tHE pUBLIC sPHERE

Ohio Budget

2011-03-15T17:19:00.000-04:00

Let the analysis begin...the Governor's 2012-13 budget proposal is now out.

Thanks John

2010-03-28T08:44:00.000-04:00

An updated version of a campaign classic...

Glenn Beck nonsense and no sense

2010-03-27T08:25:00.001-04:00

Glenn Beck decided to attack the notion of Christian social justice calling it communism, socialism, marxism, etc. It is typical of the Faux News crowd to distort, mislead, and outright lie when it suits their purposes (which more times than not is about making a buck...have you bought my latest "book"?). I am very glad to see Jim Wallis stand up to this nitwit. You can learn more at Sojo.net.

Krugman column

2010-03-23T10:49:00.001-04:00

Fear strikes out...

2009-07-18T08:33:00.002-04:00

The passing of a legend and an era...Walter Cronkite (1916-2009).

New York Times
Washington Post

SF Chronicle

LA Times

Over the top...

2009-07-03T13:58:00.002-04:00

...is how I would describe the Michael Jackson media coverage. Yes, he is an iconic figure whose immense talent has been diminished by his bizarre (perhaps even criminal) personal life, but enough is enough.

2009-04-12T08:25:00.003-04:00

It was good to read this morning that Justice Ginsberg is doing well...

Yes we can...

2008-11-08T20:29:00.001-05:00

Forget what I said before

2008-09-12T14:39:00.002-04:00

Very clever use of the blue screen

2008-09-10T19:17:00.002-04:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Dave Stewart's American Prayer

2008-08-22T23:12:00.001-04:00

Pardons in the news

2008-07-19T08:04:00.002-04:00

With George Bush's term winding down, it is not surprising to see that those seeking grace from the soon to be ex-president are sending in their petitions. Charlie Savage (of signing statement fame thanks in part to my friend Dr. Kelley) writes about the record level of clemency requests in today's NYT. It has been a while since my dissertation days and pardon research, but I still find the attraction fascinating. And now we wait to see who will receive a pardon and when will they be issued. My bet, not many and some time in January 2009.

Phil Gramm speaks...

2008-07-12T07:38:00.014-04:00

John McCain's top economic adviser is in the news, and McCain is quickly running away from him. Phil Gramm, who never saw a deregulation measure that he didn't support, has not shied away from sharing his rather unique view of economic conditions. Here are a couple of his more noted pearls of wisdom:

On reducing Social Security benefits..."Most people don’t have the luxury of living to be 80 years old, so it’s hard for me to feel sorry for them."
On welfare..."We’re the only nation in the world where all our poor people are fat.”
On current economic conditions..."We have sort of become a nation of whiners...You’ve heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession.”

In case you have forgotten, Professor/Senator/Lobbyist Gramm (R-Texas) is credited with writing the legislation that allowed Enron (a major campaign supporter and one of the companies where his wife Wendy served on the Board) to be exempted from regulatory supervision.

Say goodbye to "compassionate conservatism."

Changing times

2008-07-04T10:12:00.003-04:00

The NY Times has an interesting piece on the shifts occurring at U.S. universities as the cadre of professors from the 60's and 70's are now beginning to retire. Many of these faulty members entered the profession at time of great upheaval and brought their attitudes and experiences to the academy. But as the article points out, the notion of the "liberal" university faculty is rapidly becoming a thing of the past...despite incessant and inaccurate clammering from the talk radio crowd. As one who has spent the past 13 years on a university campus, I have seen this shift as it takes place. Although there are still some who enter the profession for ideological reasons (both from the left and the right), the days of the liberal old professor are definitely fading.

Happy Fourth of July.

The end is here

2008-05-31T09:21:00.003-04:00

The Democrats will finally have a presidential nominee some time later this week. Despite unfounded claims that a protracted primary season would tear the Democratic party apart, polls are already showing Democrats moving towards unification behind Obama. The pundit hysteria from the left and the right has been atrocious. Left-leaning pundits have decried Hillary and her stay-in-it-until-the-end approach. Right leaners have prematurely declared the end of the Democratic party and the coronation of John McCain. Expect an interesting summer as both candidates work up to their respective conventions and the general election this fall.

Who will tell the people?

2008-05-04T08:40:00.003-04:00

From his NYTimes column today, Thomas Friedman writes, "We need a president who is tough enough to tell the truth to the American people...Who will tell the people? We are not who we think we are. We are living on borrowed time and borrowed dimes. We still have all the potential for greatness, but only if we get back to work on our country." Could not have said it any better.

MIssion Accomplished

2008-04-30T20:47:00.002-04:00

May 1, 2003. Has it already been five years since the dumbest photo op in presidential history?

News Media Fatuousness

2008-04-20T08:47:00.003-04:00

Frank Rich lets them all have it today...good stuff.

Is the tide turning?

2008-04-19T08:43:00.004-04:00

Many, including me, have expressed concern over the style, tenor, and process of our political system. Partisan demagoguery, personal attacks, shameful pandering to special interests, and the corrosive effects of big money have paralyzed our political system. We are paralyzed because we can no longer debate the real issues and challenges facing us. We are partially to blame because we continue to re-elect the same representatives time and time again. Whenever someone tries to have a serious discussion, they are quickly attacked as an elitist. Do you really prefer to have the beer-swilling "C" students making our public policy? A hyper-media driven by out of context sound-biting also plays a role. This type of episodic coverage denies us the thematic coverage necessary to establish context and connections.

But there have been hopeful signs that our politics, albeit far too slowly, may be changing. The now well-chronicled "bitter" remarks of Barack Obama may be one indication of this change. Despite the non-stop and out of context reporting of his remark across all forms of media, the people of Pennsylvania have resisted the media interpretation and added context of their own.

More broadly, the outrage shown towards ABC following Wednesday's Democratic debate/debacle is perhaps another positive sign. While ABC is the target of much criticism, we need to be wary of other media outlets simply piling on. And although I too found the "debate" to be wholly disappointing, I doubt if any other network would have done much better. I am certainly not ready to declare that we have turned a corner and can now expect better political coverage. I am pleased to see so many speaking up including journalists themselves.

Shift Happens...

2008-04-10T11:40:00.000-04:00

A more perfect union

2008-03-31T20:52:00.001-04:00

Five Years

2008-03-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Five years ago this week, U.S. forces began the war in Iraq. It is hard not to look back and consider the promises of a short, inexpensive war that would democratize the Middle East. None of these promises has been delivered. There is no end in sight to the U.S. occupation. The $50 billion dollar war has become a multi-trillion dollar war. And the very notion of democracy as we know it in the West developing in the Middle East any time soon is naive if not down right ludicrous. Leadership matters and our nation is in desperate need of it now.

Turn $50 billion into $3 trillion

2008-03-09T09:27:00.003-04:00

The costs for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars continue to soar out of sight. I wonder how Don Rumsfeld could make his now laughable prediction with a straight face. If only I could invest my personal savings and get this type of a return. On the bright side, our robust economy has shown it can absorb these costs without consequence...at least that is what the President has told us.

Another Black Eye

2008-03-01T09:14:00.003-05:00

Once again, my community suffered a black eye at the hands of one of our elected officials. The County A uditor plead guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion and resigned her position in disgrace. It is just one more example of why one-party rule is incompatible with a healthy democracy. Statewide, voters tossed out a notoriously corrupt executive branch last year. I am not hopeful this trend will continue at the local level. Party insiders are already lining up to replace the newly confessed felon to insure that what happens in Butler County government, stays in Butler County government.

Anti-Intellectualism

2008-02-17T09:31:00.004-05:00

As a school board member, a fellow board member has attempted to cast dispersions towards me and others by branding us as "elitists" and an "edu-crats." Susan Jacoby's 2/17/08 column in the Washington Post describes this insidious and dangerous movement towards "anti-intellectualism, anti-rationalism and low expectations." It is critical that we stop this creep towards the bottom and challenge ourselves and our students with high expectations. While our goal should be to leave no child behind, I have no qualms leaving adults who actively pursue dumbing down America behind...way behind.

Independence Revoked!

2008-02-16T19:16:00.002-05:00

Great stuff from John Cleese... Letter to America

Barack on faith and the public sphere

2008-02-10T15:49:00.000-05:00

Compelling thoughts...

Disappointing News

2008-02-06T09:51:00.000-05:00

As someone who has given both time and money to the effort to find effective AIDS vaccines, it was very disappointing to see the failure of these clinical trials. I remember speaking to researchers in 2001 who were realistic but very optimistic about the future of their research. Hopefully these very bright people will continue their efforts and find vaccines that will work.

Finally

2008-01-30T08:35:00.000-05:00

Perhaps this means the American electorate can no longer be reduced to pathetic and malleable mush through the shameful use of 9/11 as a campaign scare tactic. Goodbye Rudi.

Voting Machines

2008-01-07T09:49:00.001-05:00

Much is being made of the recently released federal report indicating potential problems with the electronic voting machines being used around the country. Here in Ohio, the Secretary of State has put forth a proposal to eliminate the use of all touch screen machines before the November election. The NY Times ran an interesting article on the many issues with electronic voting. We have to figure this out and quickly.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

The new year has arrived and I expect 2008 to be an interesting one. Too bad we have to spoil a perfectly good year with a presidential election!

Deja vu

2007-12-30T09:24:00.000-05:00

Christmas break provides me with some much appreciated time to relax and read. In my previous post, I commented on David Halberstam's book, The Coldest Winter, America and the Korean War. Halberstam writes of the egotistical, dictatorial, and out of touch leader (Douglas MacArthur) surrounded by sycophants who never question their leader. He describes how MacArthur (and many others) knew little about Asian cultures and had little respect for them as adversaries. He also describes the media manipulation and the effort to manage all information coming out of MacArthur's Japanese headquarters. This all led to poor and overly optimistic planning, unrealistic expectations placed on the military in the field, a disconnected and less than supportive public, and tragic consequences for those placed in harms way. Of course, we learned from our mistakes and would surely not repeat them.

My second read this week was Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone. This is the story of the Coalition Provisional Authority which ruled occupied Iraq following the U.S. invasion. In this story, we learn about the egotistical, dictatorial , and out of touch leader (Paul Bremmer) surrounded by sycophants who never questioned their leader. They knew little about Iraqi culture nor were they interested in learning. Much effort was placed on managing the media and all information coming out of the Green Zone. Poor planning, unrealistic expectations, tragic consequences...you get the idea. Once again proof that those who forget or choose to ignore history are destined to repeat it.

Despite the parallel tragedies captured in both books, their power lies in the stories of the people who participated in these historical events. There are many heroes in both stories. Unfortunately, very few of them were in positions of senior leadership.

The Coldest Winter

2007-12-28T10:09:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading David Halberstam's final book, The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War. Halberstam was a gifted writer who brought history to life in his work. His last book was on the forgotten war, the Korean War. It is a detailed look at the people, the times, and the tragic consequences of the early Cold War strategies. If you enjoy history and want to learn more about how we got to where we are today, I highly recommend this book.

Anti-tax often means anti-truth

2007-12-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

Having dealt with the anti-tax zealots in my community (Fairfield, OH) for years, it is great to see one of these groups finally being held accountable. Many of these groups, who claim to be anti-tax, are really anti-public education. They often share a common and purposeful approach to mislead and deceive through the selective presentation or exclusion of information. Of course they will deny they intentionally mislead, but one need only look at prior campaign "literature" to see this tactic being used in election after election. My advice is to be very wary of any group that puts "accountability" in their name. My experience is that they demand accountability from everyone except themselves. Hopefully, this decision puts all of these groups on alert. Intentionally misleading the public will not be tolerated.

On the bright side, "anti-tax" candidates were soundly defeated in every local school board election last November including two in Fairfield. Looks like the voters were one step ahead of the Ohio Elections Commission this year!

No Leadership

2007-12-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

Congress continues to pass the buck on the AMT. When faced with having to answer to the 23 million taxpayers who would have been hit with this tax this year, Congress instead pushed the issue out yet another year. And again demonstrated their complete inability to deal with difficult financial decisions, they just rolled the lost revenue onto the deficit. Why should they make these tough decisions? Moronic voters will send all those who choose to stand for reelection back to Washington in 2009...we get what we deserve from this bunch of cowards we call representatives.

Tilting left or just center

2007-12-23T15:09:00.000-05:00

Both Democrats and Republicans should read this. Any bets on which party is able to respond most effectively? Get Ready for a Democratic Era...

No Need to Regulate

2007-12-22T08:14:00.000-05:00

Paul Krugman writes about the causes of the sub-prime mortgage collapse and the subsequent wave of foreclosures (impacting millions of homeowners) in his latest NY Times column. Krugman asks where were the regulators when lenders were filling their portfolios with high risk mortgages? They were worshipping at the alter of the free market. Krugman lays much of the blame at the feet of former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan...In a 1963 essay for Ms. Rand’s newsletter, Mr. Greenspan dismissed as a “collectivist” myth the idea that businessmen, left to their own devices, “would attempt to sell unsafe food and drugs, fraudulent securities, and shoddy buildings.” On the contrary, he declared, “it is in the self-interest of every businessman to have a reputation for honest dealings and a quality product.”

No need for regulation, just honest businessmen...like those at Enron, Tyco, Global Crossing, Haliburton, and these other fine corporate citizens.

Terrible Decision

2007-12-20T14:19:00.000-05:00

The EPA made a terrible decision that is surely politically motivated and very heavy-handed. The decision to pre-empt states' rights to regulate pollution within their own borders is absurd. Of course look who applauds the decision...“We commend E.P.A. for protecting a national, 50-state program,” said David McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.” Payback for the recently enacted energy bill? No doubt that the EPA's decision will now head to court. We can only hope that the judicial process will reject this ridiculous over-reach by the federal executive branch.

LA Times 12/21 Editorial on this decision...

Echo Column

2007-12-16T13:24:00.000-05:00

My column in the Fairfield Echo on 12/13/07...

The campaign season has ended and two new members of the Board of Education will take office in January. As a current Board member, I want to congratulate and welcome Diana Bailey and Jerome Kearns to the Board. It is clear that our community values the benefits that only an excellent school system brings to our community. As a Board, our challenge now is to build upon these community values and find ways to better communicate with our community to meet the challenges we all face. We must take advantage of this opportunity by moving forward and not being satisfied with the status quo.

While the election is a gratifying measure of support for our outstanding public schools, we still have much work to do. We must continue our efforts to meet the needs of all our students and to be recognized by the State of Ohio for our excellence. We must use the upcoming assessment report from the Ohio School Facilities Commission to make important decisions about the future facility needs of our district. Most importantly, we must develop and implement a workable plan to meet the financial needs of our district. We cannot wait until we find ourselves in fiscal crisis. We need to find reasonable solutions to this complex and difficult challenge now.

As a school district, I believe we must begin to focus more on “student success” when making decisions. We must precisely define what we mean by student success and then every decision we make and action we take should support the success of each and every student. Programs, staffing, facilities, and meeting our financial needs will then become a function of student success. The Board must set expectations for our administrators and staff to deliver student success, provide the resources needed and empower them to act, and then evaluate them on the results they achieve.

It is easy to suggest that the Board alone must now find solutions to all of the challenges facing our district, but this is unreasonable, unrealistic, and ill advised. If we want to be successful, the Board should lead this decision-making process but not without the input and involvement of the community. As Board members, we have no special knowledge, wisdom, or experience. Like you, we are parents, citizens, and taxpayers who simply want the best for our kids and our community. We need all the talent and creativity that this wonderful community has to offer. We are far stronger and wiser as a collective community than as an elected Board of five individuals.

The challenge before us is one of the most important we will face as a community. The only way we will continue to lift up our community, state, and nation is through the education of our children. Our economy, our security and future generations depend upon the decisions we make and the actions we take today. Please join with us. We very much want and need your help.

Dr. Mark Morris, President
Board of Education
Fairfield City School District

Voting machines

2007-12-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

This story from Ohio should be a concern to everyone who values fair and accurate elections. As a citizen of Ohio, I am not surprised that the voting machines selected by former Sec of State Ken Blackwell are easy to manipulate. Mr. Blackwell never seemed very interested in the integrity of the elections in our state...only the outcome!

Anti-Tax Insanity

2007-12-15T08:35:00.000-05:00

Like most of the policies put forth by the Bush Administration the past seven years, the President's new anti-tax position makes little sense. Bush has become so stubborn and disconnected that he now threatens to veto his own proposals. You can read more about the insanity here...

Veteran's Day

2007-11-11T08:57:00.001-05:00

Today, we salute members of our military service both past and present. Below is a portion of a March 2007 SF Chronicle editorial...

A nation's support for its troops is not measured by its willingness to send soldiers into battle, but what it does for them when they get there -- and what it does for them when they return home with the psychic and physical wounds of their duty. "Support the troops" involves much more than putting a bumper sticker on the car or sending packages of cookies to the soldiers. It means giving them the armament and strategy to succeed in their mission. It means giving the wounded the highest quality care. It means acknowledging, with dignity and decorum, the sacrifice of those who died...

It's not enough to say "thank you" to the men and women who have served -- and continue to serve -- in Iraq. No matter how one feels about the rationalization for this or any other war, the troops deserve the utmost in support from the country they serve, at every phase of their deployment and in the treatment they encounter when they return. Our troops in Iraq have deserved better. They deserve real support, not rhetoric. (you can read the entire editorial here)

Nov 8 Board Meeting

2007-11-10T08:27:00.000-05:00

My comments from our November 8 School Board meeting: I want to congratulate Diana Bailey and Jerome Kearns on their election to this Board on Tuesday. I look forward to working with them after they take office in January. I also want to thank our community for selecting two people who I believe will be outstanding leaders through their service on this Board.

As elected officials, we have no better opportunity to gauge how we are doing than with an election. This election was different than previous elections because it presented voters with two very clear and distinct choices. The results clearly indicate which choice our community made. First, our community told us what they DO NOT want. Mr. Engel made it clear what he intended to do if given control of this Board, and our community resoundingly and overwhelming said “no” to his reckless fiscal ideas and destructive educational notions.

The second message I believe the voters were telling us is this:

They value the excellent school district that we now have.
They value our highly qualified and talented teachers.
They value the professional administrators leading our buildings.
They value the leadership of Mrs. Milligan as our Superintendent.
They value technology in our classrooms.
They value a wide variety of extra-curriculars activities, and
that they expect us to responsibly evaluate both the dollar and the educational costs before making any decisions.

Put another way, the voters told us that they value public education, and they value the benefits that only an excellent school system brings to a community like ours. As a Board, our challenge is to build on the momentum of this election and find ways to better connect with more people and create a long-term community wide consensus.

To do this, I believe our task as a newly constituted Board beginning in January is to offer an alternative plan to the one rejected by the voters on Tuesday. We must reach out further into our community and ask for their guidance and direction as we move forward. I am not exactly sure how we do this, but I will be bringing some of my ideas to the Board for consideration in January, and I expect each and every other board member to do the same. As they say at the NFL draft, we are now on the clock...and our community is watching.

BOARD MEETING CONDUCT: I want to close with a personal comment regarding the past few Board meetings. According to Board Policy BCB, as the President, I am responsible for the "orderly conduct of our meetings." At our September meeting, Mr. Engel walked out during our public comments...and I sat in silence. At our October meeting, Mr. Engel read a newspaper during our public comments...and I again sat in silence.

I have heard from many of you that you were disappointed in me for not stopping this offensive and disrespectful conduct. At the time, I believed that calling attention to this conduct would have taken the focus off our meeting and placed it on Mr. Engel. I made the decision not to act and instead allow his actions to speak for themselves. Looking back, I may have been mistaken by not speaking up regarding this conduct. To those of you who were disappointed by my lack of action, I apologize.

Let me clearly say that I cannot control the behavior of any member of this Board. Our actions are governed by a voluntary code of ethics. It is up to each member, as individuals, to decide whether or not they will adhere to this ethical code. That being said, I have learned from these situations. I may not be able to prevent this type of conduct from occurring, and I hope I never see it again, but I will never again sit in silence should it occur. So long as I occupy a seat on this Board, I will be your voice and at a minimum state my and your outrage with this type of disrespectful conduct. This Board and this community deserves better, and I will do my best to better meet your expectations.

Vote for Kearns and Bailey on Nov 6th

2007-10-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

From the Hamilton JournalNews...endorsing Fairfield school board candidates Jerome Kearns and Diana Bailey:

Rarely have voters had such a clear choice as they do in the Fairfield school board race this fall.

In an emotional and hotly contested campaign in which there might easily have been 10 candidates for the two open seats, this race has been stripped down to its essence: Two candidates who represent the status quo vs. two candidates who represent reform and an uncertain future.

Jerome Kearns and Diana Bailey have vowed to protect and improve the district, and are the two candidates most likely to be in agreement with the current board majority.

Erik Rivera and Lee Maloney are the candidates backed by Arnold Engel, the maverick board member who hopes to gain majority control of the board with the election of his CARE organization (Citizens for Accountability and Results in Education) colleagues. Rivera and Maloney are campaigning on pledges of no new operating levies and no cuts to extracurricular activities and busing, Engel-inspired promises that likely sound good to senior citizens and other tax-weary voters.

While we support accountability and fiscal restraint on the part of elected officials, we're frankly skeptical of candidates who make promises that they may not be able to responsibly deliver. The danger? If elected, Engel, Rivera and Maloney will deliver on those campaign promises, no matter the cost to the Fairfield City Schools' fine educational programs, rather than publicly lose face.

We believe Engel plays a valuable role on the board, continuously questioning and challenging the status quo and many of the assumptions that accompany it. In that respect, he has succeeded in raising awareness about the need to make school operations more efficient and transparent. However, that does not mean that voters should give the reins of the district to a person who says he wants to reshape it radically, especially by electing candidates who already appear to be taking their marching orders from Engel.

If Kearns and Bailey win on Nov. 6, we would expect Engel to continue to serve that maverick role, pointing out what he considers to be excessive spending and generally holding the rest of the board publicly accountable. In fact, other boards of education could benefit from having a boat-rocker like Engel on board, constantly pressing for accountability, but we would pause before letting him steer the ship.

At this point in a typical endorsement editorial, we would list the qualifications of the candidates; in this race, unfortunately, the only qualifications that seem to matter are whether a candidate supports Engel or opposes him. That is the stark choice voters have.

We see no sign that the painful divide in the community will heal soon, even after this election, as the losing side will likely start gearing up for the 2009 board election. We can only hope that the two sides will begin discussing common ground and cooling the white-hot rancor.

We will note that Rivera and Maloney declined to participate in a meeting with our editorial board and thus avoided our questions about how they would achieve their stated goals. Kearns and Bailey, on the other hand, welcomed our questions and demonstrated their commitment to and vision for building on the excellence already established in the Fairfield district. We are confident that Kearns and Bailey would have volunteered their time and talents to the community, even if the stakes were not so high in this election; we can't say the same about Maloney and Rivera.

The easy analysis of the Fairfield school board race says that it's a referendum on the controversial Engel and his untested quest to reform public education. But make no mistake — this election will also be a referendum on the kind of school system that Fairfield district voters want: Some stripped-down version of the district or the current, high-performing model. We prefer the latter. The JournalNews endorses Jerome Kearns and Diana Bailey.

Gardeners Foundation

2007-10-16T09:20:00.000-04:00

Great story in the SF Chron this morning about an immigrant family giving back. With so much anti-immigrant chatter in the news, it is refreshing to see a story that reminds us of what these hard working people bring to our country. Send them a check if you feel so inclined.

Public Service

2007-10-06T08:10:00.000-04:00

I serve on a local school board. It is exciting, challenging, frustrating, difficult and important work. During our past two meetings, I have witnessed behavior from a fellow board member (Arnold Engel) that raises real questions about our roles as elected officials. Two weeks ago, Engel decided he did not want to listen to community members who he knew would be critical of his ideas, so he up and left the meeting during our public communication time period. While he refused to listen to his constituents, he did find time to meet with the press and say, "I don't have to listen to these people, and I'm not going to. These people are not my supporters." Engel's open hostility towards the democratic process was again on display when he complained at our most recent meeting that people were free to say anything during the public communication session. Perhaps he would prefer that public comments be reviewed and screened for approval in advance of our meeting. Fortunately, our Constitutional framers anticipated people like Engel and specifically guaranteed the right to speak in the First Amendment. I am certain Engel will continue his efforts to silence all who disagree with him, but I am certain he will not be successful.

Where are the nukes?

2007-09-23T09:01:00.001-04:00

We hear a lot about securing nuclear materials so they won't fall into the hands of "evil-doers." The U.S. has been particularly concerned and critical of Russia as it has tried to account for all of the former Soviet Union's nukes. Now we learn, that the Air Force can strap six nuclear bombs on an airplane and no one would notice for 36 hours. Nothing quite like complacency. Perhaps we might consider cleaning up our own house a bit...but it is so much easier to blame everyone else for the problem!

Remember when...

2007-09-22T08:58:00.000-04:00

Lawrence Lindsey, the President's Director of the White House National Economic Council told the WSJ that the Iraq war would cost $100-200 billion. Don Rumsfeld scoffed at this estimate and OMB Director Mitch Daniels told the NYTimes the estimate was $50-60 billion.

Today, we learn the latest war supplement from the White House will approach $200 billion for next year alone. Instead of $50-60 billion total, we are now looking $12 billion a month and over $600 billion total (and that is only the amount specifically approved for Iraq). The mantra of talk radio is that government does not work. Yet, you never hear them complaining about an error factor of ten when it comes to funding the war.

FYI, Lindsey was fired, Rumsfeld started spending, and Daniels left to become Governor of Indiana. Not exactly an impressive trail of accountability.

Labor Day in Butler County

2007-09-03T08:20:00.000-04:00

The Journal News is one of the newspapers serving my local community. I have never been a fan of the newspaper nor its editorial staff. However, there are times when they surprise me. Butler County and the city of Fairfield (where I live) made national headlines with a raid and subsequent arrest of 161 illegal immigrants at a local food processing plant. Yesterday, the Journal News ran an editorial that captures the view that many of share regarding this effort (estimated to cost $4 million). On this Labor Day, it seems appropriate to reflect upon the closing words of the Journal News editorial..."But at the end of the day, the Koch Foods raid did not make our children any safer, did not stop any real crime, and did not find any terrorists conspiring to harm our nation. It was a great blustery show of stopping people from working hard and advancing out of poverty." Enjoy your Labor Day holiday.

Obfuscation

2007-08-31T10:44:00.000-04:00

Merriam-Webster defines obfuscate, "to be evasive, unclear, or confusing." Fellow school board member (Arnold Engel) appears to have adopted this strategy in a misguided attempt to silence a critic. When first asked about participating in a particular event, the story went like this: From the Journal News on Tuesday, August 28th... "Engel said this is a lie, he was not there with that group."

After the discovery of several police reports and numerous eyewitness accounts, the story changes a bit. From the Fairfield Echo on Thursday, August 30th... "That day two police reports were filed with both Engel and another woman claiming students had been jumping on their car bumpers. The following day a mother filed a report against Engel for videotaping her daughter. Engel said he was videotaping to record the damage that students had been doing to his property. "(The letter) is about attacking me and our candidates," he said. "I never had a 'vote no' sign in my hand."

Interesting how the story changes (from he wasn't there to he didn't hold a sign) when confronted with facts (and his own police report) It's almost as if he doubted anyone would investigate his original claim of not being there. To me, the new explanation sounds an awful lot like another politician's lame attempt to explain his actions when he claimed that he "did not have sex with that woman." Nice try.

Primary Chaos

2007-08-26T09:06:00.000-04:00

The primary system used to select U.S. presidential nominees for each of the major political parties has been headed for a crash. This week, we finally saw the train wreck occur as the DNC voted to strip Florida of all delegates to the national convention. Do not be surprised if the delegates are reinstated during the 30-day window prior to the penalty taking effect. However, this internecine feud between the national and state parties should be a wake up call to everyone. The presidential primary system is broken and needs to be overhauled...or else expect even more division and chaos.

Coming Home

2007-08-12T08:30:00.000-04:00

I have a very good friend who is completing a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He is a career Air Force officer and is expected home later this month. We both enjoy talking and can sit for hours discussing all kinds of issues from family to faith to politics (and of course his beloved Cowboys and my beloved 49ers!). I have learned a lot from him about the strain military life places on those who serve and especially their families. I look forward to sitting down with my friend and having another long discussion about his latest tour. Just as we did after his tours of duty in Bosnia and Iraq.

I write this today having received the final "song of the week" email from my friend. For the past 27 weeks, he would pick a favorite song (sometimes two) that in some way captured his feelings at the time. His selections ranged from his favorite, the Foo Fighters (who made numerous appearances including the week 27 finale) to Led Zepplin to Johnny Cash. Most poignant was Week Ten when he selected a bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace". "Amazing Grace" is played at ramp ceremonies as they send soldiers killed in action home. He had gone through three that week.

Through these songs, he gave those of us back here a glimpse of his daily life away from his family and friends. Through his selections, he also took the opportunity to share with us some of the challenges we face in fighting this very difficult enemy. I appreciated his frank and sometimes critical perspective. Who knows better than the men and women trying to carry out the mission? More than anything else, he reminded us that our decisions and actions as a nation affect the lives of real people in a place that most of us will never see or understand. Yes, their ways are different, but neither better or worse than ours.

I found these words from my friend to be especially powerful..."Most of the soldiers here are young. Regardless of what the press tells you, many of them had choices, some didn't but most of them are too smart not to have a choice (maybe they didn't know what to do w/ their lives and wanted to serve in some ways, maybe they wanted an education (there are college classes over here by the way)). But the point is they are serving and serving well. I've made a point before that what gets me by is my sense of loyalty to my immediate team. That is still true but seeing these kids and what they have to go through is inspirational too. Whenever I hear people say things about the younger generation and that it has lost it's way, I wish they could experience some of the things I have. Realize police officers and teachers might have a different perspective but doesn't make mine not true. I'd also like to point out that we've been fighting these two wars, longer than we were in WWII. Respect the "Greatest Generation"…they saved the world from tyranny and helped build our nation but you could make an argument that what these kids are doing is even more difficult and selfless (remember this is an all volunteer force). So next time you hear someone say our kids have lost their way, remember the ones over here who haven't (and your own)."

Thanks Gary for your service, for sharing with us, and for your friendship. I am looking forward to hoisting a cold one and a nice long conversation. Safe travels my friend.

FYI...there is an interesting column in today's Washington Post that reminds me some of the things my friend has been saying in his weekly emails.

$1,259,178,082

2007-08-05T10:04:00.000-04:00

That is how much the Department of Defense will be spending every day in the next fiscal year. The annual total is $459.6 billion. And, the White House complained about $3.5 billion "cut" from the appropriations bill. This amount does not include the supplemental bill for the Iraq war or separate funding for the base closures. Much of the FY2008 spending will go to pay for new equipment and upgrading weapons systems. Our troops deserve the best especially with so many in harms way. However, with friends serving in the miliary, I hope some of this money makes its way to the men and women serving in the form of increased pay and benefits. They certainly deserve it.

E-voting Craziness

2007-08-04T17:42:00.001-04:00

The implementation of electronic voting continues to be mixed bag of results. In California, the Secretary of State issued a confusing and very late set of instructions regarding the use of certain machines. One of the stranger requirements ordered "that some machines made by Diebold Election Systems and Sequoia Voting Systems be limited to one per polling place to limit the chances that they could be tampered with." InkaVote was dumped altogether. While good intentioned, I doubt that it does anything to instill voter confidence in the overall system.

Bill Walsh - 1931-2007

2007-07-30T19:22:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate to live in the San Francisco Bay Area for 12 years. During my time there, the San Francisco 49ers won four of their five Super Bowls. The main force behind this incredible run was Coach Bill Walsh. With his passing today, the football world has lost one of its greatest contributors. Thanks Coach for the fun, the memories, and for making 49er fans proud! Read more from the 49ers or SF Gate Coverage or the LA Times.

More voting machine troubles

2007-07-29T08:24:00.000-04:00

In a democratic process, nothing is more sacrosanct than the integrity of elections. After the debacles in 2000 and 2004, state after state have moved to adopt electronic voting machines. Along the way, many have questioned the security of these systems. A University of California study released on Friday found serious security problems. "...teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California's voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems' electronic functions..." Ohio has tried to placate voter concerns with a paper-trail requirement. A paper-trail will not help if it simply documents the altered electronic process. Hopefully, studies like Cal's will continue to pressure voting machine vendors to improve their products and provide a secure voting system.

HP and the Deathly Hollows

2007-07-21T08:31:00.001-04:00

Nearly ten years ago, my then eight-year old daughter read the first Harry Potter book (HP and the Sorcerer's Stone). Curious about the book, I also read it. This began our decade long partnership of reading each book as it was released. With the rise of pre-ordering, we joined the millions who had the latest book in the series delivered to our door on the first day of the release (and I will be looking for the postman today!). She always got to read the book first. Then I would take my turn before we would share our thoughts about the latest adventures of HP with each other. With the arrival of the final book in this wonderful series today, my daughter and I will do this dance one more time. She is out of town today, so I may reverse our order and get the first crack at reading the final book. I look forward to reading it, but even more the few moments I will have with my daughter talking about it. Thanks Harry, Ron, Hermoine, et al., for the memories. We will miss you.

Identify Theft

2007-07-19T08:18:00.000-04:00

My sixteen-year old daughter received a letter from the State of Ohio yesterday that said, "the State of Ohio has confirmed that your name and social security number was contained on a computer back-up device that was stolen..." According to the Governor's Office press release, "The theft of the device happened when a state intern's car was broken into. Electronic data management standards at the intern's worksite call for one set of backup data to be stored off-site and the intern had been inappropriately designated to store the data at his home." I wonder who the moron is that came up with this bright idea and sold it as secure electronic data management?

We are not really sure how my daughter ended up on this list (she did file a state income tax return). Of course, she is not the only one receiving these letters as estimates are now in the 600,000 range. It is frustrating for those of us who work every day to provide good governmental services to see this kind of inexcusable incompetence undermine all that we do.

August Vacation

2007-07-18T10:38:00.000-04:00

Thomas Friedman has a great column today (NY Times Select). He begins with, "I can’t imagine how I’d feel if I were the parent of a soldier in Iraq and I had just read that the Iraqi Parliament had decided to go on vacation for August, because, as the White House spokesman, Tony Snow, explained, it’s really hot in Baghdad then — “130 degrees.”...So let’s get this straight: Iraqi parliamentarians, at least those not already boycotting the Parliament, will be on vacation in August so they can be cool, while young American men and women, and Iraqi Army soldiers, will be fighting in the heat in order to create a proper security environment in which Iraqi politicians can come back in September and continue squabbling while their country burns."

We have come to expect flippant remarks from this White House and its flacks, but Snow's remarks demonstrate how disconnected and arrogant this Administration has become. It also demonstrates that they have completely lost control of their puppet PM al-Maliki. However, I will give the Iraqi's credit, at least they know when it's time to get out of Dodge.

So you want to be president

2007-07-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

One of the major points I try to hammer home when teaching the presidential election section of my American government class is that the PROCESS matters. It is the process chosen that will determine who runs, who is successful, and ultimately who will be each party's nominee. With the movement to a primary system, party elites (aka bosses) no longer make these decisions. The primary system instead rewards individual candidates who may or may not be inline with party elites/platforms (and thus party platforms are increasingly disconnected from the candidate selection process and have relatively little meaning anymore). With less reliance on political parties, candidates are on their own to generate interest and develop a base of electors. This effort costs money, lots of money. So the next time you hear a kid say he or she wants to grow up to be president, tell them to start fund raising ASAP. For most of us, we couldn't raise enough money in several life times!

Click here to see how your favorite 2008 presidential candidate is doing.

Strange Week

2007-07-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, the Pope reiterated the Catholic church's position of superiority over all other religions (or at least pointing out the "defects" in other faiths). Today, we read the Los Angeles Archdiocese has settled its sexual abuse suit for $600 million. Looks like the Pope has a few defects of his own to deal with.

Nixon Library

2007-07-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

What is the role of a presidential library? Should it be a repository for presidential information and records? Or should it be little more than a shrine that presents a president in the "best" and thus very biased light? The Nixon museum has long been the latter and thus a farce in terms of presidential history. However that will change with the Nixon Library joining the federal system. This is a healthy change and will make the Nixon Library a place that will contribute to our understanding of this incredibly complex individual. Only in understanding the good, the bad, AND the ugly can we fully appreciate the contributions of a president.

No probation for Libby?

2007-07-07T21:18:00.001-04:00

In another interesting twist to the Libby commutation, Judge Walton has suggested that the commutation that eliminated Scooter's prison time may have also eliminated his supervised probation. "The law, Judge Walton wrote, 'does not appear to contemplate a situation in which a defendant may be placed under supervised release without first completing a term of incarceration.'" No prison, no probation, and his friends paid his $250,000 fine. Is this justice served or justice denied?

There aren't many academics that regularly study pardons (perhaps you might say thankfully!). However, P.S. Ruckman, Jr. (Rock Valley College) is one who does and has started a blog on the Libby commutation/pardon. Check out his blog at http://libbypardon.net.

Debating justice

2007-07-04T08:50:00.000-04:00

In my dissertation, I wrote, "the president is missing the opportunity to publicly shape criminal justice policies, to demonstrate the effective use of discretionary power, and to perhaps correct the errors of a some times unjust judicial system." While I doubt this was his intent, Bush's commutation may have done just that. Adam Liptak of the New York Times writes an article which points out the inconsistency between Bush Adminstration policy (tougher sentencing guidelines) and his rationale for the commutation (the sentence was excessive). Liptak writes, "Perhaps inadvertently, Mr. Bush’s decision to grant a commutation rather than an outright pardon has started a national conversation about sentencing generally." The LA Times has a story which also raises the inconsistency question. They found 75% of the 198 individuals sentenced for obstruction of justice in federal court last year received an average of 70 months in prison (nearly double Libby's 36-month sentence). And it was Bush's own Justice Department pushing for these long sentences. It makes it very hard to believe that mercy had anything to do with Bush's decision to commute the sentence of an administration loyalist. Just one more example of the consistent inconsistencies of this president.

Don't be surprised if Bush's own words are quoted frequently as defense lawyers seek to reduce the sentences of their own clients when facing an "excessive" penalty.

Understanding the pardon

2007-07-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

As I have noted previously, I spent a few years studying presidential pardon during my years as a graduate student. So it is always fun for me when pardons are in the news. Of course, President Bush threw everyone a curve ball yesterday with the lesser known "commutation" rather than a full pardon for Scooter Libby. While there is lots of bluster about the pros (NYTimes Select) and cons of this decision. I was pleased to find this article in the Washington Post today which actually does a nice job explaining the difference between a pardon and a commutation. We can use a little more context in our news today.

Pardon Lite

2007-07-02T18:13:00.000-04:00

Scooter Libby received an executive grant of clemency today. It's not exactly the full pardon his supporters were clamoring for, but the commutation will spare him the 2.5 years in prison. You can read Scooter's grant here and the President's comments here.

Of course no change

2007-07-01T08:23:00.001-04:00

I wouldn't expect the national threat level in the U.S. to be changed after the series of attacks in Great Britain...it's not an election year! Here is the history if you care to look.

Progressive Majority

2007-06-18T14:14:00.000-04:00

Media Matters has released a report arguing that the notion of a conservative majority is a myth, and that the majority is much more progressive in our thinking across a variety of issues. It definitely provides some interesting findings based on their analysis of public opinion polls over time. For obvious reasons, I doubt that this report will be hotly discussed on the mostly right-leaning talk radio dial.

Shame on us

2007-06-17T07:58:00.000-04:00

Why are we so willing to spend billions of dollars sending our soldiers off to war but refuse to provide a similar level of commitment to those who return with physical and mental injuries? As Americans, we should be ashamed. Read more here....

And the private sector is doing its part to take the taxpayer financing yet deny coverage to those who need it.

We Report, You Decide?

2007-06-11T14:43:00.001-04:00

I continue to hear Talk Radio proclaim the mainstream media is not balanced in their coverage of Iraq, i.e., all bad and no good news. Fox News seems to be taking a new approach, just reduce coverage altogether. According to a Project for Excellence in Journalism report on first quarter news coverage, Fox News has covered Iraq at a rate substantially lower than other cable news outlets. Not a lot of coverage of the U.S. Attorneys on Fox either. What are they covering instead...why of course, Anna Nicole. Now that's news you need to know!

Presidential Approval Ratings

2007-06-08T18:20:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Wall Street Journal Online for this interesting look at presidential approval ratings from Truman to Bush (43). Click on each president's name to see their individual approval ratings throughout their terms in office.

More Pardon

2007-06-07T08:24:00.001-04:00

Another decent article on the potential pardon of Scooter Libby in the Washington Post today. It does a good job pointing out the political pitfalls of a high-profile pardon of this nature.

The LATimes has interesting article on the pardon as a campaign issue.

Scooter Libby Pardon

2007-06-06T08:30:00.001-04:00

Now that the sentence for Scooter Libby has been handed down, the cries for a presidential pardon will grow even louder. I was pleased to see the Washington Post article today included a paragraph on the DOJ's guidelines. Clearly any pardon issued now would circumvent the required five year waiting period after release from prison. Of course, the President does not have to adhere to these guidelines and can rely on his constitutionally-granted authority. As one with a fondness of the pardon, I look forward to watching this story unfold.

BBC staying home?

2007-06-03T08:17:00.000-04:00

The BBC has been a model for public broadcasting worldwide. Their news coverage is second to none and due in large part to its willingness to cover the world not just Great Britain. However, declining public support (both dollars and viewers) is forcing significant change on the BBC. Like most of the American corporations who have felt the pressure to cut expenses (in their case to increase profits), the BBC is looking to lower expenses by reducing its coverage of foreign news.

There is a significant cost to maintaining foreign news bureaus. Downsizing or eliminating them is a direct and easy way to lower costs. However, as economies are increasing intertwined and global conflicts are involving multi-national forces, is this the time to downsize foreign news coverage? When I want news of the world, I turn to the BBC. I wonder where I might go in the future?

Privacy in Public?

2007-06-02T07:55:00.000-04:00

If you haven't checked out Google Maps new feature Street View, I suggest you do (Street View Demo). Using cameras mounted on top of cars/vans, Google has captured the streetscapes of several cities including my beloved San Francisco. I told my wife about Street View last night, and she spent over an hour "driving around" and getting with blocks of two of our former homes in the Bay Area.

However, critics are already beginning to grumble about what they call Google's invasion of privacy (SF Chronicle article, CNBC, MSNBC, NY Times). As noted in these articles and others, internet sites are already blossoming with potentially embarassing pictures (semi-naked sunbathers, a man exiting an adult bookstore, etc.). While I firmly believe in a right to privacy, I think these critics are going too far. Exiting a retail a business onto a public street (even if it's a porn shop) does not fall under my definition of privacy. Nor does sunbathing, with or without clothes, in the front yard meet my notion of privacy.

I certainly do not want to suggest there shouldn't be limits between public and private. Pictures that capture the goings on inside a private residence (perhaps the curtains were open) pose more difficult questions. But we live in a very different world from our parents. Today we have the tools (e.g., cell phone cameras and Google vans) and the means of distribution (the internet) to instantly capture and share the world around us. The genie is out of the bottle and we cannot put it back. Please excuse me while I go close my curtains.

Just for fun...here's a Street View of the Google team themselves.

Time for action

2007-05-28T19:48:00.000-04:00

From today's NYTimes...fix the alternative minimum tax!

The best and brightest

2007-04-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

We lost one of the great historians of our time...thank you Mr. Halberstam for the rich history you left for us in your writings.

Paying for news

2007-03-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

David Lazarus writes an interesting column for the SF Chronicle. Earlier this month, he wrote about the need for newspapers to consider charging for online content. Today, he writes a follow-up on the responses he received to that column. I was not surprised that many of those who responded argued the subscription model was doomed to fail. As Lazarus describes it, "...the sense of entitlement many of these people exhibited when it came to benefiting from other people's work, and the dismissive attitude shown toward the importance of reporting-based journalism."

I tend to think the subscription model is coming and admit to already paying a subscription for access to New York Times Select. Thus, I have already made the decision to pay for content that I desire and deem worthy of compensation. Dating myself somewhat, I remember when people said no one would pay for television...checked your cable or satellite bill lately? Those who provide what people want will ultimately be able to charge for their product. The question for me is which news organizations will produce a quality product worth paying for.

Still more pardons

2007-03-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Not a bad article...unfortunately didn't get where I work or what I do correct.

More on the pardon

2007-03-08T10:54:00.000-05:00

Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball have an interesting and fairly informative look at a potential pardon for Scooter Libby on the Newsweek website. They do a nice job of referencing the DOJ guidelines which layout the process for applying for a presidential pardon. Of course, this process is optional since it is not required by the constitutionally granted power. I even got a call today from a reporter looking for background info on the pardon...who knows where a Google search might lead!

To pardon or not

2007-03-07T11:51:00.000-05:00

After spending ten years of my life on the subject, my passion for all things pardon has waned a bit. However, all of the talk about a pardon for Scooter Libby does bring back fond memories of my dissertation (if there can be such a thing). It is a shame to see what I believe to be a legitmate and appropriate use of presidential power be dragged into the netherworld of quid pro quo politics. In my opinion, the power to pardon should be used only to mitigate the effects of a sometimes overly harsh judicial system. I do not believe Scooter Libby's case rises to the level of injustice to merit a presidential pardon...but I'm not sitting in the White House with this virtually unchecked constitutional power.

Why not?

2007-02-16T08:22:00.000-05:00

I couldn't help but chuckle while reading this article in today's SF Chron, "Reasons to wonder about Saddam and Bob Denver when they're dead." While healthy skepticism is good for a republic, I am afraid we have fallen to pure cynicism...not so good for our republic.

To blog or not to blog

2007-02-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

The NY Times has an article about John Edwards and the decision to hire two bloggers for his presidential campaign team. Candidates at all levels are attempting to leverage new technologies and new methods of communication. If you recall, there was much discussion about whether or not bloggers should be given credentials at the 2004 party conventions. In the end, bloggers were present and happily blogging away in real-time at both major party conventions.

The more interesting question from my perspective is what role do bloggers play in all of this. They mix elements of reporting and commentary, so most are not easily categorized. Because many bloggers also accept and respond to reader comments, candidates are allowing others to carry on "conversations" on their behalf. This can be a dicey proposition and one that John Edwards is learning the hard way. Stay tuned as this should be a very interesting topic going forward.

More from my soapbox

2007-01-14T09:05:00.000-05:00

The news on the AMT (alternative minimum tax) is not good. This means a significant number of tax payers may get a very loud wake up call before we see any action from Congress.

Statesmen-less

2006-12-31T08:49:00.000-05:00

Dana Milbank's article on Gerald Ford's state funeral is a scathing indictment on the complete lack of respect and decency that now plagues our political system. President Bush had wood to chop in Texas. Nancy Pelosi and 499 colleagues (both Dems and Reps) were absent. Soon to be Senate Majority leader Harry Reid was in South America. Even two of the honorary pall bears, Don Rumsfeld and James Baker, were missing. Additional VIPS are expected at the more convenient Tuesday ceremony at the National Cathedral. And this is the bunch bringing a new approach to Washington?

Gerald R. Ford, Jr. (1913-2006)

2006-12-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

I remember my third grade class walking down to our local fire station to meet our congressman, Jerry Ford. Little did I suspect at the time, that Mr. Ford would play a very important role in my life. In 1974, then President Ford issued a full and unconditional pardon to former President Nixon. An interest in presidential studies during graduate school led to me to write a Master's thesis on the Nixon pardon. This in turn led me to write my doctoral dissertation on presidential pardon power.

In the course of writing my dissertation, I wrote to each living president asking them to respond to a set of questions regarding their views of the pardon power. I received a telephone call one day from Mr. Ford's secretary to politely decline to participate (due to his failing health) but to wish me well on the completion of my dissertation. This personal touch was completely unexpected and unnecessary but reflects the kind of person Mr. Ford was. Hopefully, history will continue to be kind to this decent man who was thrust into exceedingly difficult circumstances and responded with honor and statesmanship. God bless you Mr. Ford.

The Governator

2006-12-23T07:47:00.000-05:00

Arnold Schwarzenegger shook up the California scene when he stormed to the governorship after the Gray Davis recall. He quickly began spending political capital that he didn't have. He alienated teachers, fireman, and anyone else who resisted his draconian attempts to balance the state budget. The showdown culminated with the governor's initiatives being soundly defeated by California voters. Instead of digging in his heals (like someone living in the White House), the chastened governor began a dilligent effort to reach out, reconnect, and rise from the ashes. Today's SF Chron runs an article describing Schwarzenegger's efforts to push his green agenda onto the national scene. While Republicans, especially during the Bush years, have all but abandoned the electoral votes of the nation's largest state, Schwarzenegger is offering an opening for a presidential aspirant to jump on his bandwagon. The question is whether any candidate or either party will accept his invitation.

For more on "the Color of the Year"...read Thomas Friedman's very green NYT column from 12/22 (NY TimesSelect required).

Digg It!

2006-12-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

If you haven't given Digg a try, I recommend you do. What is Digg? They explain it best themselves, "Digg is a user driven social content website. Ok, so what the heck does that mean? Well, everything on digg is submitted by the digg user community (that would be you). After you submit content, other digg users read your submission and digg what they like best. If your story rocks and receives enough diggs, it is promoted to the front page for the millions of digg visitors to see" (click here for more about digg). I now find myself surfing through the various topics to see what stories others have found interesting. Of course, I'm digging as I go. For fun, you can "Spy" and watch the stories being added in real time. It may not replace the newspaper, but it can consume large amounts of time if you aren't careful. Back to digg...

And once you start digging, you can check how your digg status compares with other users here.

Sufficient Curiosity

2006-12-09T09:25:00.000-05:00

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, aka the Ethics Committee, released its report on the Mark Foley (FL-R)-House page investigation. Not surprisingly, it found substantial bad conduct and punished none of it. As a resident of the Ohio 8th District, I was interested in the role of my own member of Congress, John Boehner. Based on what had already been made public, Boehner's willingness to throw Speaker Hassert under the bus, and his own pathetically lame impression of Sgt. Schultz in the matter, "the report also chides House Majority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) for not showing sufficient curiosity in the matter..." The only time Boehner shows any kind of curiosity is when he's shaking down contributors for more cash (too bad he can't hand it out on the floor of the House anymore!). Once again, Ohio is embarrassed by the behavior of one of our elected officials. Of course in this state, embarrassment is all too common (Taft, Ney, Noe, etc.). You can read the entire report from the Ethics Committee here.

Tough choices

2006-11-29T10:32:00.000-05:00

From Thomas Friedman today, "Here is the central truth about Iraq today: This country is so broken it can’t even have a proper civil war...But Iraq is in so many little pieces now, divided among warlords, foreign terrorists, gangs, militias, parties, the police and the army, that nobody seems able to deliver anybody. Iraq has entered a stage beyond civil war — it’s gone from breaking apart to breaking down. This is not the Arab Yugoslavia anymore. It’s Hobbes’s jungle." He concludes, "This has left us with two impossible choices. If we’re not ready to do what is necessary to crush the dark forces in Iraq and properly rebuild it, then we need to leave — because to just keep stumbling along as we have been makes no sense. It will only mean throwing more good lives after good lives into a deeper and deeper hole filled with more and more broken pieces." (from NYTimes Select, requires subscription).

Fighting words

2006-11-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

I was surprised yesterday morning when NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer opened the show with the following announcement, "For months now the White House has rejected claims that the situation in Iraq has deteriorated into civil war, and for the most part, news organizations like NBC have hesitated to characterize it as such, but after careful consideration, NBC News has decided a change in terminology is warranted, that the situation in Iraq with armed militarized factions fighting for their own political agendas can now be characterized as civil war." Not surprisingly was the White House's objection to NBC's announced change in terminology. Today, the LA Times ran a story on the NBC announcement.

I find this an interesting story on a number of different levels. First, it demonstrates both the importance and control over the words used to describe the world around us. Second, is this another example of the Bush Administration losing influence following the mid-term election losses? Finally, it will be interesting to see if other news organizations follow NBC's lead and publicly announce their own intentions regarding sectarian violence versus civil war.

Undervotes

2006-11-20T16:21:00.000-05:00

We all got to poke fun at Florida a few years ago when they made butterfly ballots and hanging chads famous. With a little nudging from Congress, states moved into the electronic age with the adoption of touch-screens and optical scanners. No more butterfly ballots, no more hanging chads, and no more problems...unless you consider 17,000 undervotes a problem. How Florida will deal with this problem remains to be seen. Katherine Harris is again in need of a job. Maybe she can lend her expertise to the situation!

Good issue for new Congress

2006-11-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

The alternative minimum tax (AMT) is a recurring issue in my comments here. It looks like it may be something the new Congress will finally deal with next year. This may be a good issue for the Democrats as it gives them an opportunity to correct a tax code deficiency that the Republicans have simply pushed backed for years. Critics have argued that much of the Bush tax cuts to date will be wiped out in future years without addressing the AMT. Since Mr. Bush will be leaving office in two years, some even suggested he had no compelling reason to even deal with the issue. The test will be to see how the Democrats deal with the fiscal issues created by the lost revenue with a retargeted AMT.

Well said...

2006-11-08T21:58:00.000-05:00

More on the 2006 elections...Kudos to my buddy CK at Media Watch for his open letter to Democrats posted today. Over-reaching is always a danger following an election like this one. We should soon know if they are willing to heed his sound advice.

Great Night!

2006-11-08T11:19:00.000-05:00

It was a great night last night! Tight competition, shifting momentum, and everyone on the edge of their seat waiting for the outcome ...congratulations to the Fairfield Boys Soccer team! Their 2-1 victory over Kettering Fairmont puts them in the Division 1 state championship game on Friday night for the first time in school history. As for the other big news from yesterday...still digesting and will add my thoughts later.

Election Day

2006-11-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

So today we finally cast and count our votes. At least we hope we can do both. Early election problems are already being reported across my home state of Ohio (and here in Cincinnati). Assuming we get the votes cast, we can then begin to wonder about the count. If you don't wonder, I suggest you check out the HBO documentary "Hacking Democracy." A lot of questions...but very few answers. Despite the problems, be sure to get out and vote today.

Less than 24 hours...

2006-11-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

...remain until the polls open. All those keeping score will anxiously await the returns to see if they were accurate with their predictions. Certainly much of the post-election babble will be about the negative tone we have seen this fall. FactCheck.org has a nice summary on what they call "The Whoppers of 2006." Their findings don't speak to highly for either party or the citizens they are trying to deceive.

Joker?

2006-11-05T18:55:00.000-05:00

Perhaps the poor outlook for Republicans was best characterized by the appearance of Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) on Meet the Press today (was it just me, or did she look awful? she had a Jack Nicholson's Joker look about her). Dole clearly arrived with a set of talking points, even pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket and reading it at one point. Laughably, she then suggested that Republicans did not have talking points and only "spoke from the heart." When given the chance to speak, she rambled on and on refusing to let any one respond. Rep. Rahm Emanual (D-IL) finally interrupted one of her speeches after she claimed, "Democrats are content with losing..." Dole's surliness was only matched by Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY). Reynolds was busy trying to explain why he was approached with the Mark Foley information before anyone else. Obviously his leadership of the NRCC played no factor!

Heads up to South Dakota lawyers...the Veep plans to spend election day hunting in your state.

Truth and accountability

2006-11-04T09:40:00.000-05:00

Other than his sycophant followers, is there any reasonable person who actually believes that Ted Haggard bought drugs and threw them way and met repeatedly with a male prostitute but only for massages? Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear just one of these sexually repressed megaphones simply admit that they had dishonestly misled people and that they must now face the consequences for their deception! Perhaps Mr. Haggard can take Mark Foley's soon to be vacated spot in rehab. We have so lowered our standards for truth and accountability that few of us are even outraged when news like this reaches us. Thank goodness for the truth in advertising we are now seeing in this political season...I certainly don't want to cast my vote for deceptive scoundrel!!Publish

Only five more days!

2006-11-01T16:25:00.000-05:00

The 2006 campaign season is mercifully drawing to a close. Soon we will be able to again watch television without the seemingly continuous stream of negative ads pouring into our homes. Instead of predictions, the punditocracy will shift to "what's it all mean" platitudes. The winners will proclaim mandates that are as ephemeral as elections themselves. The losers will begin posturing for the next round of elections in 2008. But today, we can sit back and wallow in the Kerry v Bush flap which has pushed the Michael J. Fox v Rush Limbaugh flap into the background. Let the voting begin...we can worry about counting them later!