flASHback: Place your bets
November 13th, 2009 by David ShapiroIt's time to call in the bookies as we "flASHback" on the week's news that amused and confused:
- State tax collections were 9 percent below what the Council on Revenues predicted, ballooning the budget deficit. We'd get more accurate forecasts from the Chinatown betting line.
- It's rumored that President Barack Obama plans another Hawai'i family holiday. That would add a special touch to our celebration of the Twelve Furlough Days of Christmas.
- Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona tried to broker a deal on school furloughs while Gov. Linda Lingle was traveling, but nobody answered his call for a meeting. Now he knows why Lingle had to go to China to get a little respect.
- The Honolulu Police Commission is under fire for adding names to the list of finalists for a new chief turned in by its selection committee. The City Council will meet Monday to try to fix the dispute — unless the fix is already in.
- Legislators questioned what distorted values could cut monthly state payments to poor, disabled people from $450 to $300 in this economy. Perhaps the same distorted values that gave legislators a 36 percent pay raise?
- The state's "Recreational Renaissance Plan B" drew sharp criticism in hearings around the state. Now we know what the "B" stands for — bupkes.
- Hawai'i's primary election date may have to move up under a new federal law. That'll make it more convenient for the majority to get not voting out of the way earlier.
- Surveys ranked Honolulu No. 100 out of 200 “best performing” cities and Hawai'i the 19th-worst state in fiscal health. You know, we've been at the bottom so many times that mediocrity looks strangely good.
- KHNL owner Raycom Media Inc. denies that its newsroom merger with KGMB is a "sale" despite its payment of $22 million to KGMB's owners. Isn't that what hookers say when they do transactions in "roses?"
- The Walt Disney Co. is remaking Mickey Mouse with a hipper image. If they give him too much of a clue, the Council on Revenues will have to find a new numbers cruncher.
And the quote of the week ...
... from 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge A. Wallace Tashima in upholding school furloughs:
"What's the least bad of all the choices?"
One clue: The U.S. education secretary called our choice the most "mind-boggling."
Tags: Barack Obama, economy, Education, James "Duke" Aiona, Linda Lingle, media, police
November 13th, 2009 at 4:56 am
Many of the issues you mention deal with the economy. The local economy is one thing, but when Harvard tells me 45,000 Americans die due to no or inadequate health insurance because the insurance industry isn't doing their job, some drastic steps need to be made here.
Well, according to The Nation and Democracy Now, since the US Ambassador recommends against sending any more troops to Afghanistan because of corruption in Kabul, the US is paying Taliban contractors to stop killing suppliers to the troops there, and since the Afghans and American citizens both want us out of Afghanistan, I know where we can tap a $700 billion goose egg.
I'm not saying eliminate the US military. In June of this year, Barney Frank argued that the military budget should be cut by 25% - I'd say 80% is more like it. That extra $500 billion would look pretty sweet right now.
I'd take more school days and a few more military contractor layoffs anyday. Raytheon, Boeing and Northrupp have been on a gravy train since Kennedy took office. It's time they bit the bullett - opps - another Freudian slip.
November 13th, 2009 at 6:45 am
I totally agree, Bob. It is so strange that cutting the military and bringing the troops home isn't a strong recommendation by every media editorial staff. Is it because they, too, are owned by military contractors? We the people and the children continue to lose! A sad smile this morning for the truth of David's observations.
November 13th, 2009 at 7:37 am
Aloha ~
Mahalo for the comments from BobMob and Pat ... since we've had interesting debates on David's blog recently about our mission in Afghanistan, I invited an Afghan-American leader to dinner last weekend. I summarized some of the comments from our discussions and asked, "What do the Afghan people want?"
My friend reflected and said, "You know, after 8 years of engagement, the Afghan people remain unclear about one thing: is America in Afghanistan as an occupying power or as our friend?"
I was stunned. I picked my teefus from the floor and said, "My brother, you know me ... what do you believe I want for Afghanistan?" Khan replied, "Yes, my brother, I do know you and know what you want but you are not your government. Afghans still do not trust the policies of Washington."
Eight years of sacrifice ... countless billions of taxpayer dollars and unacceptable loss of American blood ... and still today we are unable to convince Afghans of our intent.
It's time to come home ...
A*L*O*H*A
November 13th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Scott-
Your friend said, "Afghans still do not trust the policies of Washington." It sounds like Afghans are pretty smart. For the majority of the members of the US Congress, re-election is first priority, sensible public policy a distant second.
Please try and reconcile these two charts for me:
http://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/reelect.php
http://www.gallup.com/poll/28201/congress-job-approval-27.aspx
Congress consistently gets approval ratings well below 50%, yet re-election rates well above 90%.
Term limits are needed.
November 13th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Aloha WooWoo821 ~
Mahalo for the charts. You asked if I could reconcile these seemingly paradoxical findings. They make sense when one considers that survey respondents are expressing their views about Congress as a whole. If one asks respondents their views about their particular representative or senator, we would see a closer relationship to the re-election results.
On a particular policy issue my senator or representative may vote as I prefer, thus earning my future support, while the Congress as a body may vote against my position thus earning my contempt.
I'm not a fan of term limits per se. The political science literature suggests term limits simply open the door to greater manipulation of the system by career bureaucrats, powerful lobbyists and special interest groups.
The longer an elected official remains in office the better equipped s/he is to fend off these "professional and career" advocates. We don't vote for these individuals thus I prefer to neutralize them as much as possible.
We all get frustrated by democracy ... yet as we have discussed democracy is characterized by compromise. You want Plan A; I want Plan B; yet after we beat the issue through our legislative process, Plan C emerges.
Nobody truly wanted this option. Thus you might feel cheated; I might feel cheated; and we can easily fall prey to cynicism and alienation.
An enlightened citizenry therefore must understand the limitations of participatory government. It is better to get a little of what one wants than nothing at all. And getting some of what we want tends to keep us seated at the public table rather than seeking more violent or less civil means to resolve conflict.
Outside our civil war we have done a pretty reasonable job finding suitable compromise to our challenges. Although I didn't get what I wanted from Election 2000 I was ultimately impressed that nobody threw a punch or shot somebody during the chaos and confusion. Few nations in the world can make this boast. We saw what happened in Iran, as Neta's death will be immortalized in their culture.
With all the craziness we see and frustration we feel ... I'm going to be the corny one who flies the flag high this fine Friday and says, "Three cheers for the Red, White and Blue ..."
We're not a perfect union but thankfully we have the opportunity to participate in continuing to perfect this experiment. Now if David will just get busy over the weekend, I'm sure he can have all the loose ends tied up by Monday's column.
A*L*O*H*A
November 13th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I'm surprised you didn't include anything on the long term plans for the public housing authority getting out of the public housing business.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
BobMob, how many tens of thousands of americans die each that have that have health coverage?
November 13th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
@ladyjane Nothing funny came to mind for me on that story. If you have a good line, let it fly.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Dave,
Thank you for using the word bupkes in the sentence.
I had a belly laugh and nearly tore up my kishkes about the shlomiel that "invited Afghan-American leader to dinner last weekend". I did not know that Taliban was accepting invitation for a meal of a Democrat baloney.
The shlimazl that opposed term limits obviosly have no problem with all Democrat Congress, all Democrat Senate and a Democrat President in addition to the all Democrat (except poor Linda) State, City and County Governments. I clearly see the logic of his apposition for allowing anyone but his meshuga friends to serve in the Government. I gather it was a principled stand.
The ganef and a gazlon that got his post at the top wants to defund the military so that everyone of his union friends in the government service will have a lifetime job. Again, stealing the ammo funds to provide money to abortionists and illegal aliens seems like a reasonable idea to this schnook.
I love the inside football of this blog where meshuga bounces off and amplifies among the likeminded.
Fluff is the only one that has the beytsim to to call dreck a dreck.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:06 am
Aloha Fluffy ~
Mahalo for letting us know that you're a Chaim Yankel. Your comments are indisputably chalushes. We're absolutely delighted to give such a draycup a forum to spew chazzerai.
Emmes? Fluffy - our kleineh beytsim Paskudnyak and resident farshimmelt farshikkert.
Feh!
A*L*O*H*A
November 16th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I believe I have outed Scott Goold!
A Jewish Leftist - what a breakthrough for your people! Please do not tell me you a lawyer too! A glick hot dich getrofen!
A chazer bleibt a chazer! - my mother used to say.