IdaBlue

Principled Republicans, and then some not so much

2012-01-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'm loving watching the odd fight pitting House Speaker Lawerence Denney and Idaho Republican Party Chairman Norm Semanko against AG Lawrence Wasden and redistricting commissioners Delores Crow and Randy Hansen. The wingers in the R party in Idaho will stop at nothing, it seems, to accomplish their political goals and vision.

On one hand you've got to marvel at the single-mindedness and commitment to the goal. On the other, you shake your head in, well, I guess in wonderment and disgust .

You know, Denney and Semanko appoint their homies to the commission, and wonder of wonder, their homies are actually independent and are trying to follow the constitutional mandate. And seeing that, Denney and Semanko exclaim "off with their heads." Then before they take a swing, AG Wasden (actually, his deputy Brian Kane) gives an opinion that Hansen and Crow can't be removed. BTW, that's Republican AG Wasden.

Not liking Wasden's/Kane's opinion, Denney and Semanko turn to the wingnut go-to lawyer, Christ Troupis who, lo and behold, gives an opinion contrary to the AG's and says, go for it. Off with their heads.

Then the Idaho Supreme Court weighs in on the AG's side, and says, "stay that swinging ax."

It seems this is just a taste of things to come. I wonder how much of this Idaho voters will tolerate. I wonder how far to the right voters are wiling to let the state drift. I wonder what wackiness will ensure. And, sadly, I wonder how much damage to the state has to happen first, and how many people have to suffer, before things change. Already mental health commitment proceedings are up 151%. Real people, real problems, real pain. Real effects of the right wing agenda.

Ideologues

2012-01-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

When a group governs according to their ideology, that is to be expected. Voters elect representatives who reflect their values and concerns (okay, maybe not the last part so much). Once elected, those representative can promote the values and address the concerns, or they can just flail away at the ideology. Guess which path our legislators routinely choose.

Here's a clue. Some clown has introduced legislation aimed at kicking the wet, frozen Occupy Boise souls off the state land where they're encamped. Hmmm, I don't recall "keeping our state land free from freeloading bums" as an election issue. I don't see how this will improve the lives of Idahoans. It's not like there's a line waiting to camp in the park but can't because Occupy Boise is hogging all the space.

No, this is just another example of our legislators trying to piss off the liberals. Promote ideology over everything. Okay, genius, go cash your per diem check, check the balance of your PERSI retirement account, pay a health care bill with your gummint sponsored health care, then give a speech about how big gummint is taking away all personal liberty, and after that, but before you figure a way out of Idaho's low wage trap, work on right all that's wrong with democracy by clearing out the park. Perfect. Kisses.

Self help remedy

2012-01-18T12:28:00.004-07:00

Idaho grocers are asking the legislature to change the system of handing out food stamp money. The problem being that folks are so desperate that they all hit the stores almost immediately after the money is distributed (electronically to their cards). So, bottlenecks ensue, and shoppers get sick of standing in line and abandon carts full of food, which is an especial problem for frozen food.

Grocers have offered to cough up a one-time $100,000, but there's a $220,000 ongoing cost to the State for the fix of spreading out payments over days.

I assume that grocers have tried adding an extra person to just look for abandoned carts, and have tried beefing up the checkout lines. But, perhaps they could offer some type of discount, say, $10 or something, to food stamp shoppers who shop at a certain date/time, based on their last name. You know, T-Z shop on the 3rd of the month and they'll get 2% up to a max of $20 (or whatever works for that grocer). Or, just give the incentive to food stamp recipient shopping on the 3rd, if they don't want to program the computes to give the discount.

Seems like there should be a way for them to address this themselves, instead of shifting the cost to the taxpayer. Just saying....

Time to spring the trap

2012-01-18T07:42:00.001-07:00

Over the last 3 years, Idaho's revenues have declined, and the budget has shrunk with them, on account of the constitutional requirement for a balanced budget. Rather than seek new revenue sources, the legislature and Governor have chosen to simply cut the budget.

Now that revenues are growing again, what will be the choice? Restore the budget cuts? Or keep the reduced budgets and lower taxes. Governor Otter seems to be proposing a bit of both.

For government haters, and in Idaho that means the folks running the government, who get their jobs from the government, who get their health care from the government, who get retirement benefits from the government, the choice is clear. Keep government small, don't expand anything. Every contraction in revenues means government must shrink; expansion of revenues means government must stay shrunk.

And to hell with the people hurt by the cut back in services. And school kids. And higher education. There's a reason Idaho sucks in almost every category of well being for the populace. See the preceding paragraph.

Tax relief

2012-01-11T07:59:00.001-07:00

Gov. Otter has called for, I think, $45 million in tax relief, targeted for business and corporations. And wealthy people. But, he's left the details up to the legislature. It's this last point that leaves me scratching my head.

If there is a need for tax relief for a particular reason, fine, let's target that. But just an across the board cut, from 7.8% to 7.6%* doesn't seem like it changes incentives or business calculations. I mean, .2%? .002? Is that the difference in a business moving here or not?

I'm sorry Governor, but this just sounds to me like you've tossed in "tax relief" just to sound good, to keep up the banner of being a tax cutter.

*I'm going from memory; no time at the moment to add a link. So if I botched the numbers, please correct me in the comments.

Dang it

2012-01-06T07:53:00.001-07:00

The unemployment rate just dropped to 8.5%, the lowest in five years. And all across the country, Republicans said "Damn!"

Plagerism? Subliminal suggestion?

2012-01-04T09:12:00.003-07:00

I see interesting similarities between Mitt Romney's campaign logo:

specifically, this part:

and a certain movie advertisement:

Wells Fargo gets with it, I think

2011-12-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was looking at the Wells Fargo site the other day, and noticed the above picture. Two dudes sitting on a step, one looking kind of dreamily at the other, in an add for home mortgages. Gee, I wonder what demographic this is supposed to appeal to?

I loves me sum gummint regulations

2011-12-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

Especially the CALM Act. I hate it when I'm peacefully trying to watch some program or other, and suddenly a commercial blares onto the screen with the volume loud enough to scare my dog and blow the paper off the coffee table. The CALM Act authorizes the FCC to do something about that.

I know, I know, nanny state. Well, if so, I say bring it on. The flipping free market does not work in that instance. Me scrambling for the mute button on the remote is completely unknown to the advertiser. My resolve to note the offender and boycott the product inevitably fades between watching the show and whenever I might be in the market for laundry soap, or whatever. Plus, lots of the loud commercials are for stuff I don't buy anyway.

You know, some people just can't be trusted to do the right thing. They will take advantage and exploit and do anything that they perceive in their interest, and yours be damned. That's why we have prisons. Disrupting the calm in my household is a tiny thing, but it happens umpteen times a day, so that adds up. In some cases it causes me to completely turn off the show or the TV, denying me the pleasure of being a total couch potato slug. A pleasure that's difficult to defend, but neverthless one that should not be someone else's to deny.

Government regulations have their place. And praise be for the CALM Act.

Sisyphus

2011-12-15T17:34:00.002-07:00

I heard Erick Erickson of Red State say that Newt Gingrich is "The Great American Sisyphus." Obviously, he doesn't know Idaho's own Sisyphus, who's pretty great, IMHO.

I wonder

2011-12-12T10:53:00.001-07:00

I have a friend whose job brings him in contact with claim of embezzlement by various businesses and institutions. He was telling me about a recent case of a woman embezzling from her employer. I asked him what is the ratio of men to women in the embezzlers he's run across.

He thought for a bit and got a funny look on his face and said, every one has been female. Since then I've asked others and gotten the same answer. And of the few cases I've run across, it's also always been a woman.

Now, I'm not saying that only women embezzle; of course not. Just, at least around these parts, it seems to be way more likely to be a woman than a man.

I wonder why.

Focaccia's restaurant

2011-12-11T10:48:00.001-07:00

The Statesman ran an article in today's (Sunday) issue about the Boise restaurant, Focaccia's. It has been struggling with reduced business, and now the owner's wife has become gravely ill. They could use some help.

If you have never eaten there, you'd be happy if you did. They have very high quality food, nicely conceived and prepared. The wait staff is friendly and well trained, attentive but not constantly bugging you.

And one additional selling point is that you can get in and out, easily, in a hour, so it's a great place for lunch. Food arrives in minutes after you place your order.

It would be a real loss to Boise for this fine restaurant to close. Please consider having a meal there soon.
404 E. Park Center Blvd, Boise.

Spend your way to prosperity

2011-12-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

Two posts ago I discussed how government spending can make some people rich, and cited Halliburton. Well, I have an example that's closer to home. You'll see that government spending did get this guy going. With that help, he took his hard work ethic and parlayed that into even more riches, and along the way he created wealth and jobs. But he got his start with government help.

Then the war came on. We got in the onion drying business. The real money, the first money I ever made that amounted to anything, was when I got into the onion dehydration business. The first month we ran that onion plant we made fifty thousand dollars clear. That was more money than we ever made in a year...

The Army sent a colonel by the name of Logan. He said, "Simplot, you are going to work for the Army. You're going to dry vegetables..." I said, "Fine, give me the tickets and I'll do them the best I know how." That got me in the dehydration business in a big way. I built plants all over America--Maine, North Dakota, Colorado, California, Oregon... I finally wound up supplying more potatoes to the Army than anyone else. That led into the fertilizer business. I had to have fertilizer to grow the potatoes, and I couldn't buy any. So I decided to make some. And I did.

So, without government spending, who knows whether this guy would have made it big. But, once he got the big government contract, he took off. And that's in J.R. Simplot's own words. Government can and does play a role in wealth creation. It's just a question of whether you like what government is spending it's money on.

Also, I like the irony of our current governor, who profited immensely from his association with Simplot, now talking about getting along without government help.

Newtmentum, and the Idaho fallout

2011-12-07T16:23:00.001-07:00

Pretty much every leading Republican politician in Idaho lined up, early, behind Romney. Easy at the time, given that he appeared to be the anointed one, and given his base of support among the LDS community in Idaho. But, I think that the tea party leaners in Idaho weren't so much behind him. Adam Graham, for example, is a Cain supporter, even now.

If Romney's campaign destructs, where will our Red Pols land? They'll support whoever the nominee eventually is, but if there is still a race going by the time of Idaho's presidential primary, you have to wonder.

Just remember, out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia, emerged Gingrich.

You can’t tax your way prosperity.

2011-12-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

Man, I hate this trite phrase, especially since almost nary a day goes by that I’m not subject to some Republican repeating it into a microphone. Republicans are good at repeating these banal talking points, so good in fact that this is their chief advantage in elections. They certainly don’t have the advantage in smart policy.

Anyway, yes, this bit of blather is true. If those are the only two variables – tax and prosperity – they’re right. Taxing you means taking money away from you. And if the government is taking money away from you, that will not necessarily lead to you being prosperous.

The problem is, obviously, that’s not the end of it. You see, once government takes away that money, it spends it. Now, using the limited variable set of this phrase, the government can spend you into prosperity by spending that money on you. (Just ask Halliburton.)

But, if you have more than two brain cells to rub together, and you choose to do the rubbing, you’ll easily figure out that both views - taxing≠prosperity, spending=prosperity – ridiculously understate the complexity of the situation. If for no other reason than such policies affect more than one individual.

So can we stop with this bumper sticker mentality? What? No, we can't?

Sigh......

Times, they are a changin'

2011-12-02T10:27:00.001-07:00

You know how people like to depict their families in the back of their SUV windows? Here's one I saw in Boise while driving during the afternoon rush hour.

Heather has two mommies. So does Heath.

Who stole Christmas?

2011-12-01T22:12:00.001-07:00

From Mitt Romney? The Gingrinch.

Clown show

2011-11-30T15:58:00.001-07:00

Holy cow, whoever the German author of the article quoted here pulls no punches.

Africa is a country. The Taliban rule in Libya. Muslims are terrorists. Immigrants are mostly criminals, Occupy Wall Street protesters are always dirty. And women who claim to have been sexually molested should kindly keep quiet.”

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Republican Party. Or rather: to the distorted world of its presidential campaign. For months it has coiled through the country like a traveling circus, from debate to debate, from scandal to scandal, contesting the mightiest office in the world — and nothing is ever too unfathomable for them… These eight presidential wannabes are happy enough not only to demolish their own reputations but also that of their party, the once worthy party of Abraham Lincoln. They are also ruining the reputation of the United States.

They lie, deceive, scuffle and speak every manner of idiocy. And they expose a political, economic, geographic and historical ignorance compared to which George W. Bush sounds like a scholar. Even the party’s boosters are horrified by the spectacle…

Platitudes in lieu of programs: in serious times that demand the smartest, these clowns offer blather that is an insult to the intelligence of all Americans. But as with all freak shows, it would be impossible without a stage, the U.S. media, which has been neutered by the demands of political correctness, and a welcoming audience, a party base that seems to have been lobotomized overnight. Notwithstanding the subterranean depths of the primary process, the press and broadcasters proclaim one clown after the next to be the new frontrunner, in predictable news cycles of forty-five days.

Right on.

The august majesty of our justice system

2011-11-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

My son turned 21 this summer, and a scant two months later he got a ticket for open container. Walking along just a street off the BSU parking lot during a home game, on which lot you can find literally thousands of folks drinking alcoholic beverages.

Anyway, he's walking along with some beer in a plastic cup, which is what the masses are doing just across the street on the BSU lot, and a plain clothed cop in an unmarked car pulled up and asked him "What's in the cup?" He replied honestly; "Keystone Light." So the cop wrote him a ticket for open container, notwithstanding the thousands of folks just feet away, amongst whom mingled dozens and dozens of non-ticket-writing cops. No warning or admonition.

Per the State of Idaho, a driver with an open container gets a misdemeanor ticket, and a passenger gets a $15 infraction ticket. But in Boise, that open container is a $150 misdemeanor, and the law applies even in private parking lots.

So my son, who has been to plenty of BSU games and seen the dozens and dozens of non-ticket-writing cops mingling with thousands of drinkers, gets tagged for a misdemeanor. He had no idea about the open container law, having plenty of times seen the dozens and dozens of ... well, you get it.

So we roll into his preliminary hearing (aka, ticket mill) and two prosecutors are calling names (no judge present). The prosecutor talks to us a bit and we see the almost complete lack of evidence (no police report, for example). Anyway, we ask for it to be reduced to an infraction, the prosecutor reasonably agrees, and my son then plead guilty to the state infraction of being a passenger with an open container. Which of course was a lie. Anyway, $15, plus court costs, which I think run about $60 these days. My son's comment was "Huh. It pays to fight the system, I guess."

More on that and about the ridiculous open container policy follows. (Can't seem to get the jump break to work.)

In the last year or two, the Boise cops have really cracked down on open containers around BSU games. They used to have the same policy near the campus as they do on the campus; keep your booze in a plastic cup, and you're good to go. Just don't cause trouble. But now anywhere off campus you'll get a misdemeanor ticket for that.

BSU's campus, like all the others in the state, outlaws alcohol. So allowing drinking at BSU games is a clear violation of that policy, but they're willing to look the other way because BSU can sell a parking spot for the game, and thus a tailgating spot, for hundreds of dollars. Yes, hundreds. The last time I was part of one, it was around $800 for the season. That's about $120 per home game. So they overlook the little detail that it's illegal because there's such huge money in it for them. Estimate; if there are 500 parking spots, and I'd say that's ball park, that's $60,000 per game.

Now, I'm all for the tailgating and the open container blind eye policy, but the inconsistency is maddening. On one side of the street it's okay, and on the other, a plain clothed cop in an unmarked car will write you a $200 ticket, with no warning, and for no real reason other than, just because. Actually, I think the real reason is revenue for the city, which pisses me off.

I think if folks are just standing around, enjoying a little tailgate party, not causing any problems, then they should be left alone. If they're rowdy, or loud, or littering, or obviously drunk, then by all means, write them up. But otherwise, c'mon. The cops, at the behest of their leadership, at the behest of the city and mayor, are just being jerks, and it really undermines respect for them.

What did my son take away from the experience? Cops are jerks, and if you fight the system, you'll gain from it. Nice civics lesson. Hard for him to feel like he was doing much wrong since, just across the street, dozens and dozens of non-ticket-writing cops mingling with thousands of drinkers, at the exact time he got the ticket. Right after he got the ticket, he walked across the street and became one of the thousands.

Government as business partner

2011-11-28T11:02:00.001-07:00

Gov. Otter has written to extol the virtues of Idaho state government, especially as it has been run under his watch. It's clear that he has a vision of government as being basically just a vehicle for helping business.

Here's, to me, a startling quote: State government can no longer even be the "primary social safety net."

This just boggles my mind. I mean, if the government doesn't provide a social safety net, who will? I guess churches help out to an extent, but they don't meet all our citizens' needs, not by a long shot. And that help is ephemeral, can be withdrawn in an instant, and can be completely withheld if you have some social disqualification, like being gay.

You've probably seen the quotes from various folks, and to paraphrase, if you get cancer and can't afford your medical bills, just hold a bake sale. That'll do it. No worries.

Here's another clear statement about the Governor's view of government:

We took plenty of heat along the way from those for whom growing government — and the sense of entitlement it inevitably fosters — had become a way of life during the years of economic expansion.

Republicans have been in total political control in Idaho for decades. Just who, I wonder, are the folks for whom growing government was a way of life? It'd have to be Idaho Republicans, wouldn't it? Dean Cameron, I think this is a shot at you.

I think Gov Otter is being honest about his views, and I think they're in accord with lots of Idahoans. I just do not understand it. It comes across to me as, I've got mine, you go to hell.

Here we have Idaho...

2011-11-28T08:13:00.001-07:00

Winging her way to ... what? Is it even a real state if its government does not meet the needs of its citizens? I don't know. I do know that we get the government we vote for. Just seems odd to me that Idaho citizens tolerate getting so little from its social compact.

24/7 Wall Street ranks Idaho as the 26th best run state. That is, about half are run better, half worse. But, check out the blurb below.

Idaho has the seventh-lowest violent crime rate in the country, a manageable debt per capita and a AA+ credit rating. Otherwise, the state leaves much to be desired. It has the 11th highest rate of residents without health insurance coverage. It also had one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country last month. On a state and local level combined, Idaho spends less per capita than any state in the country on its population.

Depending on your view, that last sentence is a cause for deep pride and joy, or it's an embarassment. Given the Christian admonition that we should help those less fortunate that ourselves, and given that lots of folks in Idaho claim to be Christian, with a capital C, there seems to be some disconnect in the state.

Statesman's stinky web site

2011-11-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

I did a quick Google News search to see if I could find an article about Rep. Steve Thayn's new education initiative, 8 in 6. Say what you will about Thayn, like, for instance, he's a reactionary wing nut, but at least he is consistently banging away on his pet issue, education, and he does spark some discussion. And, at least he's coming up with new ideas, even if some are pretty outre.

Anyway, the search turned up an article in the Idaho Statesman. So I clicked on over, then waited for however long, a relatively long time, for the page to load up. To me, the Statesman and Huffington Post are very similar in that they both are like diving into a fever swamp. I hate going to the Statesman site, because it loads slowly, it's full of crap and nasty links, and it's just waaaaaay to aggressive in trying to gin up page views. Example, you read a story, then have to click at least once, probably more, if you want to read the comments. And, of couse, each click leads to a very slowly loading page.

We have a content blocker where I work, and something it blocks (for now) is social networking sites. Okay, fine, don't need to be updating my facebook page at work, but we have legit need to access those sites from time to time. So, we get 30 minutes a day, and then the blocker's timer runs out and we're frozen out for a day.

Well, jeez, don't go the Statesman's site during those thirty minutes, because it has some stinky link that our system perceives as accessing a social networking site. So, without even knowing it, my 30 minutes gets eaten up by visiting the Statesman's site. (This happens with other sites as well.)

Anyway, I only visit the Stateman's site when I have no other choice. It's an unpleasant experience.

States rights

2011-11-19T10:28:00.001-07:00

Republicans in Congress are happily pushing the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which means essentially that a concealed carry card issued in one state will be valid is all other states. On one hand, that seems like kind of a good idea. Lots of folks travel from state to state, and might want to have a fire arm, for whatever reason. It would suck to do all the right stuff in your home state, and get tagged in another state more or less inadvertently.

ut, in the irony (or perhaps its hypocrisy) department, a federal law overriding choices of the various states sure doesn't seem to fit into the Republican narrative of being all for states rights. Upon reflection, it's definitely in the hypocrisy department. Kind of like Idaho Republicans who champion local control, but won't let cities have local option taxes.

He's gone

2011-11-18T17:57:00.001-07:00

Well, Paul Ezra Rhodes has been shuffled off this plane of existence. Can't say I'm sorry to see the guy go. I was living in Blackfoot when he killed poor Stacy Baldwin and his other victims*, so have been sort of following this asshole's** odyssey since***. It felt pretty close to home at the time.

I'm generally not a fan of the death penalty, mostly for logistical reasons (it's expensive, and tragically sometimes gets the wrong person), but I don't have a big problem with it. If I was sure that our criminal justice system always convicted the real perpetrator, I'd have very little problem with it (though, gotta admit, it's kind of barbaric; pretty rough justice).

* Nolan Haddon, and Nicole Michelbacher. Interestingly, Rhodes admitted killing Michelbacher, but not Hadden or Baldwin. The "law" believes that a person who is about to meet the maker will not want to die with a lie on the lips; thus, a deathbed utterance is believed to be reliable evidence. So, it makes one wonder, why would Rhodes admit to one murder but deny the other two? And, did they get the right guy for the other two? Was it a rush to judgment? Will they reopen the other two cases? What if the real killer is still out there?

**I know, I know, De mortuis nihil nisi bonum. Fine, you might not like the lingo, but really, do you think he wasn't an asshole? Sorry if you think it's disrespectful. Of all the things I'm sure of, it's that a murderer doesn't deserve respect.

*** Black foot had a real run of asshole killers at the time. Ricky Leavitt, who carved up poor Danette Elg, used to come into the convenience store where I worked in Blackfoot to buy beer. Had a big blue jacked up Chevy pickup with a roll bar and lights across it.

Robin LePage offed Kurt Cornelison about the some time. For some crazy reason, young folks in Blackfoot at the time would holler "Free LePage" at police cars as they drove by. The guy escaped from the State Hospital South, so he was probably nuts. Then and now.

And there was Randy McKinney, who killed Robert Bishop, Jr. I'd known Robert 1st grade through 12th. In elementary school he was one of my closest friends.

Seriously?

2011-11-18T08:22:00.001-07:00

That's really her name? Buffy Poon?

Visions of water parks dance in my head

2011-10-31T11:23:00.004-06:00

When I have friends or acquaintances come to town I like to mention some of the local attractions they can visit. Or, I would like to, but Boise is pretty bereft of such.

Boise has its museums and zoo, and of course the greenbelt, but there's little for a tourist to come to Boise for. Sure, there's some foothills hiking or mountain bike riding, but not much else; maybe float the river, in season. Fishing. Some of that stuff, but none of it is really specific to Boise. You can fish anywhere.

You can leave Boise and go whitewater rafting, or go hunting, or see Hell's Canyon or the Owyhees. But, that's not Boise. Boise could really use some tourist attractions. Which is why I'm excited about the planned Boise River Recreation Park. Not only will it be an attraction, but it will be good for the local economy.

I heard a radio article discussing the planned park, and its proximity to Kelly's Whitewater park in Cascade. The question being whether the area could support two similar parks. The commenter said that they actually support each other because people will travel to the area to visit both where they might not if there's only one. Double the fun. Which gave me an idea.

I think the state of Idaho should take a few million from the budget surplus that's developing (because of the drastic cutting they did) and set up a whitewater recreation fund. They spend part to do a study showing locations in lots of Idaho towns and cities where a whitewater park could be profitably built. They use the rest to loan to municipalities to develop the parks.

If lots of such parks were available, water recreationists would travel here to hit them all. Idaho Falls is a natural, given its already developed river location. Possibly American Falls below the dam, maybe Twin Falls. I'm no expert, but it seems that at least several of those towns along the Snake River could host a park, and some of the other rivers could support a water park as well.

Even Kuna could build one on Indian Creek. Anyway, a study would figure all that out. It could also suggest variations for each park so that each had a particular attraction, which would then tend to cause visitors to want to see all the different parks. And, maybe there could also be legislation setting up improvement districts to fund repaying the loans.

Idaho could become a whitewater destination even more than it already is, and boost its economy in the process. We've got the water and the scenic beauty. All we need is a little vision and leadership.

Role of government

2011-10-29T08:41:00.003-06:00

I see that two Bank of America executives are getting millions in severance packages at the same time the bank is laying off thousands of employees.

Doesn’t it just seem wrong that executives get such huge payoffs when the company is clearly struggling? If the executives did such a poor job that they’re getting forced out, why the bonuses?

Overall, our economy is suffering from a lack of employment, and the resulting depressed consumer spending and demand for products. Until demand increases, unemployment will remain high. So, it’s bad for the economy for BofA to lay off 30,000 workers. But it’s good, in the short term, for BofA to reduce its costs by laying off workers.

This is a version of the Tragedy of the Commons. What is in one actor’s interest may be counter to the interest of society as a whole. The usual example is a public pasture on which farmers can let their cattle graze for free. For a single farmer, adding one more cow to the pasture is a benefit; more milk, more beef, for that single person. Unfortunately, the more cattle grazing means less and less grass for the entire group, and eventually the pasture is overgrazed and destroyed. Same thing with potato farmers. When prices are high, the next year everyone plants from fence to fence, thereby overproducing and driving prices down.

Anyway, this is a situation where only government can solve the problem. Perhaps by limiting the number of cattle each farmer can graze (“regulation”), or perhaps some other solution that protects the common resource. That might hurt the individual farmer, but the group of them will benefit because the common resource won’t be destroyed.

Now, the farmers could get together and act collectively, but that’s really just another form of government. A social compact achieves some type of “regulation.”

Returning to the BofA example, if the government taxes everyone a bit, and pays unemployment benefits to BofA’s laid off workers, the economy as a whole will benefit because the workers will have spending money and demand won’t slump so much.

Just sayin’. Just pointing out that government does have a proper and important role to play, even if it infringes on some individual’s personal desires. Government is there to support the social compact and help the nation as a whole. Republicans who detest government and think it can’t accomplish anything useful ought to think a bit more deeply on the subject.

I've got a feeling...

2011-10-18T07:56:00.000-06:00

That I can't shake. I certain part of my body is feeling abused.

The bipartisan citizen redistricting commission just established the new congressional distrcit lines, and yet again, Ada County gets split up. Now, I know that the Western part of the county is pretty red, so I 'spose it doesn't affect election outcomes all that much. Still, it just seems an obvious gerrymander to split the largest city/metro area into two districts, especially when that metro area is slowly turning bluer and bluer. As I understood it, they could have left Ada intact, and moved some other area, Canyon County I think, and got the same population split.

Hermanator

2011-10-06T18:25:00.001-06:00

I'm listening to Herman Cain being interviewed by Lawrence O' Donnell. Don't exactly agree with all he says but I do like that he is pretty much forthrightly answering the questions. Seeing some honesty at least.

Homeowner's exemption; a cute trick

2011-10-05T09:33:00.001-06:00

Idaho's homeowners exemption from the property tax is back in the news lately. This story reports on how it's shrinking, and the implication is that homeowners will be paying more taxes because of it.

Isn't the HO exemptions really just a smokescreen, a trick to make homeowners think that the legislature feels their pain and is trying to do something about it? Why, yes, I believe it is.

See, there is more than one variable that determines how much tax you actually pay on your home. Most obvious is the taxable value. If you have a $200,000 home and 50% is exempt, you feel pretty special, thinking how you avoided half your tax bite right off the bat. Trouble is, the levy by the various taxing districts varies so that you end up paying whatever tax they need, regardless of the taxable value of your home.

Have a look at the chart below, which is the tax history for my home. (Sorry, you'll have to click to embiggen.) Anyway, note that the small gray "taxes paid" column barely changes, even though the taxable value of the house drops in half.

Now have a look at this chart.

See, the levy amount is what actually determines how much you'll pay. Go back to the days of wine and roses when my house was double its current value, and you'll see that the levy was half what it is now. Taxable value goes down, levy goes up, the actual dollar amount I pay doesn't change much, and the taxing district gets about the same revenue from year to year.

If there was no homeowner's exemption, I'd still pay the same. I mean, really, take a look. When my property was twice its value (but half was exempt due to the HO exemption) I paid around $900. Property plummets in value, still paying around $900.

So the next time your glorious legislator brags about shielding homeowners from property tax via the HO exemption, just smile to yourself, 'cause you know that he or she is either lying, uninformed, or stupid. The HO exemption is simply just a feel-good trick they play on homeowners to pretend that they are trying to help them manage tax liability.

Sure you will

2011-09-09T08:18:00.000-06:00

After President Obama's job speech last night, I see that some Republicans are saying stuff like "There were things in his speech I could support" and "I think we can find common ground" and "We should be able to some at least some things passed." Riiiiiight.

They take us for fools because, mostly, we are. There is no way they will pass anything, diddly squat, that the President proposes. They've made the choice that a lousy economy hurts the President and therefore helps them, and they are going to do NOTHING that will help get the economy going.

There are many fine Republicans in Congress, though as the influence of the Tea Party grows, good Reps are getting fewer and fewer. The good ones, the "Bob Dole" type Reps, will still compromise, and do really want to do well for the country. The teahadists, well, not so much. They're willing to do anything to gain, or regain, power, and the country be damned.

Those words of cooperation from Reps like Eric Cantor remind me of the promises ans assurances made by various Arab leaders in response to the popular uprisings. The say, "Yes, we'll implement reforms, and yes, I'll step down. Soon." And then they never do either. Just say anything to get past the moment. Just like Republicans in Congress are doing in response to Obama's jobs speech.

Republicans have only one plan; destroy government. When the economy is good; tax cuts. When the economy is bad; tax cuts. Remember, virtually every Republican in Congress has signed Grover Norquist's pledge to never raise taxes. He wants to shrink government until he can drown it in a bathtub, and they all are happy to oblige. When the economy is bad and you give tax cuts to stimulate it (which doesn't work), and cut spending to pay for the cuts, then when the economy recovers if you try to get back to where you were you're raising taxes. It's a one-way ratchet, ever downward.

Sigh.

Beware the French cuff

2011-08-30T08:31:00.000-06:00

A commenter (Cliff Schecter, whoever he is) on Huffington Post had these unkind words to say about Rick Perry.

Perry, meanwhile, is a "cowboy" who wears Armani suits and French cuffs (seriously, French cuffs?). Attacks stimulus spending while taking a heaped helping of it to bail himself out. Uses taxpayer money to enrich his corporate-lobbyist friends -- and endangers the United States of America by inviting a Chinese telecom company into Texas that George W Bush's national security team warned him would pose a cyber-security threat to our military -- after talking tough on the Chinese in his children's book: Fed Up.

I can think of another french-cuff wearing "cowboy" governor. I've even seen him wear French cuffs, a silk scarf around his neck, and a Carhart coat, all at the same time. Oh, and a Cowboy hat style hard hat, for a ground breaking ceremony.

Fracking

2011-08-03T13:21:00.000-06:00

Bridge Energy is planning to do some drilling in Payette County in an effort to determine whether there are viable natural gas fields available there. As part of that, they intend to conduct fracking operations.

Various articles about fracking are available here.

Anyway, the articles frequently mention that, in addition to the water pumped at high pressure into the ground, the companies also inject chemicals. I have been wondering why, until I read this article about petroleum. It's nice written and well worth a read if you're interested in this at all.

The new gas deposits are contained in porous rock, kind of like a sponge. Fracturing the rock allows the gas to escape. The rock containing the gas is porous, but it also must be permeable, i.e., the pockets of gas must be somewhat connected so that all (or most, or at least much) of the gas will flow out once it's fractured. Here's the money quote from the article:

Another involves fracturing the reservoir rock by pumping fluids and sand into it under high pressure. The fluids open cracks, and the sand keeps them open to let out the petroleum. This can overcome low permeability, and in the eastern U.S. states large new reserves of natural gas have been found through such techniques. Treating the wellbore with various acids or solvents can also raise permeability.

So, I guess the acids and solvents dissolve some rock and create or enlarge the connections among the gas pockets so that the gas will flow out faster.

Well. That's odd. Knowing the reasons for injecting acids and solvents into the ground doesn't really make me feel any better about the risks to the ground water.

Restaurant Review: Vigilante’s

2011-07-20T11:16:00.000-06:00

I stopped in Donnelley the other day and ordered a Reuben sandwich for lunch at Vigilante’s Bar and Grill.

The sandwich came with a choice of salad, fries or coleslaw. My salad was a fairly standard green mix with bits of red cabbage and carrot, with croutons. Nice crisp green with a, oh, 3-4 ounce cup of Ranch on the side. My companion’s dressing also came on the side; a nice touch.

The Reuben came before I was done with my salad, so within just a few minutes of ordering (but, there was only one other diner in there at the time, plus two guys drinking at the bar). Nice toasty rye bread with decent corned beef and a healthy dose of sauerkraut. In fact, the kraut was the predominant flavor, that and the bread. The sandwich didn’t have the usual thousand island dressing, which I appreciated as I think that flavor tends to hide the flavor of the beef. It did come with a side of a really nice horseradish sauce. Not real hot, but with a good bite to it.

It was a two napkin meal because the bread was probably toasted on the flat top and was a bit greasy to touch. The dill pickles on toothpicks speared into the sandwich was a whimsical touch. I’d have it again, though they could have added more corned beef to stand up to the kraut and rye.

My companion had a patty melt, also on rye. Burger patty. Swiss cheese (it appeared), and grilled onions. He seemed to enjoy it.

Tat central

2011-07-05T09:21:00.000-06:00

I spent last week in the company of a couple of dozen soldiers from various states; NY, MN, SD, GA, MI, LA, NV, RI, ID, WA, SC, and more. Pretty wide cross section of the country. Most of the group went to lunch at Busters* on the last day, and one topic of discussion was tattoos.

Specifically, the group consensus was that they saw more tattoos on more people here than any other place they could think of. They marveled on the "full sleeve" tats, especially those sported by females. They observed that almost every young person sported at least one tat.

Well, I see that stuff too, but haven't really paid attention to it as I travel. Perhaps I just don't notice the abscence of a tattoo, as they notice the prescence of one. I mentioned this to a friend, and she was adament that, "no way," believing that Idaho is not tat central. How could it be, when there's CA?

*Busters: I had a turkey sandwich with a chili relleno and chipotle mayo, with a side of slaw. The sandwich was fried, and left my fingers greasy after holding it, but tasted good. The slaw was not sweet or slathered with sauce, kind of mostly cabbage, but I liked it because of the nice crunch and the cabbage flavor. Service was decent, though when it came to serve, the orders trickled out over the course of about 5 minutes. This made it hard to politely wait until everyone was served befor eating, especially since of couple of the guys who got served first just immediately started in. One fella (who I'll just call Hoover) was finished before everyone was served. I feared for his fingers.

Appaloosa

2011-06-29T10:54:00.001-06:00

A few years ago, BSU updated its sports logo. I've heard some people credit that revision with sparking the rise of BSU football. Both happened at roughly the same time, but it's hard to tie one to the other. Here is a version of the current logo.

Which is fine and all, but it has always struck me as pretty busy. Plus, it is very reminiscent of the Denver Bronco logo. Since the two teams have the same colors, differentiation of logos would be nice.

I think the best logos are the simplest. If you click on this link, you'll see a Google images page showing college football logos. Look them over and see if you don't agree that simpler is better.

A couple of logos that, to me, really stand out are Texas, and the Wyoming Cowboys. For some reason (probably some hidden google thing that prevents copyright infringement, or something) I can't grab and upload the logos. You can see Texas' here, and Wyoming's here. The Clemson Tiger paw print is also pretty cool.

My suggestion is to use the appaloosa as the basis for BSU's logo. I'm no artist, so you're just going to have to picture the appaloosas below in orange and blue, in some aggressive pose and looking angry, which for some reason seems to be a requirement of most mascots.

Not only could you make a simpler logo, but no sports team (that I know of) uses the appaloosa as a symbol. Plus, it's symbolically perfect for a Boise, Idaho team. The appaloosa was developed by Nez Perce Indians, almost certainly in Idaho, and the Nez Perce reservation is still here. The appaloosa is Idaho's state horse. An appaloosa can still be a "bronco," which just means a wild and untamed horse. And, since the appaloosa was originally called the Palouse Horse, and since the University of Idaho is in palouse country, it would be sort of a subtle shot at the Vandals, which would be nice.

A wedge issue

2011-06-28T10:19:00.000-06:00

For Idaho Democrats. A recent story in the Statesman points to a circumstance that Dems could use to try to improve their image among Idahoans. I think that most Idahoans just dismiss Dem candidates out of hand because the Republicans have successfully branded Dems as "liberals." And Idahoans really dislike "liberals' for some reason. I don't believe there is much thinking going on, just reflex, really. Idahoans think they know Dems and have, for the most part, rejected them.

I have noted before that Dems have an opportunity to break this up, at least with some voters. Ponder this a moment:

But a new study of the Department of Interior’s economic effects in Idaho shows there are far more hunting guides, river rafters and others who cater to recreational users on these lands than there are miners and cattlemen.
...
Recreation accounts for more than six times more jobs than grazing and timber and three times more than energy and minerals.

Recreation brings more jobs than livestock and mining. However, Red leaders are pretty tied into the livestock and mining industries, and in fact just think only of those industries. Remember this quote? "You've got to dig it out of the ground, you've got to grow it or you've got to cut it out of the forest," Otter said. There it is in a nutshell; mining, farming and ranching, and logging.

Who do you think are getting those jobs in recreation? Well, if the percentages hold, about 65% are going to Reds. And who do you think are being guided, or traveling out into the woods to hunt or fish? Again, lots of Red voters. But for those voters, their interests clash with those of the miners, ranchers and loggers. Ever been run off BLM land by some rancher who acts as if he owns it? I have, and so has pretty much anyone who spends much time on or crossing BLM land.

To finally get to the point, Dems ought to very publicly align themselves with those recreation interests, and with recreationists who want public access to public lands. I think it's entirely safe to side with recreationists over miners, loggers and ranchers. Miners and loggers perhaps used to vote Blue, but obviously no longer. Dems have lost N. Idaho.

Don't approach this from an environmental viewpoint, but from a jobs and access viewpoint. If Dems start talking about ensuring that hunters have access and opportunity for a quality outdoors experience, perhaps some of those Red voters might finally take a look at Dem policies and find that voting Blue might actually be in their own best interests.

Bowe Bergdahl

2011-06-24T08:57:00.000-06:00

Bowe Bergdahl, the Idaho soldier captured in Afghanistan, was recently promoted to Sergeant, and he's been named as the Grand Marshal of the "We The People" Liberty Day Parade in Boise.

The Grand Marshal thing is a nice gesture, and should help the family to know that they have support and that Bowe is not forgotten.

Getting promoted to Sergeant seems a bit odd to me. Promotions from E1 - E4, Private to Specialist (or corporal, in some cases) really aren't promotions. They're "advancements," and they're pretty much automatic. You get advanced unless there is some reason not to.

Promotion to Sergeant is another matter. It's competitive, and you have to meet certain requirements. Good reviews, pass the PT tests, make weight, etc. Bowe just cannot meet those requirements while in captivity. So, someone somewhere decided to waive the requirement and promote Bowe. Which is nice. It will certainly help with his pay, which must be accumulating somewhere.

However, if, as some report, he violated the rules and wandered off base and put himself in a position to be captured, it seems a bit of a stretch to promote him. But it's not clear.

Accounts of his capture differ. The version offered by Bergdahl, in the video, is that he was captured when he fell behind on a patrol. CNN, in its report, cites both Taliban and U.S. military sources, the former alleging he was ambushed after becoming drunk off base, and the latter denying that claim stating: "The Taliban are known for lying and what they are claiming (is) not true."

If he fell behind on patrol and was captured, the Army should know that for a rock-hard fact. Perhaps the promotion indicates that the Army is not viewing the circumstances of his capture as reflecting negatively on him. It doesn't matter now, of course. I just hope he gets out safely.
Little known fact: the Army has appointed a Major - he's in my unit and he's a high-speed guy - to be the sole point of contact with Bowe's family. Anything and everything that causes contact between the Army and the Bergdahl goes through this Major. And, he's got the appointment until the situation resolves. It's a way to try to make it easier on the family.

Establishment choice

2011-06-22T08:55:00.000-06:00

When picking candidates for President, it's said that Democrats want to fall in love, and Republicans want to fall in line. That appears to be the case in Idaho.

Idaho Republicans are in immaculate harmoney with each other and with Republicans nationally. The national R push to limit collective bargaining rights for teachers? Check, done. National R push to limit access to voting for minorities by enacting spurious anti-voter fraud measures? Check, done. Restrictive anti-abortion measures? Check, done. It's easy here, and usually essentially uncontroversial. Idaho gets it done so fast and easy that it doesn't seem to register as part of the nationwide R agenda to make life miserable for everyone except rich people. Because, Republicans believe that if you're rich, you deserve it, and if you're poor, you deserve it. But I digress.

Given the harmonic convergence Idaho Reps have with Reps nationally, this list of Romney supporters should tell you something.

In addition to Otter and Risch, Romney’s Idaho steering committee includes 2nd District Rep. Mike Simpson, Lt. Gov. Brad Little, Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, state schools Supt. Tom Luna, state Controller Donna Jones, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill, House Speaker Lawerence Denney; Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis and Assistant Majority Leader Chuck Winder; and House Assistant Majority Leader Scott Bedke and caucus chairman Ken Roberts.

Seems unlikely to me that all these leading R lights would line up behind Romney if he isn't the putative Republican candidate for President.

McGee's follies

2011-06-21T07:51:00.001-06:00

Sen. McGee's troubles with his recent DUI and grand theft arrest have a bit of a comic aspect, what with references to the promised land, and an angel (and midget and broom, and what not). But, it's still a family tragedy, and I don't agree with piling on, under these circumstances.

I'm not sure that just because a legislator gets a DUI he or she is suddenly not qualified for the job. I heard some sanctimonious twit on the radio condemning McGee's judgment and saying that the lack of judgment in "choosing to drink and drive" means he doesn't have the judgment necessary to serve in the legislature.

First, as toasted as he was, there was no "judgment" of any sort going on. He may have chosen to start drinking, but clearly at some point he left the realm of rationality. So long as he's not drunk on the job, I don't think his legislative judgment is implicated. Also, since when is good judgment necessary to serve in the Idaho legislature, especially as a Republican? Nullification of federal laws, anyone?

Getting a second DUI does begin to implicate judgment, I think, because once it happens to you and you fail to take precautions to prevent it from happening again, you're failing to exercise good judgment.

Update: And one more thing. Notice how they say he was drinking at a local golf course, but don't name the course. Why is that? Turns out he was drinking at Hillcrest Country Club, and I believe there was some sponsored event with an open bar that night.

Facts on the ground

2011-06-17T08:09:00.000-06:00

It seems like almost every time our political leaders discuss pulling out of Afghanistan, someone says they have to consult with the generals to assess the situation on the ground, the idea being that the situation on the ground will determine when and how we can withdraw. To which I say, what a load of crap.

Specific logistical choices must be made by the military, true. You know, you don't send out the shooter first and leave the support folks unprotected, that kind of thing. But the decision to withdraw is a political one. In fact, the military is an instrument to achieve political objectives. That's all it is. It's not a force unto itself, with it's own national strategies.

Leaving the decision to withdraw to the generals is just code for saying, "I want to stay but don't want the heat for it." The generals will NEVER want to leave. Not unless they are getting badly beaten, and that simply won't happen. They will never want to leave for several reasons.

1. A wartime command is much more valuable to a career that a peacetime command. It looks better on a resume (or 201 file). Plus, certain medals (bronze star, for one) are only given in combat zones.

2. For generals, war is fun. They're not the ones humping a 40 lb rucksack up a hill, under enemy fire. (How many generals do you know of that have been shot in combat? I know of exactly zero. There may be some, but dang few.) War is what generals train for their entire careers. Think you'd like to be a basketball player for a living but only practice and never play an actual game? Generals also have many more opportunities to get in and out of the combat zone temporarily; they aren't just stuck there.

3. Promotions come faster in combat zones.

4. As long as the war is on, money will flow. Stop the war and painful budget retrenchment will follow.

5. Soldiers in combat zones get hazardous duty pay, and don't have to pay income taxes on money earned while stationed in a war zone. War is good for a soldier's finances.

Generals have too many incentives to stay in a combat zone. Plus, as can-do guys, as long as they can look around and see something that needs to be done - and in a God-forsaken place like Afghanistan, there will always be plenty to be done - generals will want to stay and "get 'er done."

When generals are in charge of ensuring that water treatment facilities are built, you know that they have strayed vast distances from their core competencies. Jeezus, Idaho Guardsmen in Baghdad are running hotels and acting like mayors, for crying out loud.

It's time to get out of Afghanistan. Start an orderly withdrawal now, and finish up by Christmas eve. Leave Afghanistan to the Afghans.

You kiddin' me?

2011-06-09T18:00:00.001-06:00

Whaaaat? Governor Otter has a Czar? I thought that was verboten. Oh, wait. IOKIYAR.* That's right, I forgot.

*In case you're not familiar with this, it's "It's OK If You Are a Republican."

Newt shoots from the lip

2011-05-20T08:38:00.000-06:00

Man, this is going to be an epic primary season. You've heard about the literary press release released by Newt. Well, here's Sir John Lithgow giving it a dramatic reading on the Colbert Report.

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Then there's this illustration of it by Jon White. A truely must read. I've only posted a clip of it. (Click to embiggen.)

Scary

2011-05-20T07:54:00.000-06:00

This guy was arrested for trespassing. I'll tell you, if I saw him stumbling around my yard, I'd call the police, too. And then I'd go to bed and have nightmares.

Hoooo kaaaay

2011-05-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

Dan Popkey wrote a piece in the Statesman about Joe Palmer, who Speaker Lawrence Denny appointed as chair of the House Transportation Committee. The move was widely viewed as punishment to Leon Smith for failure to slavishly follow every whim of Republican leadership.

Palmer has been in the House for three years, has carried two bills, and recalls only two times he has spoken on the floor. Palmer has one year of college at Ricks Junior College, and he studied small engine mechanics at BSU. Seems like a decent enough guy, but here's how long time Republican operative Skip Smyser describes Palmer's qualifications for the chairmanship:

He knows a heck of a lot more about trucks and cars and how transportation works than when I took over. I’ve never changed my own oil. I think he’ll do just fine.

So there you go. If you can change oil, you're a good choice to lead the House Transportation Committee. A better choice, per Denny, than a guy who had once been the chairman of the Idaho Transportation Board.

This is no knock on Palmer, though in reading Popkey's article Palmer does come across as an extreme conservative and pretty closed minded. But this tells us a lot about Denny. And that is, he doesn't care about having the best people, or solving Idaho's problems by bringing the most talent to bear. He only cares about power and ideology.

What is he thinking?

2011-04-22T08:15:00.001-06:00

I wonder how Gov Otter sees the world, sometimes.

Idaho's newly rejuvenated Oil and Gas Commission, composed solely of the same elected officials as the Land Board, just voted to accept a hearing officer's recommendations in their entirety, no changes. They rejected a request by the Idaho Conservation League to include a rule that the developers can't inject fracking fluids that contain carcinogens.

Now, gee, that just seems like the most common-sense, reasonable rule ever, to me. Don't inject carcinogens into the ground where they could end up in a drinking water supply. But no, there is apparently no need for such a rule because

Kim Parsons, Bridge Resources’ explorations manager, said the rules as written and the company’s own practices will ensure its very limited fracking poses no threat to groundwater.

In other words, trust us, we won't do it, there's nothing to see here, move along. And that's good enough for the Commission.

Here's the part that makes me wonder what the Governor is thinking. BSU Radio reported that after the hearing, Otter turned to Justin Hayes of the ICL and said "Keep an eye on 'em." Hayes reportedly replied, "We could use a little help." The Commission totally rejects the ICL's proposals, but then Otter asks them to remain vigilant. I dunno; just seems odd to me. Diss a guy, reject his help, then ask for his help.

It must be said

2011-04-21T16:36:00.000-06:00

I see and hear various proposals about how to lower the increasing cost of medical care, and I'd like to take issue with one of them. Because if you think about it, it just doesn't make sense, although it sounds good at first.

Reformers propose that health care move away from a fee for service based system. They say that it causes docs to do unnecessary and expensive procedures. Instead, they prefer to pay for a better outcome.

Well, I'll allow that everything else being equal, if a given dollars worth of treatment results in a better outcome, and thus patients needed less treatment, particularly, less follow up treatment, that could save money. But not likely.

If fewer patients were going to doctors, the doctors would just see more patients and earn the same money. Overall we might have a more healthy population, but that wouldn't necessarily result in lower health care costs.

See, doctors are going to modify their behavior to maintain their incomes. If their incomes stay the same, health care costs stay the same. I think that a hard truth is that health care providers are going to have to be paid less. It doesn't make sense that a doctor can schedule 3, 4, 5 or more procedures (surgery,primarily) every day and charge $5,000 for each. $15,000 to $25,000 a day.

They work hard, their education is expensive and difficult, and they sometimes make people feel better. They deserve a good living. But something has to give.

The real problem with Medicare, Medicaid, and our growing budget deficit

2011-04-21T13:22:00.000-06:00

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Trickle down? Are you kidding me?

2011-04-19T08:04:00.001-06:00

I was listening to a story on NPR yesterday about the recovery of the gulf coast after the BP oil spill. It focused on Panama City in Florida, and explored the effects of the spill on local tourism. Business owners had been expecting a good year.

For Panama City, the spill and the downturn in tourism came just as the community was completing a makeover — with a bevy of new hotels and condos, the Pier Park complex and a brand new $300 million airport.

It was expected to be a banner year. When the spill hit, Thomas says, he was building a new restaurant. He was forced to put it on hold.

"I mean, we had projected some huge increases because of the airport. And I was in the process of doubling my business. That stopped it. That hurt. That impact will be felt for a long time," Thomas says.

Note that the expected boom was due to the new airport. That is, government spending on infrastructure. A new airport will bring in more travelers, which will increase the demand for hotels and restaurants. Thomas responded to the expected increased demand by building to accommodate it.

Here's how Republicans think it works. You take the same guy, Mr. Thomas, and you don't even look at the demand side of the equation. Only the supply side (that's why it's called supply side economics). You give Mr. Thomas a big tax cut, so he's got more money in his pocket. Republicans think that he'll take that extra money and expand his restaurant, just because he has the money to do it. When he expands he'll hire folks to work in it. And then he'll sit back and hope it draws in a bigger crowd.

That's not the way it actually works. A real business person will either expand to meet a current demand that they can't satisfy, or to meet an expected demand. Like the influx of new tourists that will accompany a new airport. If consumers have money to spend on travel and restaurants, they'll create the demand, which will lead to the expansion and jobs. If consumers have no money and don't travel, there will be no demand, and no expansion, and no new jobs.

Putting money in rich people's pockets doesn't lead to jobs. Putting money in the pockets of people who will spend it, like the middle and lower classes, will lead to jobs. Trickle down doesn't work. (See, Bush tax cuts and Great Recession). And even if it did, who wants just a trickle?

Now they'e just being mean

2011-04-18T08:59:00.000-06:00

Governor Otter signed the bill requiring a bond if anyone wants to challenge the shipment of a megaload. The point of the bill is to make it difficult to challenge those shipments by requiring a petitioner to put up 5% of the load's insured value.

The First Amendment to the US Constitution preserves the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Article I, Sec. 10 of the Idaho Constitution preserves the same right. So it is a deeply held value that people ought to be able to challenge governmental actions.

The megaload bill goes against that value by making it more difficult to make such a challenge. Yes, it is still possible to mount a challenge, but 5% can be a significant hurdle, easily thousands or tens of thousands of dollars.

Some people object to the megaloads, for various reasons. Since a test shipment knocked out power to 1,300 people in two towns and blocked traffic for an hour, a challenge might well be appropriate.

But, again, our legislature will tolerate no dissent or questioning of authority. So they make it difficult for Idaho citizens to have some ability to affect the situation. A lawsuit is difficult and expensive in the first place. The bond requirement, which favors the huge corporations, such as ConocoPhillips*, involved in the shipments, clearly shows that the legislature favors corporate interests over those of its citizens. Pretty clearly ConocoPhillips doesn't need the, to them, pittance represented by the bond. It's not about helping the company, it's about keeping Idahoans in their place.Why do our legislators hate us?

*ConocoPhillips earned $1.9 billion in the 4th quarter of 2010, and ended the year with $10.4 billion in cash and short term investments.

Emergency bills

2011-04-15T08:07:00.000-06:00

Well, our legislature rammed through its education reform over the protests of pretty much everyone involved, except its proponents. I guess we'll see how it works out. Seems a bit of a risky experiment with our kids and future workforce, but, what the hell. You never know. Maybe it'll be wonderful. Sure glad my kids are done with K-12 education.

Anyway, now Gov. Otter is signing the bills making the education reform bills "emergencies." The point being, of course, to stick a shiv in the effort to have a citizen referendum on the bills. If my understanding is correct, the chief point of these emergency bills is to avoid delaying implementation of the reform bills, in the event that referendum supporters get enough signatures to force a referendum.

This seems pretty heavy-handed and contemptuous of many Idaho citizens. Win at all costs. Granted, Republican politicians won on the issue, but a good many citizens did not like it. What's wrong with giving opponents a fighting chance to at least be heard? You've heard the old (crude, so stop reading if you don't like it) saying: You know why a dog licks his b***s? Because he can. The same rationale seems to apply to the legislature's passing of the emergency bills. They really don't care about all Idaho citizens; they're just doing this because they can.

Race to the bottom

2011-04-12T08:14:00.002-06:00

We're well on our way to either, depending on your politics, nirvana or Wingnuttistan. This legislature enacted a hard right wing agenda, squelched dissent, and basically refused to allow any different views to be heard. And of course, the incredible heartlessness displayed by making deep cuts to social services while refusing to even listen to arguments for raising more revenue. What a fine bunch of fellows and gals Idahoans have elected.

It's got to make Republicans proud. Enacting unconstitutional laws, depriving vulnerable people of help and dignity, taking stupid and embarrassing shots at the federal government, that's our gang of leaders. One of my favorite moves by this anti-federal knot of toads was refusing to accept federal money to start to set up health insurance exchanges.

First, be sure to reject on pure ideological grounds something that will help Idaho citizens get health care (remember, the exchanges were a Republican idea initially). And for good measure, lock into place a process that will end up having the feds come in and set one up for us.

The reasoning behind some these measures is breathtaking, and would make Socrates look like an ignorant first grader. Example: Brent Crane arguing that no exception to abortion restrictions be allowed for rape and incestfor rape and incest because "the hand of the almighty is greater than ours" and perhaps that baby might turn out to be a good thing for the mother. One weeps from the sheer beauty and compassion of such an argument, put forth by a mind so brilliant that the Capitol dome glowed every time Crane had a thought.

Enough snark, because it's only going to get worse. Having been emboldened by this experience, next year will bring out more of the same. After a closed primary and electing, presumably, even more conservative whack jobs, one can only gasp when contemplating what's to come and where Idaho is going.

I wonder, how bad will it have to get before voters start to reject the nonsense? Is there any limit to the stupidity of the Idaho voter? Maybe stupidity is too harsh. Perhaps apathy is more descriptive.

Update: Jeez, cleaned up some stupid grammar and typos.

Something's fishy

2011-04-07T08:19:00.001-06:00

Something is rotten in Denmark. Something doesn't add up. This doesn't pass the sniff test. Whatever cliched phrase you want to use, but it just seems like there is more this story than has been reported.

The Idaho Republican Party sued the Idaho Secretary of State to force a closed primary, and won. In his order in favor of the IRP, Judge Winmill did not order the state to pay attorney fees. Nevertheless, the legislature just voted to pay $100,000 of the $120,000-ish in fees and costs claimed by the lawyer for the IRP. That lawyer, Christ Troupis, says he took the case on a contingency fee basis, so that he'd get paid only if he won. Since they won, the IRP sought fees.

Well, I've never heard of a contingency fee case that didn't involve a monetary recovery. You know, 1/3 of any amount awarded for damages sustained, or whatever percentage. Well, here there was no monetary recovery, just the ruling that the IRP could hold a closed primary. No number upon which he could figure his fees. Which is unusual, if not downright weird.

Also, why would he do this? Out of the goodness of his heart? Because he knew the cause was just? Because he was extremely confident of a win?

Attorney fees is cases like this are not a gimmee. They are discretionary. That is, the judge may or may not award them. And if they are awarded, they are often reduced. I haven't seen the pleadings, so I can't say if they asked the judge for attorney fees. Since the judge didn't award them, either they didn't ask, or they did and the judge refused.

If they asked and were refused, the state ought not pay. After all, that would be a ruling that the IRP wasn't entitled to the fees. If they didn't even ask the judge for the fees, then why should the state pay? Did they not ask because they thought they might lose? If so, then this smells a lot like a fix was in. Don't ask the judge and lose, just wait and we'll see that the good ol' boys in the legislature take care of you. Is that what happened?

It's possible that they did ask and the judge just punted on the issue; doesn't seem likely, though.

I smell a rat.

And so it becomes clear

2011-04-05T17:22:00.002-06:00

After another year of cutting Idaho schools and aid to the poor and vulnerable, Idaho Republicans now seek to give tax cuts to corporations. Jeez. That's a pretty stark contrast. I'd think that Republicans would be embarrassed about doing this now, but I'm sure they don't think there's anything to be embarrassed about.

Marv Hagedorn says that history shows that the last five tax cuts caused the economy to soar. I'm sorry Marv, but if you can believe that in this economy, after the huge Bush tax cuts, you're either stupid or so completely removed from reality and woefully ignorant as to be unqualified to be a legislator, or actually even to breath air.

Marv, what color is the sky in your world?

Government shutdown; one local consequence

2011-04-01T08:32:00.001-06:00

If Congress doesn't pass a budget by next Friday, and doesn't pass another Continuing Resolution, the government will "shut down." Apparently, some of the Teabilly, Teahidist, Tealiban, Teabagger, Teatards, whatever term you prefer, Tea Party aficionados, are actually rooting for such an outcome.

Well, if it does "shut down," here's one local effect. The Idaho National Guard drills on the weekend of April 9-10. If the shut down happens, drill is cancelled, and rescheduled for some time after a budget is passed. Not a huge deal, I guess, unless the soldiers and airmen and Marines have plans for the weekend to which the drill will be moved.

A bigger deal is the soldiers here going through the training program on Gowen Field. These guys are from out of town, going through a set program of instruction. Well, their instructors can't work on the weekend if government is shut down. So the student will either have to go home, or wait out the shut down. But, can they wait it out? They're not in a pay status, either, so they're waiting on their own dime.

Can they go home? Not sure. Doubtful that they can legally incur the cost of a plane ticket, since the spending won't be authorized.

And, since the classes are pretty rigidly programmed, missing a day, and especially a few days, means they won't complete the training, and thus won't get the appropriate certification or credential. Which means the training already completed is pretty much wasted. And means they'll have to come back at some other time. Since the schools are 2-3 weeks, depending, they'll have to work with their civilian employer to get even more time off the job. And last, a good many of the soldiers require the training before getting promoted. So advancement will be delayed.

Yep, that'll show us. Refuse to compromise and shut the government down to make a political point. Exactly the right thing to do. And if some soldiers get screwed as collateral damage, well, so be it.

Petty politics

2011-03-31T08:06:00.000-06:00

Republicans in the Idaho legislature continue to impress.

House Democrats are refusing to consent to waiving reading of various bills, as a protest that a couple of pieces of legislation didn't even get a hearing. They are hoping that Republican leadership will allow a hearing on increasing the cigarette tax, and one other bill. To retaliate, Republicans spiked a non-controversial bill on early childhood intervention.

One thing is not like the other.

Dems, who are essentially powerless, and using what little power they have to try and get legislation to at least have a hearing. And yes, it is obstructionism and probably very annoying to Republicans anxious to end the session. Rs, on the other hand are killing important legislation designed to help children.

Annoying adults does not equal hurting children.

I don't think Rs really care much about the people of Idaho. Well, they care about certain people, wealthy adult white males, mostly, but man oh man they don't like kids or women.

And it's kind of disgusting to see how unchecked power in the legislature leads to leadership by bullying. Ya know, all Dems want is a hearing. Doesn't seem like that much to ask. But no, deny them even that and then take it out on kids when Dems don't just roll over for it.

This is refreshing

2011-03-25T07:52:00.000-06:00

The legislature is actually doing something to help create jobs in Idaho. Most of their attention is focused on guns and abortions and lawsuits and lawyers, and virtually nothing on figuring a way to help improve lives of Idaho citizens.

Gov. Otter has persuaded the House to pass his "Hire One Act," that gives a tax credit for a new hire. There was opposition from some Republicans, but it passed easily. More of that, please.

Money quote, from Democrat John Rusche:

It's nice to be ranting and be political - every now and then you have to do something that actually helps.

Amen, brother.

You get the government you vote for

2011-03-23T08:25:00.000-06:00

Meridian typically elects some pretty conservative Republican politicians, such as Russ Fulcher, Shirley McKague, and Marv Hagedorn. Those folks, and others representing Meridian and the surrounding area, definitely agree with the no taxes/reduce the size of government line of thinking. They are supporting cuts to the state budget to bring spending in line with revenues. They also support Luna's plan to rejigger the state's educational system. Presumably, the majority of Meridian voters do as well.

I saw a story in the Statesman today about the Meridian School District seeking an $18 million a year, 2 year levy.

The Meridian School Board voted Tuesday to take its case to the voters, one day after district board Chairman Mike Vuittonett warned Idaho lawmakers considering an overhaul of state school finances that Meridian had stepped over a “funding cliff.”

The story gives more detail about how the district is growing while the budget is shrinking, and lists the many steps they've taken to absorb the changes, such as eliminating 1,400 bus stops.

So, parents in the Meridian School District are experiencing the consequences of having a legislature that refuses to look at both sides of the budget equation. By looking only at spending, and not at revenues, budgets get cut, and the effects ripple out into the community. But, Meridian elects folks that agree with the approach.

So, if Meridian voters choose to approve the levy, they've simply shouldered the burden of educating their students themselves, rather than spreading the burden out generally among Idaho sales tax payers. Elections do matter.

As this same circumstance plays out across the state, we might see wealthy communities, like here in the Treasure Valley, vote to send money to schools. More rural communities just don't have the money, so I would expect to see a growing disparity between urban and rural schools. Of course, rural districts are also mostly Republican. So again, elections matter.

Sure glad my kids are out of school. Guess I'll vote against Kuna's supplemental levy scheduled for a May vote. I don't need to help fund K-12; what will I get out of it? That's where we're going, right? A race to the bottom? I got mine, and I'm keeping it.

2011-03-19T10:49:00.001-06:00

The Statesman has a story about a water law ruling by the Idaho Supreme Court. The issue has been percolating for a while, and finally came to a conclusion. Two fish farms have been accusing ground water pumpers, i.e., farmers, of over pumping and taking more water from the aquifer than they're entitled to, diminishing the fish farmers' flow of water below what they're allowed. A while back a curtailment order was issued, which threatened to prevent farmers from pumping water for their crops. They faced loss of an entire season's crop. That was avoided, but the issue remained.

So the fish farmers win, and the ground water pumpers will have to limit the amount of water they pump out of the ground. Perhaps now this water fight might catch the attention of the legislature.

First, as an aside, this issue kind of embodies classic Republican thinking. Idaho's water rule is, first in time = first in right. In other words, I got mine, you can piss off. (In fairness, Idaho is not alone with this rule.) Even though 150 farmers growing crops might produce more for the overall economy than two fish farms (maybe, I dunno), the fish farms have the older claim. This priority is in Idaho's constitution, Article XV, Section 5priority in time shall give superiority of right to the use of such water." So, we're probably stuck with it. But, the constitution allows for reasonable regulation.

So, I say, tax the extraction. Give water users some incentive to conserve, and raise some revenue. I'd even support some offsetting tax break so that suddenly water users (including homes) aren't paying a bunch more in taxes. But, the tax would be an incentive to conserve.

I'd also like to see the legislature require municipalities to have a water conservation plan in effect, maybe just requiring homeowners and businesses to water only every other day, or perhaps a system of warnings leading to penalties for homeowners and businesses that over water and allow water to run off the sidewalks and into the storm drain.

I admit that I don't know much about the specifics, but I'd just like to see our legislature start to work on the issue. Maybe now that the politically powerful farmers are getting hurt, they will.

The real story

2011-03-16T07:57:00.000-06:00

The news from Japan has been astounding lately. A monster earthquake, a killer tsunami, and now the leaking nuclear power plants. The news is dominated about the various radioactive leaks and efforts to cool off the reactors. I'm seeing diagrams of reactors, and Rachael Maddow gave us a primer of reactors on Monday, and spent most of her program Tuesday on the same topic.

Which brings me to my point. There was a tsunami that washed away entire towns. Thousands of bodies have washed up on the beach after having been carried away into the sea. Its cold over there, and people are suffering. Electricity is out. Water is scarce. And yet it seems that broadcast news focuses solely on the nuclear power plant and its problems.

Yes, that is a worry, but isn't the larger story right now the human suffering and devastation caused by the tsunami?

And, apropos of nothing, do you want to buy some shares in Alternate Energy Holdings? Bet you can pick some up real cheap these days.

Research and deep thinking

2011-03-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Are two things that don't happen much in the Idaho legislature, especially among Republicans. Betsy Russell reports on the anti-pornography internet filtering in libraries debate yesterday.

First, there's this claim:

Rep. Mack Shirley, R-Rexburg, said a group called “Citizens for Decency” brought the idea to him. “As a result, I've done a lot of personal research into this topic,” he told the House.

So, the guy who sponsored the bill has done "a lot" of research. His research revealed this:

At one small library, he [Shirley] said, “Big lumberjacks would come in from out in the timber and get into material they shouldn't, and there'd be youths sitting right next to them.” That small library now has a free Internet filter program, he said, which solved the problem.

I heard Shirley on the radio giving this example of the need for the new law, and he prefaced the remark by saying that a librarian in a small town told him this story.

Let's unpack that a bit. "Get into material they shouldn't." Do we have any idea what the material was? No. Perhaps it was XXX, perhaps it was the Victoria's Secret web site. "They shouldn't." Well, who says so? The small town librarian, I guess. If that librarian was from Rexburg, like Shirley, odds are that he or she is pretty conservative, and most likely LDS. I could see such a person objecting to something that is simply risque or racy, but that does not meet the definition of pornography.

"They shouldn't." Well, why shouldn't they? Because a "youth was sitting next to them?" Or because that librarian simply disapproved of what the lumberjack was looking at? We just don't know.

So we have some anecdote passed off as "research" and on that basis Shirley tries to get a law passed imposing state control over a local librarian. Which takes us to the last sentence of the blurb from Russell. "That small library now has a free Internet filter program, he said, which solved the problem." If so, and it was free, why do we need the law?

At least one thing we'll never hear from that legislator is, "And don't call me Shirley."

Facts, please

2011-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Republicans in the Idaho legislature are poised, nay, chomping at the bit, to cut the budget. They are prepared to eliminate 770 teacher jobs. According to testimony yesterday, their proposed cuts to the Medicaid budget will cut another 700* jobs and shutter several businesses. Reason? Of course, it's due to the steep reduction in state tax revenue resulting from the economic downturn.

Well, if revenues are down, raise some new revenue, right? Of course not. See, it's accepted common wisdom that "you can't raise taxes in a recession" because it will impede recovering from the recission. Just makes sense.

Really? That's the basis for losing 1,470 jobs? Won't the loss of that many jobs and the spin off economic activity impede recovering from the recession? Certainly there will be a negative impact from those job losses. But what is it, exactly?

Will the effect of the losses affect the economy more, or less, than raising taxes? If we raise taxes 1%, or 2%, or 5%, at what point does that drain on the economy outweigh the hit taken by losing 1,470 jobs?

The state has economists working for it. I wonder ... Have any legislators asked these questions? If not, they're not serious about helping get through this bidget crisis.

Actually, I think that what they are serious about is not "wasting a crisis." This is their big chance to whack the IEA and to shrink government, citizens and their needs be damned.

*I thought I had read this number somewhere yesterday, but now can't find it to link to it. So I can't say that 700 more jobs will be lost, necessarily, but clearly cutting $120 million will result in some job losses.

Kuna joins the fray

2011-03-02T17:34:00.001-07:00

Tonight as I drove home past Kuna High, I saw a long line of students protesting Luna's school reforms. Click to enlarge.

Not surprised at the disparity

2011-02-25T08:14:00.001-07:00

The Statesman reports that BSU gets only 2/3s the funding that U of I gets. In the back and forth between proponents of the two universities, the UI folks tout their alleged academic superiority. Well, to the extent that's accurate, perhaps that extra 33% funding is a part of the reason.

I just think that the State Board has a UI tilt, and the legislature has an anti-Boise tilt, and put together, BSU suffers. As I've written before, I think over time the UI tilt will lessen.

The upcoming reapportionment should help move in the right direction by shifting legislators away from the sticks (Ha!) to Metropolis.

I'm kidding about the sticks; I was raised in a small SE Idaho town. I remember even then an anti-Boise feeling was widely shared around the state.

It's a trick

2011-02-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

As pointed out by Eric in a comment to my previous post, when Bill Clinton left office we were paying down the debt and would have had it paid off on a couple of years. But, the Bush tax cuts and wars exploded the deficit. And now it's allegedly the big issue. But it's a trick.

See, as soon as the Democrats get the economy and budget in good enough shape to generate some surplus to pay on the debt, Republicans wills squeal for tax cuts saying the government is taking too much of taxpayer money. Given the Republican political philosophy we will never pay down the debt. The ONLY way it will reduce will be a a percent of GDP. When Democrats grow the economy (and we know Republicans won't; look at history) it will make the current level of debt smaller in proportion to the whole.

Complaining about reducing the debt/deficit is really just code language for cutting government spending. Cutting spending might reduce annual deficits, but it won't reduce the level of debt. It could help slow the level of the debt increase.

Anyway, it's a trick. Republicans will never stand for paying down the debt. To them that's just stealing taxpayer money.

They’re not serious, part 2

2011-02-17T17:27:00.002-07:00

Republicans at both the state and federals are really riding the “no taxes – the deficit is just too damn high” horse these days. I think they over-interpreted the last election as constituting an electoral primal scream of hatred against government, and taxes = government.

This makes me a bit crazy. Because it’s disingenuous. Here’s how.

Rs are really pushing cutting government spending, but absolutely refuse to even discuss revenue measures, or if you like, raising taxes. To get the national debt down we’ve just got to cut spending. That’s pretty much the extent of their thinking.

But what did George Bush do the last time we were actually paying down the national debt? He cut taxes for the rich and destroyed the revenue source that was repaying the debt. And that’s the problem. Even if Obama managed to cut enough spending to free up enough revenue to pay down the debt (probably impossible), as soon as that happened Republicans would clamor for tax cuts, just like they did last time. They will never allow us to pay down the debt. It’s too useful a tool for them. As long as we have the national debt, Republicans will use it as an excuse to cut programs for the middle and lower classes.

Jim Risch did pretty much the same thing as Gov. Passed tax cuts, destroyed reliable revenue sources, and now the state government is withering on the vine.

It’s all just a smokescreen to enable Republicans to wage war on the middle class in favor of corporations and wealthy people.

I don't think they're serious

2011-02-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Recently the geniuses in the legislature turned down a $1.50 increase on fees assessed toward folks who plead to, or are found guilty of, a crime or misdemeanor. The fee was to help fund the Idaho State Police. Big objection? No new taxes.

There is much gnashing of teeth and rending of garments in the legislature about trying to shrink government to get it in line with revenues, but they refuse to really look at any number of reasonable measures to save money. Example; privatize the liquor business and get the state out of it.

Here's the oversight that's currently bugging me; Dept. of Corrections. That is a huge chunk of the budget, and yet no effort is being made to reduce the number of folks behind bars. How about they reduce the penalties on victimless crimes, like drug possession? Perhaps impose ankle monitoring and let the non-violent offenders stay home. How about lowering the prison aspect of the penalty for DUI in cases where there is no accident and no one is hurt?

The crime rate is as low as it's been in 20 years, slowly dropping. So why isn't there any discussion of easing up on some of these severe penalties? They really aren't serious about solving our budget problem, is why.

Sweet, sweet irony

2011-01-29T10:29:00.003-07:00

The Statesman has a story about a woman embezzling from the Crescent Bar in Boise. You know the place; its claim to fame is "no lawyers."

Personally, I don't support places that blatantly discriminate against people based on arbitrary distinctions. I wouldn't go to a place that boasts "no Mormons" or "no Catholics" or "no Mexicans" or "no African-Americans" or "no whatever," although I will go to places that say "no smoking," which is different than saying "no smokers."

So, anyway, an ex-employee has been charged with embezzling perhaps as much as $150,000. And now she's being prosecuted. Personally, I think the Crescent should drop the charges. After all, the prosecutor is a lawyer. The judge is a lawyer. C'mon, Crescent, you've bashed lawyers for more than 20 years. You want nothing to do with lawyers. Now it's time to put your money where your mouth is.

Cause and effect

2011-01-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Idaho’s fiscal situation is dire again this year, and our legislators are shouting to the rooftops that raising taxes is essentially off the table. I suppose the main reason they’d give is that it’s a bad idea to raise taxes in a recession because that would tend to choke off growth. I’ll grant them that.

I think that is a pretty convenient excuse, however. I think there are other reasons that most of them refuse to even consider raising taxes. First, many of them see this as an opportunity to shrink government. Well, okay, that is a pretty popular sentiment among some Idahoans, though certainly among not all of us. Our legislators have an obligation to make the right choice for the citizens, and simply pandering to the I-hate-government crowd is not leadership. A skilled and educated work force is essential to attracting decent paying jobs. Cutting education, especially higher education, just to “starve” government is short sighted.

I was at some meeting a few years back and some guy, dressed like a farmer, or similar outdoor worker, in well worn work clothes stood up to object to taxes. He specifically objected to taxes for the library. He said “My kids are grown; I don’t have any use for a library.” That particular world view – that I don’t need to contribute to society unless I directly benefit from that contribution – is distressingly common in Idaho. I suspect many of our legislators share this view, or at least are happy to cater to this view to curry favor with the voters. But, see above, leadership.

Second, many of the legislators are craven. They don’t want to hurt their re-election chances and they believe that they’re safer in slashing government programs than in raising revenue. Mostly they’re right in that belief. The people who are hurt by losing government services aren’t really voting members of their constituency. Again, see above, leadership.

In the end, citizens get the government they vote for. Idahoans are happy to be at the bottom of too many measurements of a successful society. I say, thank God for Mississippi, or we’d be dead last. I don’t understand it, but there it is.

My daughter graduated from ISU last May. I really wish she’d stay around here, but I don’t want her to have to work for the crappy wages available in Idaho. Unfortunately, I’m going to encourage her to leave the state. And when my son graduates from BSU in a couple of years, same thing.

Thousands for PR, but cut school budgets

2010-12-27T13:05:00.002-07:00

Betsy Russell has a story about the Land Board hiring a PR agent. Of course, the guy is a connected Republican. The key quote to me is

Since it first signed a contract with Tracy in October 2007, the Land Board has paid him $279,009, according to records obtained under the Idaho Public Records Act. That includes the cost of polling and the DVD. Tracy’s contract is set at $85,000 per year, and includes a $4,000 per month contract fee.

Land Board member Tom Luna had this to say about the shape of school budgets.

Luna wants $36 million to replace the temporary funding and another $24 million to cover an estimated 3,500 new students expected to enter the K-12 public school system next year. Altogether, $60 million in new money is needed just to keep per-student spending at current levels, Luna said.

$279,000 won't go far to help schools, but spending it is sure an odd choice in times of austerity.

Resisting and obstructing

2010-12-17T09:40:00.008-07:00

Meet Tony. You can tell just by looking at him what he was charged with; resisting and obstructing an officer.

It's not 100%, but lots of folks charged with this will have the facial abrasions from being "subdued." I don't have a huge problem with a knucklehead getting roughed up a bit when scuffling with police, if it's inadvertent. It just seems to happen a lot to folks getting that charge.

Maybe it's because they only charge this when the knucklehead really puts up a fight and they have to get physical with him. I hope that's it. I hope it's not retribution.

Nicholas, Kody, James and Alex below were also charged with resisting and obstructing on the same day. Most of them look okay. Hmmm... They're all male. Testosterone can be such a curse.

I don't understand conservatives

2010-12-15T17:34:00.002-07:00

This seems odd. Adam is complaining about the ethics process in the legislature. When I first started to read it, I thought he was going to say that the process is lame and lets legislators get away with way too much. Since that's my view, I should have known that wasn't where Adam was headed.

Adam is sticking up for Phil Hart and complaining that the ethics process is either silly or corrupt. He doesn't like it that the ethics panel is continuing to investigate Hart. Adam writes:

What this abuse of the ethics process is about is a media, leftist, and establishment vendetta against a conservative lawmaker. The left wingers have little power in our state. However, if they can, through a series of continual attacks, bring a conservative down, they can at least feel as if they’re powerful for a few days.

So he's blaming "leftists" and apparently Democrats. Not exactly sure. But what's funny is this.

House Speaker Lawerence Denney said today that Rep. Eric Anderson’s removal as vice-chairman of the House State Affairs Committee - shortly after Anderson had filed an ethics complaint against Rep. Phil Hart - was merely an oversight, but also said he’d warned Anderson of “fallout” if he filed the ethics complaint.

Eric Anderson is a Republican from Priest Lake. So, perhaps Adam views Anderson as a RINO and therefore a leftist. Or, perhaps he just blames we leftys for anything he doesn't like.

A bit of silly spin

2010-12-14T17:31:00.002-07:00

It always amuses me to read the little blurbs about local business folks in the Statesman. You know, so and so just joined such and such company. It's just a bit of publicity for the business person.

Lawyers are always getting in there with some accolade about being chosen by their peers as the best lawyer at something, or selected as one of the top 100 in the country, or whatever. Which really isn't true. Most of those accolades are similar to Who's Who. That is, you pay for the honor.

Anyway, today's installment was an announcement of a couple of new hires at a local large law firm. One of them had some experience, but it looks like the other graduated from law school and clerked with a judge for a while, then hired on at the law firm. Here's the amusing part.

Willman’s practice focuses on commercial and business litigation, creditor’s rights, products liability, employment litigation, professional malpractice, insurance defense, and general workers’ compensation defense.

To say she's "focused" on all that is just kind of silly. It's like saying a shotgun blast is focused.

Tax cut deal

2010-12-08T16:15:00.004-07:00

Well, if you read this blog, you know all about the deal President Obama cut regarding extending the tax cuts and unemployment benefits.

I'm kind of mixed in my reaction. It doesn't seem like too bad a deal, if you have to cut a deal. Both sides getting something, that's what compromise is all about. Politics is the art of the possible, right?

I'm not smart enough to game out what will happen two years down the road, so I'm not going to worry about it.

What I wish is that Obama would stand up and fight for something. Push back against Republicans, and make them pay a price. Until he does, I'm going to continue to feel very lackluster enthusiam.

Not a very interesting post, I know, but I was tired of looking at that gals black eye.

Contact!

2010-11-19T08:17:00.002-07:00

Meet Erin Lisee, who was arrested Thursday afternoon for violation of a "no contact" order. Kind of obvious that she had some contact.

Get loud, people, be proud

2010-11-18T07:50:00.002-07:00

The more I think about Sisyphus' post about Democrat self loathing and brand bashing, the more I think he's on to something. For many years Idaho Democrats have been running as Republicans lite, and look where it's gotten us. Waaaay out of power and in the political wilderness.

If every election Democrats run on Republican issues, they're going to lose. That almost seems obvious. The only real issue Democrats run on that might be considered a Democratic or progressive issue is education. And that's not a bad issue, but Republicans aren't against education, for 1-12, anyway. They're not much for it outside of that range. But I digress.

Anyway, how about if Democrats try a bit of populism. I mean, good grief. The state is in horrible shape. Now is a good time for Democrats to offer a real alternative. Republican refusal to revisit all the juicy tax breaks they've given to their supporters is a great target for some populism.

Try something different; run on Democratic issues. A chicken in every pot. Stop tax give aways to wealthy corporations who get them just by asking the Tax Commission for them.

Stop cowering

2010-11-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Sisyphus has a great post about Democratic self-loathing. I agree that Idaho Democrats tend to trash their brand and message, and it's rapidly leading to something like this.

"Right now in most of Dixie it is culturally unacceptable to be a Democrat. It's a damn shame, but that's the way it is," said Dave "Mudcat" Saunders.

If Idaho Democrats keep acting like it is shameful to be a Democrat - I'm looking at you Walt, and you, Steve - then of course Republicans are going to think the same thing.

You know, I am really weary of always being the responsible adult in comparison to Republicans. I'd like Democrats to forcefully stand up for the middle class. Right now, today, JFAC is gearing up to slash even more from Idaho's budget. And they will. Very few people, Nicole LeFavour being an exception, are willing to point out that it's okay to pay for what's important. And helping the middle class is important. If the middle class is prosperous it can afford to consume and drive the economy, and vice versa.

Just look at the graph in the previous post. Want to reduce the deficit? Elect Democrats.

Read it and weep, wingers

2010-11-17T13:49:00.005-07:00

Do you wonder which party is responsible for increasing our national debt, and which is best at reducing it? Have a look. The debt went down in the green years, and it went up in the red years.

The belief that Democrats are responsible for the national debt and that Republicans are the fiscally sane party is, well, insane, at least since Nixon. That this belief is so widespread, despite easily available proof to the contrary, shows that most people are woefully misinformed,~~and not willing to challenge their assumptions by doing a bit of research.~~ and it shows that Democrats have been doing a poor job of informing the public and selling their brand.

Walt, we hardly knew ye

2010-11-03T07:39:00.003-06:00

Well, it appears that Walt Minnick failed to get re-elected. In the end I held my nose and voted for the guy. Not that I liked him all that much, but was hoping to help stave off a huge Republican change in the House.

I guess walking the line that Walt tried to walk was too difficult. He had to hope his base turned out for him, and that he got sufficient of the moderate middle. Well, with a demoralized base and general antipathy towards Dems, Walt couldn't get it done. Perhaps if he had been running for a 3rd term instead of a second...

Check out the results in District 18. Mitch Toryanski once told me it was a swing district, and it appears he was correct. The unofficial results have him winning by 107 votes out of nearly 12,807 cast. And even crazier; Julie Ellsworth beat Janie Ward-Engelking by 9 votes. 12,829 votes were cast. 9. Yow.

Let the crazy begin.

Nice BSU Rant

2010-10-25T13:12:00.001-06:00

A nice pro-BSU rant by Rick Riley of ESPN.

BSU football

2010-10-13T17:28:00.000-06:00

I know, BSU football doesn't seem like an appropriate topic for a political blog, but 1) I don't care, and 2) BSU standings in the BCS race is all about politics.

The Automatic BCS Qualifying conferences don't want to see BSU (or TCU) get a shot at a national title, and the damn sure don't want either team to play and beat an undefeated team from one of the AQ conferences. One thing you'll hear, over and over, if you pay attention to the debate is, "If BSU had to play in an AQ conference every week, they wouldn't be undefeated."

Well, 1) who's to say, really? and 2), using similar (flawed) logic, if BSU had to play in an AQ conference, it'd have AQ money and AQ recruits. The entire argument is specious, and I'm weary of hearing it.

When I was in Reno in July, I put $5 on Boise to win the national title, at 10 to 1 odds. If they do, I get my $5 back, plus another $50. As it stands now, the biggest obstacle to my winning isn't BSU's performance, it's the politics of football.

Oh, and one more thing. To say that BSU isn't worthy because of strength of schedule is also specious. AT THIS POINT IN THE SEASON, Boise has played tougher teams than #1 Ohio State. In other words, if strength of schedule is key, Boise should currently be ranked above Ohio State.

Liberal liberal liberal, booga booga booga

2010-10-07T07:39:00.003-06:00

Walt Minnick has a piece in Tuesday's Statesman responding to criticisms of his ads attacking Raul Labrador. In it, he writes:

Some in the media and liberal blogs don’t like the straightforward, tough look at Raul’s own record and background, the two things he specifically points to as his main qualifications for office.

Liberal. Nice. Walt is not only voting like a Republican much of the time, he has now adopted their language.

What's next? Is he going to start referring to the "Democrat Party."

Update: Well, wait. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. There are some liberal blogs, depending on your view. I sure don't see many in Idaho. Morialekafa has been pretty liberal, but lately has tended more toward cerebralism than liberalism. I don't consider my blog as particularly liberal, nor Fort Boise. The Mountain Goat Report, progressive, not real liberal, and lately focused on giving Minnick a hard time. Daily Kos; progressive, not liberal.

What is liberal? Well, advocating returning to heavily progressive tax rates (50% or more for the very wealthy) in order to fund social programs would qualify as a liberal position. Hmm. I guess since I'm having a difficult time identifing "liberal" causes, that probably says something about where I stand.

Progressive is advocating for issues that help the middle class and working people. A small deficit and a reasonably balanced budget is a progressive position. Investing in infrastructure is progressive. Funding food stamp programs and expanding Pell grants; progressive.

Nuthin to say

2010-10-05T07:53:00.002-06:00

John Prine sings a song, "Angel from Montgomery," and part of the lyrics are:

how the hell can a person
go to work in the morning
come home in the evening
and have nothing to say?

Well, to spin off that, I wonder:

How the hell can a blogger
in the midst of a campaign season
with crazy tea party politics around him
have nothing to say?

Just kind of checked out from the process right now. Probably part of a general ennui and feeling that my vote and my voice are meaningless and powerless to have any positive effect on the political process. Even if I gave campaign donations until it bankrupted me, I'd still not have any meaningful influence. Not in Idaho, and certainly not nationally.

My only observation I'd offer is that in Idaho politics it's more important to look like a cowboy than to offer policies that might help the middle class.

Minnick a deficit hawk? Um, not so much

2010-09-22T13:39:00.002-06:00

One-note Walt Minnick, who's always carping about the deficit being too high, has now signed a letter urging Democratic House Leadership to continue the tax cuts that benefit the wealthy. Extending tax cuts for the wealthy is estimated to cost around $700 billion over the next decade. The deficit is "OMFG WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE," unless it's to help rich folks like Walt avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

Enthusiasm gap

2010-09-09T07:44:00.004-06:00

We've been hearing a lot about a so-called "enthusiasm gap" between Republican and Democratic voters. Rs are enthused, so the story goes, and Ds are demoralized.

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll admit to a fair amount of demoralization. I think that is a big reason for the lack of posting here.

I'm suffering from a failure of expectation management. I expected that President Obama and Congress could and would deliver some real reforms and change. Sure they got health care reform, and some financial regulatory reform, and a consumer protection agency. And that's all good. The problem is, health care reform is so weak, distant and ineffective that I don't see much good from it, and the others are weak sauce also. Just earlier this week, an NPR reporter closed a story about effects of health care reform on people who currently have health care by saying (I paraphrase) "expect to pay more and get less." Great.

And what really torques me is the way that fool Max Bauchus let the Republicans play him; water down the provisions to try to reach compromise, then get zero votes. And even more demoralizing; the public started out in favor of health care reform. But, given the way Bauchus and other Dems dithered and dinked around, and gave time for the Rs to demagogue it last August, with Palin and her "death panels" lies, Dems totally blew it. Total failure of politics. Ineffectual clowns, we Dems.

Rs can't govern, and Dems won't.

C'mon, throw us a bone. Recess appoint Elizabeth Warren to the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. Hang tough on not extending tax cuts for the rich. Start naming names and calling out the obstructionism of the Rs. (Yesterday's naming of John Boehner 8 times is a good start.) Also, please start calling out the lies the opponents tell.

Give us something to get excited about. I'd like to start blogging frequently again.

The beginning of the end?

2010-08-26T07:53:00.003-06:00

The University of Idaho announced that they received a $1 million grant from the Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation, to help start a U of I Law School in Boise. In the near future, the third year can be taken in Boise at classes held in the Idaho Water Center, but apparently they want to work toward a full three year program here.

The plan is to eventually be housed in a remodeled Ada County Courthouse, and to be co-located with the Idaho Supreme Court Library. They still need to raise another $6 million to achieve that dream.

I dunno about all this, though I'm not sure the U of I has much choice. If they don't get a Boise presence, the new Concordia Law School is going to siphon off a bunch of their students. And if they do get a three year Boise program, it will pull students from the Moscow campus. Either way, it's difficult to see how the Moscow law school stays viable, or at least, stays in anything like its current configuration. This will be interesting to watch.

The other part of this story that I really don't get is the law library issue. Really? A state law library? For what purpose? The Supremes will still be blocks away, and they don't go to the library anyway. They, like more and more lawyers, use Westlaw or Lexis for legal research. It really seems like the law library is an unnecessary expense that, if it accomplishes any purpose, subsidizes lawyers. To give you an idea of its usefulness, its hours are Monday - Friday, 10 AM to 4 PM.

If the library has some archival function, why not shift that over the the State Historical Society? The state is casting around to save money; this seems like an opportunity.

But, I suspect it's sort of a backroom deal. See, one of the key factors in rating a law school is the size of its library. The more books, the higher rating. So, co-locating the law school with the law library will allow the law school to get accreditation easier, and will help it gain credibility (assuming the proper deal between the school and the law library for use of and access to the books).

Wind story exposes a lot of hot air

2010-08-25T13:02:00.002-06:00

From a story in the Statesman today about a large wind turbine project being built in south central Idaho.

First, note what Otter said of the project:

Otter said the development of the wind industry is the newest chapter in Idaho's long history of creating its own power using renewable sources, starting with the Swan Falls Dam on the Snake River, Idaho Power's first hydroelectric dam.

"The renewable energy industry is breathing new life into the Idaho frontier," said Otter.

The developer of the wind project said

"This project wouldn't exist save for the federal grant," Urquhart said.

Otter

acknowledged that without government help, Idaho would not have the energy system it has today.

It's nice to see the anti-government Governor admit that government can help, and can in fact breathe new life into the Idaho frontier.

Man, am I glad he's gone

2010-08-14T10:18:00.003-06:00

Bryan Fischer, now spreading his special brand of lies and hatred on a national stage.

Update: More on Fischer's wackiness here.

Peak wingnuttia?

2010-08-04T07:52:00.003-06:00

Nah, not even close, I suspect, but we've exceeded the wingnut capacity that I was expecting. Republicans are now seriously talking about repealing another constitutional amendment. First they took aim at the 17th Amendment (direct election of Senators) and now they want to repeal the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment provides important due process protections and requires states to abide by them. The wingers are unhappy with the amendment because it allows folks born on US soil to be US citizens.

Seriously, is there nothing these clowns won't stoop to in order to pander to the tea baggers? Do they have no sense of shame or embarrassment?

BSU vs. U of I

2010-07-28T07:43:00.003-06:00

The Statesman has a front page story today quoting BSU President Bob Kustra as saying that he doesn't care is BSU football ever plays U of I football again, because "it's a culture that's nasty [and] inebriated." Ouch.

I'm sure that UI fans are feeling kind of bruised about their rivalry with BSU these days. For many years, it was the leading university in the state. Many of the best programs, largest enrollment, best sports teams, and had the law school. Its graduates populated most of the most influential jobs, including many seats in the legislature. But now, that's changing.

BSU's football team is clearly the marquee team in Idaho, completely eclipsing UI's team. BSU now has the largest enrollment, it's growing and expanding its campus, its research grant money is flowing in faster and faster, and it looks poised to assume the mantle of the premiere university in the state. Of course, all the UI fans in influential positions will continue to try to hinder that and to promote UI, but it seems inevitable (to me, at least).

Another thing that appears inevitable (to me) is that the UI law school is essentially doomed, unless UI wises up and moves it to Boise or somewhere in the Treasure Valley. Concordia is opening a law school soon here in Boise, and once that gets up and running and accredited (assuming it does), it will start to siphon off students that are now going to UI.

Moscow is a pretty place and all, but the expense of moving there, and the relative lack of law-related employment opportunities in Moscow versus the Treasure Valley, makes it almost a no brainer that many students will choose Concordia over UI. UI law school is a good school and turns out fine lawyers, but it's a third-tier law school and doesn't really have any particular reason to draw students there, once there is an alternative. It shouldn't take Concordia too long to get at least ranked in the third tier, along with the UI law school, thus evening out any academic distinction between the two.

Concordia will be able to access leading lawyers in the state to serve as adjunct professors, its students will have the Supreme Court library about 6 blocks away, and the students will have many, many more chances to work in a legal position while in school. It's a location advantage that Moscow will never be able to match.

I talked to UI legal intern (he was in his 3rd year), and the guy said that he had to give up his business to move to Moscow, couldn't find a part time job, and his wife couldn't find a very decent paying job in the area, either. A huge economic hit. He'd have signed up at Concordia in a heartbeat, if he'd have had the option.

Once UI law-related enrollment dips, it could sink into sort of a death spiral (not that it will die, just shrink substantially). Less $$ to support it, fewer and fewer students, harder and harder to get the good professors. And over time (decades) as Concordia's grads work into influential positions, and into the legislature, one of UIs advantages (influence) will be offset and diminished.

Maybe the latter point is too distant and pie in the sky, but I do think that UI's salad days are soon to be over.

Travel is broadening

2010-07-22T19:18:00.010-06:00

So, I've been on a military conference this week in the Peppermill Hotel in Reno. Pretty decent place, hotel, bars, casino, the whole deal. Here are some random impressions. First, below is one of the prints hanging on the wall in my room. They're going for a "Tuscany" feel, or something. Frankly, French whorehouse comes to my mind. There are about 30 of these in the hallway, and two in each room, and lots of them hung all over, and 17 floors, so, um, over 2,000. More on these later.

Here's a nice touch that I haven't seen before. The snacks are on a "live sensor" that will instantly rack up an outrageous charge if I touch them. I've been on pins an needles all week, worrying I'll accidentally knock over the $8 bottle of water.

The casino is a modern casino, and they do a great job with the casinoness of it. All the bars and restaurants require a trip through the casino, but by the time I walk through this sensory overload experience, I'm too disoriented to eat. More later.

So, I go from the environment above, to this. Talk about mental whiplash.

Here's a pic of the honor guard as they prepared to retire the colors. I just find it interesting that they are shoulder to shoulder, not because of space issues, but, that's just the way it's done. The emcee calls the room to attention, and of course all us soldiers snap to, shoulders back, chests out, fingers curled, eyes front. But, almost all of the civilians adopt the same posture, because they are mostly retired military. And as I've written, it just gets ingrained and you do it without thinking. Kind of neat, I think, that the civilians also snap to attention in the correct posture. Except the civilian women; not many retired military women in the audience. They kind of slouch around and look uncomfortable.

Oh, and as far as broadening, given they way I've been eating, what's broadening is my kiester.

That's better

2010-07-13T13:13:00.004-06:00

A much more effective way of concealing your identity than the Lone Ranger masks.

Couldn't you have done us a favor and covered up Simpson's mug too?

This is telling

2010-07-11T09:49:00.002-06:00

The Statesman has a story suggesting that Otter is out of touch with Idaho's current economy, favoring extraction industries over high tech and new technology companies.

In China, Otter repeated the economic vision he has held for Idaho for decades.

"You've got to dig it out of the ground, you've got to grow it or you've got to cut it out of the forest," Otter said

But the most interesting thing to me in the article was this quote from a Dubois hay farmer.

"To me that's what the government is there for," Larsen said, "to help us create jobs and be friends to business."

That's right, government is good when it's helping business. But the attitude I get from most Republicans is that when government is trying to get health care for citizens or otherwise do something for people, it's very bad.

I just don't get that disconnect. Maybe it's the Dunning–Kruger effect.

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which an unskilled person makes poor decisions and reaches erroneous conclusions, but their incompetence denies them the metacognitive ability to realize their mistakes.

King of Fools

2010-07-02T09:10:00.007-06:00

Idaho Rep. Party Chair Norm Semanko has a "Reader's View" in the Statesman today (can't find it to link to it). The hilarious title? "The party of ideas wants to topple Obama's ivory tower."

Norm sprinkles various trite phrases and key words in his article, but doesn't mention a single idea his party came up with. He is just trying to take some shots at Dems but doesn't really say anything.

First off, in addition to the title, Norm writes "As the party of ideas" twice, clearly trying to confuse the reality that the GOP has no ideas for the country. Reality-based Reps (there are a few) even admit that the GOP bag of ideas is empty.

As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas, [Utah Sen. Bob] Bennett told The Ripon Society.

Bennett must have gotten an advance copy of Norm's "View," because he nailed it; slogans, but no ideas. Norm writes "liberal media," "liberal allies," "radical ivory tower experiments of the liberal establishment," and "the liberal ivory tower." Liberal liberal liberal, booga booga booga.

He refers to the "crippling agenda of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid," and to "what Obama, Pelosi and Reid have done to our great nation." He doesn't tell us what the agenda is, what is crippling about it, and doesn't identify what it is that these three folks have done to our nation that's so bad. Again, it's just "Obama Pelosi Reid, booga booga booga.

On the front page of the Statesman, above the fold, is a story titled "Loss of jobless checks costs families, economy." It says "Idaho could see $7 million a week less going to grocers, gas stations and other retailers if Congress doesn't act on a bill to extend unemployment benefits." What is Norm's "party of ideas" doing about this? They're filibustering extending the benefits. I guess their idea is to destroy families and local economies, in order to boost their chances at reelection. We are better off without that type of idea.

Unfortunately, this mindless drivel resonates with a certain segment of Idaho's citizenry, a segment that is in control of the Idaho Rep. party these days. That segment's ideas are things like requiring loyalty oaths, paying state fees in precious metals, and establishing a separate state militia. They have no ideas about how to get the economy going, to create jobs, to obtain energy independence, or about any of the other problems facing the nation.

As the chair of the Idaho Republican Party, Norm Semanko is the King of Fools, and tragically for Idaho, he'll always reign.

Can we be done now, please?

2010-06-30T07:48:00.002-06:00

It's time to end the debacle in Afghanistan. There are real American (and other country's) sons and daughters dying in Afghanistan, and it's become clear that continuing is pointless.

We can't "win" in Afghanistan simply by military action alone. The military, at best, can create a security climate in which an Afghan government can take firm hold. Unfortunately, President Karzai is showing little interest or ability in establishing a country wide government. Tribalism and corruption are preventing any real gains in good governance. Frankly, good government just isn't part of Afghan culture, at least lately.

I am convinced that we are wasting our troops, treasure and time in Afghanistan. We should wind down with all deliberate speed. If the country goes to hell after we leave, fine, let it. We gave it our best shot. It might be different if it appeared that they were serious about solving their problems, but such does not seem to be the case. All we're doing now is pouring money into the pockets of various strongmen in Afghanistan and the military-industrial complex in the US.

Yes, there is a risk of setting up another safe haven for Al Qaeda. That can be handled by satellite surveillance, by diverting some of the war bucks into human intel ops, and other means of detecting terrorist camps and bases. And when we detect them, we take them out.

Anybody out there volunteer for their child to die honorably fighting the Afghan war? Does anyone think that such a death is necessary? Would anyone equate that death with soldiers who died in the Revolutionary War, or either of the World Wars?

Our troops are willing to sacrifice their lives for America and the American way of life. The Afghan war will accomplish no goal justifying such a sacrifice.

Just desserts? Or tragedy?

2010-06-29T08:06:00.002-06:00

I heard a news report this morning about folks in the Louisiana, fishermen primarily, who are worried about getting compensation for their losses. They can't fish because of the spill, and want to make a claim against BP for their lost income.

Their problem is that they've been operating in a "cash economy." That is, they get paid for their catch in cash, and they don't declare the income. They don't get 1099s, they don't self-report, they don't pay taxes. And now they can't prove what income they had in order to support a claim for lost income.

Do we feel bad for these folks? Well, I do, but not very much. I have a former brother in law who worked as a waiter and bartender for years, and he pretty much hid most of this tip income from the IRS. This worked for years, until he wanted to buy a house and couldn't establish sufficient income to get the home loan. Decisions have consequences.

Not paying taxes is criminal activity, and it's tough to have much sympathy for folks who don't pay taxes but now want government to jump in and fix their problem. I feel bad for the innocent family members whose breadwinners are now out of work and out of luck, but it doesn't bother me to see these tax cheats suffer the consequences of their illegal behavior.

General McChrystal

2010-06-22T21:57:00.006-06:00

There's a word in German for what Gen. McChristal did in his interview with Rolling Stone in which he criticized his boss; crankenscheteppin (not really, I made that up).

I say, Obama should call him into the oval office and relieve McChristal of his command. Done. Reassigned, to some REMFP job, or, better resigned.

Please. Army officers tend to view Democratic presidents with contempt. Sacking McChrystal would help establish a firm chain of command. No one is irreplaceable, a key Army value. I mean really, should a war stop if a general got killed?

Update: I've known since right after I initially posted this that I misspelled his last name, but couldn't get it changed until now.

This is odd

2010-06-22T16:32:00.008-06:00

The Idaho Conservative Blogger has a page up with some pix from some recent Republican gathering in Sun Valley. In an effort to protect his identity, he painted a Lone Ranger type mask on his mug in the pix he posted. Now, I am an pseudonymous blogger and appreciate the desire to keep one's identity private. Still...

I just want to say, ICB, the painted on mask doesn't really work. You're still really recognizable. Plus, some of those pix make your eyes look, well, not flattering. Might want to rethink this way of protecting your identity.

Air travel

2010-06-21T08:28:00.003-06:00

I'm traveling again this week. Nashville, where I've never been, so that should be interesting. A couple of thoughts from the road. I wonder why stewardesses get so cranky about the back of your seat being fully upright for landing. You know, how far do those things recline 2-3 degrees? About 3-4 inches, tops. Does it really matter?

Also, I love walking through the airport in the early AM, because it cracks me up seeing people drinking beer in the bars at 0800.

Well, that's about it for now. Oh, one other thing. I never walk into an airport restroom any more without thinking about Larry Craig. Yeesh.

Sunrise over FOB Warrior

2010-06-13T13:01:00.003-06:00

It's been too long since I posted, and I don't have much to say at the moment, so I thought I'd put up a pic for your viewing pleasure. (Click to enlarge.) The FOB is up close, and the city of Kirkuk is in the background.

What got me thinking about this is a facebook post I recently saw. A husband of a friend posted an appeal for help. His wife was very active in Soldier's Angel for a while, and contacted me while I was in Iraq. We exchanged the occasional email, and she was very supportive. She sent me a small painting she did. She was nice to me.

Husband is asking for $$ donations to try to help get her out of jail, but didn't say what she was in for. Says he and the kids need her at home. She's been locked up since March.

Well, it took about 5 minutes to discover the charges. (See below.) She's charged with unlawful sexual contact with a person in her household between the age of 13 and 16, and also later charged with a violating a protective order. So, just guessing from the charges, she had some unlawful sexual contact with a teen in her home. It's difficult to think I want to contribute to sending her back into that situation.

She lists her political views in facebook as "strict conservative" and her religious views as " religious - Baptist."

People are complex, and this is a sorry situation. I'm kind of shocked.

Charges: Crime defined. A person who engages in sexual penetration with another person, and the complainant is at least 13 years of age but less than 16 years of age.

And, under the Domestic Abuse Act: Violation of an order for protection. (a) A person who violates an order for protection issued by a judge or referee is subject to the penalties provided in paragraphs (b) to (d).