Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Deep thought, part two
The question, now, is would any of the 60 Democrats in the U.S. Senate consider filibustering a proposal that included a public option? While Sen. Ben Nelson from Nebraska is a distinct possibility, one has to think that enough behind the scenes legislating can be conducted where they'd be permitted to vote against the final bill, but grant cloture.
Deep thought
Mother of Mary ... we might actually get a public option as part of a health care reform package.
That's 60
The Minnesota Supreme Court rules in the favor of Al Franken which should send him to Washington, D.C. just in time to fight for a public option for health care and cap-and-trade legislation.
The non-existent argument
Sen. Judson Hill is angling to be a front-line player in the growing fight against mandated participation in a government-run health care plan ... which would be fine if such a thing was up for discussion.
Of course, it's not, which makes all of the posturing kind of silly.
From CNS News ...
Georgia State Sen. Judson Hill, a Republican, said that the Obama plan would put a big strain on state budgets and told CNSNews.com that he would be interested in introducing similar legislation in the Georgia state house.
Medicaid and S-CHIP payments to states already make cutting costs untenable for states in lieu of a benefit cut or tax hike, Hill said.
He has introduced legislation to use state medical grants to go directly to patients as a sort of medical scholarship. (S-CHIP is the acronym for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, run by the federal Health and Human Services, which provides matching funds to states that provide expanded health insurance programs for families with children in low- to moderate-income brackets.)
“I call them federal crack dollars,” said Hill. “States get addicted to health dollars sent by the U.S. government.”
Leaving aside the colorful - and largely insulting - language employed by Hill, let's think about what he's arguing for.
Hill is talking about putting forward legislation that forbids Georgia citizens from being forcibly enrolled in a public health care program ... which, again, isn't what's up for discussion when folks talk about a 'public option' for health care reform. A public option would merely be an additional plan lumped into a proposed health exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage.
Of course, Hill's logic is absurdly flawed considering that SCHIP and Medicaid are programs provided by the federal government, partially funded by the states, that actually offer the benefits he would threaten to cut. Considering that the state has recklessly doled out tax breaks left and right to favored elements of the population, the evidence suggests the ongoing fiscal crisis in Georgia has been exacerbated by a series of tax cuts without any attempt to see if they're delivering a legitimate policy aim.
Of course, it's not, which makes all of the posturing kind of silly.
From CNS News ...
Georgia State Sen. Judson Hill, a Republican, said that the Obama plan would put a big strain on state budgets and told CNSNews.com that he would be interested in introducing similar legislation in the Georgia state house.
Medicaid and S-CHIP payments to states already make cutting costs untenable for states in lieu of a benefit cut or tax hike, Hill said.
He has introduced legislation to use state medical grants to go directly to patients as a sort of medical scholarship. (S-CHIP is the acronym for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, run by the federal Health and Human Services, which provides matching funds to states that provide expanded health insurance programs for families with children in low- to moderate-income brackets.)
“I call them federal crack dollars,” said Hill. “States get addicted to health dollars sent by the U.S. government.”
Leaving aside the colorful - and largely insulting - language employed by Hill, let's think about what he's arguing for.
Hill is talking about putting forward legislation that forbids Georgia citizens from being forcibly enrolled in a public health care program ... which, again, isn't what's up for discussion when folks talk about a 'public option' for health care reform. A public option would merely be an additional plan lumped into a proposed health exchange where individuals and small businesses could shop for coverage.
Of course, Hill's logic is absurdly flawed considering that SCHIP and Medicaid are programs provided by the federal government, partially funded by the states, that actually offer the benefits he would threaten to cut. Considering that the state has recklessly doled out tax breaks left and right to favored elements of the population, the evidence suggests the ongoing fiscal crisis in Georgia has been exacerbated by a series of tax cuts without any attempt to see if they're delivering a legitimate policy aim.
Hardin working on UGA decks
Interesting local tie to the Atlanta parking deck collapse as it seems the contractor, Hardin Construction Company, is also working on a pair of parking deck projects at the University of Georgia ...
Hardin Construction Co. of Atlanta serves as the general contractor for a 488-space deck under construction at the UGA intramural fields off College Station Road and a 445-space deck going up near the Performing Arts Center on East Campus.
Hardin, the general contractor on the collapsed Atlanta deck, also got fined $6,300 as one of three companies that was working at the Atlanta Botanical Garden when a pedestrian bridge collapsed in December, killing one worker and injuring 18.
Hardin Construction Co. of Atlanta serves as the general contractor for a 488-space deck under construction at the UGA intramural fields off College Station Road and a 445-space deck going up near the Performing Arts Center on East Campus.
Hardin, the general contractor on the collapsed Atlanta deck, also got fined $6,300 as one of three companies that was working at the Atlanta Botanical Garden when a pedestrian bridge collapsed in December, killing one worker and injuring 18.
Flying bugs
The persistence of the severe drought in recent years hindered, to some extent, the impact of mosquitos in Northeast Georgia. A return to more plentiful rainfalls this year, however, has raised the possibility of ample breeding.
The Athens-Clarke County government will again supply free briquets that reduce the ability of mosquito larvae to grow in standing water, while non-essential standing water should regularly be dumped out. Rain barrels, for instance, ought to include briquets to minimize the chances for breeding.
The program is open to Athens-Clarke County citizens.
For some additional information on the community's mosquito control program check out this web site or call 706.613.3795.
The Athens-Clarke County government will again supply free briquets that reduce the ability of mosquito larvae to grow in standing water, while non-essential standing water should regularly be dumped out. Rain barrels, for instance, ought to include briquets to minimize the chances for breeding.
The program is open to Athens-Clarke County citizens.
For some additional information on the community's mosquito control program check out this web site or call 706.613.3795.
Marlowe's venture
Via Dan, an Atlanta Business Chronicle article on James Marlowe's business venture.
Marlow ran as a Democrat in the 2007 special election to replace the late Rep. Charlie Norwood, and he garnered considerable support in Athens-Clarke County.
Marlow ran as a Democrat in the 2007 special election to replace the late Rep. Charlie Norwood, and he garnered considerable support in Athens-Clarke County.
Stimulus spending efficiency
Smart Growth America has released an analysis of the spending of federal stimulus money on transportation projects - and how efficient the states have been in prioritizing and allocating said funding - and it's arguably a mixed bag.
Georgia, for all of its needs to alleviate congestion in the urban areas, entered the round of funding in pretty solid condition. Only eight percent of our roads and bridges were considered to be not in 'good' condition, while our drivers spent only an additional $44 due to 'poor' roads. Both numbers were best in the country.
Our allocation and efficiency in utilizing the funds, however, is more mixed.
Georgia ranked 30th in the state rankings for effective usage of its stimulus money in the area of transportation, signifying a weakness in job creation and infrastructure repair and enhancement. The state allocated close to $330 million, or roughly 60 percent of all funding, toward roadway preservation projects, but only dedicated a little more than five percent to public transportation options.
According to the report, the majority of states have missed an opportunity to utilize the funding as a opportunity to remove the backlog of road repair projects and public transportation enhancements as it noted that one-third of the total amount of funding was used on new road construction. In Georgia, more than 30 percent was used for new roads and bridges.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has more than 10,000 projects backlogged right now, many of which are the result of the deliberate slowing down of the process for awarding construction grants by former DOT Chairperson Gena Evans. As a result, the waiting list for projects soon featured a price tag that far exceeded the DOT's ability to pay.
Vance Smith, a former representative in the Georgia General Assembly and vocal critic of Evans, was just tabbed to serve as the new chairman.
Georgia, for all of its needs to alleviate congestion in the urban areas, entered the round of funding in pretty solid condition. Only eight percent of our roads and bridges were considered to be not in 'good' condition, while our drivers spent only an additional $44 due to 'poor' roads. Both numbers were best in the country.
Our allocation and efficiency in utilizing the funds, however, is more mixed.
Georgia ranked 30th in the state rankings for effective usage of its stimulus money in the area of transportation, signifying a weakness in job creation and infrastructure repair and enhancement. The state allocated close to $330 million, or roughly 60 percent of all funding, toward roadway preservation projects, but only dedicated a little more than five percent to public transportation options.
According to the report, the majority of states have missed an opportunity to utilize the funding as a opportunity to remove the backlog of road repair projects and public transportation enhancements as it noted that one-third of the total amount of funding was used on new road construction. In Georgia, more than 30 percent was used for new roads and bridges.
The Georgia Department of Transportation has more than 10,000 projects backlogged right now, many of which are the result of the deliberate slowing down of the process for awarding construction grants by former DOT Chairperson Gena Evans. As a result, the waiting list for projects soon featured a price tag that far exceeded the DOT's ability to pay.
Vance Smith, a former representative in the Georgia General Assembly and vocal critic of Evans, was just tabbed to serve as the new chairman.
Couple of things
- Yeah, the bus ads are a great idea, but let's leave that alone and embrace that Winfield J. Abbe is a birther ... adding to his ever-growing list of conspiracy theories.
- OK, let's focus again on commenters ... the lone comment on this story proceeds to attacks non-profit organizations in town for not helping her son when his duplex burned down. Of course, she ticks off a variety of organizations who have missions which don't exactly parallel emergency assistance for temporary displaced individuals ... and she also points out, but then ignores, that the very organizations gave him vouchers to use.
- Actually, this is a good idea.
- Today at the new Royal Peasant Pub in Five Points - a pretty cool place to visit if you haven't yet been - is hosting the first Athens Green Drinks from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's an informal get-together that's open to folks interested in learning more about green building, sustainable living and transportation options. If you'd like to get future information on the group, you can sign up here.
- OK, let's focus again on commenters ... the lone comment on this story proceeds to attacks non-profit organizations in town for not helping her son when his duplex burned down. Of course, she ticks off a variety of organizations who have missions which don't exactly parallel emergency assistance for temporary displaced individuals ... and she also points out, but then ignores, that the very organizations gave him vouchers to use.
- Actually, this is a good idea.
- Today at the new Royal Peasant Pub in Five Points - a pretty cool place to visit if you haven't yet been - is hosting the first Athens Green Drinks from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's an informal get-together that's open to folks interested in learning more about green building, sustainable living and transportation options. If you'd like to get future information on the group, you can sign up here.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Obama hits Broun
Forget Paul Krugman as President Obama directly called out the 'logic' employed by Rep. Paul Broun ...
So are there going to be nay-sayers? Absolutely.
Are there going to be short-term instances where you can get political gain by scaring the bejesus out of people and telling them that their electricity rates are going to go up a thousand percent and this is going to be a tax of $3,000 -- even though the studies that they cite the authors of say that these guys are just lying about these costs?
So are there going to be nay-sayers? Absolutely.
Are there going to be short-term instances where you can get political gain by scaring the bejesus out of people and telling them that their electricity rates are going to go up a thousand percent and this is going to be a tax of $3,000 -- even though the studies that they cite the authors of say that these guys are just lying about these costs?
Krugman tackles Broun
Via Blake, Paul Krugman goes after Rep. Paul Broun ...
Indeed, if there was a defining moment in Friday’s debate, it was the declaration by Representative Paul Broun of Georgia that climate change is nothing but a “hoax” that has been “perpetrated out of the scientific community.” I’d call this a crazy conspiracy theory, but doing so would actually be unfair to crazy conspiracy theorists. After all, to believe that global warming is a hoax you have to believe in a vast cabal consisting of thousands of scientists — a cabal so powerful that it has managed to create false records on everything from global temperatures to Arctic sea ice.
Yet Mr. Broun’s declaration was met with applause.
Given this contempt for hard science, I’m almost reluctant to mention the deniers’ dishonesty on matters economic. But in addition to rejecting climate science, the opponents of the climate bill made a point of misrepresenting the results of studies of the bill’s economic impact, which all suggest that the cost will be relatively low.
Still, is it fair to call climate denial a form of treason? Isn’t it politics as usual?
Yes, it is — and that’s why it’s unforgivable.
Indeed, if there was a defining moment in Friday’s debate, it was the declaration by Representative Paul Broun of Georgia that climate change is nothing but a “hoax” that has been “perpetrated out of the scientific community.” I’d call this a crazy conspiracy theory, but doing so would actually be unfair to crazy conspiracy theorists. After all, to believe that global warming is a hoax you have to believe in a vast cabal consisting of thousands of scientists — a cabal so powerful that it has managed to create false records on everything from global temperatures to Arctic sea ice.
Yet Mr. Broun’s declaration was met with applause.
Given this contempt for hard science, I’m almost reluctant to mention the deniers’ dishonesty on matters economic. But in addition to rejecting climate science, the opponents of the climate bill made a point of misrepresenting the results of studies of the bill’s economic impact, which all suggest that the cost will be relatively low.
Still, is it fair to call climate denial a form of treason? Isn’t it politics as usual?
Yes, it is — and that’s why it’s unforgivable.
The competition argument
An interesting study brought to light in a recent Paul Krugman post.
In Georgia, 69 percent of the health insurance market is controlled by two entities, with 61 percent being held by WellPoint, Inc. The federal government has long considered a market to be 'highly concentrated' if one company has more than 42 percent of the market.
In Georgia, 69 percent of the health insurance market is controlled by two entities, with 61 percent being held by WellPoint, Inc. The federal government has long considered a market to be 'highly concentrated' if one company has more than 42 percent of the market.
Couple of things
- I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis, and what resulted with a three-part interview series touching on a variety of topics. The first one deals with the potential change to the structure of Oconee County's government. The second one addresses the perception that Davis has been an ineffective communicator, something the chairman strongly contests. And the third one focuses on Davis's belief that the proposed joint economic development partnership between Athens-Clarke County and Oconee County might work better as a more broad-based, regional organization with multiple members.
- John Reilly, one of the authors of the M.I.T. study that has been deliberately misrepresented by House Republicans - including Rep. Paul Broun - emailed me concerning his frustrations and bewilderment over their continued misuse of his work.
- Athens-Clarke County leaf and limb pickup is back on schedule with only a few batches of storm debris to gather up.
- James Simms is leaving some big shoes to fill.
- Inefficient government bureaucracies ... oh wait, you mean it worked better? Shocking.
- Personally, I think The Georgia Theater ought to transition to a non-profit entity, but I think this editorial raises good questions about the ongoing fundraising efforts. They're all being conducted with the best intentions in mind, but there's going to be three primary problems ... prioritizing the use of incoming funds, managing and oversight of the revenue and maintaining the need for ongoing fundraising. Formalizing the process somewhat - say with the creation of a 'Friends of The Georgia Theater' program - can help address those questions.
- I think this is incredibly noble and signifies Kristina Higgins having her priorities in place, but ... why participate in the contest anyway if you knew, going in, you couldn't fulfill its obligations?
- John Reilly, one of the authors of the M.I.T. study that has been deliberately misrepresented by House Republicans - including Rep. Paul Broun - emailed me concerning his frustrations and bewilderment over their continued misuse of his work.
- Athens-Clarke County leaf and limb pickup is back on schedule with only a few batches of storm debris to gather up.
- James Simms is leaving some big shoes to fill.
- Inefficient government bureaucracies ... oh wait, you mean it worked better? Shocking.
- Personally, I think The Georgia Theater ought to transition to a non-profit entity, but I think this editorial raises good questions about the ongoing fundraising efforts. They're all being conducted with the best intentions in mind, but there's going to be three primary problems ... prioritizing the use of incoming funds, managing and oversight of the revenue and maintaining the need for ongoing fundraising. Formalizing the process somewhat - say with the creation of a 'Friends of The Georgia Theater' program - can help address those questions.
- I think this is incredibly noble and signifies Kristina Higgins having her priorities in place, but ... why participate in the contest anyway if you knew, going in, you couldn't fulfill its obligations?
Davis interview, part three
(This is the third in a three-part series stemming from a sit-down interview with Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis on June 26, 2009. The first part can be found here, and the second part can be found here.)
A potential economic partnership might become a more broad-based, regional approach according to Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis, rather than merely a joint venture with Athens-Clarke County.
The initiative, which was considered a strong likelihood just six months ago, has stalled in Oconee County over the past few months.
At the beginning of the year, Davis told the Athens Banner-Herald that he expected the Oconee County Commission to approve the partnership by spring. Despite some initial concerns regarding appropriate funding for the venture, Athens-Clarke County commissioners approved it on March 3.
As of early March, Oconee County commissioners, who seemed to be largely supportive of the concept, still expected to be able to vote to approve the partnership within two months. That timetable, however, has passed, and Davis seems unlikely to pursue one that focuses on just the two counties ...
Should it just be Athens-Clarke and Oconee? I'm beginning to think that we may think broader than this.
Davis noted the successful partnerships the two counties have through more broad-based supported organizations, including the Bioscience Development Authority (with Barrow and Gwinnett counties), as well as the Innovation Crescent Group that's based in Cobb County with plans to stretch toward Augusta-Richmond County.
Davis praised the work being done by Rusty Haygood, the county's economic development director, for his efforts to recruit business to the community. As an example, he said that Haygood recently had traveled to Boston for a meeting focusing on bioscience technologies.
Compounding the concerns is the ongoing financial climate. He said Oconee County lacks the necessary funds to support a partnership at the level Athens-Clarke County would, and he noted that several businesses that would have helped provide private funds lack the capacity to do so in this economic environment.
Davis said he was hesistant to sacrifice any of Oconee County's existing financial resources during such tough times ...
I'm a firm believer that we've got to maintain a local presence with an economic development emphasis locally because it's much more than just marketing a region to land a big fish. We've got to do more for the little folks to bring in the companies and the business (like we have) along Epps Bridge Parkway, and I think that's something we need to do. So I wouldn't want to give up a Rusty Haygood out of Oconee County to go work on a regional effort, and we not have enough funds to supply the need locally.
For that reason, (the joint economic partnership) may turn into a broader emphasis than just Athens-Clarke and Oconee.
A potential economic partnership might become a more broad-based, regional approach according to Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis, rather than merely a joint venture with Athens-Clarke County.
The initiative, which was considered a strong likelihood just six months ago, has stalled in Oconee County over the past few months.
At the beginning of the year, Davis told the Athens Banner-Herald that he expected the Oconee County Commission to approve the partnership by spring. Despite some initial concerns regarding appropriate funding for the venture, Athens-Clarke County commissioners approved it on March 3.
As of early March, Oconee County commissioners, who seemed to be largely supportive of the concept, still expected to be able to vote to approve the partnership within two months. That timetable, however, has passed, and Davis seems unlikely to pursue one that focuses on just the two counties ...
Should it just be Athens-Clarke and Oconee? I'm beginning to think that we may think broader than this.
Davis noted the successful partnerships the two counties have through more broad-based supported organizations, including the Bioscience Development Authority (with Barrow and Gwinnett counties), as well as the Innovation Crescent Group that's based in Cobb County with plans to stretch toward Augusta-Richmond County.
Davis praised the work being done by Rusty Haygood, the county's economic development director, for his efforts to recruit business to the community. As an example, he said that Haygood recently had traveled to Boston for a meeting focusing on bioscience technologies.
Compounding the concerns is the ongoing financial climate. He said Oconee County lacks the necessary funds to support a partnership at the level Athens-Clarke County would, and he noted that several businesses that would have helped provide private funds lack the capacity to do so in this economic environment.
Davis said he was hesistant to sacrifice any of Oconee County's existing financial resources during such tough times ...
I'm a firm believer that we've got to maintain a local presence with an economic development emphasis locally because it's much more than just marketing a region to land a big fish. We've got to do more for the little folks to bring in the companies and the business (like we have) along Epps Bridge Parkway, and I think that's something we need to do. So I wouldn't want to give up a Rusty Haygood out of Oconee County to go work on a regional effort, and we not have enough funds to supply the need locally.
For that reason, (the joint economic partnership) may turn into a broader emphasis than just Athens-Clarke and Oconee.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Tough crowd
I've officially arrived with this critique from Winfield J. Abbe for my weekly column ...
This is a very low quality article and should not have been published. There is not one word about the totally unfair property tax or even how House Speaker Richardson sought to eliminate it recently.
Note that his primary concern is that I didn't address the fact that the property tax exists.
This is a very low quality article and should not have been published. There is not one word about the totally unfair property tax or even how House Speaker Richardson sought to eliminate it recently.
Note that his primary concern is that I didn't address the fact that the property tax exists.
Davis interview, part two
(This is the second in a three-part series stemming from a sit-down interview with Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis on June 26, 2009. The first part can be found here.)
Though inefficient communication has been touted as one of the central reasons for a proposed overhaul to the structure of Oconee County's local government, Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis doesn't feel as if that's the real impetus for the change ...
I think communication is an excuse, not a fact. My honest belief is that the board desires more direct involvement in the day-to-day operations of the government.
Furthermore, Davis said he felt as if he had earned an unnecessary and misguided reputation as a poor communicator. He spoke at length regarding the efforts of his staff to share information with the commission, and he said he has encouraged all commissioners to interact directly with the various departments in the government ('I encourage that, quite frankly, because they can get the information that much quicker by going directly to them ... That way they won't assume it's filtered because it's direct.').
Still, the perception exists, and, to be fair, I even carried it forth in my June 7 column. Davis said it's a frustrating stigma to deal with and stressed that his office is always eager to work with anyone who seeks additional information ...
I really do (feel as if there is an unfair perception regarding my communication skills). And I think, again, communication is a two-way street. I can't read the commission's mind, and I can't read the public's mind. I understand and know things as they call me and tell me or catch me on the street or whatever. I would prefer that kind of direct contact with anyone, whether it's a citizen or commissioner.
The recent negotiations over the budget, however, suggest some truth to Davis's argument. There was considerable debate over various line items inside the county's budget, such as the preservation of funding for Keep Oconee Beautiful, that was conducted at the meeting.
It's understandable, given that the majority of the commissioners either work or have worked in managerial positions throughout their professional careers. Chuck Horton, for instance, served as the chief of police for the University of Georgia, while John Daniell has served as the chief controller for a regional company. The transition to a collaborative, decision-making body which sets policy and, traditionally, has a hands-off approach when it comes to day-to-day operations, is arguably a challenging one.
Plus, there's nothing inherently wrong with commissioners desiring more control and more oversight in not only the development of policy, but also how said policy is being implemented.
Davis stressed that he respects his counterparts, and he praised the experiences and perspectives they bring to the commission. Still, his belief that most of its members wish to assume more authority has him somewhat concerned ...
County commissioners need to be knowledgeable in order to be able to make policy, but I think, frankly, that getting into the day-to-day operations (is something to be concerned about). If there are issues they have, I'd encourage them to pick up the phone and call me about it. If there are particular issues, sometimes, it gets difficult (to resolve) when you have folks dealing with minutiae.
If you want to get that specific in, say, how you spend those dollars, and you have to come back and ask a board of commissioners if you can do this and if you can do that, then I think you're going to slow down the efficiency of our county government and the services we provide to the public.
Though inefficient communication has been touted as one of the central reasons for a proposed overhaul to the structure of Oconee County's local government, Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis doesn't feel as if that's the real impetus for the change ...
I think communication is an excuse, not a fact. My honest belief is that the board desires more direct involvement in the day-to-day operations of the government.
Furthermore, Davis said he felt as if he had earned an unnecessary and misguided reputation as a poor communicator. He spoke at length regarding the efforts of his staff to share information with the commission, and he said he has encouraged all commissioners to interact directly with the various departments in the government ('I encourage that, quite frankly, because they can get the information that much quicker by going directly to them ... That way they won't assume it's filtered because it's direct.').
Still, the perception exists, and, to be fair, I even carried it forth in my June 7 column. Davis said it's a frustrating stigma to deal with and stressed that his office is always eager to work with anyone who seeks additional information ...
I really do (feel as if there is an unfair perception regarding my communication skills). And I think, again, communication is a two-way street. I can't read the commission's mind, and I can't read the public's mind. I understand and know things as they call me and tell me or catch me on the street or whatever. I would prefer that kind of direct contact with anyone, whether it's a citizen or commissioner.
The recent negotiations over the budget, however, suggest some truth to Davis's argument. There was considerable debate over various line items inside the county's budget, such as the preservation of funding for Keep Oconee Beautiful, that was conducted at the meeting.
It's understandable, given that the majority of the commissioners either work or have worked in managerial positions throughout their professional careers. Chuck Horton, for instance, served as the chief of police for the University of Georgia, while John Daniell has served as the chief controller for a regional company. The transition to a collaborative, decision-making body which sets policy and, traditionally, has a hands-off approach when it comes to day-to-day operations, is arguably a challenging one.
Plus, there's nothing inherently wrong with commissioners desiring more control and more oversight in not only the development of policy, but also how said policy is being implemented.
Davis stressed that he respects his counterparts, and he praised the experiences and perspectives they bring to the commission. Still, his belief that most of its members wish to assume more authority has him somewhat concerned ...
County commissioners need to be knowledgeable in order to be able to make policy, but I think, frankly, that getting into the day-to-day operations (is something to be concerned about). If there are issues they have, I'd encourage them to pick up the phone and call me about it. If there are particular issues, sometimes, it gets difficult (to resolve) when you have folks dealing with minutiae.
If you want to get that specific in, say, how you spend those dollars, and you have to come back and ask a board of commissioners if you can do this and if you can do that, then I think you're going to slow down the efficiency of our county government and the services we provide to the public.
The read
From my Sunday column in the Athens Banner-Herald ...
Compounding problems is the lack of desire to bring about real change. Last session, the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that would have slashed the state capital gains tax, despite volumes of statistical evidence suggesting such a move would reward more than 90 percent of the benefits to the 5 percent of wealthiest Georgians, negatively affect the state's budget during an ongoing fiscal crisis and provide little to no real economic stimulus.
Gov. Sonny Perdue wisely vetoed the bill, but the eagerness of so many in Atlanta to back such a foolish and costly measure should give pause.
If the same politicians are sent back to Atlanta - year after year without question in many cases - and the majority of the state's citizens are calling for sensible tax reform, why aren't they getting serious about actually doing the work of their constituents?
Compounding problems is the lack of desire to bring about real change. Last session, the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation that would have slashed the state capital gains tax, despite volumes of statistical evidence suggesting such a move would reward more than 90 percent of the benefits to the 5 percent of wealthiest Georgians, negatively affect the state's budget during an ongoing fiscal crisis and provide little to no real economic stimulus.
Gov. Sonny Perdue wisely vetoed the bill, but the eagerness of so many in Atlanta to back such a foolish and costly measure should give pause.
If the same politicians are sent back to Atlanta - year after year without question in many cases - and the majority of the state's citizens are calling for sensible tax reform, why aren't they getting serious about actually doing the work of their constituents?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Debunking the $3,100
Rep. Paul Broun, in addition to just flat-out denying the human factor in global warming, has been peddling inaccurate statistics and trying to present them as fact.
I had previously pointed out how Broun's argument was factually flawed - in addition to how it was deliberately constructed to be misleading for his constituents - and earlier today, John Reilly, one of the authors of the M.I.T. study that is being misused by House Republicans to push forward the incorrect '$3,100 per household increase' meme being trotted around, emailed me with some additional thoughts.
Reilly has been vocal in his frustrations with the misrepresentation of his study, conducted in 2007, and he even approached the House Republican leadership to inform them they were inappropriately intepreting his findings.
His response to me ...
I am surprised (the $3,100 number) is still being used. It is somewhat peculiar that they cite our study as an authoritative source for this information yet do not accept clarifications by the authors as authoritative. I'm not sure what the CBO has done. I know people who work there who are good analysts but I believe they are faced with some specific rules in terms of how they score legislation.
The main difference appears to be that they would like to interpret any auction revenue as a tax and a cost. But even using this definition it is not clear to me that allowances are being auctioned in that manner, and so the interpretation even if you were to accept that view seems wrong.
Government revenue from an auction does end up back in people's pockets one way or another, and the current legislation goes to considerable length to make sure that the value of allowances will be distributed to middle and lower income people and to offset the increased costs to energy consumers. Thus, I think it is highly misleading to portray the full value of the permits allocated as a "cost."
We hope to conduct new analysis of the legislation that evaluates costs to households of different income levels and of different regions of the country, including consideration of the various mechanism for allocation the allowances and revenue from them, and thus provide a better picture of impacts on households that find themselves in different circumstances.
I had previously pointed out how Broun's argument was factually flawed - in addition to how it was deliberately constructed to be misleading for his constituents - and earlier today, John Reilly, one of the authors of the M.I.T. study that is being misused by House Republicans to push forward the incorrect '$3,100 per household increase' meme being trotted around, emailed me with some additional thoughts.
Reilly has been vocal in his frustrations with the misrepresentation of his study, conducted in 2007, and he even approached the House Republican leadership to inform them they were inappropriately intepreting his findings.
His response to me ...
I am surprised (the $3,100 number) is still being used. It is somewhat peculiar that they cite our study as an authoritative source for this information yet do not accept clarifications by the authors as authoritative. I'm not sure what the CBO has done. I know people who work there who are good analysts but I believe they are faced with some specific rules in terms of how they score legislation.
The main difference appears to be that they would like to interpret any auction revenue as a tax and a cost. But even using this definition it is not clear to me that allowances are being auctioned in that manner, and so the interpretation even if you were to accept that view seems wrong.
Government revenue from an auction does end up back in people's pockets one way or another, and the current legislation goes to considerable length to make sure that the value of allowances will be distributed to middle and lower income people and to offset the increased costs to energy consumers. Thus, I think it is highly misleading to portray the full value of the permits allocated as a "cost."
We hope to conduct new analysis of the legislation that evaluates costs to households of different income levels and of different regions of the country, including consideration of the various mechanism for allocation the allowances and revenue from them, and thus provide a better picture of impacts on households that find themselves in different circumstances.
Davis interview, part one
(This is the first in a three-part series stemming from a sit-down interview with Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis on June 26, 2009.)
Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis is concerned that a proposed ordinance aimed at streamling communication within the local government will dramatically restructure the type of government utilized by Oconee County without the appropriate public input.
He initially made his concerns public at the end of last week's Oconee County Commission meeting.
He said then, and reiterated to me, the potential changes would have the county revert back to a county manager form of government.
Oconee County has utilized the county manager form of government in the recent past. Between 1988 and 1998, the county had five part-time commissioners and hired a full-time manager to oversaw the day-to-day operations of the community. During this timespan, however, Oconee County employed six county managers.
In 1998, Oconee County shifted to its current form of government with an elected, full-time chairman and four, part-time commissioners. Upon assuming office, Davis worked with staff to get citizen feedback regarding their statisfaction with the chairman/CEO style of government, and he said their internal study, conducted in 2000, found that 65 percent of those surveyed or interviewed preferred it over the county manager form of government.
Davis said if the ordinance was enacted, he believed the commission would return to the pre-1998 form of governance ...
The way I saw this going made it feel like that - based on the legislation we operate under - I felt like the board was restructuring the government in such a way that it would be a different form of government that what I thought we were legislatively authorized to do.
The Oconee Enterprise, in its reporting of the meeting, noted that several of the commissioners sat in silence, implying they were taken back by the comments. Davis said, however, he made the commission aware of his concerns the previous day via email. The chairman shared with them a copy of a letter that detailed some of his concerns he had earlier sent to the county attorney.
Davis said his concerns are two-fold. First and foremost would be gauging not only the community's mood toward such dramatic changes, but also making sure there was considerable citizen input if any change were to occur ...
I think one of the things I have to remember is that this position - or any position here - belongs to the citizens of Oconee County. It doesn't just belong to me. If this is a direction the board and the citizens want to go in, then I just think that we need to go through the proper process. I thought we were going through - and I used the term 'backdoor' - a path to get us a county manager form of government, and that's not the type of government we have (now). ...
Again, the citizens need to be involved. The citizens need to knowledgable of what may take place and what they desire in this system. We need to follow their guidance and direction, whether it may be through options we ought to look at and then give to the board and citizens and let them select what is most beneficial for them. And then let's go through the process with the legislature to enact it and get voter approval.
Also troubling to Davis was the potential for confusion with regard to management. The existing proposal would restructure some elements of the government and put various members of staff under the direct supervision of the Oconee County Commission, including its administrative officer and financial officer ...
Just from being a manager for a long period of time, it's pretty difficult for an individual to answer to five people. It's problematic.
Oconee County Commission Chairman Melvin Davis is concerned that a proposed ordinance aimed at streamling communication within the local government will dramatically restructure the type of government utilized by Oconee County without the appropriate public input.
He initially made his concerns public at the end of last week's Oconee County Commission meeting.
He said then, and reiterated to me, the potential changes would have the county revert back to a county manager form of government.
Oconee County has utilized the county manager form of government in the recent past. Between 1988 and 1998, the county had five part-time commissioners and hired a full-time manager to oversaw the day-to-day operations of the community. During this timespan, however, Oconee County employed six county managers.
In 1998, Oconee County shifted to its current form of government with an elected, full-time chairman and four, part-time commissioners. Upon assuming office, Davis worked with staff to get citizen feedback regarding their statisfaction with the chairman/CEO style of government, and he said their internal study, conducted in 2000, found that 65 percent of those surveyed or interviewed preferred it over the county manager form of government.
Davis said if the ordinance was enacted, he believed the commission would return to the pre-1998 form of governance ...
The way I saw this going made it feel like that - based on the legislation we operate under - I felt like the board was restructuring the government in such a way that it would be a different form of government that what I thought we were legislatively authorized to do.
The Oconee Enterprise, in its reporting of the meeting, noted that several of the commissioners sat in silence, implying they were taken back by the comments. Davis said, however, he made the commission aware of his concerns the previous day via email. The chairman shared with them a copy of a letter that detailed some of his concerns he had earlier sent to the county attorney.
Davis said his concerns are two-fold. First and foremost would be gauging not only the community's mood toward such dramatic changes, but also making sure there was considerable citizen input if any change were to occur ...
I think one of the things I have to remember is that this position - or any position here - belongs to the citizens of Oconee County. It doesn't just belong to me. If this is a direction the board and the citizens want to go in, then I just think that we need to go through the proper process. I thought we were going through - and I used the term 'backdoor' - a path to get us a county manager form of government, and that's not the type of government we have (now). ...
Again, the citizens need to be involved. The citizens need to knowledgable of what may take place and what they desire in this system. We need to follow their guidance and direction, whether it may be through options we ought to look at and then give to the board and citizens and let them select what is most beneficial for them. And then let's go through the process with the legislature to enact it and get voter approval.
Also troubling to Davis was the potential for confusion with regard to management. The existing proposal would restructure some elements of the government and put various members of staff under the direct supervision of the Oconee County Commission, including its administrative officer and financial officer ...
Just from being a manager for a long period of time, it's pretty difficult for an individual to answer to five people. It's problematic.
Friday, June 26, 2009
No arson in Theater fire
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says arson did not cause the fire at The Georgia Theater ...
The three-alarm blaze that gutted the Athens music landmark last Friday morning appears to have begun in the northwest corner of the 120-year-old building. That’s where a dressing room and large closet are located. Just what sparked the fire is not known.
“Based on all the investigative leads at this point, we can’t call it accidental, we can’t call it foul play,” Dondi Albritton, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, told reporters in Athens Thursday. “It’s undetermined.”
The three-alarm blaze that gutted the Athens music landmark last Friday morning appears to have begun in the northwest corner of the 120-year-old building. That’s where a dressing room and large closet are located. Just what sparked the fire is not known.
“Based on all the investigative leads at this point, we can’t call it accidental, we can’t call it foul play,” Dondi Albritton, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, told reporters in Athens Thursday. “It’s undetermined.”
Hooray!
By a 219-212 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation which establishes a cap-and-trade program, representing the most significant action ever undertaken by the nation to combat global warming.
As expected, Rep. Paul Broun voted no, and so did former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Rep. John Barrow (he was one of 44 Democrats to oppose the bill).
As expected, Rep. Paul Broun voted no, and so did former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Rep. John Barrow (he was one of 44 Democrats to oppose the bill).
Back up Michelle
Rep. Paul Broun isn't only against cap-and-trade legislation - and beyond using deliberately misleading tactics and inaccurate statistics to vent his disapproval - but he's also not entirely sure that global warming is real.
Arguably, he's pushing back against Rep. Michelle Bachmann taking the crazy mantle from him.
Arguably, he's pushing back against Rep. Michelle Bachmann taking the crazy mantle from him.
The citation discussion
In order to get a little additional clarity regarding the policies regarding citing bloggers and other various online sources, I exchanged some emails with both Jason Winders, the executive editor at the Athens Banner-Herald (and my former boss and all-around good guy), as well as Allison Floyd, the assistant metro editor at the ABH. Both offered some insight on not only the particular case of not citing Lee Becker, but also regarding the relationship between traditional media and new media.
Winders said the paper has no particular policy regarding referencing or citing bloggers or other forms of online media, and he was quick to point out that the Banner-Herald has cited Becker on other occasions. And, Adam Thompson, the former beat writer for Oconee County, cited Becker in his blog post which proved to be his first reporting on the subject.
Floyd said, likewise that bloggers are cited when it's appropriate. She said that if the reporting done by her staff is original reporting and not drawn from the other sources, there is no reason to cite the original reporting.
In other cases, since most blogs are run by individual operators, Floyd said that 'blogs are treated like citizen campaigns and the blogger becomes a part of the story, quoted as an agitator who is shaking things up.'
Regarding Thompson's article, Floyd said the original draft was too long, and since her reporter had done the necessary investigative work - and since the story focused on the Oconee County Commission and not Becker's investigation of the commission - an included reference was viewed as extraneous information that was cut ...
While I might have left in a parenthetical that said Becker blogged about the meetings, news stories don't usually mention where a writer heard a potential story idea. The AJC doesn't mention the Banner-Herald unless the story uses information that the AJC didn't independently verify.
Winders said that while there appears to be some residual friction between some in the traditional media (typically non-day-to-day journalists) and some in new media who are seeking attention, overall the relationship between the two entities has evolved nicely ...
For the rest of us working every day in the industry, bloggers are just part of the day job now. Sort of fun watching that evolve over the years, however.
Winders said the paper has no particular policy regarding referencing or citing bloggers or other forms of online media, and he was quick to point out that the Banner-Herald has cited Becker on other occasions. And, Adam Thompson, the former beat writer for Oconee County, cited Becker in his blog post which proved to be his first reporting on the subject.
Floyd said, likewise that bloggers are cited when it's appropriate. She said that if the reporting done by her staff is original reporting and not drawn from the other sources, there is no reason to cite the original reporting.
In other cases, since most blogs are run by individual operators, Floyd said that 'blogs are treated like citizen campaigns and the blogger becomes a part of the story, quoted as an agitator who is shaking things up.'
Regarding Thompson's article, Floyd said the original draft was too long, and since her reporter had done the necessary investigative work - and since the story focused on the Oconee County Commission and not Becker's investigation of the commission - an included reference was viewed as extraneous information that was cut ...
While I might have left in a parenthetical that said Becker blogged about the meetings, news stories don't usually mention where a writer heard a potential story idea. The AJC doesn't mention the Banner-Herald unless the story uses information that the AJC didn't independently verify.
Winders said that while there appears to be some residual friction between some in the traditional media (typically non-day-to-day journalists) and some in new media who are seeking attention, overall the relationship between the two entities has evolved nicely ...
For the rest of us working every day in the industry, bloggers are just part of the day job now. Sort of fun watching that evolve over the years, however.
Couple of things
- There's simply no other way to say it outside of Rep. Paul Broun has a huge factual error in his forum, thus undermining his entire argument.
- The Oconee Enterprise reports that, in the wake of the recent budget battle, Oconee County Chairman Melvin Davis suggested the Oconee County Commission consider moving to a county manager form of government.
- I had hoped for either Ty Lawson or Tyler Hansborough, but Jeff Teague is a decent pick given the board and the acquisition of Jamal Crawford is a good move.
- The first summer recipe is in, and this one is from Mary McKillip, wife of Rep. Doug McKillip.
- Follow the advice of this editorial and go check out AthFest this weekend.
- The Oconee Enterprise reports that, in the wake of the recent budget battle, Oconee County Chairman Melvin Davis suggested the Oconee County Commission consider moving to a county manager form of government.
- I had hoped for either Ty Lawson or Tyler Hansborough, but Jeff Teague is a decent pick given the board and the acquisition of Jamal Crawford is a good move.
- The first summer recipe is in, and this one is from Mary McKillip, wife of Rep. Doug McKillip.
- Follow the advice of this editorial and go check out AthFest this weekend.
Error in fact, not opinion
Rep. Paul Broun has a forum in the Athens Banner-Herald on the cap-and-trade legislation being debated in Congress right now, and there's no real need to hash out the philosophical differences he and I have. We disagree, and that's fair enough.
This is, however, a massive problem with Broun's commentary - it's built upon a factual error which, therefore, directly impacts his entire argument ...
Summer travel season has officially begun, and liberals have scheduled a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives on a national energy tax that will implement $646 billion in new taxes on the American people. Although my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refer to it as cap-and-trade legislation, I prefer to call it the Cap, Tax and Cripple legislation because it will raise your family's energy costs by more than $3,100 a year.
If you're wondering if you'll be affected by this $3,100 increase, the answer is yes, because it affects everyone who drives a car, buys American products or flips on the light switch when they come home. In these tough economic times, Georgia's families already are pinching pennies, and this crippling tax will force you to tighten your budget belt yet another notch.
The usage of the $3,100 as the numerical impact on families is inaccurate. The Congressional Budget Office, at the request of Rep. Dave Camp, a Republican congressman from Michigan, conducted an analysis of the proposed legislation, and their findings were dramatically different ...
... the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the net annual economywide cost of the cap-and-trade program in 2020 would be $22 billion—or about $175 per household. That figure includes the cost of restructuring the production and use of energy and of payments made to foreign entities under the program, but it does not include the economic benefits and other benefits of the reduction in GHG emissions and the associated slowing of climate change. CBO could not determine the incidence of certain pieces (including both costs and benefits) that represent, on net, about 8 percent of the total. For the remaining portion of the net cost, households in the lowest income quintile would see an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020, while households in the highest income quintile would see a net cost of $245. Added costs for households in the second lowest quintile would be about $40 that year; in the middle quintile, about $235; and in the fourth quintile, about $340. Overall net costs would average 0.2 percent of households’ after-tax income.
Even the number cited by Broun is misleading, as noted by The St. Petersburg Times earlier this year. That number is drawn from an M.I.T. study conducted by John Reilly which was grossly cherry-picked to justify a particular line of argument.
Reilly, in fact, directly confronted the leadership of the House Republicans in an attempt to cease their mischaracterization of his work. Reilly's work, in fact, delivered numbers that parallel the CBO's findings ...
"It's just wrong," said John Reilly, an energy, environmental and agricultural economist at M.I.T. and one of the authors of the report. "It's wrong in so many ways it's hard to begin." ...
That's just not how economists calculate the cost of a tax proposal, Reilly said. The tax might push the price of carbon-based fuels up a bit, but other results of a cap-and-trade program, such as increased conservation and more competition from other fuel sources, would put downward pressure on prices. Moreover, consumers would get some of the tax back from the government in some form.
The report did include an estimate of the net cost to individuals, called the "welfare" cost. It would be $30.89 per person in 2015, or $79 per family if you use the same average household size the Republicans used of 2.56 people.
The cost would grow over time as the program ramps up, but the average annual cost over time in today's dollars — that is, the "average annual net present value cost" — is still just $85 per person, Reilly said. That would be $215.05 per household.
Now, I want to be clear about this ...
This is a factual error.
It's not subjective opinion which Broun is entitled to, but rather an incorrect figure which he structures his entire argument around. With this number being proven to be dramatically smaller than the congressman claims, it provides an entirely different perspective for how to view his commentary, as well as how to evaluate his motivations for putting it forward.
It's a factual error, and that means it needs to be corrected.
This is, however, a massive problem with Broun's commentary - it's built upon a factual error which, therefore, directly impacts his entire argument ...
Summer travel season has officially begun, and liberals have scheduled a vote today in the U.S. House of Representatives on a national energy tax that will implement $646 billion in new taxes on the American people. Although my colleagues on the other side of the aisle refer to it as cap-and-trade legislation, I prefer to call it the Cap, Tax and Cripple legislation because it will raise your family's energy costs by more than $3,100 a year.
If you're wondering if you'll be affected by this $3,100 increase, the answer is yes, because it affects everyone who drives a car, buys American products or flips on the light switch when they come home. In these tough economic times, Georgia's families already are pinching pennies, and this crippling tax will force you to tighten your budget belt yet another notch.
The usage of the $3,100 as the numerical impact on families is inaccurate. The Congressional Budget Office, at the request of Rep. Dave Camp, a Republican congressman from Michigan, conducted an analysis of the proposed legislation, and their findings were dramatically different ...
... the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the net annual economywide cost of the cap-and-trade program in 2020 would be $22 billion—or about $175 per household. That figure includes the cost of restructuring the production and use of energy and of payments made to foreign entities under the program, but it does not include the economic benefits and other benefits of the reduction in GHG emissions and the associated slowing of climate change. CBO could not determine the incidence of certain pieces (including both costs and benefits) that represent, on net, about 8 percent of the total. For the remaining portion of the net cost, households in the lowest income quintile would see an average net benefit of about $40 in 2020, while households in the highest income quintile would see a net cost of $245. Added costs for households in the second lowest quintile would be about $40 that year; in the middle quintile, about $235; and in the fourth quintile, about $340. Overall net costs would average 0.2 percent of households’ after-tax income.
Even the number cited by Broun is misleading, as noted by The St. Petersburg Times earlier this year. That number is drawn from an M.I.T. study conducted by John Reilly which was grossly cherry-picked to justify a particular line of argument.
Reilly, in fact, directly confronted the leadership of the House Republicans in an attempt to cease their mischaracterization of his work. Reilly's work, in fact, delivered numbers that parallel the CBO's findings ...
"It's just wrong," said John Reilly, an energy, environmental and agricultural economist at M.I.T. and one of the authors of the report. "It's wrong in so many ways it's hard to begin." ...
That's just not how economists calculate the cost of a tax proposal, Reilly said. The tax might push the price of carbon-based fuels up a bit, but other results of a cap-and-trade program, such as increased conservation and more competition from other fuel sources, would put downward pressure on prices. Moreover, consumers would get some of the tax back from the government in some form.
The report did include an estimate of the net cost to individuals, called the "welfare" cost. It would be $30.89 per person in 2015, or $79 per family if you use the same average household size the Republicans used of 2.56 people.
The cost would grow over time as the program ramps up, but the average annual cost over time in today's dollars — that is, the "average annual net present value cost" — is still just $85 per person, Reilly said. That would be $215.05 per household.
Now, I want to be clear about this ...
This is a factual error.
It's not subjective opinion which Broun is entitled to, but rather an incorrect figure which he structures his entire argument around. With this number being proven to be dramatically smaller than the congressman claims, it provides an entirely different perspective for how to view his commentary, as well as how to evaluate his motivations for putting it forward.
It's a factual error, and that means it needs to be corrected.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Davis calls their bluff
The Oconee Enterprise picked up on an untold nugget of information that occurred in the closing moments of its Tuesday meeting.
After approving a $34 million budget for FY2010, which deviated significantly from Oconee County Chairman Melvin Davis's initial budget proposal which relied on utilizing $1 million out of $10 million in the county's reserve fund, Davis directly confronted the micro-management that could creep into the day-to-day functions of the local government ...
On the county manager topic, Davis continued quietly, "The board needs to consider the county manager form of government. If you want to change the form of government that you have, handle it up front with citizen input."
Later he said, "It's my feeling that the board wants to pass an ordinance initiating a county manager form of government. In my opinion, this is wrong. If a county manager form of government is desired, we should not do this in a backdoor manner. We need to be up front with our citizens and approach this system in the proper way."
I argued in my column on June 7 that the battle over the budget was more about the relationship between Davis and the commission rather than an actual haggling over the numbers. And Davis, for his part, gets that.
And, according to The Oconee Enterprise, that caught his most vocal critics off-guard ...
When Davis finished, the board sat silently. Finally John Daniell said, "I don't want to change the form of government or strip the chairman of anything."
After approving a $34 million budget for FY2010, which deviated significantly from Oconee County Chairman Melvin Davis's initial budget proposal which relied on utilizing $1 million out of $10 million in the county's reserve fund, Davis directly confronted the micro-management that could creep into the day-to-day functions of the local government ...
On the county manager topic, Davis continued quietly, "The board needs to consider the county manager form of government. If you want to change the form of government that you have, handle it up front with citizen input."
Later he said, "It's my feeling that the board wants to pass an ordinance initiating a county manager form of government. In my opinion, this is wrong. If a county manager form of government is desired, we should not do this in a backdoor manner. We need to be up front with our citizens and approach this system in the proper way."
I argued in my column on June 7 that the battle over the budget was more about the relationship between Davis and the commission rather than an actual haggling over the numbers. And Davis, for his part, gets that.
And, according to The Oconee Enterprise, that caught his most vocal critics off-guard ...
When Davis finished, the board sat silently. Finally John Daniell said, "I don't want to change the form of government or strip the chairman of anything."
Summer fare
For those who know me, one of my more enjoyable hobbies is cooking. And, given that I also like to write (as evidenced by this blog), I figured I marry the two somewhat.
So, on Thursdays for the rest of the summer, I'm sharing recipes with a summer theme from various folks around the community. Our first entry comes from Mary McKillip, the wife of Rep. Doug McKillip ...
This is a recipe my mom has cooked for me every since I was a little girl during the summer when we got fresh shrimp. Now I cook it for Doug and the three boys. I usually double this recipe for our family of five.
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
12 oz cooked peeled shrimp
½ cup chopped green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons salad oil (I use Italian dressing)
1 one-pound can (2 cups) tomatoes
1 8 oz can seasoned tomato sauce
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
Cook onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until tender but not brown.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Simmer uncovered 45 minutes.
Mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water.
Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce.
Cook and stir mixture until it thickens.
Add shrimp and green peppers.
Cover and simmer about 5 minutes until green peppers tender.
So, on Thursdays for the rest of the summer, I'm sharing recipes with a summer theme from various folks around the community. Our first entry comes from Mary McKillip, the wife of Rep. Doug McKillip ...
This is a recipe my mom has cooked for me every since I was a little girl during the summer when we got fresh shrimp. Now I cook it for Doug and the three boys. I usually double this recipe for our family of five.
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped celery
12 oz cooked peeled shrimp
½ cup chopped green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
3 tablespoons salad oil (I use Italian dressing)
1 one-pound can (2 cups) tomatoes
1 8 oz can seasoned tomato sauce
1 ½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash of Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
Cook onion, celery, and garlic in hot oil until tender but not brown.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
Simmer uncovered 45 minutes.
Mix cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of water.
Stir cornstarch mixture into sauce.
Cook and stir mixture until it thickens.
Add shrimp and green peppers.
Cover and simmer about 5 minutes until green peppers tender.
Not a surprise
You mean opposition to the public health option is based on subjective opinions, not grounded in objective facts?
Shocking.
Shocking.
Your move Paul
I never know exactly who is more crazy, Rep. Paul Broun or Rep. Michelle Bachmann.
Well, Bachmann made a strong attempt to take the honor (for today at least) ...
"Take this into consideration. If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps," said Bachmann. "I'm not saying that that's what the Administration is planning to do, but I am saying that private personal information that was given to the Census Bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up, in a violation of their constitutional rights, and put the Japanese in internment camps."
At this point even (Fox News Anchor) Megyn Kelly, who had been gladly dishing out the anti-ACORN talk along with Bachmann, had to take a step back and raise the point that the Japanese internment was a long time ago and we haven't had such abuses since then.
For some context on how this fits into Bachmann's overall worldview, keep in mind that she's previously warned of the threat of "re-education camps" where young people would be indoctrinated into the government's official philosophy.
Well, Bachmann made a strong attempt to take the honor (for today at least) ...
"Take this into consideration. If we look at American history, between 1942 and 1947, the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt, and that's how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps," said Bachmann. "I'm not saying that that's what the Administration is planning to do, but I am saying that private personal information that was given to the Census Bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up, in a violation of their constitutional rights, and put the Japanese in internment camps."
At this point even (Fox News Anchor) Megyn Kelly, who had been gladly dishing out the anti-ACORN talk along with Bachmann, had to take a step back and raise the point that the Japanese internment was a long time ago and we haven't had such abuses since then.
For some context on how this fits into Bachmann's overall worldview, keep in mind that she's previously warned of the threat of "re-education camps" where young people would be indoctrinated into the government's official philosophy.
Um, how?
One of Gov. Mark Sanford's love letters to his Argentinian mistress include a reference comparing them to the characters in The Thornbirds.
Mull that over for a while.
Mull that over for a while.
Couple of things
- Continuing an interesting - and necessary - discussion on the role of new media in news gathering.
- So, we're just supposed to kill them ourselves? And can a chunk of that funding for the Athens Area Humane Society be yanked away for, aside from the obvious changing of address, but also its sudden decision to not do what's being paid to do?
- Wow. Chris Withers has absolutely no idea what a 'donation' is. He must also be the guy who makes change in the offering plate at church and filters for coins in public water fountains.
- Robert Reich swats away criticisms of the public option.
- So it seems that Gov. Mark Sanford was hiking the trail in an entirely different sense, and The State has some incredibly uncomfortable emails that broke the story.
- Speaking of that, TPM makes fun of Erick ... which is entertaining, but also too easy on most days.
- Not that it's terribly shocking that Clarke County Board of Education is opposed to, you know, doing something proactive, but is puzzling considering the legwork done by parents, teachers and volunteers, along with various organizations such as BikeAthens. An interesting read worth checking out.
- So, we're just supposed to kill them ourselves? And can a chunk of that funding for the Athens Area Humane Society be yanked away for, aside from the obvious changing of address, but also its sudden decision to not do what's being paid to do?
- Wow. Chris Withers has absolutely no idea what a 'donation' is. He must also be the guy who makes change in the offering plate at church and filters for coins in public water fountains.
- Robert Reich swats away criticisms of the public option.
- So it seems that Gov. Mark Sanford was hiking the trail in an entirely different sense, and The State has some incredibly uncomfortable emails that broke the story.
- Speaking of that, TPM makes fun of Erick ... which is entertaining, but also too easy on most days.
- Not that it's terribly shocking that Clarke County Board of Education is opposed to, you know, doing something proactive, but is puzzling considering the legwork done by parents, teachers and volunteers, along with various organizations such as BikeAthens. An interesting read worth checking out.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Giving credit
Lee Becker conducted an informal study of how Oconee County residents gather their information, and he noted that seven percent of them mentioned alternative online sources (i.e. blogs). He put a lot of work into it, and it's an interesting read that I recommend, but that's not what caught my eye ...
Neither in the story nor in the editorial did the Banner-Herald mention that it had learned about the secret meeting from a citizen blog.
Former Banner-Herald reporter Adam Thompson, who wrote the paper’s story, told me in an email message he sent me on June 4 that he had revealed that he had learned about the secret meeting from my blog in the story he wrote, but the editors removed the reference from the story before it was published. (Thompson has left the paper to go to law school.)
That's interesting ... and fairly disheartening.
Grift offered some comment on it when it all began to break ...
When, where and how Becker should have been credited should be debated. However, it is clear the Athens Banner-Herald missed an opportunity to use the transparency shield as a tool to give its readers a complete vision of this particular story and glimpse at how all stories emerge. A beneficial by-product would have been appropriate credit for Dr. Becker and possibly a strengthening of the perception of the new media warrior and the traditional media guardian sharing the role of protectors of democracy.
In full disclosure - and readers of this blog should be fully aware of this - I write a regular column for the Athens Banner-Herald, and the paper credits me as running this blog. And the overwhelming majority of my writings at this blog is geared toward commentary of news covered by the ABH, but I do, from time to time, compete in the breaking news category (though I lack the resources and time to effectively do so on a regular basis).
I cut my teeth in journalism at the Banner-Herald, and one of the lessons imparted on me by my mentors was that, if you're beat on a story, you offer the appropriate credit to the outlet that beat you during the initial reporting. Any complimentary work done afterward is yours and yours alone, but you give credit where credit is due.
And that makes this disappointing.
This particular episode is even more enlightening given the reaction of the traditional broadcast newtorks to President Obama calling on a blogger during his most recent press conference. The blogger, who writes for The Huffington Post, has been scrutinized by various traditional media outlets and featured as a guest on others. And the story is less about the question he asked (which was, quite frankly, the toughest one tossed to the president), but rather why he got to ask it.
I've never been the type of blogger who's believed that we can effectively challenge the full-time, day-to-day reporting institutions like newspapers, radio or TV. However, I do believe that the emerging social media can offer a unique perspective and offer a strong parallel when it comes to immediate reporting and analysis of news and events.
Consider the recent coverage of The Georgia Theater fire, and how social media drove the intial reporting of that incident. Photos were posted at Flickr and up-to-the-second comments streamed in from Twitter. Various blogs, such as mine, then collected this information - added our own reporting and/or commentary - and then distributed that in a centralized location.
I didn't beat the traditional media on anything, but I was able to gather a wide collection of citizen photographs - including ones that offered the first glimpse of the inside of the building - and that complimented the ongoing coverage from that newspaper. The Banner-Herald's staff delivered exceptional investigative and feature works in the aftermath of the fire that has helped fill in the blanks after the various elements of social media provided the up-to-the-minute news of what was going on.
It's a symbiotic relationship, not an either-or scenario, and it is frustrating to see this crop up.
Neither in the story nor in the editorial did the Banner-Herald mention that it had learned about the secret meeting from a citizen blog.
Former Banner-Herald reporter Adam Thompson, who wrote the paper’s story, told me in an email message he sent me on June 4 that he had revealed that he had learned about the secret meeting from my blog in the story he wrote, but the editors removed the reference from the story before it was published. (Thompson has left the paper to go to law school.)
That's interesting ... and fairly disheartening.
Grift offered some comment on it when it all began to break ...
When, where and how Becker should have been credited should be debated. However, it is clear the Athens Banner-Herald missed an opportunity to use the transparency shield as a tool to give its readers a complete vision of this particular story and glimpse at how all stories emerge. A beneficial by-product would have been appropriate credit for Dr. Becker and possibly a strengthening of the perception of the new media warrior and the traditional media guardian sharing the role of protectors of democracy.
In full disclosure - and readers of this blog should be fully aware of this - I write a regular column for the Athens Banner-Herald, and the paper credits me as running this blog. And the overwhelming majority of my writings at this blog is geared toward commentary of news covered by the ABH, but I do, from time to time, compete in the breaking news category (though I lack the resources and time to effectively do so on a regular basis).
I cut my teeth in journalism at the Banner-Herald, and one of the lessons imparted on me by my mentors was that, if you're beat on a story, you offer the appropriate credit to the outlet that beat you during the initial reporting. Any complimentary work done afterward is yours and yours alone, but you give credit where credit is due.
And that makes this disappointing.
This particular episode is even more enlightening given the reaction of the traditional broadcast newtorks to President Obama calling on a blogger during his most recent press conference. The blogger, who writes for The Huffington Post, has been scrutinized by various traditional media outlets and featured as a guest on others. And the story is less about the question he asked (which was, quite frankly, the toughest one tossed to the president), but rather why he got to ask it.
I've never been the type of blogger who's believed that we can effectively challenge the full-time, day-to-day reporting institutions like newspapers, radio or TV. However, I do believe that the emerging social media can offer a unique perspective and offer a strong parallel when it comes to immediate reporting and analysis of news and events.
Consider the recent coverage of The Georgia Theater fire, and how social media drove the intial reporting of that incident. Photos were posted at Flickr and up-to-the-second comments streamed in from Twitter. Various blogs, such as mine, then collected this information - added our own reporting and/or commentary - and then distributed that in a centralized location.
I didn't beat the traditional media on anything, but I was able to gather a wide collection of citizen photographs - including ones that offered the first glimpse of the inside of the building - and that complimented the ongoing coverage from that newspaper. The Banner-Herald's staff delivered exceptional investigative and feature works in the aftermath of the fire that has helped fill in the blanks after the various elements of social media provided the up-to-the-minute news of what was going on.
It's a symbiotic relationship, not an either-or scenario, and it is frustrating to see this crop up.
Kind of an alert
One of the fastest things circulating through various neighborhood and parent-centric listservs is an 'alert' regarding a potential sexual predator stalking out Five Points. I've received two emails regaring it, and a notice is posted at The Kid's child care center.
Since there are multiple mentions and sightings of the guy, I assume it's legitimate. Whether or not he's an actual sexual predator is another question, but he's arguably drawn ample suspicion given his actions.
So, if you've got kids, do what you're supposed to do on a daily basis which is keep close tabs on them. If you're child's in day care, make sure the facility is aware, but trust the staff and security.
One of the emails going around had the potential predator ask a mother who was watching a boy - who happened to be her son - playing at the far end of Memorial Park. The mother said she was, scooped up her children and left.
As far as descriptions, this is from an email forwarded to me ...
He is a white male with no hair (shaven) and has a neatly trimmed reddish auburn
mustache and beard. He is driving a smaller red pickup truck with black and white checkered trim on his tailgate and has tons of bumper stickers in the cab window (it almost looks like a toy truck - like a lego truck). The tag is Virginia XVH 8157.
Since there are multiple mentions and sightings of the guy, I assume it's legitimate. Whether or not he's an actual sexual predator is another question, but he's arguably drawn ample suspicion given his actions.
So, if you've got kids, do what you're supposed to do on a daily basis which is keep close tabs on them. If you're child's in day care, make sure the facility is aware, but trust the staff and security.
One of the emails going around had the potential predator ask a mother who was watching a boy - who happened to be her son - playing at the far end of Memorial Park. The mother said she was, scooped up her children and left.
As far as descriptions, this is from an email forwarded to me ...
He is a white male with no hair (shaven) and has a neatly trimmed reddish auburn
mustache and beard. He is driving a smaller red pickup truck with black and white checkered trim on his tailgate and has tons of bumper stickers in the cab window (it almost looks like a toy truck - like a lego truck). The tag is Virginia XVH 8157.
Couple of things
- Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison shared some additional thoughts on the community's response to the March 1 storm and resulting debris collection.
- A highly entertaining post by Blake that manages to include a link to a Ginuwine video.
- The 'compromise' for Keep Oconee Beautiful means cutting the position just later in the year, which would, of course, put the organization in blatant violation of state by-laws. The Oconee County Commission - with John Daniell steering this program-cutting, fee-hiking train - did manage to avoid using 1/10th of its reserve fund, so I suppose we should all thank them?
- Well, at least they found him, but Mother of Mary ... isn't this more than a little irresponsible on Gov. Mark Sanford's part? To have his office deliberately lie to the public regarding his whereabouts when there was absolutely no reason to?
- You know, it might just take awhile to figure it out.
- How many 'Farewell Suzanne Yoculan' stories must we sit through?
- In an only marginally embarassing admission, I've always been fascinated by random high school-themed comedies, particularly ones that center on graduation. So it's no surprise that I've enjoyed Say Anything and American Pie and even that random one with Jennifer Love Hewitt ... and, knowing that, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm oddly intrigued by I Love You, Beth Cooper.
- A highly entertaining post by Blake that manages to include a link to a Ginuwine video.
- The 'compromise' for Keep Oconee Beautiful means cutting the position just later in the year, which would, of course, put the organization in blatant violation of state by-laws. The Oconee County Commission - with John Daniell steering this program-cutting, fee-hiking train - did manage to avoid using 1/10th of its reserve fund, so I suppose we should all thank them?
- Well, at least they found him, but Mother of Mary ... isn't this more than a little irresponsible on Gov. Mark Sanford's part? To have his office deliberately lie to the public regarding his whereabouts when there was absolutely no reason to?
- You know, it might just take awhile to figure it out.
- How many 'Farewell Suzanne Yoculan' stories must we sit through?
- In an only marginally embarassing admission, I've always been fascinated by random high school-themed comedies, particularly ones that center on graduation. So it's no surprise that I've enjoyed Say Anything and American Pie and even that random one with Jennifer Love Hewitt ... and, knowing that, it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm oddly intrigued by I Love You, Beth Cooper.
Davison on leaf and limb
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison was kind enough to give some additional insight into the leaf and limb pickup response
Echoing the observations made by Jim Corley, Athens-Clarke County's solid waste director, Davison said the volume of tonnage was far beyond what the community expected and what it had previously dealt with. She conceded that it had been frustrating to have so much debris accumulate across the community, but that the system was simply overwhelmed.
There appear to be, however, some hints of confusion. Corley recommended against waiving the landfill fees for leaf and limb delivery, but also pointed out that such a waiver was beyond his control. He told me that only the mayor and commission could issue such a waiver, thus implying that it was that body's responsibility to do so if it so desired.
Davison responded by pointing out that such decisions would fall under the guidance of staff as they are 'day-to-day operational questions that are handled by staff and management' and that the commission 'trust(s) these individuals to use their expertise and experience to make critical decisions.'
She concurred with Corley, though, that a waiver would have negatively impacted the community's enterprise fund, which is supported by the fees from the landfill. Likewise, she said that even with a waiver, there is no way to ensure that folks would take advantage of the opportunity ...
One way or another, whether paying for the use of private vehicles, waiving fees, or assigning personnel the costs to get the job done still exceeded the department's budget. I honestly don't think having a couple of people checking the vehicles would have necessarily been a good use of time. First of all, we have no idea how many would have personally delivered their debris, which could potentially have left staff waiting and the sheer size of the piles, assuming it was brought by individuals, probably would make it difficult to check for any foreign material.
Davison said the usual spring maintenance of yards added to the already large piles, and she also suggested that lawn service companies contributed to the problem. She said that 'some people took advantage of the situation' which compounded the problem ...
Lawn maintenance crews, who are by law required to remove debris from properties they service, simply left the leaf and limb behind knowing it would be picked up by staff thereby also increasing the amount to be hauled away. Boom trucks experienced failure on and off throughout the process.
Davison did praise staff for their response, particularly with their immediate action in partnering with other departments to remove fallen leaf and limb, as well as downed wires, from roads in the days following the storm. Once that job was complete, they set out to sweep through the neighborhoods one-by-one - working six days a week - until all debris was removed.
Overall, I think the staff did a good job. ... despite the length of time to complete the work and some level of frustration, I'd say staff worked hard and performed well under some tough circumstances.
Echoing the observations made by Jim Corley, Athens-Clarke County's solid waste director, Davison said the volume of tonnage was far beyond what the community expected and what it had previously dealt with. She conceded that it had been frustrating to have so much debris accumulate across the community, but that the system was simply overwhelmed.
There appear to be, however, some hints of confusion. Corley recommended against waiving the landfill fees for leaf and limb delivery, but also pointed out that such a waiver was beyond his control. He told me that only the mayor and commission could issue such a waiver, thus implying that it was that body's responsibility to do so if it so desired.
Davison responded by pointing out that such decisions would fall under the guidance of staff as they are 'day-to-day operational questions that are handled by staff and management' and that the commission 'trust(s) these individuals to use their expertise and experience to make critical decisions.'
She concurred with Corley, though, that a waiver would have negatively impacted the community's enterprise fund, which is supported by the fees from the landfill. Likewise, she said that even with a waiver, there is no way to ensure that folks would take advantage of the opportunity ...
One way or another, whether paying for the use of private vehicles, waiving fees, or assigning personnel the costs to get the job done still exceeded the department's budget. I honestly don't think having a couple of people checking the vehicles would have necessarily been a good use of time. First of all, we have no idea how many would have personally delivered their debris, which could potentially have left staff waiting and the sheer size of the piles, assuming it was brought by individuals, probably would make it difficult to check for any foreign material.
Davison said the usual spring maintenance of yards added to the already large piles, and she also suggested that lawn service companies contributed to the problem. She said that 'some people took advantage of the situation' which compounded the problem ...
Lawn maintenance crews, who are by law required to remove debris from properties they service, simply left the leaf and limb behind knowing it would be picked up by staff thereby also increasing the amount to be hauled away. Boom trucks experienced failure on and off throughout the process.
Davison did praise staff for their response, particularly with their immediate action in partnering with other departments to remove fallen leaf and limb, as well as downed wires, from roads in the days following the storm. Once that job was complete, they set out to sweep through the neighborhoods one-by-one - working six days a week - until all debris was removed.
Overall, I think the staff did a good job. ... despite the length of time to complete the work and some level of frustration, I'd say staff worked hard and performed well under some tough circumstances.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Non-myths
Just for kicks, I always enjoy taking a gander at Fox News whenever there is some type of big news story so I can get a gauge on how they're playing it. And, with President Obama's press conference earlier today, I figured it was worthwhile checking into. Naturally they cheered the 'tougher talk' on Iran, even though it sounded a lot like the earlier talk coming from the president on Iran they had previously criticized as being too timid, but whatever.
Still, what drew my eye was Elizabeth McDonald's piece on 'Health Care Myths' which is one of the most baffling, ill-informed and flat-out misleading hit jobs perpetuated by conservative pundits in a long time. It's a staggeringly inadequate commentary that does nothing but address some supposed 'myths' (or non-myths in most cases), and then simply talk around them for three or four paragraphs in a woeful attempt to dismiss them.
For example, McDonald can't believe the numbers put forward by the Centers for Disease Control that lists the United States 29th globally in infant mortality rate. So, she completely reinvents what should constitute the mortality rate and determines that, instead, we're only 16th. Obviously, this is ill-advised for two reasons. The first one is that it's preposterous for her to determine what factors ought to be considered, while the other is she still comes up with a number that is absolutely shameful.
And it gets more fabulous from there.
The fact that more than 45 million people lack health insurance is refuted by arguing that everyone in the country is afforded the right to health coverage, which is true ... but a wholly other argument. For starters, the uninsured will then have to pay out-of-pocket to cover those costs without any help from insurance. And, if they can't, the cost is passed on to other consumers meaning higher costs for everyone else.
McDonald also argues that 38 percent of the uninsured make more than $50,000 a year, obviously meaning they can afford to pay for health insurance. Assuming a family of four brings home that much money, which would roughly equal $4,000 per month, let's starting dividing that income up ... $1,200 for mortgage, $500 for child care, $500 for groceries, $500 for existing debt, $500 for vehicle payment ... and we've got $800 left. And, assuming they lack an employer match, they're staring at roughly every remaining penny going toward health coverage. Plus, we're not even touching any other usual expenses that families face.
I particularly enjoyed the deliberate confusion surrounding the public option as McDonald argues that such a plan wouldn't help the international competiveness of U.S. companies. While there's actually some elements of truth to this line of argument, it's not relevant since the ongoing debate involves the impact of a public option on domestic private insurance ... something that both sides concede would result in private providers having to dramatically reform how they do business. Those opposed don't wish to see that happen, while those in favor, like me, very much want to see it happen.
It's just an arrogantly insulting piece that provides nothing to the actual discourse going on right now, which is par for the course for those who wish to preserve the unsustainable status quo.
Still, what drew my eye was Elizabeth McDonald's piece on 'Health Care Myths' which is one of the most baffling, ill-informed and flat-out misleading hit jobs perpetuated by conservative pundits in a long time. It's a staggeringly inadequate commentary that does nothing but address some supposed 'myths' (or non-myths in most cases), and then simply talk around them for three or four paragraphs in a woeful attempt to dismiss them.
For example, McDonald can't believe the numbers put forward by the Centers for Disease Control that lists the United States 29th globally in infant mortality rate. So, she completely reinvents what should constitute the mortality rate and determines that, instead, we're only 16th. Obviously, this is ill-advised for two reasons. The first one is that it's preposterous for her to determine what factors ought to be considered, while the other is she still comes up with a number that is absolutely shameful.
And it gets more fabulous from there.
The fact that more than 45 million people lack health insurance is refuted by arguing that everyone in the country is afforded the right to health coverage, which is true ... but a wholly other argument. For starters, the uninsured will then have to pay out-of-pocket to cover those costs without any help from insurance. And, if they can't, the cost is passed on to other consumers meaning higher costs for everyone else.
McDonald also argues that 38 percent of the uninsured make more than $50,000 a year, obviously meaning they can afford to pay for health insurance. Assuming a family of four brings home that much money, which would roughly equal $4,000 per month, let's starting dividing that income up ... $1,200 for mortgage, $500 for child care, $500 for groceries, $500 for existing debt, $500 for vehicle payment ... and we've got $800 left. And, assuming they lack an employer match, they're staring at roughly every remaining penny going toward health coverage. Plus, we're not even touching any other usual expenses that families face.
I particularly enjoyed the deliberate confusion surrounding the public option as McDonald argues that such a plan wouldn't help the international competiveness of U.S. companies. While there's actually some elements of truth to this line of argument, it's not relevant since the ongoing debate involves the impact of a public option on domestic private insurance ... something that both sides concede would result in private providers having to dramatically reform how they do business. Those opposed don't wish to see that happen, while those in favor, like me, very much want to see it happen.
It's just an arrogantly insulting piece that provides nothing to the actual discourse going on right now, which is par for the course for those who wish to preserve the unsustainable status quo.
Couple of things
- Athens-Clarke County opted against waiving landfill fees in response to the storm, while representatives from one neighborhood said the elected officials were the most helpful throughout the process.
- Investigations begin for The Georgia Theater fire.
- So Jon and Kate are getting divorced, which isn't terribly shocking. I wonder what the over-under is for Jon landing a random spot on a celebrity reality show is.
- While I agree that the potential impact on the budget is a concern, it surely shouldn't be one that deters positive local tax reform. The counter would be to increase the tax base in other areas, primarily through the redevelopment of depleted commercial areas thus raising property values in some areas and encouraging more sales tax revenue. The circuit breaker idea is a valid idea that needs to be pursued.
- I've argued for it before, but not filling the budget gaps with the available revenue is ridiculous. It's in the bank, and it's ready to be used. Instead, the Oconee County Commission is all about cutting popular programs and raising fees on parents.
- Maybe now that we have multiple polls showing that more than 70 percent of the country favors a public option in any type of health reform - coupled with the fact that the House of Representatives has stated it can't pass any reform without a public option - we can get the three or four dawddling senators to actually embrace what the overwhelming majority of the nation wants.
- Ed McMahon died.
- Well, at least in Georgia our governor hasn't gone missing.
- Investigations begin for The Georgia Theater fire.
- So Jon and Kate are getting divorced, which isn't terribly shocking. I wonder what the over-under is for Jon landing a random spot on a celebrity reality show is.
- While I agree that the potential impact on the budget is a concern, it surely shouldn't be one that deters positive local tax reform. The counter would be to increase the tax base in other areas, primarily through the redevelopment of depleted commercial areas thus raising property values in some areas and encouraging more sales tax revenue. The circuit breaker idea is a valid idea that needs to be pursued.
- I've argued for it before, but not filling the budget gaps with the available revenue is ridiculous. It's in the bank, and it's ready to be used. Instead, the Oconee County Commission is all about cutting popular programs and raising fees on parents.
- Maybe now that we have multiple polls showing that more than 70 percent of the country favors a public option in any type of health reform - coupled with the fact that the House of Representatives has stated it can't pass any reform without a public option - we can get the three or four dawddling senators to actually embrace what the overwhelming majority of the nation wants.
- Ed McMahon died.
- Well, at least in Georgia our governor hasn't gone missing.
More on the response
Marty Winkler, who runs the listserv for Briarcliff, and I exchanged some emails detailing her neighborhood's frustrations with the leaf and limb pickup. Winkler said that, after being scheduled for pickup in early June, it was delayed three times.
The latter was too much for her, and she said she contacted Athens-Clarke County District Seven Commissioner Kathy Hoard, who then spoke with Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison. She said the positive response from the two elected officials was a refreshing change of pace after the numerous delays from staff. In fact, within two to three days after contacting Hoard, Winkler said her debris was picked up.
She added that she received an email from Davison thanking them for their patience and assuring them of pickup soon. Winkler also noted that Davison said the experience had been 'exceptionally exasperating.'
The latter was too much for her, and she said she contacted Athens-Clarke County District Seven Commissioner Kathy Hoard, who then spoke with Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison. She said the positive response from the two elected officials was a refreshing change of pace after the numerous delays from staff. In fact, within two to three days after contacting Hoard, Winkler said her debris was picked up.
She added that she received an email from Davison thanking them for their patience and assuring them of pickup soon. Winkler also noted that Davison said the experience had been 'exceptionally exasperating.'
Monday, June 22, 2009
A limb for leaf pickup
It's not exactly like Sen. John McCain saying 'the fundamentals of our economy are strong' while the financial world melted around him, but Athens-Clarke County Manager Alan Reddish's statement that only a handful of neighborhoods remained on the community's leaf and limb pickup schedule is already causing some headaches.
Of course, Reddish's statement given to the commission appears to be less than accurate.
As both I and Hillary noted, leaf and limb debris remained throughout the Boulevard area, while commenters at the Athens Banner-Herald said that various eastside streets still had not been picked up. Likewise, in a letter to the editor today, Ron Evans gave a detailed listing of areas that still had not been picked up.
Athens-Clarke County is approaching its fifth month of addressing the clean-up after the March 1 storm that dumped more than six inches of snow across Northeast Georgia, and the frustration with the response has been steadily growing.
According to various sources, one of the inquiries made to staff was the possibility of waiving the fees charged to individuals who bring their yard waste to the landfill. This was dismissed, however, out of concern of abuse.
Jim Corley, the solid waste director for the community, told me via an email exchange that out of previous troubles with fee waivers, he wasn't too high on the idea. He said the landfill receives no tax supports and the fees support its operation, including fees charged to the leaf and limb division of the government. As a result, in Corley's words, waiving the fee would allow individuals 'to be subsidized by others as the general fund of the government then has to pay for those that choose to self haul their materials.'
In addition, Corley said the landfill does not have sufficient personnel to effectively monitor the leaf and limb pile to check and make sure folks aren't bringing in prohibited items. He added the bulk of the previous problems when fees were waived were with self haulers.
In Oconee County, the waiver of fees for self hauling was one of two primary strategies aimed to remove the debris from the streets. According to personnel at the landfill, the fees were waived for all leaf and limb for approximately a month. To protect against abuse, two individuals were positioned at the facility's weighing station to check all vehicles.
While Corley said that previous experiences had deterred him from embracing or encouraging a fee waiver, he also noted that it wasn't within his authority to do so anyway ...
ACC has waived the fees in the past. It is a Mayor and Commission decision as the fee is an ACC Code.
Corley noted that his department was authorized to hire additional trucks in May, which was necessary given the demand ...
In early May we were authorized to hire additional trucks to assist with the cleanup of the debris. They have been working with us since that time. Most governments are not set up to handle extraordinary events such as this. The cost to have excess trucks and personnel for once in a decade or more event would be irresponsible.
Now, viewing the responses between the two counties is not an apples to apples comparison for a variety of reasons. Athens-Clarke County offers regular leaf and limb pickup through its public services, and it's a substantially larger community. Likewise, Corley argued the community faced more severe storm damage then the surrounding counties, thus increasing the tonnage it had to deal with.
There's considerable truth to that argument. Said Corley ...
To date since the storm we have collected more than 5,600 tons of material and over 8,200 tons for the fiscal year (Jul 1- June 30). The most we have ever collected in a previous storm year was 6028 tons.
The scope of the damage was far greater than anything the department has had to deal with, thus compounding the difficulties with the response. Still, the efficiency in the Oconee County response stands in contrast to the tedious one in Athens-Clarke County. In addition to the fee waiver, it also sent out trucks to conduct debris pickups, despite not offering leaf and limb pickup as a regular service to county residents (city residents of Watksinville, however, do have pickup service).
Most debris in Oconee County were picked up or delivered to the landfill within one month of the storm. Again, however, it's important to view this through the prism of size and scope as there were considerably more properties to service in Athens-Clarke County than Oconee County.
Of course, Reddish's statement given to the commission appears to be less than accurate.
As both I and Hillary noted, leaf and limb debris remained throughout the Boulevard area, while commenters at the Athens Banner-Herald said that various eastside streets still had not been picked up. Likewise, in a letter to the editor today, Ron Evans gave a detailed listing of areas that still had not been picked up.
Athens-Clarke County is approaching its fifth month of addressing the clean-up after the March 1 storm that dumped more than six inches of snow across Northeast Georgia, and the frustration with the response has been steadily growing.
According to various sources, one of the inquiries made to staff was the possibility of waiving the fees charged to individuals who bring their yard waste to the landfill. This was dismissed, however, out of concern of abuse.
Jim Corley, the solid waste director for the community, told me via an email exchange that out of previous troubles with fee waivers, he wasn't too high on the idea. He said the landfill receives no tax supports and the fees support its operation, including fees charged to the leaf and limb division of the government. As a result, in Corley's words, waiving the fee would allow individuals 'to be subsidized by others as the general fund of the government then has to pay for those that choose to self haul their materials.'
In addition, Corley said the landfill does not have sufficient personnel to effectively monitor the leaf and limb pile to check and make sure folks aren't bringing in prohibited items. He added the bulk of the previous problems when fees were waived were with self haulers.
In Oconee County, the waiver of fees for self hauling was one of two primary strategies aimed to remove the debris from the streets. According to personnel at the landfill, the fees were waived for all leaf and limb for approximately a month. To protect against abuse, two individuals were positioned at the facility's weighing station to check all vehicles.
While Corley said that previous experiences had deterred him from embracing or encouraging a fee waiver, he also noted that it wasn't within his authority to do so anyway ...
ACC has waived the fees in the past. It is a Mayor and Commission decision as the fee is an ACC Code.
Corley noted that his department was authorized to hire additional trucks in May, which was necessary given the demand ...
In early May we were authorized to hire additional trucks to assist with the cleanup of the debris. They have been working with us since that time. Most governments are not set up to handle extraordinary events such as this. The cost to have excess trucks and personnel for once in a decade or more event would be irresponsible.
Now, viewing the responses between the two counties is not an apples to apples comparison for a variety of reasons. Athens-Clarke County offers regular leaf and limb pickup through its public services, and it's a substantially larger community. Likewise, Corley argued the community faced more severe storm damage then the surrounding counties, thus increasing the tonnage it had to deal with.
There's considerable truth to that argument. Said Corley ...
To date since the storm we have collected more than 5,600 tons of material and over 8,200 tons for the fiscal year (Jul 1- June 30). The most we have ever collected in a previous storm year was 6028 tons.
The scope of the damage was far greater than anything the department has had to deal with, thus compounding the difficulties with the response. Still, the efficiency in the Oconee County response stands in contrast to the tedious one in Athens-Clarke County. In addition to the fee waiver, it also sent out trucks to conduct debris pickups, despite not offering leaf and limb pickup as a regular service to county residents (city residents of Watksinville, however, do have pickup service).
Most debris in Oconee County were picked up or delivered to the landfill within one month of the storm. Again, however, it's important to view this through the prism of size and scope as there were considerably more properties to service in Athens-Clarke County than Oconee County.
Georgia Theater: The Monday after
Proof that blogging is not a full-time profession for me is that I had to go out of town this past weekend during the middle of a big, breaking news story for the area. Regardless, I collected a few additional things including some photos taken by Athens-Clarke County Chamber of Commerce President Doc Eldridge, as well as some favorite memories from Bertis Downs, the manager of R.E.M.
From Downs ...
-THE POLICE playing there in the spring of 1979, with opening band THE WUOGGERS with Bill Berry on drums-- great show and they played their entire debut album as the set, then Message in a Bottle as the encore ... there were about 350 people there but there was a buzz of change (New Wave anybody!?) in the air. It felt good.
-R.E.M. playing after the POSSIBILITIES and Jim McKay's great film GIRLSTOWN aa a benefit/surprise show for Community Connection in October, 2001-- it was a perfect warmup for the guys who were getting ready to play Neil Young's Bridge Concert and a United Nations Food Program Benefit in Seattle a week or so later ... and the Possibilities honored the occasion by playing an entire set of Neil Young covers, which they did quite well.
-a kind and accomodating staff, a great sounds system and good cold beer on draft-- I imagine many people are remembering back to the terrible Tyrone's fire in January, 1982, where we felt like we had lost part of our town's "community house"
From Eldridge ...
And, in case you missed any of it, check out the solid reporting from the Athens Banner-Herald that was filed over the weekend ...
'Fiery demise for storied structure'
'The Georgia Theater: Timeline'
'Theater never met 'threshold' for sprinklers'
'Co-founders memories of The Georgia Theater'
From Downs ...
-THE POLICE playing there in the spring of 1979, with opening band THE WUOGGERS with Bill Berry on drums-- great show and they played their entire debut album as the set, then Message in a Bottle as the encore ... there were about 350 people there but there was a buzz of change (New Wave anybody!?) in the air. It felt good.
-R.E.M. playing after the POSSIBILITIES and Jim McKay's great film GIRLSTOWN aa a benefit/surprise show for Community Connection in October, 2001-- it was a perfect warmup for the guys who were getting ready to play Neil Young's Bridge Concert and a United Nations Food Program Benefit in Seattle a week or so later ... and the Possibilities honored the occasion by playing an entire set of Neil Young covers, which they did quite well.
-a kind and accomodating staff, a great sounds system and good cold beer on draft-- I imagine many people are remembering back to the terrible Tyrone's fire in January, 1982, where we felt like we had lost part of our town's "community house"
From Eldridge ...
And, in case you missed any of it, check out the solid reporting from the Athens Banner-Herald that was filed over the weekend ...
'Fiery demise for storied structure'
'The Georgia Theater: Timeline'
'Theater never met 'threshold' for sprinklers'
'Co-founders memories of The Georgia Theater'
Friday, June 19, 2009
Georgia Theater fire roundup
- Two sets of photos from Bryan Harris from Jackson Spalding detail the damage.
- Jeff Snowden shared some of his photos as well.
- Additional photo sets can be found at Flickr and TwitPic.
- Various folks react to the building's destruction.
- Athens-Clarke County Fire Chief Iby George says the damage is 'extensive.'
- Owner Wilmont Greene tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he aims to rebuild, though the challenge is whether or not he'll be fully covered to do so.
- Greene tells the Athens Banner-Herald that he hopes to move some scheduled AthFest concerts to either The Classic Center or Legion Field.
- Folks can head to Twitter and search for #gatheater to get a blow-by-blow of what happened.
- Jeff Snowden shared some of his photos as well.
- Additional photo sets can be found at Flickr and TwitPic.
- Various folks react to the building's destruction.
- Athens-Clarke County Fire Chief Iby George says the damage is 'extensive.'
- Owner Wilmont Greene tells The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he aims to rebuild, though the challenge is whether or not he'll be fully covered to do so.
- Greene tells the Athens Banner-Herald that he hopes to move some scheduled AthFest concerts to either The Classic Center or Legion Field.
- Folks can head to Twitter and search for #gatheater to get a blow-by-blow of what happened.
Athens reacts
Man, this is terrible for Wil Greene and everyone in Athens who loves live music. Wil(mont Green) has invested hundreds of thousands in upgrades in recent years - both exterier improvements like the art deco facade, and interior improvements live better ventilation and the sound system. I walk by the Theatre several times a week, and I've been looking forward to seeing Jenny Lewis there in a couple of weeks.
The most memorable show I saw there in the last year was the Fleet Foxes. I was there with Payton Bradford, and we were both blown away by the clarity of band's harmonies. Everyone who goes to listen to music regularly can tell you about PAs that make good musicians sound like sewage. However, the Georgia Theatre completely captured the spark of the band that night.
Some other memories ... Lucinda Williams on the "Essence" tour singing Skip James' "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" ... Paul Westerberg playing "Answering Machine" in '96 ... meeting Steve Earle on the street outside the back door ... R.E.M. with Bill Berry playing "Country Feedback" unannounced during a Minus 5 encore ... bouncing to the remnants of the Wailers with a thousand stoned undergrads ... The Blind Boys of Alabama doing a call and response as they marched through the crowd ... Patterson Hood opening a show with OutKast's "Roses" ... too many more to mention.
- Athens-Clarke County District Nine Commissioner Kelly Girtz
Oh, boy ... I have a lot, between covering music for a few publications, promoting bands for Sony, and just being a music and film fan:
I remember going to see "Kurt & Courtney" there in the late 90s and leaving because the film was boring, people were talking and smoking in the balcony, and my feet were stuck to the floor. But I also remember seeing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with a bunch of people who took it very seriously -- John Cameron Mitchell was there and so were a few "Hed Heads" -- people in giant foam Hedwig-like wigs who did a sort of proto-Rocky Horror audience participation thing. And I saw "Happiness" with what seemed to be a lot of people with some sort of stake in it. Michael Stipe, who was one of the musicians recording the title song, had brought a group of friends and everyone was very collegial and chatty and happy.
Once upon a time I had a british band which was playing there, and I had to ferry them all over town for promo appearances and such. On the way we chatted, they mentioned how cool the venue looked, and I told them a little about its history. Which was fine until I mentioned that it had been a morgue. "How long ago?" asked the bassist. I told him um, well, probably a century ago. "Where did they store the bodies?" he wanted to know. I told him um, I dunno. Probably in the basement -- where, you know, it's cool. "Where the stage is?" he asked. I dunno, I said. And he called his manager and told him he would not play there. He relented a little later, and they did play, but that show was insanity. We had promo items, including some stickers -- people would take one or two. But maybe halfway through the show I noticed that a guy kept picking up 10 or so stickers and going outside with them, then coming back and getting more. After the show, we walked downtown to get a bite, and about a block away we found what the guy had been doing with them -- he had COVERED someone's BMW with them, including the windows and mirrors. Dinner was great, but eaten in fear since we were mildly afraid we might get hunted down by the authorities for vandalizing the car.
- Nicki Hendrix, former blogger
Music at the Georgia Theatre has been a staple of this community for as long as many can remember. Having seen some of the greatest shows I have ever seen there from JJ Cale to Ziggy Marley and even Abbey Road Live last Saturday with my children, I am saddened by this tragic event.
Many people I know either work there or have worked there and it has been a stabilizing force in the ever changing downtown scene of bars and businesses. The owner Wilmont Green, has spent a great deal of money in the past few years, bringing the Georgia Theatre up to the wonderful high standard of quality it deserves.
The impact of the Theatre on the local economy will certainly be felt and Wilmont deserves credit for maintaining such a local and international landmark in our community. I hope that all Athenians in the private sector or the government, will join together in any effort to get this business back up and running and recognize the hard road that Wilmont has in front of him.
- Spencer Frye, executive director of Habitat For Humanity and local musician
There are so many things to think about. I remember being a freshman, 18-years-old, and going to see Mel and the Party Hats for the first time. I had heard of the Georgia Theater before, but never been. It was completely overwhelming to a guy just out of high school. Hot, sticky, sweaty ... the best. There’ll never be another.
-Scott Hartman, 2000 graduate of the University of Georgia
The most memorable show I saw there in the last year was the Fleet Foxes. I was there with Payton Bradford, and we were both blown away by the clarity of band's harmonies. Everyone who goes to listen to music regularly can tell you about PAs that make good musicians sound like sewage. However, the Georgia Theatre completely captured the spark of the band that night.
Some other memories ... Lucinda Williams on the "Essence" tour singing Skip James' "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues" ... Paul Westerberg playing "Answering Machine" in '96 ... meeting Steve Earle on the street outside the back door ... R.E.M. with Bill Berry playing "Country Feedback" unannounced during a Minus 5 encore ... bouncing to the remnants of the Wailers with a thousand stoned undergrads ... The Blind Boys of Alabama doing a call and response as they marched through the crowd ... Patterson Hood opening a show with OutKast's "Roses" ... too many more to mention.
- Athens-Clarke County District Nine Commissioner Kelly Girtz
Oh, boy ... I have a lot, between covering music for a few publications, promoting bands for Sony, and just being a music and film fan:
I remember going to see "Kurt & Courtney" there in the late 90s and leaving because the film was boring, people were talking and smoking in the balcony, and my feet were stuck to the floor. But I also remember seeing "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" with a bunch of people who took it very seriously -- John Cameron Mitchell was there and so were a few "Hed Heads" -- people in giant foam Hedwig-like wigs who did a sort of proto-Rocky Horror audience participation thing. And I saw "Happiness" with what seemed to be a lot of people with some sort of stake in it. Michael Stipe, who was one of the musicians recording the title song, had brought a group of friends and everyone was very collegial and chatty and happy.
Once upon a time I had a british band which was playing there, and I had to ferry them all over town for promo appearances and such. On the way we chatted, they mentioned how cool the venue looked, and I told them a little about its history. Which was fine until I mentioned that it had been a morgue. "How long ago?" asked the bassist. I told him um, well, probably a century ago. "Where did they store the bodies?" he wanted to know. I told him um, I dunno. Probably in the basement -- where, you know, it's cool. "Where the stage is?" he asked. I dunno, I said. And he called his manager and told him he would not play there. He relented a little later, and they did play, but that show was insanity. We had promo items, including some stickers -- people would take one or two. But maybe halfway through the show I noticed that a guy kept picking up 10 or so stickers and going outside with them, then coming back and getting more. After the show, we walked downtown to get a bite, and about a block away we found what the guy had been doing with them -- he had COVERED someone's BMW with them, including the windows and mirrors. Dinner was great, but eaten in fear since we were mildly afraid we might get hunted down by the authorities for vandalizing the car.
- Nicki Hendrix, former blogger
Music at the Georgia Theatre has been a staple of this community for as long as many can remember. Having seen some of the greatest shows I have ever seen there from JJ Cale to Ziggy Marley and even Abbey Road Live last Saturday with my children, I am saddened by this tragic event.
Many people I know either work there or have worked there and it has been a stabilizing force in the ever changing downtown scene of bars and businesses. The owner Wilmont Green, has spent a great deal of money in the past few years, bringing the Georgia Theatre up to the wonderful high standard of quality it deserves.
The impact of the Theatre on the local economy will certainly be felt and Wilmont deserves credit for maintaining such a local and international landmark in our community. I hope that all Athenians in the private sector or the government, will join together in any effort to get this business back up and running and recognize the hard road that Wilmont has in front of him.
- Spencer Frye, executive director of Habitat For Humanity and local musician
There are so many things to think about. I remember being a freshman, 18-years-old, and going to see Mel and the Party Hats for the first time. I had heard of the Georgia Theater before, but never been. It was completely overwhelming to a guy just out of high school. Hot, sticky, sweaty ... the best. There’ll never be another.
-Scott Hartman, 2000 graduate of the University of Georgia
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More theater fire photos
More photos from Bryan Harris ...
If you have any photos or memories, please shoot them over to safeashousesathens@gmail.com.
If you have any photos or memories, please shoot them over to safeashousesathens@gmail.com.
Theater damage 'extensive'
Iby George, Athens-Clarke County fire chief, to the Athens Banner-Herald ...
It appeared to have started on the second floor and broke through the roof shortly thereafter. We're in defensive mode now. It's hard to say if they'll be able to rebuild. There is at best going to be extensive damage.
It appeared to have started on the second floor and broke through the roof shortly thereafter. We're in defensive mode now. It's hard to say if they'll be able to rebuild. There is at best going to be extensive damage.
Georgia Theater on fire
Via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Georgia Theater is engulfed in flames in downtown Athens-Clarke County.
You sure about that?
More on this later, but I just drove through the Boulevard area and there are piles of leaf and limb all throughout that place.
Weak arguments
Of course, the fundamental flaw with this argument - aside that it was written by Newt Gingrich - is that it ignores the product and/or service produced by the private sector competitor. By using the Ford vs. GM model, it assumes that the latter will succeed based on more advantageous debt scenarios. It completely discounts, however, the fact that Ford is producing a better product that has achieved a fierce brand loyalty.
If Ford sells more of its product, then the company will succeed.
Likewise, in the health care debate, if private sector insurers adapt to a new playing field which includes a competitive public sector plan, then the types of coverage offered will be better across the board regardless of the advantages of financing structure.
If Ford sells more of its product, then the company will succeed.
Likewise, in the health care debate, if private sector insurers adapt to a new playing field which includes a competitive public sector plan, then the types of coverage offered will be better across the board regardless of the advantages of financing structure.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Couple of things
- Yeah, I'd agree that devoting 25 percent of your personnel to solely address the trash can 'problem' is probably somewhat of an overkill.
- Many bonus points for Diana Fairburn. I'll consider going to the downtown Five Star Day now, but I'm still done with the eastside one.
- Data which needs a whole lot more data ... is actually appropriate because of, say, repeat offenders or the level of poverty of the offenders? Or, maybe, is it skewed because white students potentially have better parental connections in the school system? Until there's considerably more study done, it's just kind of pointless to point fingers.
- As an aside, because I've weirdly gotten some questions about it, Athens-Clarke County District 10 Commissioner Mike Hamby is no relation to Five Star Day owner/hater of customers Bill Hamby.
- Brian Brodrick - good friend, Watkinsville city councilman and fellow blogger - pens a column in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Select Sustainable Tree Trust.
- What the actions of a nutjob who committed domestic terrorism more than 35 years ago have to do with a recent surge in right-wing extremism in the present day is beyond me, but apparently not Andy Totten who refuses to let things like reason, context and logic get in the way of a good, inflammatory argument.
- Lee Becker previews the upcoming Oconee County Commission meeting and talks about the budget battle, and he also links to my column on the matter (with approving, albeit sarcastic, comments on the Michael J. Fox reference).
- Many bonus points for Diana Fairburn. I'll consider going to the downtown Five Star Day now, but I'm still done with the eastside one.
- Data which needs a whole lot more data ... is actually appropriate because of, say, repeat offenders or the level of poverty of the offenders? Or, maybe, is it skewed because white students potentially have better parental connections in the school system? Until there's considerably more study done, it's just kind of pointless to point fingers.
- As an aside, because I've weirdly gotten some questions about it, Athens-Clarke County District 10 Commissioner Mike Hamby is no relation to Five Star Day owner/hater of customers Bill Hamby.
- Brian Brodrick - good friend, Watkinsville city councilman and fellow blogger - pens a column in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the Select Sustainable Tree Trust.
- What the actions of a nutjob who committed domestic terrorism more than 35 years ago have to do with a recent surge in right-wing extremism in the present day is beyond me, but apparently not Andy Totten who refuses to let things like reason, context and logic get in the way of a good, inflammatory argument.
- Lee Becker previews the upcoming Oconee County Commission meeting and talks about the budget battle, and he also links to my column on the matter (with approving, albeit sarcastic, comments on the Michael J. Fox reference).
The read
From my mid-week column in the Athens Banner-Herald ...
Cowsert also has been playing his own sort of mental gymnastics with the realities of budgetary help. At one of the numerous tea parties earlier this year, he boasted that the state government managed to balance its budget and that they "did not borrow a dime to do (it)."
It's the typical "we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps" meme that gets trotted out at those types of functions.
Of course, it's not true at all, and when a reporter called Cowsert out for fudging the facts since the federal government provided Georgia with ample supplemental funding, he merely shrugged it off. If they hadn't gotten the money from Washington, Cowsert said, they'd just have rolled up their sleeves and cut a billion more from the budget.
That type of machismo is nothing short of blatant intellectual dishonesty.
Cowsert also has been playing his own sort of mental gymnastics with the realities of budgetary help. At one of the numerous tea parties earlier this year, he boasted that the state government managed to balance its budget and that they "did not borrow a dime to do (it)."
It's the typical "we pulled ourselves up by the bootstraps" meme that gets trotted out at those types of functions.
Of course, it's not true at all, and when a reporter called Cowsert out for fudging the facts since the federal government provided Georgia with ample supplemental funding, he merely shrugged it off. If they hadn't gotten the money from Washington, Cowsert said, they'd just have rolled up their sleeves and cut a billion more from the budget.
That type of machismo is nothing short of blatant intellectual dishonesty.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Couple of things
- In the good news department, a common sense ordinance was upheld, a frivalous lawsuit defeated and Chuck Jones lost. In the bad news department, Judge Leah Sears dabbles with craziness in her ridiculous dissent.
- Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison shared some brief thoughts on the state EPD lifting the watering restrictions.
- It is somewhat disappointing that the Georgia Supreme Court decision came via a surprisingly close 4-3 vote. For starters, the lawsuit never even should have made it to the high court and arguably should have been dismissed for numerous errors conducted by the students' legal team. Yet, despite such a poorly organized case, three justices voted to overturn a legally sound noise ordinance.
- An interesting chronology of Angel Food Ministries, and my contention with the program is simple ... if you want to run it as a business, then have it set up as a business. Instead, the Wingo family is using its non-profit status to skirt paying taxes on a variety of items, thus maximizing its profit by exploiting others. Run it as a business, and I won't care at all that Joe Wingo is taking home $500,000 a year.
- Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison shared some brief thoughts on the state EPD lifting the watering restrictions.
- It is somewhat disappointing that the Georgia Supreme Court decision came via a surprisingly close 4-3 vote. For starters, the lawsuit never even should have made it to the high court and arguably should have been dismissed for numerous errors conducted by the students' legal team. Yet, despite such a poorly organized case, three justices voted to overturn a legally sound noise ordinance.
- An interesting chronology of Angel Food Ministries, and my contention with the program is simple ... if you want to run it as a business, then have it set up as a business. Instead, the Wingo family is using its non-profit status to skirt paying taxes on a variety of items, thus maximizing its profit by exploiting others. Run it as a business, and I won't care at all that Joe Wingo is taking home $500,000 a year.
Davison talks drought and water
Athens-Clarke County Mayor Heidi Davison shared some thoughts with me regarding the state lifting most of the watering restrictions ...
Interesting that river flow has actually been down the last few weeks despite all the rain! The last relaxation of restrictions were probably enough, to be honest. Folks could water their plants enough allowing them to thrive and other activities such as pressure washing, car washing, and pool/fountain filling were, once again, permitted albeit with some limitations.
However, I think most folks will not slip back into old habits, by and large, and those who insist on watering as much as is allowed will see their water bills skyrocket with the new tiered pricing. For some the cost never matters - they are simply going to water as much as they please. For some, the pricing has the ability to effect their watering habits. And, for others the removal of restrictions matters not as they will continue to conserve regardless.
I think her latter point is especially true. With restrictions now lifted and the new pricing structure in place, this will be the first time Athens-Clarke County residents get to put their conservation habits into practice under non-drought circumstances. I know that they've carried over with me into our new place in The O.C. While I'm arguably enjoying watering outside (and, admittedly, I've cheated a canful of water to a plant or two in need), I can notice that I'm doing lots of other little things when it comes to everyday water use.
Interesting that river flow has actually been down the last few weeks despite all the rain! The last relaxation of restrictions were probably enough, to be honest. Folks could water their plants enough allowing them to thrive and other activities such as pressure washing, car washing, and pool/fountain filling were, once again, permitted albeit with some limitations.
However, I think most folks will not slip back into old habits, by and large, and those who insist on watering as much as is allowed will see their water bills skyrocket with the new tiered pricing. For some the cost never matters - they are simply going to water as much as they please. For some, the pricing has the ability to effect their watering habits. And, for others the removal of restrictions matters not as they will continue to conserve regardless.
I think her latter point is especially true. With restrictions now lifted and the new pricing structure in place, this will be the first time Athens-Clarke County residents get to put their conservation habits into practice under non-drought circumstances. I know that they've carried over with me into our new place in The O.C. While I'm arguably enjoying watering outside (and, admittedly, I've cheated a canful of water to a plant or two in need), I can notice that I'm doing lots of other little things when it comes to everyday water use.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The read
From my Sunday column in the Athens Banner-Herald ...
Whether purposeful or not, there appears to be some sort of mental disconnect between the rationales given for not landing certain projects and the actual reasons for why they don't wind up in the area.
Conservatives and various business leaders like to say Athens-Clarke just isn't "business-friendly." And, weirdly enough, they seem to relish voluntarily spreading this perception by telling potential employers considering the community just how unfriendly it is, thus perpetuating the very perception they should be aiming to put to rest.
Likewise, many progressives complain their elected leaders in Atlanta, who tend to come from the other side of the ideological aisle, simply don't go to bat for Athens - a little blue dot lost in a sea of red.
Still, employer after employer, including major pharmaceutical firms Novartis and Solvay, seemed to pass over the community, and their explanations for doing so kept coming back to the work force problem.
Which is why the Athens-Clarke County Commission's recent decision to allocate $100,000 for a green-jobs training program is more than welcome news, it's something a community starving for economic opportunity should be rejoicing about.
Whether purposeful or not, there appears to be some sort of mental disconnect between the rationales given for not landing certain projects and the actual reasons for why they don't wind up in the area.
Conservatives and various business leaders like to say Athens-Clarke just isn't "business-friendly." And, weirdly enough, they seem to relish voluntarily spreading this perception by telling potential employers considering the community just how unfriendly it is, thus perpetuating the very perception they should be aiming to put to rest.
Likewise, many progressives complain their elected leaders in Atlanta, who tend to come from the other side of the ideological aisle, simply don't go to bat for Athens - a little blue dot lost in a sea of red.
Still, employer after employer, including major pharmaceutical firms Novartis and Solvay, seemed to pass over the community, and their explanations for doing so kept coming back to the work force problem.
Which is why the Athens-Clarke County Commission's recent decision to allocate $100,000 for a green-jobs training program is more than welcome news, it's something a community starving for economic opportunity should be rejoicing about.
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