[nfbmi-talk] a real foia for a change with a twist rodgers personnell file

Fri Nov 8 23:08:30 UTC 2013

October 8 2013 Request Personnel File Rodgers

Paul Joseph Harcz, jr.

1365 E. Mt. Morris Rd.

Mt. Morris, MI 48458

810-516-5262

joeharcz at comcast.net

Re: Edward F. Rodgers II Personnel File This Is Really A FOIA

To: Melvin Farmer, FOIA

Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA)

Dear Mr. Farmer,

This is a real request made under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act and not like other requests made under other laws albeit you and others violate them too in documented fashion. Regardless, I am requesting the complete personnel file of Mr. Edward F. Rodgers II, currently the Director of the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP). Now I request the complete file with known exceptions which rightfully should be redacted such as social security number etc. (We all know legitimate and illegitimate exceptions don’t we sir?)

Now this file should include disciplinary actions, lawsuits and other actions against, and other pertinent information which should not be redacted in the least.

In other words don’t you dare try to “sanities” these records.

Of course this file should contain all of his records and evaluations, etc. whilst an employee of the State of Michigan including his employment as an Administrative Law Judge and Administrator of what is now the Michigan Administrative Hearing System.

Of course, I invoke Bradlee V. Saranac in this regards (look it up, oops I sent it to you in toto and Zimmer and Rodgers too…hope you saved the file…).

Moreover, as a corollary request I am as you know blind and really blind too unlike the “low vision” Mr. Rodgers as he likes to call himself. I actually use a white cane and though my Braille isn’t proficient I know it. Regardless, I request pursuant to both the effective communications requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990  and the auxiliary aids and services provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that these documents are sent to me without surcharge (and don’t build the surcharge in either sir for that is transparent though your agency is not) as simple Word attachments and/or plain text enclosures such as this very request to my e-mail address listed above.

I await with baited breath and in frenzied anticipation your prompt and accessible response to this request for information.

As an aside I can only imagine the MAIN system burning up and imploding with all of the calculations that must be inputted upon this request.  It must be a real undue hardship and administrative burden upon the ancient system and of your invaluable calculations of assorted FOIA and even non-FOIA requests.

Sorry to the Governor and all in advance if I inadvertently overloaded the MAIN system.

Really I am.

But, then again Governor Nerd does have both a computer and accounting background so it shouldn’t be all that difficult upon the system or too costly to produce an accessible, digital file like this should it?

I mean we are in the Twenty First Century and all that aren’t we?

By golly I hope you all aren’t working with those old paper files! And I hope if you are working with digital file records those aren’t purely scanned immages that aren’t accessible to screen readers used by the blind for that wouldn’t be very nice would it, let alone wouldn’t that be a fundamental violation of the ADA and 504 and those sort of nasty access regulations that apparently LARA doesn’t wish to impose upon themselves being federal civil rights and all that? But, I do digress…

Nonetheless, digressions to the side I make my request and thank you in advance for your prompt, courteous, and accessible response once again. And I sincerely wish I didn’t break your slide rule, abacus, calculator, PC, smart phone or Mainframe device, let alone all the fingers and toes and other digits employed by LARA  in ccalculating your response to this most humble inquiry. And I certainly hope the calculations are just a little bit this side of six figures though I don't expect that sort of "priveledge".

Say, wait a minute! Sorry...digressing again here. I seem to remember a $745,000 plus ludicrous respons to me from you all related to the illegal destruction and dismantling of the Michigan Commission for the Blind. Is my memory correct on that one?

Shoot llet us call things even (NOT!) on that account and just send me this and all the other data I've requested forthwith ok? (I promise not to tell your bosses Mr. Farmer that you actually "leaked" public information to a citizen...I mean its not like this is national security stuff and all that or is it?)

Sincerely,

Paul Joseph Harcz, Jr.

A Citizen who Happens to be Blind

-Ninety-nine percent of lawyers give the other one percent a bad name.—Steven Wright

Cc: several