael Hall.

Poor Terry Serpico. Always fated to be Poor Man's AMH.

The Ark park is in hot water over the taxes it does owe these days. At the risk of victim blaming, you cannot really offer economic incentive to grifters without having them, you know, grift. 

[Queena]

How is it possible to love John Oliver and this show even more? Well, I do!!

[Traveller519]

As a resident of a North American city that I know submitted a bid. I really hope our mayor didn't do the "Hey Alexa..." bit

This is the second week in a row that has had some moments of genuine joy expressed on Jon's face. Last week when he was playing with the seagull and just about everything that had to do with "The Inspectors" Poor USPIS, they got taken for a ride a couple years back on Brooklyn 99 and really taken to task here. I'm sure the job they do does sometimes have interesting results, but who cleaning all that Guacamole our of the mass spectrometer you guys?

[iMonrey]

This episode raised a few issues I would love for John to address. The first is the way Trump keeps trying to divert public attention away from the Russian scandals with Hillary Clinton. His tweet was "check the Dems" or something equally foolish. And of course, Fox News is complicit with it's incessant smoke and mirrors machine. So . . . go ahead and talk about Clinton and the news about the Democratic Committee and explain how it's all a lot of nonsense that pales in comparison to all the Trump associates who have colluded with Russia. There's a story there all right, so let's get it out in the open and expose it as the big fat zero it really is so Trump and Fox News can stop trying to scapegoat it.

The second issue is, why is the post office so deeply in debt? I realize people don't write letters anymore, but people do order more stuff online now than at any other time, and the USPS delivers a lot of those packages. I'd really like to hear about the economics of the post office - it just seems as if it's badly mismanaged.

[cpcathy]

There's a museum for something that is fake and never happened and they wanted it to be a tourist industry. Hmm.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The second issue is, why is the post office so deeply in debt?

I think one thing has to do with Congress' requirement re the USPS pension. Googling... Here's some info. 

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Yeah that was great! It was so well written, John was having such a good time with it, and it's nice to see some ordinary absurdity and stupidity instead of the apocalyptic variety that takes up so much time in topical shows these days. Better check out the show now if you're interested as I'm sure it won't be too long before some congressman cuts the funding to show off how fiscally conservative they are (while leaving the much much bigger piles of money the Department of Defense spends on "product placement" untouched I'm sure.) Sadly CSI: Mailbox wouldn't be the worst CSI as this show still looks much better than CSI: Cyber...

Ergh, sad but true, your fear.

I'm now imagining somebody looking at the sudden spike in ratings for that show and being like, "What the...?" :D. Wonder if they'll comment on Oliver bringing attention to their show at all?

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Agree on the line being hilarious. It was the "No Tostitos" of this week's show. Disagree about it balancing out - many of us have worked jobs that we no have interest in, or actively hate and oppose morally and politically and especially in an area like that where there isn't a lot of economic opportunity I'd imagine there are a number of "undesirables" who would take the job.

A very good point. I was being kinda snarky with that comment, but yeah, you're absolutely right about that, too. And if that is indeed the case for some who are working at that ark museum, I feel for them so much. Having to abide by those kinds of restrictions and invasive policies would truly suck. 

(I'm wondering how the hell that museum can enforce the chastity pledge in the first place. Do they do regular check-ins with their staff to make sure they're not having sex or what? And how can that sort of thing even be legal?)

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

This episode raised a few issues I would love for John to address. The first is the way Trump keeps trying to divert public attention away from the Russian scandals with Hillary Clinton. His tweet was "check the Dems" or something equally foolish. And of course, Fox News is complicit with it's incessant smoke and mirrors machine. So . . . go ahead and talk about Clinton and the news about the Democratic Committee and explain how it's all a lot of nonsense that pales in comparison to all the Trump associates who have colluded with Russia. There's a story there all right, so let's get it out in the open and expose it as the big fat zero it really is so Trump and Fox News can stop trying to scapegoat it.

Agreed. 

Seriously, every time Trump/the GOP/Fox News brings up Hillary nowadays, you know what I want to tell them? "She lost. Get over it."

[iMonrey]

They know they can continue to use Hillary Clinton as a viable distraction because it appeals to their base's rabid hatred of her. But it's preposterous for the media to let them get away with asking them why they aren't investigating the person who lost as vigorously as the person who won. Maybe because the person who lost isn't in a position of any authority to affect the lives of everyone in this country? 

[DrScottie]

15 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

"The Inspectors: Because We Wanted To Make the 'Mathnet' Bits From Square One Look Badass By Comparison." Holy crap, I might need to DVR that.

OMG, I remember watching those as a kid. I remember when I first saw Dragnet, I said about Joe Friday: "He's like Kate Monday on Mathnet!" My father found that quite amusing.

Also, Square One makes me think of Mathman and the nefarious Mr. Glitch too. 

[ALenore]

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(I'm wondering how the hell that museum can enforce the chastity pledge in the first place. Do they do regular check-ins with their staff to make sure they're not having sex or what? And how can that sort of thing even be legal?)

 

I'm guessing it's one of those things that only get enforced if one of their unmarried female employees gets pregnant, thus "proof" of violating the rule against chastity.  I have no idea if it's legal.

I love the scene where the Anthony Michael Hall look alike (whose name is Terry Serpico by the way) gave a speech about why he joined the Postal Service.  My father-in-law got a job with the past office after serving 23 years in the Air Force, and giving people joy about delivering packages was the furthest thing from his mind.  It was a good job, and he got extra points on the Civil Service exam because he was a veteran.   I never heard him wax philosophical about his job at all.  

[Quickbeam]

I adore ‘This Is Us’ so this was a wonderful gift for fans. 

[wknt3]

5 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

This is the second week in a row that has had some moments of genuine joy expressed on Jon's face. Last week when he was playing with the seagull and just about everything that had to do with "The Inspectors" Poor USPIS, they got taken for a ride a couple years back on Brooklyn 99 and really taken to task here. I'm sure the job they do does sometimes have interesting results, but who cleaning all that Guacamole our of the mass spectrometer you guys?

Actually the USPIS seriously does a great job. Working in banking I've gotten to observe various law enforcement agencies at work and they are the best at solving complex fraud and identity theft cases. In fact one of the red flags for suspicious transactions is when the customer has been told not to send checks or paperwork by mail. I assumed when I was first trained it was simply because scammers wanted to avoid federal mail fraud charges if they were caught, but having seen different agencies in action I now realize that it's also because they are much more likely to get caught by the postal inspectors than by state or local police. I'm not sure how much slamming perps into taco trucks is involved in solving your average identity theft or check fraud scheme though...

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

(I'm wondering how the hell that museum can enforce the chastity pledge in the first place. Do they do regular check-ins with their staff to make sure they're not having sex or what? And how can that sort of thing even be legal?)

If they have suspicions they simply dunk them under water...

Seriously there is no way it can be fairly enforced, but that never stops them. As far as the legality I believe John has covered the story of the way religion is used as an excuse for discrimination and how the same judges who curtail individual liberties are happy to give businesses more like "freedom of religion" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQCH1qyIDo

Edited November 6, 2017 by wknt3

[ahisma]

The only issue I'll take with John is his bemoaning that the age demographic for The Inspectors is so high. I don't think that many 11 year olds are in a position to either become fraudsters or to be victimized. (Hell, I don't know how many even know what snail mail is.) But the age group he showed that is watching the show are actually the ones taking care of very elderly parents, and are a few decades from their own loss of clarity. If The Inspectors drills in some fraud prevention tips, I'm all for it.

[mojoween]

When he showed that line from Entourage I remarked that boys don’t talk like that to each other...do they? and received an eyebrow raise from my husband and a comment from our 20 year old son that “you have no idea the things they show me at work.”

So apparently I know less about menfolk than I ever thought I did.

[Annber03]

Locker room talk!

2 hours ago, wknt3 said:

If they have suspicions they simply dunk them under water...

Ha!

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Seriously there is no way it can be fairly enforced, but that never stops them. As far as the legality I believe John has covered the story of the way religion is used as an excuse for discrimination and how the same judges who curtail individual liberties are happy to give businesses more like "freedom of religion" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQCH1qyIDo

That's right, I remember that segment. 

Ergh. It's so frustrating. I wish we could just do away with that stupid Citizens United ruling and all issues related to it. 

Appreciate your comments on the postal service and all the good they do as well. It's nice to know those guys are on top of that stuff. 

[DrScottie]

5 hours ago, wknt3 said:

Actually the USPIS seriously does a great job. Working in banking I've gotten to observe various law enforcement agencies at work and they are the best at solving complex fraud and identity theft cases. In fact one of the red flags for suspicious transactions is when the customer has been told not to send checks or paperwork by mail. I assumed when I was first trained it was simply because scammers wanted to avoid federal mail fraud charges if they were caught, but having seen different agencies in action I now realize that it's also because they are much more likely to get caught by the postal inspectors than by state or local police. I'm not sure how much slamming perps into taco trucks is involved in solving your average identity theft or check fraud scheme though...

Thanks for that perspective. I had never heard of that before either the show or the role the postal inspectors play. I think I'll check it out and set my DVR for Saturday. A show about people defending America against fraud and identity theft is relegated to Saturday mornings while there have been three shows on primetime television about naval criminal investigators for a total of 28 seasons between them with millions of viewers. 

[MSterling]

I told my mom to watch this episode right away because she's a retired postal clerk and she told me she really enjoyed it. She said the most vivid memories she has of postal inspectors is when she worked the box section of her station. One inspector would sit in a chair watching a box waiting for the suspect to pick up their mail, and that the other inspector would sit out in the parking lot to follow them.

[Corgi-ears]

On 11/6/2017 at 1:36 PM, Lantern7 said:

ETA: Best visual? A zebra drowning in shit because it was at the bottom of Noah's Ark, below defecating animals listed A-Y.

At long last, the aardvark's time has come. 

[ganesh]

On 11/5/2017 at 10:04 PM, Annber03 said:

That whole segment on "The Inspectors" had me CRYING with laughter.

I thought this was a joke. This is a real show? It reminded me of Invisible Man where they worked for Fish and Game one week and BLM the next week. 

I check my mail once a week and the box is literally right outside my front door. If someone is going to scam me through the mail, they're going to be waiting a very long time. 

On 11/5/2017 at 10:26 PM, dcalley said:

Dammit, I had never seen one second of Entourage before. Gross.

The one line sums up the whole series. 

On 11/6/2017 at 11:30 AM, iMonrey said:

The second issue is, why is the post office so deeply in debt? I realize people don't write letters anymore, but people do order more stuff online now than at any other time, and the USPS delivers a lot of those packages. I'd really like to hear about the economics of the post office - it just seems as if it's badly mismanaged.

They don't get any federal funding and have to do their own budget, but it is in part because no one really uses it. Online shipping is more privatized now (UPS, etc.) And then about the pensions, that was already mentioned. 

[WhosThatGirl]

Seriously The Inspectors  is a show I feel like I just watch at some point in my life. I loved everything about that but. The fact that the poster service made a show about the poster inspectors and that it’s a serious show made to be taken serious.

The scene in which the D list not Breakfast Club actor decided that a good birthday gift would be telling someone a story about how they got into working for the usps was the best scene from anything I’ve seen because it was so awkward, and the behind the scenes video where the poor worker actually thought the actors were so excited to see him when really like John said they were probably thinking how they got here and thinking they need to call their agents and get off this show. About the United States Postal Service. 

[paigow]

On 11/6/2017 at 1:30 PM, iMonrey said:

but people do order more stuff online now than at any other time, and the USPS delivers a lot of those packages. 

Amazon is building a private delivery operation outside of USPS, UPS, FedEx etc....for the orders that it fulfills.

[iMonrey]

Quote

They don't get any federal funding and have to do their own budget, but it is in part because no one really uses it. Online shipping is more privatized now (UPS, etc.) And then about the pensions, that was already mentioned. 

That would be a good story for him to do though. There's probably a way for them to improve their prospects if they would catch up with the times. You get UPS or FedEx if you choose overnight delivery but if you don't want to pay extra and are fine waiting four or five days you get the regular post office.

Quote

Amazon is building a private delivery operation outside of USPS, UPS, FedEx etc....for the orders that it fulfills.

Uh-oh! Still - Amazon isn't the only company in the country people order from. I'd still be interested in a story about how the post office got where it is and what it's missing out on in terms of improvement.

[ganesh]

There's been proposals about using the USPS for different services to stay solvent. In Japan, for example, you can open up a cheap checking account through the post office. 

[Victor the Crab]

I thought I saw some cringeworthy shows in my life. But The Inspectors seems to take the cake. I can't imagine the actors who work on that show feel pride in what they do.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, Victor the Crab said:

I thought I saw some cringeworthy shows in my life. But The Inspectors seems to take the cake. I can't imagine the actors who work on that show feel pride in what they do.

How very sad. That Terry Serpico, goes from  playing some menacing bad guys in the Law & Order franchise, to landing a meaty role on Army Wives, playing a good guy, to...this.

Edited November 9, 2017 by GHScorpiosRule

[purist]

I saw the movie Professor Marston and the Wonder Women last night, and there was a mention of the USPIS in it! The context is pretty hilarious, but I'm not going to spoil it for you.

Edited November 9, 2017 by purist

[ProudMary]

On 11/6/2017 at 5:11 PM, ALenore said:

I'm guessing it's one of those things that only get enforced if one of their unmarried female employees gets pregnant, thus "proof" of violating the rule against chastity.  I have no idea if it's legal.

Were that to happen, she should claim Immaculate Conception.  Biblical precedent, after all. 

On 11/8/2017 at 1:31 PM, iMonrey said:

That would be a good story for him to do though. There's probably a way for them to improve their prospects if they would catch up with the times. You get UPS or FedEx if you choose overnight delivery but if you don't want to pay extra and are fine waiting four or five days you get the regular post office.

Uh-oh! Still - Amazon isn't the only company in the country people order from. I'd still be interested in a story about how the post office got where it is and what it's missing out on in terms of improvement.

Give 'em a few more years and they will be.
Yes, hyperbole but it sure seems like it's going that way.  

Another VERY funny episode.  I laughed so hard at one point that I snorted!  My son looked over and wondered WTH I was watching that had me laughing hysterically.  (I was on my laptop with earbuds.)  
The writers have truly been bringing the funny over the past couple of episodes.  

[paigow]

FYI - USPS statistics show dramatic decline of first class mail over time....

https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-facts/decade-of-facts-and-figures.htm

[WhosThatGirl]

I’m just going to say I found Tge Inspectors on my TV guide and I have recorded the latest episode just for giggles. I need to know now about it. 

[ZoqFotPik]

On 11/7/2017 at 8:57 PM, ganesh said:

This is a real show? It reminded me of Invisible Man where they worked for Fish and Game one week and BLM the next week. 

I loved that show. I think they actually worked for the Post Office for an episode or two.

On 11/8/2017 at 6:22 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

How very sad. That Terry Serpico, goes from  playing some menacing bad guys in the Law & Order franchise, to landing a meaty role on Army Wives, playing a good guy, to...this.

A paycheck is a paycheck. And to be fair, according to his imdb, he has three movies in post production and is recurring on "Designated Survivor" and "Star Trek: Discovery".

 

On 11/10/2017 at 10:24 PM, WhosThatGirl said:

I’m just going to say I found Tge Inspectors on my TV guide and I have recorded the latest episode just for giggles. I need to know now about it. 

Me Too. Wow! That's all I'm going to say.

Quote

Poor USPIS, they got taken for a ride a couple years back on Brooklyn 99 and really taken to task here.

They were also featured comedically in season two of "The Detour", a show created by fellow TDS alums Sam Bee and Jason Jones.

Edited November 12, 2017 by ZoqFotPik

[paigow]

4 hours ago, ZoqFotPik said:

A paycheck is a paycheck. And to be fair, according to his imdb, he has three movies in post production and is recurring on "Designated Survivor" and "Star Trek: Discovery".

 

He was "ambiguously killed" on Designated Survivor but may resurface....

Edited November 12, 2017 by paigow

[msrachelj]

On 11/6/2017 at 6:25 PM, wknt3 said:

Actually the USPIS seriously does a great job. Working in banking I've gotten to observe various law enforcement agencies at work and they are the best at solving complex fraud and identity theft cases. In fact one of the red flags for suspicious transactions is when the customer has been told not to send checks or paperwork by mail. I assumed when I was first trained it was simply because scammers wanted to avoid federal mail fraud charges if they were caught, but having seen different agencies in action I now realize that it's also because they are much more likely to get caught by the postal inspectors than by state or local police. I'm not sure how much slamming perps into taco trucks is involved in solving your average identity theft or check fraud scheme though...

If they have suspicions they simply dunk them under water...

Seriously there is no way it can be fairly enforced, but that never stops them. As far as the legality I believe John has covered the story of the way religion is used as an excuse for discrimination and how the same judges who curtail individual liberties are happy to give businesses more like "freedom of religion" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSQCH1qyIDo

i agree. the usps is taken for granted. for how big they are how much they do there is very little theft and wrongdoing. they check you out before hiring. or i know they did a very thorough job. i trust my postman more than most ups, etc delivery people.  they really should not be ridiculed the way they are. 

[paigow]

1 hour ago, msrachelj said:

i agree. the usps is taken for granted. for how big they are how much they do there is very little theft and wrongdoing. they check you out before hiring. or i know they did a very thorough job. i trust my postman more than most ups, etc delivery people.  they really should not be ridiculed the way they are. 

Just that "going postal" has been part of the vernacular for decades....Customers are safe, co-workers / supervisors less so...

[msrachelj]

21 hours ago, paigow said:

Just that "going postal" has been part of the vernacular for decades....Customers are safe, co-workers / supervisors less so...

seems that is because of the percentage of post traumatic stress military hires in my opinion. 

[ub40fan]

I worked at the post office for three months.  Couldn't take any more.  I have never had a worse job.  The pay was very good but there isn't enough money in the world that would make me go back.  Anyway, I always thought the pay and pensions were good because the job was so always excruciatingly boring.

And I've dealt with Postal Inspectors.  They are bad-ass.  There are no light moments with them.

[ganesh]

11 hours ago, msrachelj said:

seems that is because of the percentage of post traumatic stress military hires in my opinion. 

No, there was a spate of violence in the late 80s iirc at post offices and that's how the phrase was coined. There was even a video game. 

[paigow]

5 hours ago, ub40fan said:

I worked at the post office for three months.  Anyway, I always thought the pay and pensions were good because the job was so always excruciatingly boring.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNen5223RA

This segment from Naked Gun 33 1/3 [1994] might remind you of someone then...

[dusang]

17 hours ago, ganesh said:

No, there was a spate of violence in the late 80s iirc at post offices and that's how the phrase was coined. There was even a video game. 

That spate of violence might have been the result of the percentage of post traumatic stress military hires.

[ganesh]

It wasn't. This was in the news and covered a lot back then.

Edited November 15, 2017 by ganesh