The Wyoming Legislature ended its 2009 session with a reading -- and a bit of accordion playing -- from our poet laureate, David Romtvedt of Buffalo.
David's one of those multi-talented guys who writes great poetry, plays an assortment of musical instruments (solo and with his band, Fireants), teaches a broad array of college courses and is bilingual. He's attempting to become multilingual, taking courses in the Basque language. It's not an easy language, having roots back to Europe's earliest (and now defunct) tongues. David just returned from the Basque County and had a new song for the legislature.
It was a fandango, which he played on a new Basque accordion and sang in the native language. Members of the Wyoming House and senate were attentive as David performed, and then read a new poem, "The Age of Risk." He also thanked the legislature for their ongoing support of the arts, arts education and the Wyoming Arts Council.
This is the fifth year David's been a guest at the legislature. Usually he performs earlier in the session in order to charge up its members for any arts-related bills on the docket. He may be a good luck charm, as the Wyoming Arts Council's budget has gone up during that same time. And it has nothing to do with multimillion-dollar budget surpluses due to taxes on extractive energy projects. Just a coincidence...
This evening, David was set to talk poetry and accordion at Hobbs Elementary School's "Night of Arts," along with Aussie storyteller Paul Taylor from Laramie and several other artists. That's the school my kids attended. While there, they received a good background in the arts. My son played the trumpet and my daughter, the violin. Lots of writing in the classroom, as well as Young Authors and "Letters About Literature" contests.
After David's legislative appearance, I asked him about the Basque song. He said it was a song by a Basque songwriting team. The subject was the first woman Palestinian suicide bomber who died during the Arab-Israeli clashes. He translated the words, and noted that there is no judgement in the song, no taking sides on whether the bomber was good or bad. Just the story of her dying. It seemed an odd song to be playing to our very conservative legislature. David said he would have told them what it was about, but nobody asked.
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Legislature: Not a cent for children's health needs, but lots of dough for pet projects
Joan Barron reports in today's Casper Star-Tribune that Gov. Freudenthal is "puzzled at the overall thrust of the legislative session that wraps up tonight."
The Legislature, dominated by Republicans, spent an inordinate amount of time on some of the Far Right's favorite topics -- gay rights (very much against), guns (FOR!), abortion (against) and "fetal rights" (FOR!). They socked away more money that we don't have, as budget surplusses have shriveled with falling energy prices. But it's more important for Republicans to sock away money than to spend it on children's health needs.
Sk(r)ewed priorities.
He said he was disappointed that the Wyoming House last week rejected a bill to set up a health care reform pilot program financed with tobacco fund money, and another proposal for $90,000 to expand the children's health insurance program.
"I think there's some ideological stuff going on, particularly in the House. They want to meddle in your personal life. Somehow the government can do that, but it can't help kids get insurance," Freudenthal said. "That doesn't fit for me, particularly when we are heading into these economic times."
He said health care costs are not coming down, which is he why he liked the health care reform pilot program. The pilot may not have worked but it could have provided the state with information about what might work, he said. "I don't know if it's just ideologically without rudder and it's just kind of the winds and the mood of the House or whether there's a purpose," he added.
The Legislature, dominated by Republicans, spent an inordinate amount of time on some of the Far Right's favorite topics -- gay rights (very much against), guns (FOR!), abortion (against) and "fetal rights" (FOR!). They socked away more money that we don't have, as budget surplusses have shriveled with falling energy prices. But it's more important for Republicans to sock away money than to spend it on children's health needs.
Sk(r)ewed priorities.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Rocky's rocky road leads it to the Net
As noted on these e-pages last week, Denver's Rocky Mountain News published its final edition last Friday.
Some of its out-of-work reporters and columnists now write on I Want My Rocky. Mary Voelz Chandler still covers the arts beat and wrote a piece about Colorado's Arts Advocacy Day taking place on Friday, March 6. On that day, the Colorado Council on the Arts will meet to talk about its drastic state budget cuts (25 percent) -- and decide how to spend $314,000 it will receive from the 2009Economic Stimulus American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. It has to send an application for that money to the National Endowment for the Arts by Friday, May 13.
In Cheyenne, all of us at the Wyoming Arts Council heard today that our cut of the stimulus package is about $290,000. We only have ten days to assemble an application.
To read more of Chandler's IWMR column, go to http://www.iwantmyrocky.com/2009/03/03/arts-advocacy-day-a-chance-to-consider-saving-jobs/
Some of its out-of-work reporters and columnists now write on I Want My Rocky. Mary Voelz Chandler still covers the arts beat and wrote a piece about Colorado's Arts Advocacy Day taking place on Friday, March 6. On that day, the Colorado Council on the Arts will meet to talk about its drastic state budget cuts (25 percent) -- and decide how to spend $314,000 it will receive from the 2009
In Cheyenne, all of us at the Wyoming Arts Council heard today that our cut of the stimulus package is about $290,000. We only have ten days to assemble an application.
To read more of Chandler's IWMR column, go to http://www.iwantmyrocky.com/2009/03/03/arts-advocacy-day-a-chance-to-consider-saving-jobs/
And you thought Wyomingites stood up to bullies like Limbaugh...
Video clip from Heather via Crooks & Liars:
Monday, March 02, 2009
Registration opens for Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless "Walk in My Shoes"
Here's a great way to help out a good cause -- and get a bit of exercise.
WALK IN MY SHOES, presented by Beacon Hills Baptist Church, Saturday, June 13, 2009.
Walk begins at the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless building, 907 Logan Avenue, Cheyenne. Check-in time 8 a.m. Walk begins at 9 a.m.
Pre-registration fee is $12. Registration on day of walk is $15.
Ghost walkers are welcome, which are people who have a conflict on that day, and can’t walk, but want to help. Ghost Walkers are eligible for door prize drawings. Fill out the registration form below and mail it with your check to the address below.
WALK IN MY SHOES 2009 REGISTRATION FORM
(Copy and paste this form onto a MS Word document, print it and fill it out.)
Make check(s) out to:
Beacon Hill Baptist Church (mark "WALK")
MAIL TO:
Walk In My Shoes
c/o Beacon Hill Baptist Church
110 Central Avenue
Name: _____________________________
Address:____________________________
Telephone:__________________________
Walker: _________ Ghost Walker_________
Waiver: I hereby waive all claims against Beacon Hill Baptist Church, the City of Cheyenne, the Cheyenne Parks and Recreation Department, SHY-WY Amateur Radio Club, the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, their board members, volunteers, event sponsors and other personnel involved in the event for any injury I might suffer in this event. I attest that I am physically fit and prepared for this event. I grant full permission for organizers to use photographs of me and quotations of and from me in legitimate accounts and promotion of this event.
Signature:___________________________
(participant or parent/guardian)
WALK IN MY SHOES, presented by Beacon Hills Baptist Church, Saturday, June 13, 2009.
Walk begins at the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless building, 907 Logan Avenue, Cheyenne. Check-in time 8 a.m. Walk begins at 9 a.m.
Pre-registration fee is $12. Registration on day of walk is $15.
Ghost walkers are welcome, which are people who have a conflict on that day, and can’t walk, but want to help. Ghost Walkers are eligible for door prize drawings. Fill out the registration form below and mail it with your check to the address below.
WALK IN MY SHOES 2009 REGISTRATION FORM
(Copy and paste this form onto a MS Word document, print it and fill it out.)
Make check(s) out to:
Beacon Hill Baptist Church (mark "WALK")
MAIL TO:
Walk In My Shoes
c/o Beacon Hill Baptist Church
110 Central Avenue
Name: _____________________________
Address:____________________________
Telephone:__________________________
Walker: _________ Ghost Walker_________
Waiver: I hereby waive all claims against Beacon Hill Baptist Church, the City of Cheyenne, the Cheyenne Parks and Recreation Department, SHY-WY Amateur Radio Club, the Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless, their board members, volunteers, event sponsors and other personnel involved in the event for any injury I might suffer in this event. I attest that I am physically fit and prepared for this event. I grant full permission for organizers to use photographs of me and quotations of and from me in legitimate accounts and promotion of this event.
Signature:___________________________
(participant or parent/guardian)
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Wear a dark suit and march down to the coal-fired protest
Another weekend of big confabs and protests in Washington, D.C....
Some 10,000 college students are in D.C. this weekend for Power Shift '09, an event meant to energize young people (and at some future point, their elders) into making the big switch from coal- and gas-powered energy to alternative energy. I took a look at the Power Shift '09 web site map to see if any Wyoming students were registered. The map showed two registrants from Laramie, presumably from UW. After attending the creativity conference at UW this past week and hearing about scores of innovative student projects (Evolve Revolve, Pokes Vote, etc), I'm a bit surprised more didn't travel to this D.C. event. But it's expensive to travel and with spring will come more and numerous opportunities to network and protest in our nation's capital.
There is a protest on Monday on Capitol Hill against the coal-fired plant that powers Congress. It was organized by environmental writer Bill McKibben and well-known Luddite essayist Wendell Berry. This event is sponsored by Capitol Climate Action. McKibben had asked protestors to dress less like, well, hippie-dippy protestors and more like Congressional reps. I like the idea. Imagine the impressive sight of thousands of men and women in dark suits (not yet time for spring wardrobe changes) marching in cadence, swinging their laptop cases.
Some of the air was let out of the protest when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid ordered the Capitol Power Plant to finish its switch from coal to natural gas. But the protest will go on, according to McKibben writing on the Grist web site:
Not to be outdone, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank, has announced a counter-protest to the Capitol Climate Action, the biggest civil disobedience on climate issues in U.S. history. It's called the "Celebrate Coal! and Keep Energy Affordable" rally.
As a veteran of protests and counter-protests, I'm not fearful of collisions between warring energy factions. It is possible that the day could erupt into a melee when one group of dark-suited protestors collide with another. Laptops could get switched,Blueberries Blackberries lost, Blu-Ray headphones knocked from skulls. But who knows? Maybe some common ground will be found, some blend of goals and ideas.
I think not.
Here's McKibben:
Here's part of a press release from the Competitive Enterprise Institute:
Taxes on Wyoming's coal, gas and oil pay my salary. That makes me a bit conflicted. I won't be at the D.C. protest or counter-protest, but I think it's terrific they're happening. But the real battleground on this issue will be in Wyoming. We dig millions of tons of coal out of the ground each year and send it to power plants across the U.S. and overseas. We burn some of that coal in colossal plants and send most of the power out of state. How in the world are we going to deal with that -- and find alternatives?
Some 10,000 college students are in D.C. this weekend for Power Shift '09, an event meant to energize young people (and at some future point, their elders) into making the big switch from coal- and gas-powered energy to alternative energy. I took a look at the Power Shift '09 web site map to see if any Wyoming students were registered. The map showed two registrants from Laramie, presumably from UW. After attending the creativity conference at UW this past week and hearing about scores of innovative student projects (Evolve Revolve, Pokes Vote, etc), I'm a bit surprised more didn't travel to this D.C. event. But it's expensive to travel and with spring will come more and numerous opportunities to network and protest in our nation's capital.
There is a protest on Monday on Capitol Hill against the coal-fired plant that powers Congress. It was organized by environmental writer Bill McKibben and well-known Luddite essayist Wendell Berry. This event is sponsored by Capitol Climate Action. McKibben had asked protestors to dress less like, well, hippie-dippy protestors and more like Congressional reps. I like the idea. Imagine the impressive sight of thousands of men and women in dark suits (not yet time for spring wardrobe changes) marching in cadence, swinging their laptop cases.
Some of the air was let out of the protest when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid ordered the Capitol Power Plant to finish its switch from coal to natural gas. But the protest will go on, according to McKibben writing on the Grist web site:
We'll still be protesting on Monday in D.C., but it looks like the protest may be half victory party too! Late Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter off to the Capitol Architect -- the guy in charge of buildings and grounds, as well as the century-old, mainly-coal-fired power plant that Congress owns and which is located just a few blocks from the fancy dome and the National Mall. The two leaders told him to stop shoveling coal into the power plant's boiler and finish the switch to natural gas. Now, it just so happens that this is the same coal plant targeted for the first mass civil disobedience in the history of the American climate movement.... It didn't take much of a push to convince Congress that the time for change had come. It's an almost giddy feeling -- sort of like what most of America felt on election night when the voters actually chose to elect the smart guy. It feels like the system is working (sort of) the way it's supposed to.
Not to be outdone, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a right-wing think tank, has announced a counter-protest to the Capitol Climate Action, the biggest civil disobedience on climate issues in U.S. history. It's called the "Celebrate Coal! and Keep Energy Affordable" rally.
As a veteran of protests and counter-protests, I'm not fearful of collisions between warring energy factions. It is possible that the day could erupt into a melee when one group of dark-suited protestors collide with another. Laptops could get switched,
I think not.
Here's McKibben:
This is one small power plant. We need to start shutting down the whole vast coal archipelago that provides half the nation's electricity. That's going to be a tough, grinding job that requires a huge movement. And it's somehow going to have to stretch around the world, to China and India and everywhere else where coal is commonplace. (That's why we've got 350.org up and running; we're not going to solve this one city at a time).
Here's part of a press release from the Competitive Enterprise Institute:
CEI has applied to the U. S. Capitol Police for a permit to hold the rally in front of the Capitol Power Plant on the south side of E Street, S. E., between South Capitol Street and New Jersey Avenue, S. E. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police have also been notified that the rally will be held on the north side of E Street if the Capitol Police deny the permit. The anti-coal protest group, Capitol Climate Protection, has apparently not applied for a permit to protest around the Capitol Power Plant.
“The goal of Celebrate Coal! is to publicize the colossal benefits of coal-fired power and the need for access to affordable energy. If the anti-coal zealots are allowed to prevail politically, electric rates will skyrocket for most Americans and many jobs will be lost in energy-intensive industries as a result of higher power prices,” said Myron Ebell, Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy at CEI and one of the event’s organizers.
Taxes on Wyoming's coal, gas and oil pay my salary. That makes me a bit conflicted. I won't be at the D.C. protest or counter-protest, but I think it's terrific they're happening. But the real battleground on this issue will be in Wyoming. We dig millions of tons of coal out of the ground each year and send it to power plants across the U.S. and overseas. We burn some of that coal in colossal plants and send most of the power out of state. How in the world are we going to deal with that -- and find alternatives?
Saturday Night at the Movies -- "Milk"
Saw "Milk" tonight. Saturday Night at the Movies with the family. Sean Penn was terrific, as was Josh Brolin. A history/civics lesson as well as a damn fine movie. I'd forgotten about the defeat of California's Prop. 6 in 1978. Makes you wonder how Prop. 8 snuck in over the transom in 2008. Some of the same anti-human forces at work today.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Elton John performs benefit concert in Laramie on April 3
Elton John has announced that he will perform April 3 in Laramie at UW's Arena Auditorium. It's a benefit concert for the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization founded by Judy Shepard after the murder of her gay son, Matthew.Tickets for the Laramie show, $35-$85, will go on sale at 8 a.m. Monday, March 2, at wyomingathletics.com.
Here's a statement about the event from Judy Shepard:
"Ten years ago, Sir Elton did a concert in Laramie to benefit the Foundation. It was wonderful beyond description. He is a gracious and generous human being. We are sincerely grateful for his continuing support."
The Friday evening concert will be held amidst the proceedings of the Public Art Symposium set for April 2-4 at the UW Conference Center. So all you Wyoming artists out there can come to the symposium on Thursday, Friday and Saturday -- and spend a little time with Sir Elton on Friday night.
Photo: Elton John's 1971 album, "Tumbleweed Connection," with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. "Where to Now, St. Peter?", "Ballad of a Well-Known Gun," and "Burn Down the Mission." Western themes explored by Brits, with amazing results. My favorite Elton John album.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Rocky Mountain News R.I.P.
The Rocky Mountain News in Denver will publish its final issue tomorrow. Read all about it at http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2009/feb/26/rocky-mountain-news-closes-friday-final-edition/.
The newspaper was founded in 1859 by William Byers, one of the many hucksters to stake claims at the fledgling outpost located at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte in Colorado Territory. Byers hauled his printing press in a wagon all the way to pre-Denver. The paper survived floods and fire and the ravages of time. It just couldn't deal with the Internet.
In the early 1980s, I covered high school sports for the Rocky. Just for a year. From 1978-1981, I wrote about high school sports for the competing Denver Post. I moved on to managing editor of a weekly newspaper, Up the Creek, which began its life covering the lively singles scene in Denver's Glendale enclave. It moved from drooling (in print) over wet T-shirt contests to covering arts and entertainment and culture in a rapidly growing city. We made fun of the Rocky and Post for their mistakes. We dueled with Westword over stories and ads (Westword won). I then moved on to other things, as people do. I love newspapers, and hate to see a good one go into the dustbin of history.
But here I am, writing on the Internet and reading newspapers such as the Rocky and the Post and the NY Times and the London Guardian and all the others for the price of a few cents of electricity.
Weird times, eh?
The newspaper was founded in 1859 by William Byers, one of the many hucksters to stake claims at the fledgling outpost located at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte in Colorado Territory. Byers hauled his printing press in a wagon all the way to pre-Denver. The paper survived floods and fire and the ravages of time. It just couldn't deal with the Internet.
In the early 1980s, I covered high school sports for the Rocky. Just for a year. From 1978-1981, I wrote about high school sports for the competing Denver Post. I moved on to managing editor of a weekly newspaper, Up the Creek, which began its life covering the lively singles scene in Denver's Glendale enclave. It moved from drooling (in print) over wet T-shirt contests to covering arts and entertainment and culture in a rapidly growing city. We made fun of the Rocky and Post for their mistakes. We dueled with Westword over stories and ads (Westword won). I then moved on to other things, as people do. I love newspapers, and hate to see a good one go into the dustbin of history.
But here I am, writing on the Internet and reading newspapers such as the Rocky and the Post and the NY Times and the London Guardian and all the others for the price of a few cents of electricity.
Weird times, eh?
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Obama's speech shows us the way
Alternative energy... health care... education...
The Big Three.
So glad that Pres. Obama revisited the three priorities that he hammered home during his race for the presidency.
Get busy on alternative energy to get rid of our dependence on the oil sheiks. Build windmills and upgrade the energy grid and build solar cells and design better hybrid cars. And clean coal? Nobody knows what that is but we can pour money and energy into ways that will make Wyoming's huge coal reserves cleaner and more useful in the alt-energy future.
Health care is crucial. Single-payer health care, the kind that Republicans (including our Wyoming delegation) hates. But the only kind that can solve our tangled health care system.
Tax breaks for college students. More college loans. A renewed commitment to post-secondary education. Everyone commit to at least a year of college? Why not? If I had my way, I'd always be taking a course.
Shovel-ready projects? We have plenty of those that require actual shovels -- highway construction, rebuilding cities, renovating homes. Then there are some that use metaphoric shovels. Projects in the arts and education and science.
I hear white noise in the background. Wait -- it's Bobby Jindal from Louisiana, another Republican naysayer. White noise, the droning of a political party with no ideas.
The Big Three.
So glad that Pres. Obama revisited the three priorities that he hammered home during his race for the presidency.
Get busy on alternative energy to get rid of our dependence on the oil sheiks. Build windmills and upgrade the energy grid and build solar cells and design better hybrid cars. And clean coal? Nobody knows what that is but we can pour money and energy into ways that will make Wyoming's huge coal reserves cleaner and more useful in the alt-energy future.
Health care is crucial. Single-payer health care, the kind that Republicans (including our Wyoming delegation) hates. But the only kind that can solve our tangled health care system.
Tax breaks for college students. More college loans. A renewed commitment to post-secondary education. Everyone commit to at least a year of college? Why not? If I had my way, I'd always be taking a course.
Shovel-ready projects? We have plenty of those that require actual shovels -- highway construction, rebuilding cities, renovating homes. Then there are some that use metaphoric shovels. Projects in the arts and education and science.
I hear white noise in the background. Wait -- it's Bobby Jindal from Louisiana, another Republican naysayer. White noise, the droning of a political party with no ideas.
Stimulate the economy by cancelling student loan debt
I've been on Facebook for a few weeks. I have 29 friends, most of them far-away family members. My sister Mo in Tallahassee prompted my interest in FB, which had just been another PC time-waster until she started a family group. It's been fun to see what my four brothers and four sisters are up to. It's also educational viewing the posts by my nieces and nephews in college (and high school) in Florida -- and my son in college in Tucson. Exams, parties, rock concerts -- my niece Erin just went to a "wrock" concert, and I'm trying to figure out what it is. They post many more photos and videos that their elders. It's a multimedia melange to them. We're still figuring it out...
I've read a couple of anti-Facebook columns lately. I haven't been on long enough to be angry at this social networking site. One writer said that he didn't need FB to talk to his friends -- and didn't want to make any new friends who spend all their spare time on Facebook.
Facebook has a "groups" section. You can start your own group -- Red-headed Nazis for Christ, Recycling Geeks of America, etc. -- and you can invite all of your new friends to join. Some of these groups have gathered a huge number of joiners. One is Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy. It boasts more than 83,000 members who want to wipe clean the student loan slate and spend their money on more important things, such as a faster laptop to accommodate all their new FB friends. I joined this one, as I'd like to persuade the lender of my grad-school loan to knock off some of the thousands in interest and fines it has piled onto my loan.
Some have commented that the group's members are just a bunch of whiners, people who took out loans voluntarily and now want to default on those loans, ruining the system for others. As if there was a "system" to student loans. If the act of finding, applying and receiving a student loan is systematic, I haven't seen it. My son gets tuition assistance from Pima Community College, but hasn't yet taken out a loan. I encourage him to avoid it if possible.
Pres. Obama has taken a step in the right direction, with tax credits for college expenses and other programs. But, as in the mortgage loan mess, many of us are carrying around student loans bloated by expanding interest and fees that drag us down. As is the case with "responsible homeowners" and their mortgages, we're just looking for a little relief -- not a bailout. Or default.
I've read a couple of anti-Facebook columns lately. I haven't been on long enough to be angry at this social networking site. One writer said that he didn't need FB to talk to his friends -- and didn't want to make any new friends who spend all their spare time on Facebook.
Facebook has a "groups" section. You can start your own group -- Red-headed Nazis for Christ, Recycling Geeks of America, etc. -- and you can invite all of your new friends to join. Some of these groups have gathered a huge number of joiners. One is Cancel Student Loan Debt to Stimulate the Economy. It boasts more than 83,000 members who want to wipe clean the student loan slate and spend their money on more important things, such as a faster laptop to accommodate all their new FB friends. I joined this one, as I'd like to persuade the lender of my grad-school loan to knock off some of the thousands in interest and fines it has piled onto my loan.
Some have commented that the group's members are just a bunch of whiners, people who took out loans voluntarily and now want to default on those loans, ruining the system for others. As if there was a "system" to student loans. If the act of finding, applying and receiving a student loan is systematic, I haven't seen it. My son gets tuition assistance from Pima Community College, but hasn't yet taken out a loan. I encourage him to avoid it if possible.
Pres. Obama has taken a step in the right direction, with tax credits for college expenses and other programs. But, as in the mortgage loan mess, many of us are carrying around student loans bloated by expanding interest and fees that drag us down. As is the case with "responsible homeowners" and their mortgages, we're just looking for a little relief -- not a bailout. Or default.
Wyoming to get $538M in stimulus funds
Today's Casper Star-Tribune has a list of funds coming to Wyoming through the Democrats' stimulus plan. It comes from the National Conference of State Legislators, via Sen. Mike Enzi's office. Enzi, of course, voted against the stimulus, as did our other senator and lone representative. It must be painful for them to release information about legislation that will bring much-appreciated help to their state -- and one which they had nothing to do with.
Here's the list thus far:
Fiscal Stabilization Fund $15 million
Medicaid $110 million
Highways and bridges $157.6 million
Transit capital grants $9.3 million
Drinking water state revolving fund $19.7 million
Clean water state revolving fund $19.5
Weatherization assistance $19.8 million
State energy program $20.4 million
Emergency food and shelter $200,000
Immunization $1.6 million
Foster care/adoption assistance $300,000
Elderly nutrition $500,000
Child care $2.6 million
Head Start $1.1 million
Community service block grant $5 million
Grants to local education authorities $25 million
School improvement $6.8 million
Special education Part B $25.8 million
Special education Part C $1.8 million
Vocational rehabilitation $1.6 million
Educational technology $3.1 million
School lunch equipment $100,000
Public housing capital fund $1.4 million
HUD affordable housing grant $3.6 million
Homeless prevention $1.7 million
Internet crimes against children $1.6 million
Violence Against Women Act $800,000
Unemployment insurance/state administration grants $900,000
Employment service $2.1 million
Law enforcement grants $5.6 million
Community service for older Americans $600,000
Job training for adults $1.2 million
Job training for youths $2.9 million
Dislocated workers $900,000
Less than $100,000 each for:
Community assistance/food assistance
Education for homeless
Crime victims assistance
Total: $538.6 million, give or take a few bucks.
I don't see anything in here for the arts, although $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts was included in the stimulus plan. Perhaps the NEA needs to figure out how they'll handle the funding before numbers can be released.
Here's the list thus far:
Fiscal Stabilization Fund $15 million
Medicaid $110 million
Highways and bridges $157.6 million
Transit capital grants $9.3 million
Drinking water state revolving fund $19.7 million
Clean water state revolving fund $19.5
Weatherization assistance $19.8 million
State energy program $20.4 million
Emergency food and shelter $200,000
Immunization $1.6 million
Foster care/adoption assistance $300,000
Elderly nutrition $500,000
Child care $2.6 million
Head Start $1.1 million
Community service block grant $5 million
Grants to local education authorities $25 million
School improvement $6.8 million
Special education Part B $25.8 million
Special education Part C $1.8 million
Vocational rehabilitation $1.6 million
Educational technology $3.1 million
School lunch equipment $100,000
Public housing capital fund $1.4 million
HUD affordable housing grant $3.6 million
Homeless prevention $1.7 million
Internet crimes against children $1.6 million
Violence Against Women Act $800,000
Unemployment insurance/state administration grants $900,000
Employment service $2.1 million
Law enforcement grants $5.6 million
Community service for older Americans $600,000
Job training for adults $1.2 million
Job training for youths $2.9 million
Dislocated workers $900,000
Less than $100,000 each for:
Community assistance/food assistance
Education for homeless
Crime victims assistance
Total: $538.6 million, give or take a few bucks.
I don't see anything in here for the arts, although $50 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts was included in the stimulus plan. Perhaps the NEA needs to figure out how they'll handle the funding before numbers can be released.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
MoveOn meets with LarCoDems Feb. 24
Nicole Novotny sends word that the next meeting of the Laramie County Democratic Party will feature guest speaker Kate Wright, regional coordinator for www.MoveOn.org
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne.
After Kate's presentation, the Laramie County Democratic Party will discuss future fund-raising and the election of new officers for 2009 and 2010.
The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 p.m. at the Historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne.
After Kate's presentation, the Laramie County Democratic Party will discuss future fund-raising and the election of new officers for 2009 and 2010.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Nebraska and Wyoming share a trait: lack of children's mental health care services
The daily newspaper was invented for this.
On Feb. 1, the Omaha World-Herald published a long article, "Safe Haven kids finally got right help." The article, by staff writers Matthew Hansen and Karyn Spencer, was based on interviews and research into 10,000 pages of documents released to the paper by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. It takes time and patience it took to read that many pages of bureaucratese. It takes skill to translate that into an article that is heart-breaking. Read it at http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10552927, and then read Judith Warner's column in the New York Times that alerted me to the OWH piece. Go to http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/is-there-no-place-on-earth/?emc=eta1
I've written several posts about the weird happenings surrounding Nebraska's "Safe Haven" law. Parents, at their wit's end with kids (mostly teens) who had mental health and behavior problems, abandoned them to Nebraska's authorities. One mother drove her child to Nebraska all the way from Georgia.
Nebraska is Wyoming's neighbor to the east. Both states reflect the fact that there is a severe shortage of mental health care practitioners and facilities in the nation's rural areas. Here's a paragraph from Warner's column:
Many rural areas have no child psychiatrists or psychologists at all. Wyoming, with its 97,000 square miles of mostly "rural," doesn't have a single child psychiatrist. Psychologists? Yes, in the state's cities of Cheyenne and Casper, maybe a few others. There are licensed therapists who can provide counseling and possibly point harried parents in the right direction. There are non-profits such as UPLIFT and its outreach specialists who can do the same thing. (Note: I'm an UPLIFT board member). But when you are a parent faced with a mentally ill child, you need lots of guidance and professional help. Your child will likely need medication -- you need an M.D. for that.
Why do I care about this? My daughter just spent 2008 in a residential treatment facility. My wife and I are involved in our communities and know our way around mental health care and twelve-step programs. We have health insurance, but knew it wouldn't come close to covering the costs.
When it comes to long-term care for your own child, we often felt the way this mother described it to the OWH reporters:
Good question, Theresa.
More about some of the possible answers in future posts.
On Feb. 1, the Omaha World-Herald published a long article, "Safe Haven kids finally got right help." The article, by staff writers Matthew Hansen and Karyn Spencer, was based on interviews and research into 10,000 pages of documents released to the paper by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. It takes time and patience it took to read that many pages of bureaucratese. It takes skill to translate that into an article that is heart-breaking. Read it at http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10552927, and then read Judith Warner's column in the New York Times that alerted me to the OWH piece. Go to http://warner.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/is-there-no-place-on-earth/?emc=eta1
I've written several posts about the weird happenings surrounding Nebraska's "Safe Haven" law. Parents, at their wit's end with kids (mostly teens) who had mental health and behavior problems, abandoned them to Nebraska's authorities. One mother drove her child to Nebraska all the way from Georgia.
Nebraska is Wyoming's neighbor to the east. Both states reflect the fact that there is a severe shortage of mental health care practitioners and facilities in the nation's rural areas. Here's a paragraph from Warner's column:
In 1990, the Council on Graduate Medical Education estimated that by 2000, the United States would need 30,000 child psychiatrists; there are now 7,000. Many rural areas have no child psychiatrists or psychologists at all. Often, pediatricians end up providing mental health care, but they aren’t trained for it and often aren’t reimbursed for it by health insurance. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry is currently working with the American Academy of Pediatrics to try to formalize ways to collaborate on caring for children with mental health needs, but models for such joint care are scarce. And doctors have no financial incentives to talk to one another on the phone.
Many rural areas have no child psychiatrists or psychologists at all. Wyoming, with its 97,000 square miles of mostly "rural," doesn't have a single child psychiatrist. Psychologists? Yes, in the state's cities of Cheyenne and Casper, maybe a few others. There are licensed therapists who can provide counseling and possibly point harried parents in the right direction. There are non-profits such as UPLIFT and its outreach specialists who can do the same thing. (Note: I'm an UPLIFT board member). But when you are a parent faced with a mentally ill child, you need lots of guidance and professional help. Your child will likely need medication -- you need an M.D. for that.
Why do I care about this? My daughter just spent 2008 in a residential treatment facility. My wife and I are involved in our communities and know our way around mental health care and twelve-step programs. We have health insurance, but knew it wouldn't come close to covering the costs.
When it comes to long-term care for your own child, we often felt the way this mother described it to the OWH reporters:
Theresa Thomason, an Omaha native who lives in Oklahoma, said she had been struggling to get her adopted foster child into a residential program for his psychiatric problems.
She called an elected official and said she was taking her son to Nebraska unless someone helped her. A barrage of phone calls, e-mails and faxes followed. Her son was admitted within days.
"Why on God's green earth does it take all that to get help?" she asked.
Good question, Theresa.
More about some of the possible answers in future posts.
How much stimulus dough will come to WYO?
Ben Neary of the Associated Press reports that Sen. John Barrasso estimates Wyoming may receive up to $540 million from Pres. Obama's economic stimulus bill.
It's one hell of a deal when federal money comes with strings attached. Such as, when the feds give Wyoming money for highways, the gubment expects the money to be used for highways. The gall! The same goes for federal funds for education, toxic waste clean-up, even the arts.
Some Repub governors have made noises about not accepting the stimulus money. Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindel, currently GOP Golden Boy, made some threats along those lines last week. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin took time out from Mardi Gras festivities to say he'd take any of those federal funds that the Gov turned down. Still a lot of rebuilding to do in New Orleans.
That's the thing. Repub Govs may jabber all they want about not accepting stimulus money. But when it comes right down to it, they take it because their constituents -- Dem and Repub -- need it. Govs of southern states have been the most vociferous. They usually have sent Repubs to the U.S. House and Senate. But in the end, they'll take the money. State budgets are in touch shape. And Republican margins of victory weren't all that impressive in the recent elections.
In Wyoming, our budget surplus, brought to us by the energy extraction industries, have shrunk. All agencies in state government have been told to plan on 5 percent budget cuts this year and 10 percent for budgets in the next biennium. These are permanent cuts, not storm warnings that may be lifted in a few months. Wyoming is not exempt from the economic distress that's afflicting its neighboring states. A lumber mill shut down in Laramie this week, throwing 67 employees out of work. There's a lot of that going on.
Instead of worrying about some imaginary strings attached to the stimulus package, I'd suggest we take the money and keep people employed -- and put others back to work.
But Barrasso, a vocal opponent of the $787 billion stimulus bill, warned Wyoming lawmakers on Friday that they will have to consider carefully whether to accept federal dollars that may come with strings attached.
The Republican said only one copy of the lengthy bill was distributed in the Senate before last week's vote to approve it. He said that made it impossible for senators to read it before voting on it.
Gov. Dave Freudenthal has said this week that his administration is working to make sense of the bill and to determine whether accepting federal money would commit the state to future expenditures.
It's one hell of a deal when federal money comes with strings attached. Such as, when the feds give Wyoming money for highways, the gubment expects the money to be used for highways. The gall! The same goes for federal funds for education, toxic waste clean-up, even the arts.
Some Repub governors have made noises about not accepting the stimulus money. Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindel, currently GOP Golden Boy, made some threats along those lines last week. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin took time out from Mardi Gras festivities to say he'd take any of those federal funds that the Gov turned down. Still a lot of rebuilding to do in New Orleans.
That's the thing. Repub Govs may jabber all they want about not accepting stimulus money. But when it comes right down to it, they take it because their constituents -- Dem and Repub -- need it. Govs of southern states have been the most vociferous. They usually have sent Repubs to the U.S. House and Senate. But in the end, they'll take the money. State budgets are in touch shape. And Republican margins of victory weren't all that impressive in the recent elections.
In Wyoming, our budget surplus, brought to us by the energy extraction industries, have shrunk. All agencies in state government have been told to plan on 5 percent budget cuts this year and 10 percent for budgets in the next biennium. These are permanent cuts, not storm warnings that may be lifted in a few months. Wyoming is not exempt from the economic distress that's afflicting its neighboring states. A lumber mill shut down in Laramie this week, throwing 67 employees out of work. There's a lot of that going on.
Instead of worrying about some imaginary strings attached to the stimulus package, I'd suggest we take the money and keep people employed -- and put others back to work.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Twists and turns in arts-funding story
In the Feb. 15 New York Times, reporter Robin Pogrebin chronicled the odd story of how the $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts managed to stay in Pres. Obama’s economic recovery bill. Not a pretty story, but it does illustrate some of the horse-trading that goes on in Congress. And the importance of government funding for the arts.
Here are excerpts of the story interspersed with my commentary based on 17-plus years as an arts worker, including a two-year stint at the NEA:
A 2007 Americans for the Arts report, Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences, contained the following economic stats:
Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year -- 63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. It included 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs, $104.2 billion in household income, $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues, $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues and $12.6 billion in federal income tax revenues.
That's a lot of simoleons. Big numbers cause Congress to sit up and listen. It also helps that arts supporters were contacting their reps and senators. People like you and me and our close personal friend, Robert Redford.
You have to wonder why Utah's entire D.C. delegation voted against the stimulus bill. Sen. Hatch has not always been a friend to the arts, but he's had his moments. Sen. Bennett is a longtime arts supporter. But both are Republicans. They were only taking orders from their leadership, as were Wyoming's Sen. Enzi and Sen. Barrasso.
Did you know that Utah has the nation's oldest arts council? That's a fact. Arts are huge in the state, especially in Salt Lake City, with its symphony and ballet companies and Mormon Tabernacle Choir and public art programs and museums and... The list goes on and on. And earlier this year, the Utah Arts Council got rid of its folklorists as it faced budget cuts. One would think the stimulus funds for highways and airports and building renovation would have appealed to Utah's delegation. After all, you need all those things so people can get to the arts.
During debates on the bill, some Republicans had labeled the arts "highbrow" and "a luxury" that was populated with leftist artists and arts supporters. It was reminiscent of the so-called "Culture Wars" of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a few NEA-funded projects casued an uproar and became a rallying cry for Jerry Falweel, Pat Robertson, and his fellow travelers in the Religious Right.
But even that battle had shades of gray. The NEA's budget was cut in half following Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" and Republican victory in the 1994 elections. Newwt got his way and almost all of the fellowship programs for individual artists were eliminated. All but the ones in creative writing, as various high-profile writers and Hollywood types appealed to Mr. Gingrich's vision of himself as a writer. He is a writer, of speculative fiction and history. So the creative writing fellowships were spared on the turn of an artistic ego and a few well-placed words.
Here's a few final words from the NYT article:
Here are excerpts of the story interspersed with my commentary based on 17-plus years as an arts worker, including a two-year stint at the NEA:
There was a whiplash quality to the action surrounding the arts money. As the week wore on, things weren’t looking good. Although a House version of the bill had included the $50 million, the Senate version approved no arts money at all. The Senate even voted 73 to 24 on Feb. 6 for an amendment ruling out stimulus money for museums, arts centers and theaters. And some conservative Republicans had denounced the arts as bonbons for a leftist elite with no place in an emergency stimulus bill.
The challenge for culture boosters in Congress was to convince a House-Senate conference committee that the arts provide jobs as other industries do, while also encouraging tourism and spending in general.
"We had the facts on our side," said Representative Louise M. Slaughter, a New York Democrat who is co-chairwoman of the Congressional Arts Caucus. "If we’re trying to stimulate the economy, and get money into the Treasury, nothing does that better than art."
A 2007 Americans for the Arts report, Arts & Economic Prosperity III: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences, contained the following economic stats:
Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity every year -- 63.1 billion in spending by organizations and an additional $103.1 billion in event-related spending by their audiences. It included 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs, $104.2 billion in household income, $7.9 billion in local government tax revenues, $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues and $12.6 billion in federal income tax revenues.
That's a lot of simoleons. Big numbers cause Congress to sit up and listen. It also helps that arts supporters were contacting their reps and senators. People like you and me and our close personal friend, Robert Redford.
In his conversation last week with Ms. Pelosi, a California Democrat, [Robert] Redford said he drew on his film experience to argue for the arts as an economic engine. "Ticket takers or electricians or actors — all the people connected with the arts are at risk just like everybody else is," he said in an interview. He said he also reminded Ms. Pelosi that his Sundance Film Festival brings more than $60 million to Park City, Utah, each year.
You have to wonder why Utah's entire D.C. delegation voted against the stimulus bill. Sen. Hatch has not always been a friend to the arts, but he's had his moments. Sen. Bennett is a longtime arts supporter. But both are Republicans. They were only taking orders from their leadership, as were Wyoming's Sen. Enzi and Sen. Barrasso.
Did you know that Utah has the nation's oldest arts council? That's a fact. Arts are huge in the state, especially in Salt Lake City, with its symphony and ballet companies and Mormon Tabernacle Choir and public art programs and museums and... The list goes on and on. And earlier this year, the Utah Arts Council got rid of its folklorists as it faced budget cuts. One would think the stimulus funds for highways and airports and building renovation would have appealed to Utah's delegation. After all, you need all those things so people can get to the arts.
As the details of the final bill were being hammered out, tens of thousands of arts advocates around the country were calling and e-mailing legislators... The tide turned. In addition to preserving the $50 million allocation, the final bill eliminated part of the Senate amendment that would have excluded museums, theaters and arts centers from any recovery money.
That Senate amendment, proposed by Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, had grouped museums, theaters and arts centers with implied frivolities like casinos and golf courses.
During debates on the bill, some Republicans had labeled the arts "highbrow" and "a luxury" that was populated with leftist artists and arts supporters. It was reminiscent of the so-called "Culture Wars" of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a few NEA-funded projects casued an uproar and became a rallying cry for Jerry Falweel, Pat Robertson, and his fellow travelers in the Religious Right.
But even that battle had shades of gray. The NEA's budget was cut in half following Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America" and Republican victory in the 1994 elections. Newwt got his way and almost all of the fellowship programs for individual artists were eliminated. All but the ones in creative writing, as various high-profile writers and Hollywood types appealed to Mr. Gingrich's vision of himself as a writer. He is a writer, of speculative fiction and history. So the creative writing fellowships were spared on the turn of an artistic ego and a few well-placed words.
Here's a few final words from the NYT article:
In arguing for the $50 million in arts money on the House floor on Friday, Rep. Obey made similar points. Arts workers, he said, have 12.5 percent unemployment: "Are you suggesting that somehow if you work in that field, it isn’t real when you lose your job, your mortgage or your health insurance? We’re trying to treat people who work in the arts the same way as anybody else.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Enzi/Barrasso/Lummis pout -- and won't release stimulus details to Wyoming
On Sunday, Jared Miller of the Casper Star-Tribune wrote about Wyoming’s share of Pres. Obama’s national stimulus legislation.
One of the strangest aspects of the story is that the state doesn’t yet know how much money will come to us via the stimulus. Here’s why:
One of the strangest aspects of the story is that the state doesn’t yet know how much money will come to us via the stimulus. Here’s why:
The Associated Press estimates that Wyoming's share of the funds will be roughly $400 million, including millions for education, weatherization projects, nutrition programs, grants for Internet crimes against children and other recipients.
Lynne Boomgaarden [Gov. Dave Freudenthal's point person on the stimulus package, who also serves as director of state lands and investments] said Friday she was working with a number of sources in Washington, D.C., to create a clearer picture of Wyoming's share of the federal stimulus funds. At this point, she said, the figures are largely speculative."I think when you are seeing numbers you are seeing people's best guesses at numbers," Boomgaarden said.
One reason for the lack of public information about the stimulus in Wyoming could rest with the state's congressional delegates.
Congress members from some other states released detailed lists of proposed stimulus spending after Friday's vote. U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso declined to provide information about Wyoming's share of the stimulus Friday night.
Enzi, Barrasso and Rep. Cynthia Lummis voted against the bill.
Enzi, in a news release, noted that the legislation is the "single most expensive bill in the history of the United States."
"Unfortunately, the legislation we have before us is partisan and reads like a list of liberal priorities bundled together that could not gain support individually," Enzi said in the statement.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Obama to sign stimulus bill in Denver
It's fitting that Pres. Obama is signing the new stimulus bill Tuesday at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, just 100 miles down I-25 (which is closed right now due to blizzard conditions). The stimulus bill aims to put people to work (and back to work). It also features money for the National Institutes of Health and various other science and medical facilities.
Not sure why the president chose Denver. It is the site of his nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for president. Without Denver's Democrats, Obama would not have carried Colorado on Nov. 4. O.K., Boulder contributed too. Denver is smack in the middle of Colorado and not far from the center of the nation. With a bit of a stretch, Denver might be able to claim "Heartland" status. It's also my birthplace, which doesn't count for much. I do love the place though.
I've spent hundreds of hours in the DMNS, first as a kid and later as an adult. We've taken field trips to the museum, mostly when our kids were young and impressionable. I loved the dinosaur skeletons that used to be the place's main attraction. The bones were dug out of formations in Colorado and Wyoming. Reconstructed in the museum as a brontosaurus, it had to be taken down and reassembled as scientists continued to uncover more info. That's the way it should be, right? Science marches on. Change happens.
When the economy needs a fix, you get started fixing it.
Not sure why the president chose Denver. It is the site of his nomination as the Democratic Party's candidate for president. Without Denver's Democrats, Obama would not have carried Colorado on Nov. 4. O.K., Boulder contributed too. Denver is smack in the middle of Colorado and not far from the center of the nation. With a bit of a stretch, Denver might be able to claim "Heartland" status. It's also my birthplace, which doesn't count for much. I do love the place though.
I've spent hundreds of hours in the DMNS, first as a kid and later as an adult. We've taken field trips to the museum, mostly when our kids were young and impressionable. I loved the dinosaur skeletons that used to be the place's main attraction. The bones were dug out of formations in Colorado and Wyoming. Reconstructed in the museum as a brontosaurus, it had to be taken down and reassembled as scientists continued to uncover more info. That's the way it should be, right? Science marches on. Change happens.
When the economy needs a fix, you get started fixing it.
Rep. Lummis doth object too much
Wyoming's brand-spanking-new Rep., Repub Cynthia Lummis, is wasting little time learning how to tow the party line, especially when it comes to the economic stimulus legislation. She voted against it twice -- joining the rest of her naysaying right-wing brethren and sistren. For eight years -- four terms -- Lummis's predecessor, Barbara Cubin -- never met a spending bill she didn't like. The Repubs ran up a huge deficit and now they've rediscovered their fiscal conservative roots.
Anyway, here are the parts of the stimulus bill that Rep. Lummis found objectionable:
Let's take these one at a time.
1. The $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts stipulates that the funding goes for grants to activities and projects “which preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn," with 40 percent of the amount going to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations (“in a manner similar to the agency’s current practice”) and the remainder going out in competitive grants from the NEA. Matching requirements are waived.
So, if 40 percent of that total equals $20 million. and it's divided equally among 62 state/territorial arts agencies and regionals, that would mean $322,000 for the Wyoming Arts Council, where I work. That means a lot of grants to arts councils and schools and libraries. Also, the other 60 percent of NEA funding will go out in grants to organizations in all states, including Wyoming. That's a nice infusion of capital in tough times. Not to mention the fact that arts orgs in the state could apply directly to the NEA.
In her press release, Lummis didn't have to mount any specific objection to arts funding. Her Repub clan knows that "NEA" is a code word for "the agency that funds pornographic art." So, in Lummis-speak, $50 mill to that outfit is a big waste of taxpayer money -- and a slap in the face to all good fundies.
2. ACORN. Remember how Sarah Palin objected to community organizers, notably anyone involved with ACORN. Registering voters? What kind of commie crap is that? So, all the right-wingers have to see is ACORN and they go bat-shit crazy.
3. Railroads. Not sure why Republicans hate mass transit so much. Americans are crazy about their passenger trains, especially new light-rail systems that are springing up everywhere, notably in the cities of the West, e.g. Denver and Phoenix. Trains settled the West and drove off the buffalo and the Indians. Since Wyoming Republicans hate wolves so much, you'd think they'd come up with a plan to build a train through Yellowstone. But a top-notch train system would be great for the country and help make us more energy efficient. A high-speed rail line along the heavily traveled I-15 corridor from L.A. to Las Vegas could save us millions of gallons of fuel a year. Oh, now I see. Rail systems mean energy savings. No need for foreign oil. Or Texas oil companies. That will never do.
4. Why would Rep. Lummis be against disease prevention? Again, we're dealing with those right-wing code words. "Sexually transmitted diseases." Only "those people" gets STDs, you know, the darker-skinned populations. And the licentious ones, those people with no morals and no means. Non-Christians. Non-Republicans.
5. Social Security Administration? Is that thing still around? I thought Dubya banished it?
6. Uh oh. "Universal health care." Those are fighting words to Republicans. Again, it's code. Universal health care equals single-payer system equals socialized medicine equals "We're no better than the Canadians." A program to train more primary care providers would lead to a ready supply of doctors for rural and underserved communities, something desperately needed in states such as Wyoming. You'd think that Wyoming's lone U.S. Rep. would support a program that would get doctors out into small communities where they're really needed.
Gosh, I could go on and on but it's getting late.
We deserve better representation than this.
Anyway, here are the parts of the stimulus bill that Rep. Lummis found objectionable:
1. $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts;
2. $2 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Fund, providing funds to organizations such as ACORN, which has been accused of practicing unlawful voter registration in recent elections;
3. $8 billion for a High Speed Passenger Rail Program, after the House did not include any funding for the program and the Senate included $2 billion, which will fund at least one project from Las Vegas to Los Angeles
4. $1 billion for a Prevention and Wellness Fund, which can be used for sexually transmitted disease education and prevention programs at the CDC
5. $500 million to replace a 30-year old computer system at the Social Security Administration
6. $500 million for a health professions training program -- funding which an earlier committee report said were allocated because, “a key component of attaining universal health care reform will be ensuring the supply of primary care providers.”
Let's take these one at a time.
1. The $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts stipulates that the funding goes for grants to activities and projects “which preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector threatened by declines in philanthropic and other support during the current economic downturn," with 40 percent of the amount going to state arts agencies and regional arts organizations (“in a manner similar to the agency’s current practice”) and the remainder going out in competitive grants from the NEA. Matching requirements are waived.
So, if 40 percent of that total equals $20 million. and it's divided equally among 62 state/territorial arts agencies and regionals, that would mean $322,000 for the Wyoming Arts Council, where I work. That means a lot of grants to arts councils and schools and libraries. Also, the other 60 percent of NEA funding will go out in grants to organizations in all states, including Wyoming. That's a nice infusion of capital in tough times. Not to mention the fact that arts orgs in the state could apply directly to the NEA.
In her press release, Lummis didn't have to mount any specific objection to arts funding. Her Repub clan knows that "NEA" is a code word for "the agency that funds pornographic art." So, in Lummis-speak, $50 mill to that outfit is a big waste of taxpayer money -- and a slap in the face to all good fundies.
2. ACORN. Remember how Sarah Palin objected to community organizers, notably anyone involved with ACORN. Registering voters? What kind of commie crap is that? So, all the right-wingers have to see is ACORN and they go bat-shit crazy.
3. Railroads. Not sure why Republicans hate mass transit so much. Americans are crazy about their passenger trains, especially new light-rail systems that are springing up everywhere, notably in the cities of the West, e.g. Denver and Phoenix. Trains settled the West and drove off the buffalo and the Indians. Since Wyoming Republicans hate wolves so much, you'd think they'd come up with a plan to build a train through Yellowstone. But a top-notch train system would be great for the country and help make us more energy efficient. A high-speed rail line along the heavily traveled I-15 corridor from L.A. to Las Vegas could save us millions of gallons of fuel a year. Oh, now I see. Rail systems mean energy savings. No need for foreign oil. Or Texas oil companies. That will never do.
4. Why would Rep. Lummis be against disease prevention? Again, we're dealing with those right-wing code words. "Sexually transmitted diseases." Only "those people" gets STDs, you know, the darker-skinned populations. And the licentious ones, those people with no morals and no means. Non-Christians. Non-Republicans.
5. Social Security Administration? Is that thing still around? I thought Dubya banished it?
6. Uh oh. "Universal health care." Those are fighting words to Republicans. Again, it's code. Universal health care equals single-payer system equals socialized medicine equals "We're no better than the Canadians." A program to train more primary care providers would lead to a ready supply of doctors for rural and underserved communities, something desperately needed in states such as Wyoming. You'd think that Wyoming's lone U.S. Rep. would support a program that would get doctors out into small communities where they're really needed.
Gosh, I could go on and on but it's getting late.
We deserve better representation than this.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Shocker! Barrasso/Enzi vote against Senate stimulus bill
No surprise here. Wyoming's two Republican senators -- Mike Enzi and John Barrasso -- both voted against the $838 billion economic stimulus package in the U.S. Senate.
The bill passed the Senate anyway, by a 61-37 margin, mostly along party lines. All the "no" votes were cast by Republicans. What a bunch of naysayers.
In an AP story, Barrasso said that the legislation is not a stimulus bill but is a spending bill. He says the bill does little in the way to create jobs now. Enzi ridiculed the bill, saying it spends a lot of money without knowing whether it will work.
Wonder what else Congress spent a lot of money on without knowing whether it would work? The Iraq War, to mention one. Jury still out on that one. No Republicans (except Nebraska's Chuck Hagel) and some Dems voted for war bills over and over again, with nothing to show for it.
And what about Bush's crackpot plan to cut taxes for the richest Americans? That cost the U.S. treasury $1.3 trillion. It led to the current crisis. And Enzi and Barrasso want more of the same?
I wish I had someone in the U.S. Senate that represented me.
The bill passed the Senate anyway, by a 61-37 margin, mostly along party lines. All the "no" votes were cast by Republicans. What a bunch of naysayers.
In an AP story, Barrasso said that the legislation is not a stimulus bill but is a spending bill. He says the bill does little in the way to create jobs now. Enzi ridiculed the bill, saying it spends a lot of money without knowing whether it will work.
Wonder what else Congress spent a lot of money on without knowing whether it would work? The Iraq War, to mention one. Jury still out on that one. No Republicans (except Nebraska's Chuck Hagel) and some Dems voted for war bills over and over again, with nothing to show for it.
And what about Bush's crackpot plan to cut taxes for the richest Americans? That cost the U.S. treasury $1.3 trillion. It led to the current crisis. And Enzi and Barrasso want more of the same?
I wish I had someone in the U.S. Senate that represented me.
Monday, February 09, 2009
I attempt to explain U.S. history
While I blog, my daughter Annie sits next to me doing her U.S. History homework. The topic tonight is World War I.
"Who -- or what's -- The Big Four?" she asks.
I reel off names of three of the allied countries in the war: England, France, U.S. Can't think of a fourth. Russia?
"No, Italy." She's looking at a list in the book, "The Americans: Reconstruction to the Twentieth Century." The Big Four were the allied powers who assembled at Versailles on 11/11/09 to screw the Germans which led to the economic collapse of Germany, which led to Hitler, Blitzkrieg, The Final Solution and all the rest.
"No Man's Land?" She searches her text, which is the size of the Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. No wonder these kids have bad backs. Get them a couple good paperbacks about the war and toss out the text. I recommend "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Johnny Got His Gun," "The Good Soldier Svejk," and "Soldier of the Great War." Just pick two.
I Google "No Man's Land" and come up with some photos showing dead soldiers hung up on barbed wire. I tell her that No Man's Land was the hellish space between trenches where most of the dying took place.
"What kind of weapons were used?"
I see what she's doing. She knows I'm keen on history and knows, with little prompting, I will blurt out a very long and convoluted answer. "What kind of weapons do you think they had?" I ask.
"U-Boats."
Check.
"Tanks?"
They started out with horses, which were obsolete when the tanks appeared. Your great-grandfather's Iowa cavalry unit went to France with all their horses and never rode them into battle. Too dangerous, what with tanks and machine guns and barbed wire.
"Did the horses get hurt?"
This kid loves her animals. Not a kid anymore, 15 with a birthday in March. "I don't think the horses got anywhere near the front lines."
She nods, puts away her work sheet and closes the book. "I'm going to work out."
She heads to the basement treadmill, leaving me thinking about World War I. What a pointless slaughter that was. My grandfather was gassed and ended up spending a year in the hospital after the war. On the plus side, that's where he met my grandmother, an Army nurse. This union led to my father and then to me and, eventually, to my daughter.
High school history doesn't track the vagaries of people's lives -- just the big themes like weaponry, world leaders and treaties. Those books I mentioned earlier, that's where you get the individual stories that illuminate the big picture. Svejk just wants to make it through in one piece, but people keep trying to kill him. Those people tend to be on his own side, which also baffles American pilot Yossarian in "Catch-22."
As often happens, we have to leave the final word to the poets. Here's Wilfred Owen, who was killed a week before the Armistice: "My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity."
"Who -- or what's -- The Big Four?" she asks.
I reel off names of three of the allied countries in the war: England, France, U.S. Can't think of a fourth. Russia?
"No, Italy." She's looking at a list in the book, "The Americans: Reconstruction to the Twentieth Century." The Big Four were the allied powers who assembled at Versailles on 11/11/09 to screw the Germans which led to the economic collapse of Germany, which led to Hitler, Blitzkrieg, The Final Solution and all the rest.
"No Man's Land?" She searches her text, which is the size of the Unabridged Oxford English Dictionary. No wonder these kids have bad backs. Get them a couple good paperbacks about the war and toss out the text. I recommend "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Johnny Got His Gun," "The Good Soldier Svejk," and "Soldier of the Great War." Just pick two.
I Google "No Man's Land" and come up with some photos showing dead soldiers hung up on barbed wire. I tell her that No Man's Land was the hellish space between trenches where most of the dying took place.
"What kind of weapons were used?"
I see what she's doing. She knows I'm keen on history and knows, with little prompting, I will blurt out a very long and convoluted answer. "What kind of weapons do you think they had?" I ask.
"U-Boats."
Check.
"Tanks?"
They started out with horses, which were obsolete when the tanks appeared. Your great-grandfather's Iowa cavalry unit went to France with all their horses and never rode them into battle. Too dangerous, what with tanks and machine guns and barbed wire.
"Did the horses get hurt?"
This kid loves her animals. Not a kid anymore, 15 with a birthday in March. "I don't think the horses got anywhere near the front lines."
She nods, puts away her work sheet and closes the book. "I'm going to work out."
She heads to the basement treadmill, leaving me thinking about World War I. What a pointless slaughter that was. My grandfather was gassed and ended up spending a year in the hospital after the war. On the plus side, that's where he met my grandmother, an Army nurse. This union led to my father and then to me and, eventually, to my daughter.
High school history doesn't track the vagaries of people's lives -- just the big themes like weaponry, world leaders and treaties. Those books I mentioned earlier, that's where you get the individual stories that illuminate the big picture. Svejk just wants to make it through in one piece, but people keep trying to kill him. Those people tend to be on his own side, which also baffles American pilot Yossarian in "Catch-22."
As often happens, we have to leave the final word to the poets. Here's Wilfred Owen, who was killed a week before the Armistice: "My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity."
Praise the Darwin -- and put up a billboard
Darwin even looks a little God-like (in the Old Testament sense) on this billboard erected outside Grand Junction, Colo. Grand Junction was chosen, along with sites in Dayton, Tenn., and Dover, Pa., due to some anti-evolutionary nonsense perpetrated by these communities.The Tennessee and Pennsylvania towns had landmark court cases about the teaching of evolution. In Grand Junction, the Freedom from Religion Foundation has complained to the Mesa County commissioners about denominational prayers in public meetings.
The foundation is made up of agnostics and atheists who fight government displays of religion.
I tend toward agnostic. I'd like to see one of these billboards in Wyoming, although don't want to suffer through any fundie creationist hoo-ha to get one.
Friday, February 06, 2009
"Red Dawn" Wolverines strike again
Some of you may recall this "Cold War" scare film that was set in Colorado after the Soviet invasion.
Thanks to crooks and liars.
Marriage defenseless in wake of bill defeat
House Joint Resolution 17, the so-called "Defense of Marriage" resolution, was defeated on a 35-25 vote after impassioned testimony from lawmakers.
"I look upon this state as the Equality State and I urge you to maintain that status as the Equality State," said Rep. Patrick Goggles, D-Ethete. Rep. Goggles was a delegate at last summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver.
But you can't kill a bill in our lopsided legislature without some Republicans going along for the ride -- sometimes even leading the charge.
Rep. Roy Cohee of Casper, an opponent of the bill, was mentioned in a story this evening on Wyoming Public Radio.
"I look upon this state as the Equality State and I urge you to maintain that status as the Equality State," said Rep. Patrick Goggles, D-Ethete. Rep. Goggles was a delegate at last summer's Democratic National Convention in Denver.
But you can't kill a bill in our lopsided legislature without some Republicans going along for the ride -- sometimes even leading the charge.
Rep. Roy Cohee of Casper, an opponent of the bill, was mentioned in a story this evening on Wyoming Public Radio.
Rep. Roy Cohee says despite claims by fringe groups that the constitutional amendment is needed, he says he believes that the average citizen disagrees and feels that the public thinks they have much more important work to do.
Sen. Enzi: "Thanks for all the pizza"
Fed up with all the crazy talk about a trillion-dollar stimulus package, Wyoming Sen. Mike Enzi and GOP Senate colleagues took time out today to accept delivery of dozens of pizzas delivered to the Capitol steps. The Senators were grateful to GOP PAC Americans for Posterity (motto: "No Stimulus Without Pepperoni") for its generosity in times of great stress. "Dig in, fellas," urged Enzi. And they did, with great relish.Republicans: Crazy or loony?
After the past two weeks, I have to wonder if bipartisanship exists. Are Republicans merely being the opposition party? Or are they crazy?
Quote from John Cole's Balloon Juice at www.balloon-juice.com:
Quote from John Cole's Balloon Juice at www.balloon-juice.com:
I really don't understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Art teachers conduct civics lesson in legislative action
Some of my colleagues in the world of arts education have jumped into the legislative battles with both feet. HB0218 is designed to revise the Hathaway Scholarhips to include arts courses. The Hathaways are awarded to high school seniors attending the state's only four-year university or one of its community colleges.
I posted about this bill on Jan. 28. Here's the latest update from wyomingarts:
I posted about this bill on Jan. 28. Here's the latest update from wyomingarts:
We had a very exciting day at the Legislature yesterday! The House Education committee was unanimous in their acceptance of the proposal to change HB0218 to reflect Fine and Performing Arts, and unanimous in their acceptance of the bill. Four teachers presented in support of the bill: Cindy Schmid, Cheyenne; Amy Simpson, Cheyenne; Sheila McHattie, Casper; and Kelly Bembry-Hennings, Cheyenne. Many other teachers, and some administrators, also attended to show their support.
The House Education committee made a number of supportive comments about this bill, and several representatives commented that they had received a lot of email on the topic. The committee was joined by the chair of the Senate Education committee (Senator Coe), and also Senator Dockstader. Senator Dockstader, who is married to an art teacher in Star Valley, was kind enough to give the presenting teachers advice on the process, and help us all by talking to a number of legislators. Superintendent McBride was also there and provided some comments on the bill.
This bill still has a number of hurdles to overcome before it is law, but it is well on its way.
What’s next?
The bill is waiting in line on the docket to be presented to the Committee of the Whole (the House). The Majority Floor Leader sets that schedule. The House Floor Majority Leader is Edward Buchanan (Torrington). The bill must be read by the end of the day on Monday, February 9 in order to continue through the process.
If it does get read by end of day Monday, February 9, it will then be voted upon by the Committee of the Whole (House). If it passes, it goes to second reading. It must be read and voted on by the end of the day on Tuesday February 10 to continue to its third reading. It must have its third reading and voted on by the end of the day on Wednesday, February 11. If it passes, it moves on to the Senate Education Committee. If it doesn’t pass, it is dead.
All House Bills must have achieved third reading by Wednesday, February 11, or they are dead.These are the stages that must occur between now and the time the HB0218 is presented to the Senate side. So, still a ways to go before it becomes law.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
You too can be an ozone monitor
Ozone alert:
Ozone study alert:
Both of these stories by Jeff Gearino were in today's Casper Star-Tribune.
Pinedale residents could wake up with unhealthy levels of ozone in the air this morning and should take appropriate precautions, state officials say.
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality officials predicted weather and other conditions will be ideal for high ozone levels in the Upper Green River Basin.
The DEQ ozone advisory -- the first ozone alert of the winter season -- was announced Tuesday on the agency's Web site.
Ozone study alert:
University of Wyoming researchers are seeking volunteers in Sublette County to assist with an air quality monitoring study.
The six-month project will record ozone levels around Pinedale and at various sites in the Upper Green River Basin. It should provide researchers with much-needed data about the distribution of ozone in the basin.
A mobile air quality monitoring lab has been moved to Pinedale to measure ozone levels with state-of-the-art equipment, according to researchers.
Officials said passive ozone monitors are also being placed throughout the basin to map ozone distribution, and human exposure to ozone will be recorded by the volunteers as part of the project. Volunteers in the study will wear a clip-on, passive ozone sampler, which will record how much ozone he or she comes into contact with during an eight-hour time period.
Both of these stories by Jeff Gearino were in today's Casper Star-Tribune.
Stimulating debate needed on stimulus bill
GOP Senators issued a long list of things on Monday they hate about Obama’s stimulus bill:
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million to lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
Some of these could stimulate the economy. Some are just wayward bills that never found a home. Some are just silly -- TV converter boxes? The total here is about $20 billion, give or take a few million (I’m too lazy to add them up).
That leaves about $800 billion in spending in the current stimulus bill. Are the GOPers O.K. with all that remains? What about the $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts? Why isn’t that first on the GOP hit list? It’s possible that Republican Senators finally understand that a healthy economy needs the stimulus of the arts. There was a time, back in the 1990s during Newt Gingrich’s Contract on America, that the NEA was under withering fire from the Religious Right and its political handmaiden, the GOP. Congress cut the NEA budget in half, but couldn’t kill it. The agency’s budget rose during Dubya’s two terms.
It’s also possible that the disgruntled Republican senators are listening to some of its senior members who’ve become part of the Senate Arts Caucus, people like Wyoming’s Mike Enzi. Although he’s pretty much a party line guy, Enzi has long supported the arts in his home town of Gillette and throughout Wyoming. He could be talking some sense into his colleagues. It’s possible.
It’s funny to see Republicans getting religion about spending. They didn’t bat and eye when they authorized the war in Iraq and ended up spending (so far) $600 billion in taxpayer funds. They sunk hundreds of billions more into Defense Department appropriations (separate from the war funding) and dried up the treasury with their generous tax cuts for the richest Americans. Now they see the light. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition – to Halliburton! But let's not spend a penny on youth programs or energy efficiency or disease control.
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million to lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
Some of these could stimulate the economy. Some are just wayward bills that never found a home. Some are just silly -- TV converter boxes? The total here is about $20 billion, give or take a few million (I’m too lazy to add them up).
That leaves about $800 billion in spending in the current stimulus bill. Are the GOPers O.K. with all that remains? What about the $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts? Why isn’t that first on the GOP hit list? It’s possible that Republican Senators finally understand that a healthy economy needs the stimulus of the arts. There was a time, back in the 1990s during Newt Gingrich’s Contract on America, that the NEA was under withering fire from the Religious Right and its political handmaiden, the GOP. Congress cut the NEA budget in half, but couldn’t kill it. The agency’s budget rose during Dubya’s two terms.
It’s also possible that the disgruntled Republican senators are listening to some of its senior members who’ve become part of the Senate Arts Caucus, people like Wyoming’s Mike Enzi. Although he’s pretty much a party line guy, Enzi has long supported the arts in his home town of Gillette and throughout Wyoming. He could be talking some sense into his colleagues. It’s possible.
It’s funny to see Republicans getting religion about spending. They didn’t bat and eye when they authorized the war in Iraq and ended up spending (so far) $600 billion in taxpayer funds. They sunk hundreds of billions more into Defense Department appropriations (separate from the war funding) and dried up the treasury with their generous tax cuts for the richest Americans. Now they see the light. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition – to Halliburton! But let's not spend a penny on youth programs or energy efficiency or disease control.
Monday, February 02, 2009
Palin the future brains of the GOP?
Rasmussen Reports features its latest political poll:
Wow. Republicans think their party has been too moderate the past eight years? That's scary. Scarier still is The Return of Sarah Palin, Airborne Slayer of Wolves. The Republicans need to rename themselves the Lamebrain Party. First Bush, and then the possibility of Prez Palin? Let's hope that Barack Obama sets us on a course that honors intelligence and competence over stupid.
One thing for sure: Republicans and Democrats don’t agree on the future direction of the Republican Party.
Coming off a shellacking at the polls in November, the plurality of GOP voters (43%) say their party has been too moderate over the past eight years, and 55% think it should become more like Alaska Governor Sarah Palin in the future, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Just 24% think failed presidential candidate John McCain is the best future model for the party, and 10% are undecided.
Only 17% of Republican voters say their party has been too conservative, and 30% say its actions and positions have been about right, with nine percent (9%) not sure.
Nearly two-thirds of Democrats (64%), however, say the Republican Party has been too conservative, and 42% think it should look to McCain for the future. Twelve percent (12%) of Democratic voters see Palin as a future role model, and 40% aren’t sure what’s best for their rivals.
Wow. Republicans think their party has been too moderate the past eight years? That's scary. Scarier still is The Return of Sarah Palin, Airborne Slayer of Wolves. The Republicans need to rename themselves the Lamebrain Party. First Bush, and then the possibility of Prez Palin? Let's hope that Barack Obama sets us on a course that honors intelligence and competence over stupid.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sen. McCaskill reads riot act to "idiots"
Watch Claire McCaskill (D-MO) take apart the idiot financiers who got us into this mess: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yt90KUwCCoE
This one is for my college chum Bob in Missouri.
This one is for my college chum Bob in Missouri.
Middle class revolutionaries on the march
I've been a card-carrying member of America's middle class all my life. I suppose my "card" is that wrinkled old original Social Security card I carry in my wallet. All of us have one of these, from the homeless man crashing at the local shelter to crazy ol' rich guy Bernie Madoff. But most of us are middle class, like it or not.
There was a time that we artsy types wanted to distance ourselves from suburbia. "Middle class" was a putdown among '50s beats and '60s hippies (and hippie wannabes). Odd thing is, the most vocal critics tended to be offspring of the upper classes rather than the sons of daughters of carpenters and insurance salesmen. Middle-class kids like me were raised to strive for better lives that our parents'. Most of us seemed to want that, too, although life has a way of playing tricks on your aspirations.
My father was an accountant and my mother, a nurse. My father was the first college graduate in his family, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. My mother's nurse's training was paid for by the U.S. Navy, although World War II ended before she could serve in the military. My parents' first house came through a no-down-payment, low-interest loan through the V.A. It was in Aurora, Colo., Denver's burgeoning eastern suburb. We lived just down the street from Fitzsimons Army Medical Center where Ike recovered from one of his heart attacks. Pres. Ike was married to Mamie, a middle-class girl from Denver.
My parents and millions like them made up the middle class. Their ungrateful kids wanted something else, something better, something....who the hell knows. Most of us claimed territory in our parents' socio-economic cadre, whether we wanted to or not. In the 1980s -- that "Me Decade" when TV's "Thirty-something" was all the rage -- we didn't grasp the fact that forces energized by the so-called Reagan Revolution were on a search-and-destroy mission. Target: me and my neighbors. Those forces took steroids during the Dubya Administration.
But now the Reagan/Bush/Bush tide is ebbing.
On Friday, Pres. Obama signed an executive order forming a Working Families Middle Class Task Force. Point man is Veep Joe Biden. Here's what he had to say:
Who would have thought there would come a time when being middle class was revolutionary?
The task force's first meeting will be in Philadelphia Feb. 27. I would have preferred a place closer to Middle America. Aurora, Colo., for instance. Or possibly Cheyenne, Wyo., or Omaha or Wichita. I formally invite the task force to Cheyenne. The Veep can stay in my guest room.
One thing that's encouraging -- you can submit your ideas to the task force here.
There was a time that we artsy types wanted to distance ourselves from suburbia. "Middle class" was a putdown among '50s beats and '60s hippies (and hippie wannabes). Odd thing is, the most vocal critics tended to be offspring of the upper classes rather than the sons of daughters of carpenters and insurance salesmen. Middle-class kids like me were raised to strive for better lives that our parents'. Most of us seemed to want that, too, although life has a way of playing tricks on your aspirations.
My father was an accountant and my mother, a nurse. My father was the first college graduate in his family, courtesy of the G.I. Bill. My mother's nurse's training was paid for by the U.S. Navy, although World War II ended before she could serve in the military. My parents' first house came through a no-down-payment, low-interest loan through the V.A. It was in Aurora, Colo., Denver's burgeoning eastern suburb. We lived just down the street from Fitzsimons Army Medical Center where Ike recovered from one of his heart attacks. Pres. Ike was married to Mamie, a middle-class girl from Denver.
My parents and millions like them made up the middle class. Their ungrateful kids wanted something else, something better, something....who the hell knows. Most of us claimed territory in our parents' socio-economic cadre, whether we wanted to or not. In the 1980s -- that "Me Decade" when TV's "Thirty-something" was all the rage -- we didn't grasp the fact that forces energized by the so-called Reagan Revolution were on a search-and-destroy mission. Target: me and my neighbors. Those forces took steroids during the Dubya Administration.
But now the Reagan/Bush/Bush tide is ebbing.
On Friday, Pres. Obama signed an executive order forming a Working Families Middle Class Task Force. Point man is Veep Joe Biden. Here's what he had to say:
"America’s middle class is hurting. Trillions of dollars in home equity and retirement savings and college savings are gone. And every day, more and more Americans are losing their jobs. President Obama and I are determined to change this. Quite simply, a strong middle class equals a strong America. We can’t have one without the other. This Task Force will be an important vehicle to assess new and existing policies across the board and determine if they are helping or hurting the middle class. It is our charge to get the middle class – the backbone of this country – up and running again."
Who would have thought there would come a time when being middle class was revolutionary?
The task force's first meeting will be in Philadelphia Feb. 27. I would have preferred a place closer to Middle America. Aurora, Colo., for instance. Or possibly Cheyenne, Wyo., or Omaha or Wichita. I formally invite the task force to Cheyenne. The Veep can stay in my guest room.
One thing that's encouraging -- you can submit your ideas to the task force here.
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