Well, it's all coming down to it. In less than a week we will go to the polls and choose our various candidates for public office and vote on various propositions and judges.
Regardless of what you believe, don't get discouraged or complacent or overly-confident and start thinking "I'm so sick of this and just want it to be over!" and then find an excuse or justification to not go stand in line to vote.
Let's face it, this election is expected to be the largest voter turnout in U.S. history. The various systems across the country will be sorely taxed. People from all political and socio-economic perspectives are predicting controversy and confusion. Many are already believing the outcome of this election will once again be a matter taken to the federal court. Republicans are charging various groups with voter fraud and Democrats are charging other entities with obstructing the voting rights of particular demographic groups.
Another thing we have to face is this country's voting population's lack of "stick-to-it-ness". For as long as I've been voting, you could count on one thing: Republicans and old people vote, while Democrats, Independents and young people seem to find excuses for not showing up to the polls on election day.
I would really like to see everyone get out there and take a magazine, newspaper, their iPod, mp3 player and brave the long lines and any other coincidental unpleasantries and get out there and perform their civic duty by voting.
We are always going to have political contention in this country. Just because we think something is a foregone conclusion is no excuse to give up and not show up at the polls. This is not a message solely motivated by my desire to keep my fellow Dems insprired and committed to casting their vote. I emphatically believe in our system of government. I know it has its shortcomings and always will, but it's the best, all the same.
Vote November 4th because you cherish your freedom of choice!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
"Diatribe"
Well, it's good to be back and writing again. Thought you all might enjoy a pleasant exchange I've been having with one of my biggest fans. I know everyone doesn't read the comments, and as my friend points out, I don't have a very large readership. So I provide you here with the "Full Monty" so to speak.
This comment is in response to my "Homeward Bound" post from last week:
tom said...
Most people pay good money to see a band play not to pontificate there political beliefs.
I remember attending a Jackson Browne concert and a quarter of the way through the set he decided to show this short film clip on the horrors of nuclear war and to elaborate on why democrats and socialism was a far better venue then self responsibility and working hard to achieve.
It was pretty great when many in the audience got up and said SHUT UP and SING repeatedly until he was drowned out and started to play again.
I would bet many in the audience decided at that point none of their hard earned money was going to be used to purchase anything again from Jackson Browne. I know I don't and will even turn the radio station if one comes on.
I've often wondered how people get the idea that Gore would have handled 9/11 any differently or is the concept that 9/11 wouldn't have occurred with a Gore in the White House.
I can picture it now, we send peace keepers over to Afghanistan to plant trees and shrubberies in the low level regions of the land and that makes us a shining beacon of light to the Middle Easterners.
Musicians should pontificate on there own time and give the paying audience what they wanted to see a concert pertaining to music.
October 20, 2008 1:01 PM
Stu Solomon said...
Well, Tom, to be brutally honest, I don't really care if people pontificate "there" political beliefs when the entire event was held specifically for the purpose of rallying support for the Obama-Biden ticket.
Somehow I knew you'd be the one who would be the first to respond to my post and it would be negative.
I'm glad you held back until my trip was over and now I can tell you what I really think.
I have been listening patiently to Republicans and Libertarians, alike, claiming the benefits of deregulation and "laissez-faire" economics for nearly three decades, now. I find it interesting how many "die-hard" (more like blow-hard) fans of Reaganomics refuse to admit what this idea of trickle-down economics has failed the American people and, in particular, American small business owners.
We all know the top 10% of earners in our country pay 90% of the taxes. These are not the people being negatively affected by our economy. Sure, their balance sheet goes down, but it always bounces back.
This economic "crisis" was coming for a long time and only an ignoramus would actually blame it on any one group. That's exactly what John McCain is doing, however.
He is running one of the most negative political ad campaigns in recent memory and there is no factual basis underlying his assertions.
The economy was in a tailspin at the end of Reagan's second term. It wasn't in much better shape at the end of GHW Bush's, either. It's in an absolute downward spiral here at the end of W's and I believe economic markets are the easist way to manipulate popular opinion in election years.
This "crisis" has not been manufactured as much as it has been timed. People who keep track of these things realized this turn of events was going to happen, and many of us believed it would come to a head right before the election.
It isn't working according to plan, however. These things rarely do. In addition to distracting popular focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (which was the GOPs wish upon a star) it has focused on the absence of moral fiber and complete disregard of fairplay common decency among the ultra-rich and privileged classes.
There is a backlash coming.
Democrats have been rudderless for nearly eight years. Now, by virtue of this gamble on the part of the ultra-conservative members of the ruling economic interests, popular sentiment is rearing its head and preparing to strike at the primary culprit.
I don't know about you all, but one of the first things I learned as a young adult (a lesson which came at a dear cost to myself) was the adage "don't mess with other people's money".
Before you get your back up and claim "that's what the bailout is!" I will already concede that point. However, the bailout is the natural reaction to the messy state of affairs on Wall Street and Washington. These are the real culprits guilty of forgetting the popular saying.
The bailout is bailing out the small investor and business owner who can't afford to make it without credit. If you want to see a global depression which the rest of the world would rightly blame on U.S. neglect and outright greed, then you may, ultimately, receive your wish.
The bailout is an effort on the part of our government to avert such a disastrous event. Free market capitalism is not a living breathing organism. It is a man-made tool of economics and is manipulated by those with the most money.
Period.
If government does not seek to regulate these institutions of capitalism for the common good, then we will lapse into a modern age of feudalism. Some sociologists and economists would argue we have already unknowingly entered such an era.
Oh, by the way, there are many of us who believe 9/11 wouldn't have happened at all if GHWB and GWB hadn't been elected. And since you've brought up the subject of wondering about things we can't change, but wish we could...
I wonder if Reagan would have been elected to another term if the public had known that his staff had back-room dealings with the Iran terrorists to delay the release of the American hostages until after his initial inauguration. Interesting how this fact and the Iran-Contra affair weren't revealed to the public in time for his re-election. Hmmmm.
PS Thanks for your kind wishes for me having a happy vacation. I hope you share your next outing with me, so I may extend you the same courtesy.
PPS By the way, the tickets to this event were $50 for the public and $30 for students, which is very reasonable in today's concert market. I know people who are paying much more to see the Eagles play a much shorter show.
October 20, 2008 1:58 PM
tom said...
I must have missed the point in the post where you or anyone said the event was a fundraiser for the Obama-Biden ticket. I could've sworn you were just going to a concert, my bad...
As for government and your diatribe on what government should and shouldn't do I'll point out the following quote in your own response
"I don't know about you all, but one of the first things I learned as a young adult (a lesson which came at a dear cost to myself) was the adage "don't mess with other people's money".
We are required by government to funnel up to 35% of our income into areas where the federal government has taken complete control and yes this includes the cost of health insurance and other cost not related. As a business owner I'm dictated by government to have a minimum of 27 mandated coverages (this is state government)which drive up the cost of my premiums. The fed regulates how the insurance companies maintain the business model from which they operate which adds undue cost to employers and employees alike.
If the federal government got back to Section VIII of the Constitution we wouldn't be in the mess that we have today.
I really enjoy how one defines my comments as negative since I was referring to a concert that I was at and it was not portrayed as a fund raiser or a supporter of any campaign and I didn't see where the one you were in attendance at was referred to in that manner either.
I'm not a fan of Reagan either but can you prove the statement that you have listed in your comments ??
"I wonder if Reagan would have been elected to another term if the public had known that his staff had back-room dealings with the Iran terrorists to delay the release of the American hostages until after his initial inauguration. Interesting how this fact and the Iran-Contra affair weren't revealed to the public in time for his re-election. Hmmmm.
Your political party has been in power for two years now so can you please list there accomplishments and how these accomplishments have benefited the American middle class
October 20, 2008 2:16 PM
tom said...
Besides since NO one has been responding to your blogs I thought you might enjoy the bantering back and forth of someone who is actually reading what you write.
October 20, 2008 2:18 PM
Stu Solomon said...
It's typical of you to "pick and choose" what you remember. I believe you can google or wikipedia search either of the two references I made to Reagan's administration. That's old hat and I don't have to provide a bibliography for these statements. They are opinions, but opinions based upon substantiated reports by newsgathering agencies like the Associated Press, CBS News and the like. Of course, now you'll probably be jumping on the wagon of labeling these organizations as the "mainstream liberal media" or some such crap as most of the people of your ilk are want to do.
I said from the beginning I don't want to be petty and would strive to be civil, but the personal attack on the volume of readers of this blog kinda urges me to take the gloves off.
As far as "diatribe" goes...
I may be posting "diatribe" but at least it's literate diatribe and not based solely on my own personal experiences. Most of what I say is founded in substantial fact and not just theory.
I don't mind bantering back and forth, but I don't necessarily look forward to exchanging volleys with someone who simply espouses the inane "woe is me" whining of the small Midwestern businessman bitching about the state of affairs his portfolio is in or the "evil machinations" of the American government trying to drain the life's blood out of his business. If you're going to point fingers at anybody you should be pointing them at Republicans for NOT granting small businesses the same tax loopholes that the corporate giants have been casually strolling through all these decades. (Let's remember that Congress has been controlled by the GOP for considerably more years than the Dems. That's one reason they keep going all the way back to the '60s and '70s to find the "reasons" for our troubles today.)
Did you ever stop to think that if the corporate giants had to pay their fair share, maybe you small businessmen could catch a break? Probably not. For it is the goal of most (but certainly not all) small businessmen/women (sorry...not wanting to be labeled "sexist") to become big businessmen/women. Protest that statement all you want, but if you really expect me to believe you wouldn't be happy as a pig in slop to find your business booming this time next year, I say balderdash.
You can slam my low readership volume all you want, Tom. I never fully expected a big base of readers. I'm just glad I live in the state congressional district I do and can proudly be represented by someone who only modestly approaches my ideals of what government should be expected to do for the people.
In my mind, governments are judged by history for the way the least and "lowest" of their citizens are benefitted. (The golden age of the Roman Empire was a time of slave reform and innovations in infrastructure which benefitted the common people far more than the rich.) These days (election days) we all hear about the plight of the middle class, but all in all they still have it pretty good compared with most other countries. It is the working poor and unemployed who need the help and protection of government. NOT the rich. NOT big business. NOT small businessmen.
I truly hope we get to the position in this country where the corporate giants pay their fair share. I know they already pay more than everyone else, but that's because they MAKE more than everyone else. If there weren't so many damn loopholes for them to escape from paying what the system is designed for them to contribute, maybe small business owners like you could catch a break.
I reread my original post and have determined you are either fibbing about not realizing it was a political function, or just an inattentive reader. Either way your personal attack on my lack of readership was irrelevant and of little import.
Have a nice day and....
GO OBAMA!!!!!
Now if we could just get that weasel Roy Blunt out of office, I'd really be happy.
October 20, 2008 5:09 PM
This comment is in response to my "Homeward Bound" post from last week:
tom said...
Most people pay good money to see a band play not to pontificate there political beliefs.
I remember attending a Jackson Browne concert and a quarter of the way through the set he decided to show this short film clip on the horrors of nuclear war and to elaborate on why democrats and socialism was a far better venue then self responsibility and working hard to achieve.
It was pretty great when many in the audience got up and said SHUT UP and SING repeatedly until he was drowned out and started to play again.
I would bet many in the audience decided at that point none of their hard earned money was going to be used to purchase anything again from Jackson Browne. I know I don't and will even turn the radio station if one comes on.
I've often wondered how people get the idea that Gore would have handled 9/11 any differently or is the concept that 9/11 wouldn't have occurred with a Gore in the White House.
I can picture it now, we send peace keepers over to Afghanistan to plant trees and shrubberies in the low level regions of the land and that makes us a shining beacon of light to the Middle Easterners.
Musicians should pontificate on there own time and give the paying audience what they wanted to see a concert pertaining to music.
October 20, 2008 1:01 PM
Stu Solomon said...
Well, Tom, to be brutally honest, I don't really care if people pontificate "there" political beliefs when the entire event was held specifically for the purpose of rallying support for the Obama-Biden ticket.
Somehow I knew you'd be the one who would be the first to respond to my post and it would be negative.
I'm glad you held back until my trip was over and now I can tell you what I really think.
I have been listening patiently to Republicans and Libertarians, alike, claiming the benefits of deregulation and "laissez-faire" economics for nearly three decades, now. I find it interesting how many "die-hard" (more like blow-hard) fans of Reaganomics refuse to admit what this idea of trickle-down economics has failed the American people and, in particular, American small business owners.
We all know the top 10% of earners in our country pay 90% of the taxes. These are not the people being negatively affected by our economy. Sure, their balance sheet goes down, but it always bounces back.
This economic "crisis" was coming for a long time and only an ignoramus would actually blame it on any one group. That's exactly what John McCain is doing, however.
He is running one of the most negative political ad campaigns in recent memory and there is no factual basis underlying his assertions.
The economy was in a tailspin at the end of Reagan's second term. It wasn't in much better shape at the end of GHW Bush's, either. It's in an absolute downward spiral here at the end of W's and I believe economic markets are the easist way to manipulate popular opinion in election years.
This "crisis" has not been manufactured as much as it has been timed. People who keep track of these things realized this turn of events was going to happen, and many of us believed it would come to a head right before the election.
It isn't working according to plan, however. These things rarely do. In addition to distracting popular focus from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (which was the GOPs wish upon a star) it has focused on the absence of moral fiber and complete disregard of fairplay common decency among the ultra-rich and privileged classes.
There is a backlash coming.
Democrats have been rudderless for nearly eight years. Now, by virtue of this gamble on the part of the ultra-conservative members of the ruling economic interests, popular sentiment is rearing its head and preparing to strike at the primary culprit.
I don't know about you all, but one of the first things I learned as a young adult (a lesson which came at a dear cost to myself) was the adage "don't mess with other people's money".
Before you get your back up and claim "that's what the bailout is!" I will already concede that point. However, the bailout is the natural reaction to the messy state of affairs on Wall Street and Washington. These are the real culprits guilty of forgetting the popular saying.
The bailout is bailing out the small investor and business owner who can't afford to make it without credit. If you want to see a global depression which the rest of the world would rightly blame on U.S. neglect and outright greed, then you may, ultimately, receive your wish.
The bailout is an effort on the part of our government to avert such a disastrous event. Free market capitalism is not a living breathing organism. It is a man-made tool of economics and is manipulated by those with the most money.
Period.
If government does not seek to regulate these institutions of capitalism for the common good, then we will lapse into a modern age of feudalism. Some sociologists and economists would argue we have already unknowingly entered such an era.
Oh, by the way, there are many of us who believe 9/11 wouldn't have happened at all if GHWB and GWB hadn't been elected. And since you've brought up the subject of wondering about things we can't change, but wish we could...
I wonder if Reagan would have been elected to another term if the public had known that his staff had back-room dealings with the Iran terrorists to delay the release of the American hostages until after his initial inauguration. Interesting how this fact and the Iran-Contra affair weren't revealed to the public in time for his re-election. Hmmmm.
PS Thanks for your kind wishes for me having a happy vacation. I hope you share your next outing with me, so I may extend you the same courtesy.
PPS By the way, the tickets to this event were $50 for the public and $30 for students, which is very reasonable in today's concert market. I know people who are paying much more to see the Eagles play a much shorter show.
October 20, 2008 1:58 PM
tom said...
I must have missed the point in the post where you or anyone said the event was a fundraiser for the Obama-Biden ticket. I could've sworn you were just going to a concert, my bad...
As for government and your diatribe on what government should and shouldn't do I'll point out the following quote in your own response
"I don't know about you all, but one of the first things I learned as a young adult (a lesson which came at a dear cost to myself) was the adage "don't mess with other people's money".
We are required by government to funnel up to 35% of our income into areas where the federal government has taken complete control and yes this includes the cost of health insurance and other cost not related. As a business owner I'm dictated by government to have a minimum of 27 mandated coverages (this is state government)which drive up the cost of my premiums. The fed regulates how the insurance companies maintain the business model from which they operate which adds undue cost to employers and employees alike.
If the federal government got back to Section VIII of the Constitution we wouldn't be in the mess that we have today.
I really enjoy how one defines my comments as negative since I was referring to a concert that I was at and it was not portrayed as a fund raiser or a supporter of any campaign and I didn't see where the one you were in attendance at was referred to in that manner either.
I'm not a fan of Reagan either but can you prove the statement that you have listed in your comments ??
"I wonder if Reagan would have been elected to another term if the public had known that his staff had back-room dealings with the Iran terrorists to delay the release of the American hostages until after his initial inauguration. Interesting how this fact and the Iran-Contra affair weren't revealed to the public in time for his re-election. Hmmmm.
Your political party has been in power for two years now so can you please list there accomplishments and how these accomplishments have benefited the American middle class
October 20, 2008 2:16 PM
tom said...
Besides since NO one has been responding to your blogs I thought you might enjoy the bantering back and forth of someone who is actually reading what you write.
October 20, 2008 2:18 PM
Stu Solomon said...
It's typical of you to "pick and choose" what you remember. I believe you can google or wikipedia search either of the two references I made to Reagan's administration. That's old hat and I don't have to provide a bibliography for these statements. They are opinions, but opinions based upon substantiated reports by newsgathering agencies like the Associated Press, CBS News and the like. Of course, now you'll probably be jumping on the wagon of labeling these organizations as the "mainstream liberal media" or some such crap as most of the people of your ilk are want to do.
I said from the beginning I don't want to be petty and would strive to be civil, but the personal attack on the volume of readers of this blog kinda urges me to take the gloves off.
As far as "diatribe" goes...
I may be posting "diatribe" but at least it's literate diatribe and not based solely on my own personal experiences. Most of what I say is founded in substantial fact and not just theory.
I don't mind bantering back and forth, but I don't necessarily look forward to exchanging volleys with someone who simply espouses the inane "woe is me" whining of the small Midwestern businessman bitching about the state of affairs his portfolio is in or the "evil machinations" of the American government trying to drain the life's blood out of his business. If you're going to point fingers at anybody you should be pointing them at Republicans for NOT granting small businesses the same tax loopholes that the corporate giants have been casually strolling through all these decades. (Let's remember that Congress has been controlled by the GOP for considerably more years than the Dems. That's one reason they keep going all the way back to the '60s and '70s to find the "reasons" for our troubles today.)
Did you ever stop to think that if the corporate giants had to pay their fair share, maybe you small businessmen could catch a break? Probably not. For it is the goal of most (but certainly not all) small businessmen/women (sorry...not wanting to be labeled "sexist") to become big businessmen/women. Protest that statement all you want, but if you really expect me to believe you wouldn't be happy as a pig in slop to find your business booming this time next year, I say balderdash.
You can slam my low readership volume all you want, Tom. I never fully expected a big base of readers. I'm just glad I live in the state congressional district I do and can proudly be represented by someone who only modestly approaches my ideals of what government should be expected to do for the people.
In my mind, governments are judged by history for the way the least and "lowest" of their citizens are benefitted. (The golden age of the Roman Empire was a time of slave reform and innovations in infrastructure which benefitted the common people far more than the rich.) These days (election days) we all hear about the plight of the middle class, but all in all they still have it pretty good compared with most other countries. It is the working poor and unemployed who need the help and protection of government. NOT the rich. NOT big business. NOT small businessmen.
I truly hope we get to the position in this country where the corporate giants pay their fair share. I know they already pay more than everyone else, but that's because they MAKE more than everyone else. If there weren't so many damn loopholes for them to escape from paying what the system is designed for them to contribute, maybe small business owners like you could catch a break.
I reread my original post and have determined you are either fibbing about not realizing it was a political function, or just an inattentive reader. Either way your personal attack on my lack of readership was irrelevant and of little import.
Have a nice day and....
GO OBAMA!!!!!
Now if we could just get that weasel Roy Blunt out of office, I'd really be happy.
October 20, 2008 5:09 PM
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Homeward Bound
I'm nearly half way home. Sitting in the lobby of the Comfort Inn of Plainfield, Indiana waiting for my travel partner to rise and shiine so we can get back on the road.
I didn't get to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, afterall. My godson Jacob Dylan was born yesterday. Candy went into labor at 2:30 am CST so we headed straight for home. We'd already decided to skip Cleveland after a very long and fun day in College Station and a terrific night of music with the Allmans and the Dead. We would have only had a few hours to spend in the Hall of Fame and decided the extra miles and time on the road weren't worth it. We'll go another time when we can devote enough time to it.
The show was absolutely incredible. Aside from the venue pushing the stage forward to accommodate for an extremely over-sized stage (which rendered the seats I purchased a view from behind the stage, rather than directly off the front corner of it) we had a great time.
The Allman Brothers played One Way Out, Melissa, Whipping Post, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and a couple of others. Their set lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours. The security appeared to be heavy before the show. Police were closing vendors down well before the show, but it turned out they did this to facilitate the exit of commuting students from the parking lot. After the show "Shakedown Street" was in full swing and lots of great wares were available for sale or barter.
The Dead played a set which lasted over two hours. They opened with Truckin' followed by U.S. Blues. I've seen a lot of Dead shows, but never seen an opening like that. The boys then played the full Help On the Way/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower suite. It was tremendous! Bobby sang Help on the Way and Phil sang Franklin's. They then moved into an inspired Playin' in the Band/Jam/Dark Star/Jam/St. Stephen. I don't know the last time they did that order. I haven't seen or heard every show they ever played. Let's just say they don't do this set of songs very often at all. After that Phil lead the band in a beautiful rendition of Unbroken Chain. (I'm doing this from memory aided by some video clips I took with my cell phone. I didn't take my camera in because we were told security was tight. Turns out I could have taken it in, but oh well. I'm there to listen to the show, not video tape it.) I know there was a jam after Unbroken Chain and to the best of my recollection Bobby then took the band into Cryptical Envelopment (often returned to as The Other One). Then came Throwin' Stones: an appropriate choice given the contentious atmosphere surrounding election season. (The song decries the mess the world is in and how mankind, basically, just keeps digging the hole deeper and wider and exacerbates an already intolerable situation. The key line of the chorus is "So the kids they dance and shake their bones/And the politicians are throwin' stones/Cause it's all to clear we're on our own/Singin' Ashes, ashes all fall down.") The band then flowed into a reprise of Playin' in the Band. The band rounded out the set with Touch of Grey. The encore was a rousing version of Not Fade Away. It was a truly memorable show and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We danced and rested and danced some more.
There was only a brief period of political stumping (including members of the Penn State Varsity Football Team). Before the Dead played, a brief video appearance by Barack Obama aired. He was pleasant and appreciative of the Deadheads coming out for the event. It was short and sweet and he even made reference to his own "Touch of Grey".
Prior to playing the encore, Phil Lesh urged people to become organ donors and Bob Weir reminded people that if every Deadhead in the state of Florida had voted in
2000, we would all be living in a much different world. Who's to say, but it was an inventive way of urging people to register to vote and turn out on election day. After the show, Mickey Hart addressed the crowd and urged them to take the great feelings they had from the show and take those feelings out into the world and make something positive happen and to drive safely.
About State College. What a truly beautiful setting for a college campus. It deserves the moniker "Happy Valley". The Pennsylvania State University is immaculate and impressive. My travelling companion and I went to Ye Olde College Diner downtown and sat 20 feet away from Derek Trucks while having a meal before the show. It was pretty neat. He was very cordial on his way out of the diner and said hello to a few of us sitting at the counter.
The entire day and evening of events was a great experience and I have had a lot of these moments in my life and am humbly grateful for having been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to enjoy them.
That's all for now.
Happy Trails
I didn't get to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, afterall. My godson Jacob Dylan was born yesterday. Candy went into labor at 2:30 am CST so we headed straight for home. We'd already decided to skip Cleveland after a very long and fun day in College Station and a terrific night of music with the Allmans and the Dead. We would have only had a few hours to spend in the Hall of Fame and decided the extra miles and time on the road weren't worth it. We'll go another time when we can devote enough time to it.
The show was absolutely incredible. Aside from the venue pushing the stage forward to accommodate for an extremely over-sized stage (which rendered the seats I purchased a view from behind the stage, rather than directly off the front corner of it) we had a great time.
The Allman Brothers played One Way Out, Melissa, Whipping Post, In Memory of Elizabeth Reed and a couple of others. Their set lasted approximately 1 1/2 hours. The security appeared to be heavy before the show. Police were closing vendors down well before the show, but it turned out they did this to facilitate the exit of commuting students from the parking lot. After the show "Shakedown Street" was in full swing and lots of great wares were available for sale or barter.
The Dead played a set which lasted over two hours. They opened with Truckin' followed by U.S. Blues. I've seen a lot of Dead shows, but never seen an opening like that. The boys then played the full Help On the Way/Slipknot/Franklin's Tower suite. It was tremendous! Bobby sang Help on the Way and Phil sang Franklin's. They then moved into an inspired Playin' in the Band/Jam/Dark Star/Jam/St. Stephen. I don't know the last time they did that order. I haven't seen or heard every show they ever played. Let's just say they don't do this set of songs very often at all. After that Phil lead the band in a beautiful rendition of Unbroken Chain. (I'm doing this from memory aided by some video clips I took with my cell phone. I didn't take my camera in because we were told security was tight. Turns out I could have taken it in, but oh well. I'm there to listen to the show, not video tape it.) I know there was a jam after Unbroken Chain and to the best of my recollection Bobby then took the band into Cryptical Envelopment (often returned to as The Other One). Then came Throwin' Stones: an appropriate choice given the contentious atmosphere surrounding election season. (The song decries the mess the world is in and how mankind, basically, just keeps digging the hole deeper and wider and exacerbates an already intolerable situation. The key line of the chorus is "So the kids they dance and shake their bones/And the politicians are throwin' stones/Cause it's all to clear we're on our own/Singin' Ashes, ashes all fall down.") The band then flowed into a reprise of Playin' in the Band. The band rounded out the set with Touch of Grey. The encore was a rousing version of Not Fade Away. It was a truly memorable show and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. We danced and rested and danced some more.
There was only a brief period of political stumping (including members of the Penn State Varsity Football Team). Before the Dead played, a brief video appearance by Barack Obama aired. He was pleasant and appreciative of the Deadheads coming out for the event. It was short and sweet and he even made reference to his own "Touch of Grey".
Prior to playing the encore, Phil Lesh urged people to become organ donors and Bob Weir reminded people that if every Deadhead in the state of Florida had voted in
2000, we would all be living in a much different world. Who's to say, but it was an inventive way of urging people to register to vote and turn out on election day. After the show, Mickey Hart addressed the crowd and urged them to take the great feelings they had from the show and take those feelings out into the world and make something positive happen and to drive safely.
About State College. What a truly beautiful setting for a college campus. It deserves the moniker "Happy Valley". The Pennsylvania State University is immaculate and impressive. My travelling companion and I went to Ye Olde College Diner downtown and sat 20 feet away from Derek Trucks while having a meal before the show. It was pretty neat. He was very cordial on his way out of the diner and said hello to a few of us sitting at the counter.
The entire day and evening of events was a great experience and I have had a lot of these moments in my life and am humbly grateful for having been lucky enough to have had the opportunity to enjoy them.
That's all for now.
Happy Trails
Monday, October 13, 2008
Rockin' For CHANGE at Penn State!
Here I sit in the Alleghany Mountains about 25 miles from my ultimate destination: Bryce Jordan Center on the Penn State University campus in State College, Pennsylvania.
Let's get this straight from the outset: I am a DEAD HEAD. Not a Grateful Dead Enthusiast or any crap of a different name. I have been listening to, following and trying to learn to the best of my ability the music of the Grateful Dead for nearly three decades, now.
The surviving members of the Dead are hooking up tonite, along with the members of the Allman Brothers Band to do a little stumping and fund raising for the Obama and Biden campaign. I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat and I'm willing to listen to almost any genre of music and genuinely enjoy it. I also listen to a lot of other political opinions and don't label people or think less of them for having opinions differing from my own. This is a great experience for me. I'm going to hear some great music, listen to some inspiring political stumping, eat ice cream at the oldest institution of ice cream manufacture and hopefully get to eat at "The Diner" while visiting.
The fall color is starting to peak here and if you think we have beautiful maples in Missouri, all I can say is, you have to see this to appreciate the difference.
I know most of you who read this do not hold with my socio-economic, political or cultural views. I CERTAINLY know nearly all of you don't like the music I do, but be the kind people I know you to be and allow for our differences and just wish me a "happy trip" and all will be well in my world.
I'll keep you all posted if anything earth-shattering happens while I'm here.
Oh yeah, I'm going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on the return trip. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some photos on the blog for you to enjoy.
Let's get this straight from the outset: I am a DEAD HEAD. Not a Grateful Dead Enthusiast or any crap of a different name. I have been listening to, following and trying to learn to the best of my ability the music of the Grateful Dead for nearly three decades, now.
The surviving members of the Dead are hooking up tonite, along with the members of the Allman Brothers Band to do a little stumping and fund raising for the Obama and Biden campaign. I'm a Yellow Dog Democrat and I'm willing to listen to almost any genre of music and genuinely enjoy it. I also listen to a lot of other political opinions and don't label people or think less of them for having opinions differing from my own. This is a great experience for me. I'm going to hear some great music, listen to some inspiring political stumping, eat ice cream at the oldest institution of ice cream manufacture and hopefully get to eat at "The Diner" while visiting.
The fall color is starting to peak here and if you think we have beautiful maples in Missouri, all I can say is, you have to see this to appreciate the difference.
I know most of you who read this do not hold with my socio-economic, political or cultural views. I CERTAINLY know nearly all of you don't like the music I do, but be the kind people I know you to be and allow for our differences and just wish me a "happy trip" and all will be well in my world.
I'll keep you all posted if anything earth-shattering happens while I'm here.
Oh yeah, I'm going to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on the return trip. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some photos on the blog for you to enjoy.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Jenny Vinyard On KSMU at Noon Today
Jenny Vinyard will be playing live on KSMU 91.3 FM at noon today. Jenny will be supported by Dave Painter on lead guitar, Mark Pearl on percussion and Stu Solomon on keys. There will be an hour of live music and interviews from noon until 1 pm. Hope you all have a chance to listen. You will have to check with the radio station for any scheduled rebroadcast information.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Partisan Politics Kills Initial Bailout
Nearly everyone agrees the federal government should do something about the banking crisis. The economy is struggling, but not failing. Banks have overextended themselves on mortgages and credit. The fourth largest bank in the country is about to go under. The House of Representatives did not pass HR 3997 and immediately started pointing fingers at each other.
I don't necessarily support this specific bailout proposal, but I do believe Congress must pass some form of assistance in order to get the flow of credit moving once again. We are now in an environment where nobody is extending loans to anyone. This means large corporations, as well as potential home buyers.
Federal government's role in business should be proactive: NOT preemptive. Regulation of trading practices and credit limitations is not meddlesome government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. Obviously, the policy of laissez faire free markets with little or no new regulation in response to arising conditions has FAILED.
I find it entirely ironic to witness the Democratic Party leadership rallying to the flag of a bailout program proposed by the Bush administration. Many of Bush's policies over the last 8 years have predicated these economic and political situations. The current situation is not the result of politics, however. It is the result of unsound extension of credit to borrowers, both corporate and individual, who were unsound risks for the amount of money they were borrowing.
The sound practice is to cut our losses. Some bailout is necessary, but only in order to effect the stimulation of the economy in the other direction. We don't want our federal government to own these private businesses. We want the federal government to protect the individual small to moderate investors whose entire life savings and retirement funds are dependent upon the modest investments they hold in the stock market in the form of mutual funds.
The House has failed in this initial attempt, but I don't believe this specific bill was the best they could come up with. Democrats failed to produce 2/3 of its members to vote for the bill, while Republicans failed to produce even 1/3 of its members to support it.
The notion of Republicans not voting for the bill due to the "partisan tone" of Speaker Pelosi's speech is ludicrous. What is even more outrageous, however, is the Democratic representatives not voting unanimously for this bill. This vote is completely indicative of the lack of direction from which the Democratic Party has suffered for the last 8 years.
It is as if the ship of the party has no direction since the Bill Clinton rudder was put into retirement. Say what you want, and we all know the president is not responsible for the state of the economy, but the economy was much better off when the end of the Clinton presidency was coming to a close.
I'm a Yellow Dog and I admit it. It doesn't mean I'm narrow-minded. It means I have chosen my ground to stand on and I am content to do so. I haven't claimed it outright in this blog before, though. The reason for this is because I don't like labels. When it comes down to it, though, I'm hangin' on the porch.
Largest single-day point drop in U.S. stock market history folks. It'll probably get worse before it gets betters. You can take that to the bank....
Just don't run to get there.
I don't necessarily support this specific bailout proposal, but I do believe Congress must pass some form of assistance in order to get the flow of credit moving once again. We are now in an environment where nobody is extending loans to anyone. This means large corporations, as well as potential home buyers.
Federal government's role in business should be proactive: NOT preemptive. Regulation of trading practices and credit limitations is not meddlesome government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong. Obviously, the policy of laissez faire free markets with little or no new regulation in response to arising conditions has FAILED.
I find it entirely ironic to witness the Democratic Party leadership rallying to the flag of a bailout program proposed by the Bush administration. Many of Bush's policies over the last 8 years have predicated these economic and political situations. The current situation is not the result of politics, however. It is the result of unsound extension of credit to borrowers, both corporate and individual, who were unsound risks for the amount of money they were borrowing.
The sound practice is to cut our losses. Some bailout is necessary, but only in order to effect the stimulation of the economy in the other direction. We don't want our federal government to own these private businesses. We want the federal government to protect the individual small to moderate investors whose entire life savings and retirement funds are dependent upon the modest investments they hold in the stock market in the form of mutual funds.
The House has failed in this initial attempt, but I don't believe this specific bill was the best they could come up with. Democrats failed to produce 2/3 of its members to vote for the bill, while Republicans failed to produce even 1/3 of its members to support it.
The notion of Republicans not voting for the bill due to the "partisan tone" of Speaker Pelosi's speech is ludicrous. What is even more outrageous, however, is the Democratic representatives not voting unanimously for this bill. This vote is completely indicative of the lack of direction from which the Democratic Party has suffered for the last 8 years.
It is as if the ship of the party has no direction since the Bill Clinton rudder was put into retirement. Say what you want, and we all know the president is not responsible for the state of the economy, but the economy was much better off when the end of the Clinton presidency was coming to a close.
I'm a Yellow Dog and I admit it. It doesn't mean I'm narrow-minded. It means I have chosen my ground to stand on and I am content to do so. I haven't claimed it outright in this blog before, though. The reason for this is because I don't like labels. When it comes down to it, though, I'm hangin' on the porch.
Largest single-day point drop in U.S. stock market history folks. It'll probably get worse before it gets betters. You can take that to the bank....
Just don't run to get there.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Apologies
Well, friends, I have not posted in some while now. I became deeply disillusioned with the editorial process at the paper. After making several attempts to discuss the situation with the publisher and being ignored, I tendered my resignation. There is a healthy measure of cynicism and resentment on my part, but it is not due to the editorial decisions at the paper. No, the resentment is the result of the complete lack of respect I was shown. So, before anyone says it's just "sour grapes," I admit it freely. I feel justified in my decision to resign. I gave my superiors plenty of opportunity to simply talk to me and explain their decision to cut me out of the editorial loop. We live in the age of the cell phone and e-mail, but my calls and e-mails were met with united silence.
There can be no question I was not really a "fit" with the overall tenor of the publication, but when I began to work there, it was the very fact which appealed to my publisher and friend. Things change. I have no problem with it. After all, what self-respecting publisher wants a free-thinking and independent-minded free radical like myself writing a column committed to pointing out the discrepancies of local government?
To be fair to myself, I can honestly say copy editing and proof reading the paper was actually my favorite part of the job. Story idea meetings and consultations on administrative matters were opportunities to cut up and let off some steam. Writing the column was usually my last priority. I had quite a bit on my plate. I wasn't at the paper to write the column. My employment at the paper was never dependent on the publication of any of my columns. Just so we can get that straight. I know there are other people out there who want to reduce my resignation to that, but it isn't true. I resigned because my superiors at the paper ceased to communicate with me.
Filling in for the managing editor on one issue while his lovely wife gave birth to their newest bundle of joy was enough of an eye opening experience for me to know I really liked my role at the paper and respected Mert for fulfilling his so well. In short, I'm really not very happy at all to not be there, but there were other considerations for the publisher to weigh or not weigh or simply ignore. I'll never know exactly what they were, because he refuses to interact with me. He's so busy and all, he can't allow himself to be distracted by the likes of me.
Anyway, I've become somewhat disillusioned with the whole "concerned citizen/journalist" thing. I'm sure I'll catch the bug again soon, though. We have a brand spanking new city manager who does not believe complete transparency is necessary for efficient municipal government and administration. He and Ms. Adams will get along very well.
On another note: my blog has fallen victim to a "stalker" of sorts. An anonymous commenter who has a particular axe to grind has chosen to vent his peculiar frustration in my direction. While I know I'm not the person he's really trying to get to, I have decided to reject his comments and will no longer be accepting anonymous comments on the blog. From now on only registered users will be allowed to post comments.
Sorry 'bout that in advance to any of you aspiring anonymous commenters, but he broke the "civil" clause in my invitation to comments. I generally frown on anonymity. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but, after all, if you don't have the balls to sign your name to something, by definition it is not credible.
There can be no question I was not really a "fit" with the overall tenor of the publication, but when I began to work there, it was the very fact which appealed to my publisher and friend. Things change. I have no problem with it. After all, what self-respecting publisher wants a free-thinking and independent-minded free radical like myself writing a column committed to pointing out the discrepancies of local government?
To be fair to myself, I can honestly say copy editing and proof reading the paper was actually my favorite part of the job. Story idea meetings and consultations on administrative matters were opportunities to cut up and let off some steam. Writing the column was usually my last priority. I had quite a bit on my plate. I wasn't at the paper to write the column. My employment at the paper was never dependent on the publication of any of my columns. Just so we can get that straight. I know there are other people out there who want to reduce my resignation to that, but it isn't true. I resigned because my superiors at the paper ceased to communicate with me.
Filling in for the managing editor on one issue while his lovely wife gave birth to their newest bundle of joy was enough of an eye opening experience for me to know I really liked my role at the paper and respected Mert for fulfilling his so well. In short, I'm really not very happy at all to not be there, but there were other considerations for the publisher to weigh or not weigh or simply ignore. I'll never know exactly what they were, because he refuses to interact with me. He's so busy and all, he can't allow himself to be distracted by the likes of me.
Anyway, I've become somewhat disillusioned with the whole "concerned citizen/journalist" thing. I'm sure I'll catch the bug again soon, though. We have a brand spanking new city manager who does not believe complete transparency is necessary for efficient municipal government and administration. He and Ms. Adams will get along very well.
On another note: my blog has fallen victim to a "stalker" of sorts. An anonymous commenter who has a particular axe to grind has chosen to vent his peculiar frustration in my direction. While I know I'm not the person he's really trying to get to, I have decided to reject his comments and will no longer be accepting anonymous comments on the blog. From now on only registered users will be allowed to post comments.
Sorry 'bout that in advance to any of you aspiring anonymous commenters, but he broke the "civil" clause in my invitation to comments. I generally frown on anonymity. I'm not trying to offend anyone, but, after all, if you don't have the balls to sign your name to something, by definition it is not credible.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Jenny Vinyard Update
Jenny Vinyard will be featured for an hour-long performance/interview on KSMU 91.1 FM at 12 noon on October 10, 2008. The program will be taped and aired on this date, barring any unforeseen reasons for pre-empting the broadcast.
Jenny will also be performing at Harlow's on October 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Jenny's band and repertoire are expanding, so be sure to make plans to listen to the radio broadcast and attend her next live performance at Harlow's.
Jenny will also be performing at Harlow's on October 24 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Jenny's band and repertoire are expanding, so be sure to make plans to listen to the radio broadcast and attend her next live performance at Harlow's.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Olympic Fever
I know there are all kinds of objections and demonstrators and protest movements surrounding the XXIX Olympiad, but you know what?
I don't care!
I love the Olympic games. I love the spectacle of the opening ceremony. I love the swimming, rowing, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics and basketball.
I'm not just a homer, either. There are lots of great human interest stories.
And this quadrennial's games are being held in the Middle Kingdom!
China! I love their history and culture and philosophy.
I know there are human rights problems. I know the government is brutal at times and unforgiving of seemingly insignificant transgressions, but they sure did pull out the stops to show the world they are more than the world's most populated country.
Anyway, I don't want to get into all the political and economic crap. There's plenty of time to debate all that stuff. These games are about human achievement in athletics and I am grateful we live in an age where we can witness the spectacle and drama of the efforts of these athletes.
I hope you all decide to watch your favorite events and enjoy the coverage with family and friends.
I don't care!
I love the Olympic games. I love the spectacle of the opening ceremony. I love the swimming, rowing, volleyball, table tennis, gymnastics and basketball.
I'm not just a homer, either. There are lots of great human interest stories.
And this quadrennial's games are being held in the Middle Kingdom!
China! I love their history and culture and philosophy.
I know there are human rights problems. I know the government is brutal at times and unforgiving of seemingly insignificant transgressions, but they sure did pull out the stops to show the world they are more than the world's most populated country.
Anyway, I don't want to get into all the political and economic crap. There's plenty of time to debate all that stuff. These games are about human achievement in athletics and I am grateful we live in an age where we can witness the spectacle and drama of the efforts of these athletes.
I hope you all decide to watch your favorite events and enjoy the coverage with family and friends.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
U.S. Fatalities in Iraq Demand More Than "Pipe Dream Alliance"
More than 4000 U.S. service men and women have died in the Iraq War. 33,000 casualties and 29,000 wounded in the same time frame.
Now the Iraq government finds itself with a surplus of $80 billion after the surge in oil profits last quarter. What should be done with this windfall?
To be sure, the Iraqi people have suffered greatly, as has their country's infrastructure, with the inevitabilities of war. Five long years of war have ravaged the people and the systems to meet their physical needs.
So far, $169 billion has been spent to rebuild Iraq, while the conflict drags on. The military "surge" may have worked, but the flow of money needed to rebuild the country is just beginning.
Of the $169 billion spent to this point, U.S. taxpayers have donated $50 billion. I guess that's fair. We caused most of the damage to infrastructure, anyway, right?
I don't have any family or friends, that I am aware of, serving in the conflict. I am happy for that fact. I can't really imagine the stress and worry of dealing with that type of reality every day.
I don't think it's right for $10 billion of Iraqi money (in U.S. banks alone) to be collecting $435 million in interest while U.S. tax dollars are flowing to mend the damage done by the war. I'm sure Iraq will eventually devote a good amount of this windfall from oil profits to rebuilding itself.
I don't understand the Bush administration's perceived payoff for the $50 billion spent on reconstructing Iraq's infrastructure, however. Yesterday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto stated Iraq becoming a long-term ally of the U.S. is the reward for all the money spent to rebuild.
Sorry, I don't think that's something the Bush administration can assure us of. The U.S. could restore Iraq to all its former glory of antiquity and make the country the envy of Southwest Asia and the Middle East. Even if that unlikelihood did come to pass, however, the probability of Iraq remaining steadfastly allied with the U.S. for the distant future is a pipe dream.
I'm sorry, but even if you take the weapons of mass destruction off the board, the Iraqi people and their government are still going to have to pay the piper. War reparations should be made.
What we, as a country, have accomplished with this war is the suppression of a civil war that will probably never be fully quelled. The alternative, however, would have been far more distressing to the region and the rest of the world. I never advocated war with Iraq, but once we were there, we were obligated to recognize the importance of stability in the region and our responsibility to see such stability maintained through our military presence and diplomatic efforts to achieve parity among the three cultural/political groups involved in the power struggle for Iraq.
I believe that fair and non-punitive war reparations for the Iraqi government would be for them to initially forward any interest on accounts currently held in the U.S. to the U.S. government. Afterward, the Iraqi government would be required to forward 1 percent of all net profits from the proceeds of its oil exports.
It is horrible and lamentable for the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have been directly impacted by this war through the loss of a loved one and/or the wounded service men and women who have already returned and will be returning from this war. Life for these people will never be the same. Our country owes all of these people the assurance their sacrifice was not in vain and did not accomplish any real or lasting objective.
Iraq may not always be our ally in this region. I don't really see the Iraqi people rushing to lay down their lives for U.S. interests in the region. No president can foresee, let alone guarantee the future. What our government can do, however, is make sure the Iraqi government and people demonstrate their thanks in the form of repaying the monetary donation the U.S. has made to secure the reconstruction of Iraq.
Now the Iraq government finds itself with a surplus of $80 billion after the surge in oil profits last quarter. What should be done with this windfall?
To be sure, the Iraqi people have suffered greatly, as has their country's infrastructure, with the inevitabilities of war. Five long years of war have ravaged the people and the systems to meet their physical needs.
So far, $169 billion has been spent to rebuild Iraq, while the conflict drags on. The military "surge" may have worked, but the flow of money needed to rebuild the country is just beginning.
Of the $169 billion spent to this point, U.S. taxpayers have donated $50 billion. I guess that's fair. We caused most of the damage to infrastructure, anyway, right?
I don't have any family or friends, that I am aware of, serving in the conflict. I am happy for that fact. I can't really imagine the stress and worry of dealing with that type of reality every day.
I don't think it's right for $10 billion of Iraqi money (in U.S. banks alone) to be collecting $435 million in interest while U.S. tax dollars are flowing to mend the damage done by the war. I'm sure Iraq will eventually devote a good amount of this windfall from oil profits to rebuilding itself.
I don't understand the Bush administration's perceived payoff for the $50 billion spent on reconstructing Iraq's infrastructure, however. Yesterday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto stated Iraq becoming a long-term ally of the U.S. is the reward for all the money spent to rebuild.
Sorry, I don't think that's something the Bush administration can assure us of. The U.S. could restore Iraq to all its former glory of antiquity and make the country the envy of Southwest Asia and the Middle East. Even if that unlikelihood did come to pass, however, the probability of Iraq remaining steadfastly allied with the U.S. for the distant future is a pipe dream.
I'm sorry, but even if you take the weapons of mass destruction off the board, the Iraqi people and their government are still going to have to pay the piper. War reparations should be made.
What we, as a country, have accomplished with this war is the suppression of a civil war that will probably never be fully quelled. The alternative, however, would have been far more distressing to the region and the rest of the world. I never advocated war with Iraq, but once we were there, we were obligated to recognize the importance of stability in the region and our responsibility to see such stability maintained through our military presence and diplomatic efforts to achieve parity among the three cultural/political groups involved in the power struggle for Iraq.
I believe that fair and non-punitive war reparations for the Iraqi government would be for them to initially forward any interest on accounts currently held in the U.S. to the U.S. government. Afterward, the Iraqi government would be required to forward 1 percent of all net profits from the proceeds of its oil exports.
It is horrible and lamentable for the hundreds of thousands of individuals who have been directly impacted by this war through the loss of a loved one and/or the wounded service men and women who have already returned and will be returning from this war. Life for these people will never be the same. Our country owes all of these people the assurance their sacrifice was not in vain and did not accomplish any real or lasting objective.
Iraq may not always be our ally in this region. I don't really see the Iraqi people rushing to lay down their lives for U.S. interests in the region. No president can foresee, let alone guarantee the future. What our government can do, however, is make sure the Iraqi government and people demonstrate their thanks in the form of repaying the monetary donation the U.S. has made to secure the reconstruction of Iraq.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Paris is Right!
Hotelier heiress Paris Hilton has it right.
Instead of an "either/or" choice between the energy policy proposals of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. A hybridization of both plans (with a healthy portion of the Pickens Plan on the side) is the solution to our country's reliance on foreign oil.
We need: limited off-shore drilling with environmentally protective oversight; we also need a windfall tax for oil companies and earmark the revenue from this tax to alternative energy development (wind, solar AND nuclear); we need to commence the building of wind and solar energy farms in the plains and southwest; we need to mandate a two-way power grid allowing individual homes and businesses to implement wind and solar technologies to produce their own energy and potentially sell excess energy back to the grid.
The energy crisis this country has finally decided to acknowledge is far too important to allow the stagnant two-party political process to play with. This issue demands and deserves the active participation of all people. The time has come for the people to speak. Let your representatives know your mind on this issue.
Instead of an "either/or" choice between the energy policy proposals of Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama. A hybridization of both plans (with a healthy portion of the Pickens Plan on the side) is the solution to our country's reliance on foreign oil.
We need: limited off-shore drilling with environmentally protective oversight; we also need a windfall tax for oil companies and earmark the revenue from this tax to alternative energy development (wind, solar AND nuclear); we need to commence the building of wind and solar energy farms in the plains and southwest; we need to mandate a two-way power grid allowing individual homes and businesses to implement wind and solar technologies to produce their own energy and potentially sell excess energy back to the grid.
The energy crisis this country has finally decided to acknowledge is far too important to allow the stagnant two-party political process to play with. This issue demands and deserves the active participation of all people. The time has come for the people to speak. Let your representatives know your mind on this issue.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Two-Way Energy Grid is Part of Solution
Ronald Reagan effectively delayed solar and wind energy development by decades with his energy policies. Democrats, the scare in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine combined to kill nuclear development over the last 40 years. Nearly everybody has taken a "wrong stance" on the energy issue at one time or another.
The major factor killing wind and solar currently, however, is the lack of a two-way energy grid, whereby individual homes and businesses could implement these technologies to provide their own energy needs and sell the excess to the public and/or private utility companies. Some states allow for it, but Missouri does not.
I'm not saying these technological implementations by consumers should be subsidized by various levels of government, but, if you consider all the federal money handed out to utility companies over the last half-century, maybe such subsidization would be commendable. It would be easy to verify if recipients had utilized the money for the technology and could potentially save millions of dollars of energy expense for the utility companies themeselves: thereby increasing their net profits.
With some of the increased profits, the utility companies could expand development of large-scale wind and solar energy production and (hopefully) bring more nuclear power facilities onto the national power grid, as well.
Solar, wind and nuclear energy production being increased would allow for natural gas (something we have plenty of in the U.S.) to be developed into more efficient and cleaner fuel for automobiles and other forms of transport. This plan would grant us nearly two decades of reduced reliance on foreign oil, while providing us with the time to develop a more eco-friendly source of fuel for transportation.
The major factor killing wind and solar currently, however, is the lack of a two-way energy grid, whereby individual homes and businesses could implement these technologies to provide their own energy needs and sell the excess to the public and/or private utility companies. Some states allow for it, but Missouri does not.
I'm not saying these technological implementations by consumers should be subsidized by various levels of government, but, if you consider all the federal money handed out to utility companies over the last half-century, maybe such subsidization would be commendable. It would be easy to verify if recipients had utilized the money for the technology and could potentially save millions of dollars of energy expense for the utility companies themeselves: thereby increasing their net profits.
With some of the increased profits, the utility companies could expand development of large-scale wind and solar energy production and (hopefully) bring more nuclear power facilities onto the national power grid, as well.
Solar, wind and nuclear energy production being increased would allow for natural gas (something we have plenty of in the U.S.) to be developed into more efficient and cleaner fuel for automobiles and other forms of transport. This plan would grant us nearly two decades of reduced reliance on foreign oil, while providing us with the time to develop a more eco-friendly source of fuel for transportation.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Big Oil Wins; U.S. Auto Maker Loses
Exxon reported second quarter profits of $11.5 billion, while General Motor Corportation reported a $15 billion loss during the same period. It's an all-time hight profit for a single quarter. GM's loss is its third largest for a single quarter and includes $3 billion in employee contract buyouts.
Initial analysis of what the big oil companies do when they record such high profits (Shell Oil reported over $11 billion in profit, as well) is to reinvest in their company. They just buy their own stock and watch it go up. Meanwhile, we hear from the big oil PR people about how invested the companies are in research for alternative fuels and leaving less of a carbon footprint. I'm not buying it. Whatever they're investing in such research is, quite literally, a drop out of every barrell.
Anybody who knows anything about the subject can tell you the U.S. has had a deflated price on gasoline for years. It was bound to catch up to the world market price, but most people didn't expect it to happen so fast. It's still not as expensive as it is in Europe.
So, with full knowledge of this, the U.S. auto makers went on a collision course of economic destiny by pursuing the marketing and sale of big trucks and sport utility vehicles.
There is no conspiracy, but the big oil companies didn't do the auto makers who pursued this philosophy any favors, either. The big loser is the consumer, of course. Americans are suckers for a big, comfortable, safe and reliable vehicle.
The price of gasoline is tapering a little bit, but it's not going to fall as rapidly as it rose and it won't decrease by the same degree, either.
If you think about it, there was no other way for this to play out. Just when consumers were beginning to realize the impracticality of the big vehicles, the price of light sweet crude became the speculative game of the week for Wall Street and everyone driving those big large vehicles was saddled with the exhorbitant cost of gasoline.
The situation was predicted by many of us back when the trend to larger and less fuel-efficient vehicles became popular. It wasn't a difficult assumption to make.
The realization of it has come hard to some people, however. Now we've got people calling for more oil wells in this country and the Arctic. The Russians are making a military presence felt in the region to establish territorial rights to the largest untapped oil fields left on the planet.
Many people may not realize this scenario has been written about by several authors who foresaw the struggle to control oil production as the root system for the next global military confrontation: WW III. Doesn't sound too far-fetched with the Russian navy establishing a military presence in the Arctic Circle. Not to my mind, anyway.
It may be a long way off. It may happen next week. It may never happen, but it's certainly a plausible course of events. If you don't believe me, research it on your own.
The best thing for everyone in this country to do right now, is to work on conserving. If we work at it, we'll save some money for ourselves. The Wall Street fat cats aren't going to donate any of their profits for subsidization of our fuel bills.
Try to car pool. Try to combine trips out in the car. Walk. Use public transportation.
Initial analysis of what the big oil companies do when they record such high profits (Shell Oil reported over $11 billion in profit, as well) is to reinvest in their company. They just buy their own stock and watch it go up. Meanwhile, we hear from the big oil PR people about how invested the companies are in research for alternative fuels and leaving less of a carbon footprint. I'm not buying it. Whatever they're investing in such research is, quite literally, a drop out of every barrell.
Anybody who knows anything about the subject can tell you the U.S. has had a deflated price on gasoline for years. It was bound to catch up to the world market price, but most people didn't expect it to happen so fast. It's still not as expensive as it is in Europe.
So, with full knowledge of this, the U.S. auto makers went on a collision course of economic destiny by pursuing the marketing and sale of big trucks and sport utility vehicles.
There is no conspiracy, but the big oil companies didn't do the auto makers who pursued this philosophy any favors, either. The big loser is the consumer, of course. Americans are suckers for a big, comfortable, safe and reliable vehicle.
The price of gasoline is tapering a little bit, but it's not going to fall as rapidly as it rose and it won't decrease by the same degree, either.
If you think about it, there was no other way for this to play out. Just when consumers were beginning to realize the impracticality of the big vehicles, the price of light sweet crude became the speculative game of the week for Wall Street and everyone driving those big large vehicles was saddled with the exhorbitant cost of gasoline.
The situation was predicted by many of us back when the trend to larger and less fuel-efficient vehicles became popular. It wasn't a difficult assumption to make.
The realization of it has come hard to some people, however. Now we've got people calling for more oil wells in this country and the Arctic. The Russians are making a military presence felt in the region to establish territorial rights to the largest untapped oil fields left on the planet.
Many people may not realize this scenario has been written about by several authors who foresaw the struggle to control oil production as the root system for the next global military confrontation: WW III. Doesn't sound too far-fetched with the Russian navy establishing a military presence in the Arctic Circle. Not to my mind, anyway.
It may be a long way off. It may happen next week. It may never happen, but it's certainly a plausible course of events. If you don't believe me, research it on your own.
The best thing for everyone in this country to do right now, is to work on conserving. If we work at it, we'll save some money for ourselves. The Wall Street fat cats aren't going to donate any of their profits for subsidization of our fuel bills.
Try to car pool. Try to combine trips out in the car. Walk. Use public transportation.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Jenny Vinyard Plays Harlow's August 1
Jenny Vinyard will play at Harlow's Friday evening, August 1st. The popular Springfield songstress will begin playing between 5:30 and 6:00 pm.
Local "guitar god" Dave Painter is expected to sit in on selections from Jenny's CD "Flower Tattoo" along with Stu Solomon on keyboard and Mark Pearl on percussion.
The Bluesberries will be the featured band of the evening, beginning around 9:00 pm.
Be sure to come out and enjoy the tunes with great food, drink and atmosphere at Harlow's. Located at 637 S. Kimbrough this Friday night.
Local "guitar god" Dave Painter is expected to sit in on selections from Jenny's CD "Flower Tattoo" along with Stu Solomon on keyboard and Mark Pearl on percussion.
The Bluesberries will be the featured band of the evening, beginning around 9:00 pm.
Be sure to come out and enjoy the tunes with great food, drink and atmosphere at Harlow's. Located at 637 S. Kimbrough this Friday night.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Opus/BKD "Industrial Development" Needs Review by Attorney General's Office
The recent emergency bill passed by the Springfield City Council permitting 910 Springfield LLC (Opus) to develop an office building and determine the parking rights in the facility JQ Hammons agreed to purchase is an affront to the citizens of Springfield and should not be tolerated. Furthermore, the subsequent determination to issue tax abatement revenue bonds under the auspices of RSMo Chapter 100 statutes should be reviewed by the state Attorney General's Office for possible violation of the intent of the statutes.
The first point I'd like to make is I am not against development. What I am against is the manner in which our City Council deems something so important as to declare it an "emergency", and (for all intents and purposes) deny any public dialogue to take place. This is exactly what the council did in the matter of a proposed Opus development.
What a sham! Give me a break, will ya? Ok, fine.
Tell me this: How the heck does an accounting firm's (BKD's) future office building warrant "emergency" status on the council's agenda and preclude any public discussion, whatsoever?
Is this for real?
On top of that, the council determines this whole mess should be given yet another tax break! So what does the council do? It decides to classify this project as an "industrial development" which, in turn, qualifies it for tax abatement revenue bonds issued by the city under the RSMo Chapter 100 statute.
The statute provides the tax abatement revenue bonds may be issued for the purpose of industrial development, but there are some loosely interpretted guidelines for their issuance. The council may have crossed the line on this one and I think they did. Their line of reasoning is the office building is an industrial development by virtue of their (also questionable) belief regarding BKD being an "office industry".
Even if the deal is legal, (which I'm not certain it is and I advocate an independent review by the state Attorney General's office) I'm 100 percent opposed to this development being given a tax abatement. This city is experiencing financial problems, in part, due to their misguided belief in tax abatements as incentives for businesses to stay in, or relocate to, Springfield.
If businesses don't want to make their base of operations in Springfield without these tax incentives, so be it. Sayonara! Cya later, bub! Our city needs the tax revenue! If we provide these business with tax abatements do you know what they become? They become a tax burden and a liability.
I'm not talking about liability for the revenue bonds, either. I'm talking about the future revenue it's going to require to maintain the city's infrastructure in order to keep these businesses happy and keep them here. (Not to mention the blackmail tactic of hitting the city up for future abatements; using the threat of leaving as coercion.) If council members don't see this proposed development as a future expenditure for the city, then they are fiscal fools and every stinking one of them should be voted out of office next April.
Please write to the state Attorney General's office if you agree with this opinion and request a review of the legality of our city council's actions regarding the issuance of these tax abatement revenue bonds.
The first point I'd like to make is I am not against development. What I am against is the manner in which our City Council deems something so important as to declare it an "emergency", and (for all intents and purposes) deny any public dialogue to take place. This is exactly what the council did in the matter of a proposed Opus development.
What a sham! Give me a break, will ya? Ok, fine.
Tell me this: How the heck does an accounting firm's (BKD's) future office building warrant "emergency" status on the council's agenda and preclude any public discussion, whatsoever?
Is this for real?
On top of that, the council determines this whole mess should be given yet another tax break! So what does the council do? It decides to classify this project as an "industrial development" which, in turn, qualifies it for tax abatement revenue bonds issued by the city under the RSMo Chapter 100 statute.
The statute provides the tax abatement revenue bonds may be issued for the purpose of industrial development, but there are some loosely interpretted guidelines for their issuance. The council may have crossed the line on this one and I think they did. Their line of reasoning is the office building is an industrial development by virtue of their (also questionable) belief regarding BKD being an "office industry".
Even if the deal is legal, (which I'm not certain it is and I advocate an independent review by the state Attorney General's office) I'm 100 percent opposed to this development being given a tax abatement. This city is experiencing financial problems, in part, due to their misguided belief in tax abatements as incentives for businesses to stay in, or relocate to, Springfield.
If businesses don't want to make their base of operations in Springfield without these tax incentives, so be it. Sayonara! Cya later, bub! Our city needs the tax revenue! If we provide these business with tax abatements do you know what they become? They become a tax burden and a liability.
I'm not talking about liability for the revenue bonds, either. I'm talking about the future revenue it's going to require to maintain the city's infrastructure in order to keep these businesses happy and keep them here. (Not to mention the blackmail tactic of hitting the city up for future abatements; using the threat of leaving as coercion.) If council members don't see this proposed development as a future expenditure for the city, then they are fiscal fools and every stinking one of them should be voted out of office next April.
Please write to the state Attorney General's office if you agree with this opinion and request a review of the legality of our city council's actions regarding the issuance of these tax abatement revenue bonds.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Suspect Shot and Killed by Springfield Police Officer
Springfield Police Officer Jeff Ferneau is on administrative leave with pay (standard department procedure)after shooting and killing an armed suspect.
Donald Gaches fled from officers responding to a reported assault on a woman at 701 E. Elm Street.
Gaches had apparently fled to his apartment and Ferneau negotiated with him for a few minutes through the door, before Gaches opened the door and lunged at the officer with a large knife.
Donald Gaches fled from officers responding to a reported assault on a woman at 701 E. Elm Street.
Gaches had apparently fled to his apartment and Ferneau negotiated with him for a few minutes through the door, before Gaches opened the door and lunged at the officer with a large knife.
Readership Poll Affirms Call for Public Disclosure by Park Board
100 percent of this blog's readership believes the Park Board should publicly disclose the changes it sought to make to the original and supplemental agreements it made with the Springfield Skatepark Association.
This is my personal contention:
I think the voting public has the right to this information if it is to be expected to support the Park Board, which is its representative for the management of public parks.
If a government agency brings a lawsuit against private citizens or non-profit groups providing services to the public, it is the duty of the agency and its directors to disclose the facts supporting the case to the public's attention.
The Park Board and City Council are OUR representatives and they owe us a reasonable and complete explanation for taking such drastic action against a non-profit organization in good standing.
Unless the Park Board can prove the SSA violated the terms of either the original agreement or the supplemental agreement to the public's satisfaction (and by this I mean a full and OPEN hearing on the City Council Agenda), such a lawsuit should not be approved and authorized by the City or its legal department.
This is my personal contention:
I think the voting public has the right to this information if it is to be expected to support the Park Board, which is its representative for the management of public parks.
If a government agency brings a lawsuit against private citizens or non-profit groups providing services to the public, it is the duty of the agency and its directors to disclose the facts supporting the case to the public's attention.
The Park Board and City Council are OUR representatives and they owe us a reasonable and complete explanation for taking such drastic action against a non-profit organization in good standing.
Unless the Park Board can prove the SSA violated the terms of either the original agreement or the supplemental agreement to the public's satisfaction (and by this I mean a full and OPEN hearing on the City Council Agenda), such a lawsuit should not be approved and authorized by the City or its legal department.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
McCain Campaign Blasts NY Times
Presumptive presidential nominee John McCain's campaign is levelling complaints against the NY Times for rejecting a draft he submitted for an Op/Ed piece. The Times reportedly rejected it. Big whup.
McCain's been published in the liberal East Coast daily seven times over the last decade, while Obama saw his first piece published recently.
McCain isn't saying anything new. I know it may not be fair and it's certainly not giving McCain an equal voice, but the paper is not obligated to do so. Obama has been saying the same things, too. Why print his opinion and not McCain's?
The reason is this: Obama's opinions are, for the most part, "newsworthy" due to their propensity to change the status quo. Proposing change is going to get more attention than saying "Let's just keep doing what we've been doing until we know exactly what we need to be doing based on what we know now, and when things change we'll decide if we need to do something different."
I don't want to get into the debate over whether or not withdrawal timetables are appropriate or not. I don't believe either candidate wants to endanger the lives of service men and women on the ground in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
The point is McCain's campaign is not putting him in the news. The campaign process is going to be contentious: it always is. People are going to get tired of hearing both candidates saying the same thing over and over, but all McCain is really saying is "Obama is wrong and a flip-flopper".
Okay. I can hang with that. Name me a politician who doesn't change their mind about certain issues? (Particularly if their original stance is liable to impede their progress toward election/re-election.)
McCain is never going to be the darling of the media. He doesn't have it in him and it isn't what he should be hoping for. His attempts at being more "humanized" and humorous have mostly failed and (like it or not) he is the candidate running on the idea of times being hard for everyone, but if we stick to our guns, we'll make it through. The other problem he's got is people seeing him almost as an incumbent running for re-election.
This is, of course, preposterous. He has substantive differences from the current president, but those differences are not disparate enough for him to be seen as "fresh".
Obama is riding high with the media. There are plenty of people telling us that this is a "media conspiracy" to push Obama down the public's throat. I don't subscribe to theories like this, in general.
The conservatives always hold the trump card in such a situation: if Obama is getting too much press and the media are in love with him, they'll take it to the pulpit. James Dobson is already hinting he may endorse McCain. Conservative spiritual leaders and social groups will rally behind McCain, even if he's not their ideal candidate. So far, their response is luke warm, but when push comes to shove, you can bet they'll be all about McCain and not about Obama.
It's going to be an interesting campaign you can bet on it. If you think McCain is going to attract the amount of attention from the media Obama is garnering, however, you're going to be disappointed.
McCain's been published in the liberal East Coast daily seven times over the last decade, while Obama saw his first piece published recently.
McCain isn't saying anything new. I know it may not be fair and it's certainly not giving McCain an equal voice, but the paper is not obligated to do so. Obama has been saying the same things, too. Why print his opinion and not McCain's?
The reason is this: Obama's opinions are, for the most part, "newsworthy" due to their propensity to change the status quo. Proposing change is going to get more attention than saying "Let's just keep doing what we've been doing until we know exactly what we need to be doing based on what we know now, and when things change we'll decide if we need to do something different."
I don't want to get into the debate over whether or not withdrawal timetables are appropriate or not. I don't believe either candidate wants to endanger the lives of service men and women on the ground in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
The point is McCain's campaign is not putting him in the news. The campaign process is going to be contentious: it always is. People are going to get tired of hearing both candidates saying the same thing over and over, but all McCain is really saying is "Obama is wrong and a flip-flopper".
Okay. I can hang with that. Name me a politician who doesn't change their mind about certain issues? (Particularly if their original stance is liable to impede their progress toward election/re-election.)
McCain is never going to be the darling of the media. He doesn't have it in him and it isn't what he should be hoping for. His attempts at being more "humanized" and humorous have mostly failed and (like it or not) he is the candidate running on the idea of times being hard for everyone, but if we stick to our guns, we'll make it through. The other problem he's got is people seeing him almost as an incumbent running for re-election.
This is, of course, preposterous. He has substantive differences from the current president, but those differences are not disparate enough for him to be seen as "fresh".
Obama is riding high with the media. There are plenty of people telling us that this is a "media conspiracy" to push Obama down the public's throat. I don't subscribe to theories like this, in general.
The conservatives always hold the trump card in such a situation: if Obama is getting too much press and the media are in love with him, they'll take it to the pulpit. James Dobson is already hinting he may endorse McCain. Conservative spiritual leaders and social groups will rally behind McCain, even if he's not their ideal candidate. So far, their response is luke warm, but when push comes to shove, you can bet they'll be all about McCain and not about Obama.
It's going to be an interesting campaign you can bet on it. If you think McCain is going to attract the amount of attention from the media Obama is garnering, however, you're going to be disappointed.
Pickens Plan Provides a Bridge To Future of Energy in U.S.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Rooting for the "Shark"
Go "Shark"!
Australian Greg Norman begins the final round of The Open Championship with a 2 stroke lead over Padraig Harrington of Ireland. I'm rooting for the "Shark" all the way.
I remember as a younger man I would jokingly put the "dig" to my dad and root for whoever was closest to Norman when he was in the thick of things, but always liking the striking figure he cut on the links. The "Shark" is an indomitable competitor. He has endured heartbreaking failures and the stigma of not really accomplishing what many people assumed he should have.
He's won 18 tournaments on the PGA Tour and 2 Open Championships (otherwise known as The British Open). He was the # 1 player on the tour for a long time, but the game has not been particularly benevolent to the Aussie when playing in the 4 major tournaments.
He's recently married tennis legend Chris Evert and teed off on the first hole of the final round of the 137th Open Championship at 8:22 CST.
My dad and I played a lot of golf together and watched even more together and I miss those times. I'd give a lot to be on the course with him and a golf cart and a cooler of beer, right now.
My dad had a lot of respect for the game and the men who made it look like the most natural pasttime ever invented by man. It may be because most of our family blood lines originated in northern England and Scotland, but I have to say I love the game and miss playing. Knee surgery and back surgery have dwindled my enthusiasm for playing because a 3 or 4 hour round of golf can potentially put me in pain for weeks. I'm thinking it'll be worth it, though. Maybe this fall, when the temperatures are cooler and the ground is not so hard and unforgiving, I'll pick up the sticks and chase the ball around the countryside.
For now, however, I'm content with watching Greg and I'm really pulling for him. He's only lead a major going into the final round 8 times and has lost all but one of those competitions. I'm hoping he's shed that mantle and wins in fine fashion today and celebrates with pint of England's finest ale.
The Open Championship is being played at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club outside Liverpool on the coast of the Irish Sea.
Australian Greg Norman begins the final round of The Open Championship with a 2 stroke lead over Padraig Harrington of Ireland. I'm rooting for the "Shark" all the way.
I remember as a younger man I would jokingly put the "dig" to my dad and root for whoever was closest to Norman when he was in the thick of things, but always liking the striking figure he cut on the links. The "Shark" is an indomitable competitor. He has endured heartbreaking failures and the stigma of not really accomplishing what many people assumed he should have.
He's won 18 tournaments on the PGA Tour and 2 Open Championships (otherwise known as The British Open). He was the # 1 player on the tour for a long time, but the game has not been particularly benevolent to the Aussie when playing in the 4 major tournaments.
He's recently married tennis legend Chris Evert and teed off on the first hole of the final round of the 137th Open Championship at 8:22 CST.
My dad and I played a lot of golf together and watched even more together and I miss those times. I'd give a lot to be on the course with him and a golf cart and a cooler of beer, right now.
My dad had a lot of respect for the game and the men who made it look like the most natural pasttime ever invented by man. It may be because most of our family blood lines originated in northern England and Scotland, but I have to say I love the game and miss playing. Knee surgery and back surgery have dwindled my enthusiasm for playing because a 3 or 4 hour round of golf can potentially put me in pain for weeks. I'm thinking it'll be worth it, though. Maybe this fall, when the temperatures are cooler and the ground is not so hard and unforgiving, I'll pick up the sticks and chase the ball around the countryside.
For now, however, I'm content with watching Greg and I'm really pulling for him. He's only lead a major going into the final round 8 times and has lost all but one of those competitions. I'm hoping he's shed that mantle and wins in fine fashion today and celebrates with pint of England's finest ale.
The Open Championship is being played at the Royal Birkdale Golf Club outside Liverpool on the coast of the Irish Sea.
Friday, July 18, 2008
Autism a fraud?
Hello Springfield!
It's Friday, July 18 and I am joining Jason in calling for anyone who reads this blog to email Rex Hansen rhansen@journalbroadcastgroup.com and Vincent Jericho vjericho@journalbroadcastgroup.com to admonish their station's broadcast of Michael Savage's preposterous claim of autism being a "fake" and "fraud" condition.
Please read today's entry at www.lifeofjason.com for details of Savage's ludicrous assertions concerning a condition undeserving of aspersions such as the popular conservative talk show host made in his recent broadcast.
If you are a regular listener of the radio station KSGF I urge you to write to Hansen and Jericho and express your concern over this issue in the strongest terms possible.
Have a nice day
It's Friday, July 18 and I am joining Jason in calling for anyone who reads this blog to email Rex Hansen rhansen@journalbroadcastgroup.com and Vincent Jericho vjericho@journalbroadcastgroup.com to admonish their station's broadcast of Michael Savage's preposterous claim of autism being a "fake" and "fraud" condition.
Please read today's entry at www.lifeofjason.com for details of Savage's ludicrous assertions concerning a condition undeserving of aspersions such as the popular conservative talk show host made in his recent broadcast.
If you are a regular listener of the radio station KSGF I urge you to write to Hansen and Jericho and express your concern over this issue in the strongest terms possible.
Have a nice day
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hello all.
I've been very busy at the paper this past 10 days. Our managing editor Mert Seaton and his wife brought a brand spanking new baby girl on July 2. Lucy Ann weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces at birth. Already has daddy wrapped around her finger I hear from a reliable source.
Anyway, Mert took a couple weeks off to take care of mother and child, so I made a feeble attempt to fill in for him at the paper. If there are things left out or are done incorrectly, it's pretty much my fault, but I gave it my best shot and that's what counts.
Jackie Melton wrote a very good piece about the Springfield Skatepark Association being filed against by the city in circuit court.
This lawsuit is frivolous, but not trivial. The city is paying our money to sue a non-profit that does a world of good for a lot of good kids. I know because I've met the kids and they deserve the facility.
The situation legally is somewhat convoluted, but the bottom line is the Park Board is making a land grab: pure and simple.
The SSA has put a lot of time, effort and money into the improvements made to the property and turned it into a great place for kids to go and skateboard, inline skate and freestyle on their bikes. It's safe and the park rangers watch the kids closely and they are well-supervised by the staff, as well.
Kids love to hotdog for a reporter with a camera and they did it when I showed up, but Eric Henderson gave them stern warnings to be safe and not do anything daredevilish. The kids respect and like Eric and they listened to his warnings and they had a great time showing off for me and Darrell while we snapped away with our cameras.
This flap over the lease and supplemental agreement is all the result of big kids not taking a cue from the little kids about how to get along and play well with each other.
You know, I'm sure there are kids who don't care for each other at the Skatepark, but they stay out of each other's way and have fun skating. That's what they're there to do and it goes pretty well, most of the time.
I just wish Jodie Adams could do this.
It seems to me she just wants to control how everybody has fun, and if they don't want to change the game in mid-stream, she's gonna make them pay. I don't see any other reason for these law suits.
Why does she want the Park Board want to take control of the skatepark? Haven't they been doing ok for 10 or so years? Why won't they just renew the lease?
Somebody isn't being entirely forthcoming about this.
I honestly don't know who it is, but I have my suspicions.
Usually, I will look at who stands to gain the most.
In this case, I have to say there must be some reason the park board wants to control the land and the skatepark itself. Otherwise, the park board would have simply renewed the land lease and supplemental agreements and let the SSA control the operations.
I think any complaints about behavior and stuff going on in the general vicinity have been exaggerated by a lot of folks.
According the the CFP article and what I've read in the daily paper, the Park Board hasn't publicly provided any proof of the SSA violating the terms of the lease or agreement.
Jackie is a great reporter and I know she allowed the city attorney's office and the Park Board more than ample time to provide her with any documents demonstrating the SSA was in violation of any signed agreements.
It's really beginning to sound to me like the park board simply refused to renew the original agreement without making some drastic changes.
So, here we are. With the city filing two lawsuits against the SSA in what amounts to a good old-fashioned landgrab like the old days of the land barons and the railroad and countless other entities who just want what they want and they don't care who gets hurt.
In this case, I think the kids might suffer for it.
Usually, governments tend to screw up the day-to-day operations of projects they really aren't in the business of running in the first place. I don't think the Park Board is out there looking for people well-suited to supervising skateboarders.
A person who knows the activity should be supervising the facility. Period.
I haven't heard any allegations of malfeasance or inappropriate use of funds.
I've heard a lot of accusations levelled against the park system for the way it has handled golf in Springfield, but again, I can't get an entirely accurate read on the situation, because some people aren't saying anything about it.
I haven't lived here my whole life, but that doesn't mean I don't have the right to question the motives and methods of people running the community I live in.
I wholeheartedly believe this legal action by the city against the SSA is nothing more than a landgrab. I don't see any evidence that the facility is mismanaged and, so far, the Park Board hasn't been able or willing to provide documented evidence of violations of the agreements by the SSA.
I'm sure legal counsel for the SSA is competent, but I would make this suggestion: since the park board and the city attorney's office have not provided any evidence of violations in a public forum, I would subpoena any park board computer hard drives to assure the validity of any documents which may surface in the course of the trial.
I am not so sure some of our public officials are above attempting to create documents after the fact, in an effort to posthumously create a paper trail for the legal system to follow. Any violations would have to be documented in order for the court to rule in favor of the Park Board in these suits. Phone calls won't cut it. Maybe recorded phone messages, but I strongly suspect those don't exist either.
If documents turn up during litigation, subpoena and search park board and city attorney hard drives to validate those documents. Don't just accept a piece of paper with names and dates and signatures. At this point I don't really believe we should be taking anybody's word for anything.
Above all, I would encourage all citizens to make it a priority that the kids don't end up on the short end of the stick in this situation.
My ultimate hope would be for Jodie to grow up and learn to play well with others.
Well, friends and foes: that's what's in the kettle this time.
Hopefully, I'll be able to post more frequently in the future.
Happy Trails and enjoy what Life's Potluck serves up to you or....
SEND IT BACK TO THE KITCHEN!
I've been very busy at the paper this past 10 days. Our managing editor Mert Seaton and his wife brought a brand spanking new baby girl on July 2. Lucy Ann weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces at birth. Already has daddy wrapped around her finger I hear from a reliable source.
Anyway, Mert took a couple weeks off to take care of mother and child, so I made a feeble attempt to fill in for him at the paper. If there are things left out or are done incorrectly, it's pretty much my fault, but I gave it my best shot and that's what counts.
Jackie Melton wrote a very good piece about the Springfield Skatepark Association being filed against by the city in circuit court.
This lawsuit is frivolous, but not trivial. The city is paying our money to sue a non-profit that does a world of good for a lot of good kids. I know because I've met the kids and they deserve the facility.
The situation legally is somewhat convoluted, but the bottom line is the Park Board is making a land grab: pure and simple.
The SSA has put a lot of time, effort and money into the improvements made to the property and turned it into a great place for kids to go and skateboard, inline skate and freestyle on their bikes. It's safe and the park rangers watch the kids closely and they are well-supervised by the staff, as well.
Kids love to hotdog for a reporter with a camera and they did it when I showed up, but Eric Henderson gave them stern warnings to be safe and not do anything daredevilish. The kids respect and like Eric and they listened to his warnings and they had a great time showing off for me and Darrell while we snapped away with our cameras.
This flap over the lease and supplemental agreement is all the result of big kids not taking a cue from the little kids about how to get along and play well with each other.
You know, I'm sure there are kids who don't care for each other at the Skatepark, but they stay out of each other's way and have fun skating. That's what they're there to do and it goes pretty well, most of the time.
I just wish Jodie Adams could do this.
It seems to me she just wants to control how everybody has fun, and if they don't want to change the game in mid-stream, she's gonna make them pay. I don't see any other reason for these law suits.
Why does she want the Park Board want to take control of the skatepark? Haven't they been doing ok for 10 or so years? Why won't they just renew the lease?
Somebody isn't being entirely forthcoming about this.
I honestly don't know who it is, but I have my suspicions.
Usually, I will look at who stands to gain the most.
In this case, I have to say there must be some reason the park board wants to control the land and the skatepark itself. Otherwise, the park board would have simply renewed the land lease and supplemental agreements and let the SSA control the operations.
I think any complaints about behavior and stuff going on in the general vicinity have been exaggerated by a lot of folks.
According the the CFP article and what I've read in the daily paper, the Park Board hasn't publicly provided any proof of the SSA violating the terms of the lease or agreement.
Jackie is a great reporter and I know she allowed the city attorney's office and the Park Board more than ample time to provide her with any documents demonstrating the SSA was in violation of any signed agreements.
It's really beginning to sound to me like the park board simply refused to renew the original agreement without making some drastic changes.
So, here we are. With the city filing two lawsuits against the SSA in what amounts to a good old-fashioned landgrab like the old days of the land barons and the railroad and countless other entities who just want what they want and they don't care who gets hurt.
In this case, I think the kids might suffer for it.
Usually, governments tend to screw up the day-to-day operations of projects they really aren't in the business of running in the first place. I don't think the Park Board is out there looking for people well-suited to supervising skateboarders.
A person who knows the activity should be supervising the facility. Period.
I haven't heard any allegations of malfeasance or inappropriate use of funds.
I've heard a lot of accusations levelled against the park system for the way it has handled golf in Springfield, but again, I can't get an entirely accurate read on the situation, because some people aren't saying anything about it.
I haven't lived here my whole life, but that doesn't mean I don't have the right to question the motives and methods of people running the community I live in.
I wholeheartedly believe this legal action by the city against the SSA is nothing more than a landgrab. I don't see any evidence that the facility is mismanaged and, so far, the Park Board hasn't been able or willing to provide documented evidence of violations of the agreements by the SSA.
I'm sure legal counsel for the SSA is competent, but I would make this suggestion: since the park board and the city attorney's office have not provided any evidence of violations in a public forum, I would subpoena any park board computer hard drives to assure the validity of any documents which may surface in the course of the trial.
I am not so sure some of our public officials are above attempting to create documents after the fact, in an effort to posthumously create a paper trail for the legal system to follow. Any violations would have to be documented in order for the court to rule in favor of the Park Board in these suits. Phone calls won't cut it. Maybe recorded phone messages, but I strongly suspect those don't exist either.
If documents turn up during litigation, subpoena and search park board and city attorney hard drives to validate those documents. Don't just accept a piece of paper with names and dates and signatures. At this point I don't really believe we should be taking anybody's word for anything.
Above all, I would encourage all citizens to make it a priority that the kids don't end up on the short end of the stick in this situation.
My ultimate hope would be for Jodie to grow up and learn to play well with others.
Well, friends and foes: that's what's in the kettle this time.
Hopefully, I'll be able to post more frequently in the future.
Happy Trails and enjoy what Life's Potluck serves up to you or....
SEND IT BACK TO THE KITCHEN!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Fourth of July Early Morning Muse
Happy Fourth!
In my opinion, this is the one day that every single private sector employee should have off and limited shifts for public sector and emergency medical employees should be instated. Probably too much red tape and bureacracy and just plain interference for most folks, but I really wish more people could take the day off and just celebrate the fact this country exists at all.
It was not necessarily inevitable. There was a real voice in jolly old England for repeal of the Stamp Act. That relatively insignificant legislative act may have averted the War for Independence. At the very least, it would have delayed the eventual demise of the British colonial system.
In fact, it would have changed world history.
I have no doubt the French Revolution would have happened. If the French Revolution had preceded our own, however, I doubt that ours would have been successful.
It's pure speculation, but I wonder how many people even appreciate the precise conditions that had to exist for this country to have evolved out of the Western tradition of monarchy, despotism and colonial imperialism. Granted, the great Western nations had already developed parliamentary representation to temper the "tyranical" nature of monarchs.
Everything had to be just right to foment the birth of our nation.
The people who started this nation were not saints. Most of them were in it for the money. They were not altruistic men who believed that all men were equal in achievement nor potential, necessarily. They did however espouse the idea of all men (not women) being created equal.
Most of the "founding fathers" were, in fact, men of privilege: whether by birth or industry. Many were slave holders. Nearly all were successful businessmen. All of these men believed the taxes being exacted upon them by the British government were unfair because they specifically targeted the American colonies (an easily disputed claim, by the way, because the taxes also pertained to British holdings in the East, particularly India).
The tax burden placed on the American colonies was severe and the British government offered little in the way of "services".
There are some who believe that we are currently being overtaxed and not getting a good return on those tax dollars in the form of core services, especially at the city level. We have an entire fiscal year to debate those issues.
For right now, I would like to wish you all a good July 4th and hope most of you can spend it with your families and do some good outdoor cooking and activities. I know I am.
Stu
PS
I know that I am at odds with most of you all in this local blogosphere, but I assure you that I am not "entrenched" in a particular political dogma or blindly committed to the ever-changing ideas espoused by a particular political party. My blog is not intended to be a form of proselytization. I welcome informed responses and will publish virtually all comments, so long as they are for the most part civil. I realize tempers flare and things can get seemingly personal, but I don't think it has to be hateful.
I would also like to provide links to other blogs, but don't really know "all the tools in the box" as my colleague "the hammer" pointed out.
In my opinion, this is the one day that every single private sector employee should have off and limited shifts for public sector and emergency medical employees should be instated. Probably too much red tape and bureacracy and just plain interference for most folks, but I really wish more people could take the day off and just celebrate the fact this country exists at all.
It was not necessarily inevitable. There was a real voice in jolly old England for repeal of the Stamp Act. That relatively insignificant legislative act may have averted the War for Independence. At the very least, it would have delayed the eventual demise of the British colonial system.
In fact, it would have changed world history.
I have no doubt the French Revolution would have happened. If the French Revolution had preceded our own, however, I doubt that ours would have been successful.
It's pure speculation, but I wonder how many people even appreciate the precise conditions that had to exist for this country to have evolved out of the Western tradition of monarchy, despotism and colonial imperialism. Granted, the great Western nations had already developed parliamentary representation to temper the "tyranical" nature of monarchs.
Everything had to be just right to foment the birth of our nation.
The people who started this nation were not saints. Most of them were in it for the money. They were not altruistic men who believed that all men were equal in achievement nor potential, necessarily. They did however espouse the idea of all men (not women) being created equal.
Most of the "founding fathers" were, in fact, men of privilege: whether by birth or industry. Many were slave holders. Nearly all were successful businessmen. All of these men believed the taxes being exacted upon them by the British government were unfair because they specifically targeted the American colonies (an easily disputed claim, by the way, because the taxes also pertained to British holdings in the East, particularly India).
The tax burden placed on the American colonies was severe and the British government offered little in the way of "services".
There are some who believe that we are currently being overtaxed and not getting a good return on those tax dollars in the form of core services, especially at the city level. We have an entire fiscal year to debate those issues.
For right now, I would like to wish you all a good July 4th and hope most of you can spend it with your families and do some good outdoor cooking and activities. I know I am.
Stu
PS
I know that I am at odds with most of you all in this local blogosphere, but I assure you that I am not "entrenched" in a particular political dogma or blindly committed to the ever-changing ideas espoused by a particular political party. My blog is not intended to be a form of proselytization. I welcome informed responses and will publish virtually all comments, so long as they are for the most part civil. I realize tempers flare and things can get seemingly personal, but I don't think it has to be hateful.
I would also like to provide links to other blogs, but don't really know "all the tools in the box" as my colleague "the hammer" pointed out.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Where to read my published work and some thoughts on various civic leaders
Hi folks.
As I mentioned in my note of welcome, I'm a columnist and copy editor for the Community Free Press. You can read my published columns by picking up a copy of CFP at over 120 locations throughout Springfield, Nixa, Ozark and Republic or go to www.cfpmidweek.com. There you will find archived editions of the paper. CFP has the most complete events calendar and listings of happenings in the Springfield Metro Area bar none. So, if you're looking for something to do, or need details of a particular event, www.cfpmidweek.com is the place to go.
I have a lot of things "stewing" in the kettle which will eventually manifest itself in Stu's Potluck.
First thing that comes to mind is this situation of Springfield City Councilman Gary Deaver attempting to place a gag order on the folks over at the daily paper. Ok, ok. So he asked nicely. It doesn't matter how much sugar you put on it, though. The fact that the City actually had three different pay scales for different levels of candidates for the City Manager position is the real point.
The way that translates to me is that the city council is prepared to settle for a "lesser" candidate for the position, if they can "get a deal." You get what you pay for, in most circumstances. Maybe it would be better to entice a highly qualified field of candidates with one good pay scale.
There are lots of different euphamisms for sycophant in Springfield. Unfortunately, Councilman Deaver has gained more than one for himself. "Carlson Junior" is the first that I heard within just a few months of moving here. "Little Tom" and "Carlson's Lapdog" are others that I've heard. The one that I truly loathe (and fear to some degree) is "Springfield's Next Mayor".
I know, it's not really a big deal. It's just an honorary title, to a large extent, but the Mayor does preside over all City Council meetings and functions. The mayor is a figurehead. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is: it's the principle of the thing.
Anyone familiar with my work may think that I'm a Dan Chiles champion. I think the man is a breath of fresh air, but his stance on the new restaurant fees has left me cold. So, I'm not endorsing him for the mayoral position, either.
I'd definitely like to applaud Doug Burlison for at least motioning to hold off on the new fees, although I'd have preferred him to oppose them altogether.
Basically, I'd like you all to know I think City Council is not doing a particularly good job. In his "State of the City" address, Tom Carlson spoke for over 30 minutes and enumerated his "To Do" list or priorities for his final term of office. I don't think anything on his list is completely accomplished, and several of them are bound to be handed down to the next city council.
Carlson painted a pretty grim picture of the future in his speech. Springfield won't have a City Manager with 25 years of experience. City Council will consist of members without the benefit of Carlson's 25 years of experience. Blah, blah, blah. He gives himself too much credit. His grade card is full of "incompletes".
I found it interesting that his inspiration for the speech was a preacher from his past who introduced himself to his parishoners through his failures, or something like that.
Carlson apparently believes he has accomplished most of his goals. I see it quite differently. He has side-stepped the whole fire/police pension debacle and actually made the assertion it was Pension Board actuary Michael Zwiener's fault for giving an accurate portrayal of the whole mess, in the first place.
The state of Missouri legislature actually had to create a law to make Springfield, the third largest city in the state, comply with the suggested guidelines of the fire/police pension contribution schedule. Only the threat of losing 25% of sales tax remittances got City Council to do the right thing by firefighters and police.
I believe all public employees should be compensated fairly and receive pensions and benefits for public service. I wish people viewed educators with the same reverence as they view police and firefighters, since 9/11. I wonder how many more Columbines, WVUs and other tragedies it will take to convince people their public schools are no longer the safe havens they once were and there are risks in all paths of life.
I'm sighing, now. I don't think there's any such thing as a perfect world, anymore. I've become jaded, cynical and skeptical too early in life, perhaps.
Through my cynicism, however, I believe I've been granted the gift of knowing when somebody isn't telling the whole truth.
This is my query:
If Councilman Deaver actually had the gall to request the News-Leader to withhold the gradient pay scales of City Manager candidates from its readers, what information has he seen fit to withhold from the public in the past?
I'm not calling anyone a crook or a liar or anything so sensational as that. All I'm saying is: the next mayor of Springfield should be a person with a committment to candor and honesty. The people of Springfield can handle the bad along with the good.
Stu
As I mentioned in my note of welcome, I'm a columnist and copy editor for the Community Free Press. You can read my published columns by picking up a copy of CFP at over 120 locations throughout Springfield, Nixa, Ozark and Republic or go to www.cfpmidweek.com. There you will find archived editions of the paper. CFP has the most complete events calendar and listings of happenings in the Springfield Metro Area bar none. So, if you're looking for something to do, or need details of a particular event, www.cfpmidweek.com is the place to go.
I have a lot of things "stewing" in the kettle which will eventually manifest itself in Stu's Potluck.
First thing that comes to mind is this situation of Springfield City Councilman Gary Deaver attempting to place a gag order on the folks over at the daily paper. Ok, ok. So he asked nicely. It doesn't matter how much sugar you put on it, though. The fact that the City actually had three different pay scales for different levels of candidates for the City Manager position is the real point.
The way that translates to me is that the city council is prepared to settle for a "lesser" candidate for the position, if they can "get a deal." You get what you pay for, in most circumstances. Maybe it would be better to entice a highly qualified field of candidates with one good pay scale.
There are lots of different euphamisms for sycophant in Springfield. Unfortunately, Councilman Deaver has gained more than one for himself. "Carlson Junior" is the first that I heard within just a few months of moving here. "Little Tom" and "Carlson's Lapdog" are others that I've heard. The one that I truly loathe (and fear to some degree) is "Springfield's Next Mayor".
I know, it's not really a big deal. It's just an honorary title, to a large extent, but the Mayor does preside over all City Council meetings and functions. The mayor is a figurehead. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is: it's the principle of the thing.
Anyone familiar with my work may think that I'm a Dan Chiles champion. I think the man is a breath of fresh air, but his stance on the new restaurant fees has left me cold. So, I'm not endorsing him for the mayoral position, either.
I'd definitely like to applaud Doug Burlison for at least motioning to hold off on the new fees, although I'd have preferred him to oppose them altogether.
Basically, I'd like you all to know I think City Council is not doing a particularly good job. In his "State of the City" address, Tom Carlson spoke for over 30 minutes and enumerated his "To Do" list or priorities for his final term of office. I don't think anything on his list is completely accomplished, and several of them are bound to be handed down to the next city council.
Carlson painted a pretty grim picture of the future in his speech. Springfield won't have a City Manager with 25 years of experience. City Council will consist of members without the benefit of Carlson's 25 years of experience. Blah, blah, blah. He gives himself too much credit. His grade card is full of "incompletes".
I found it interesting that his inspiration for the speech was a preacher from his past who introduced himself to his parishoners through his failures, or something like that.
Carlson apparently believes he has accomplished most of his goals. I see it quite differently. He has side-stepped the whole fire/police pension debacle and actually made the assertion it was Pension Board actuary Michael Zwiener's fault for giving an accurate portrayal of the whole mess, in the first place.
The state of Missouri legislature actually had to create a law to make Springfield, the third largest city in the state, comply with the suggested guidelines of the fire/police pension contribution schedule. Only the threat of losing 25% of sales tax remittances got City Council to do the right thing by firefighters and police.
I believe all public employees should be compensated fairly and receive pensions and benefits for public service. I wish people viewed educators with the same reverence as they view police and firefighters, since 9/11. I wonder how many more Columbines, WVUs and other tragedies it will take to convince people their public schools are no longer the safe havens they once were and there are risks in all paths of life.
I'm sighing, now. I don't think there's any such thing as a perfect world, anymore. I've become jaded, cynical and skeptical too early in life, perhaps.
Through my cynicism, however, I believe I've been granted the gift of knowing when somebody isn't telling the whole truth.
This is my query:
If Councilman Deaver actually had the gall to request the News-Leader to withhold the gradient pay scales of City Manager candidates from its readers, what information has he seen fit to withhold from the public in the past?
I'm not calling anyone a crook or a liar or anything so sensational as that. All I'm saying is: the next mayor of Springfield should be a person with a committment to candor and honesty. The people of Springfield can handle the bad along with the good.
Stu
Welcome
Welcome to Stu's Potluck.
With any luck, I can get a bit more of my take on life in Springfield, MO to anybody who cares to read about it.
I have a broad range of interests, but my current professional activity is copy editing for Community Free Press and writing a column which appears in each issue.
As this is my first stab at blogging, there will be some obvious "bare spots" in the appearance of the blog. As I grow more familiar with the tools available, the site will hopefully become more aesthetically pleasing. Until then, I will focus on content, rather than "frills".
Stay tuned.
Stu
With any luck, I can get a bit more of my take on life in Springfield, MO to anybody who cares to read about it.
I have a broad range of interests, but my current professional activity is copy editing for Community Free Press and writing a column which appears in each issue.
As this is my first stab at blogging, there will be some obvious "bare spots" in the appearance of the blog. As I grow more familiar with the tools available, the site will hopefully become more aesthetically pleasing. Until then, I will focus on content, rather than "frills".
Stay tuned.
Stu
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