#346 / More Good Advice From Mr. Dylan

In 2008, voters in the County of Santa Clara approved an $840 million bond issue that was intended, among other things, to allow the County to replace its dysfunctional medical center, and to replace it with a brand new facility. About eight years later, as you can see above, construction is not complete, costs have skyrocketed, and the project sits idle. If you want to read the whole, sad story, just click this link.

As it turns out, the County allowed the contractor to start building the hospital when the plans for the hospital were only 60% complete. Not a good idea. 

While Bob Dylan doesn't speak in engineering language, and refers to his own profession in dispensing this advice, I have always thought that the following admonition, from Dylan's song, "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," provides excellent guidance in all sorts of situations.

I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’
But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’

I take this to mean that we can do just about anything, but ... We better know what it is we're planning to do before we start.

Some good advice for the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

Image Credit:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_29118630/experts-question-county-stewardship-stalled-valley-medical-center